Cover Story
Shower to flower: Record drought is pushing more locals toward water recycling
Josh Carmichael started installing simple gray water systems with landscaping to accompany it in 2009, after California plumbing laws changed to encourage gray water use. At first, he constructed about one system per year as part of his environmental landscape and design work, but gradually, as the reservoirs emptied, that part of his business picked…
Porn hack targets SLO box store
Shoppers perusing the aisles at the San Luis Obispo Target store on a recent Friday got a lot more than clothes, cards, and candles. A few minutes before noon on July 10, customers there got a wild, unusual Target experience. The store’s sound system broadcasted the sound of what appeared to be a male and…
Would you use gray water to water your plants?
Bobbi Primo realtor and property manager “I would, because we’re in a severe drought, so we need to conserve water. And golf courses already do it.” Catherine Goodison works in software “Yes—because why not?” Kathy MacNeill county project manager “I would if the plumbing in my house would allow it. I grow a lot of…
Wine, art, music
Shake a tail feather, y’all: Baileyana Winery in Edna Valley is rocking its Extended Hours music series every Friday through Sept. 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. which features food truck offerings, too! … Arroyo Grande’s Talley Vineyards is rolling out its Tunes at Talley Sundays now through Aug. 23 from 1 to 4 p.m.…
JUSTIN Winery’s 2014 Sauvignon Blanc and J. Dusi’s 2012 Zinfandel
You know what sounds like a perfect Paso summer afternoon? Sitting on the patio at The Restaurant at JUSTIN, noshing on just-picked produce from the winery’s lush edible garden. Even in my wildest fantasies, Paso Robles is hotter than hell, so you know I would be drinking a chilled glass of the winery’s 2014 sauvignon…
Southern comfort meets farm-to-table at The Hatch
When Executive Chef Mateo Rogers handed me a batch of his house-made hot sauce “to go,” I knew I had landed the best souvenir of the summer. The tiny glass bottle—with nothing but an all-caps “Hatch” scrawled on the side—is now the crown jewel of my fridge door; proof of my voyage into a delicious…
‘Into the Woods’ comes to Clark Center
Chameleon Productions will showcase a family-friendly cast of fairy-tale characters at the Clark Center July 31 through Aug. 15. Into the Woods is all about humor, heart, clever dialogue, and inventive songs. Yes, this is one of those opportunities for parents, grandparents, and kids to rejoice! Also worth a note: It is Chameleon’s 20th year…
Festival Mozaic celebrates 45th
While local headlines have been concentrating on SLO Symphony and its artistic/personnel struggles, Festival Mozaic has been quietly preparing for the arrival of 86 classical musicians hailing from top professional orchestras and chamber ensembles. The Festival Mozaic summer event celebrates its 45th anniversary this July with concerts, free open rehearsals, master classes, fancy dinners, and…
Susan Pyburn exhibits images of Cuba at Big Sky Café
I can’t wait to go to Cuba. Good thing I can daydream all about it with the help of Susan Pyburn’s Cuba, Si! photography collection, now on display at Big Sky Café. Attend an artist’s reception on July 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. and feast your eyes on classic cars, vibrant street culture, and…
SLO Botanical Garden presents butterfly-centric workshop
Follow the butterflies to the SLO Botanical Garden! Join local children’s book author and artist Beryl Reichenberg as she shows kids how to make a colorful butterfly book perfect for hanging in a special place. Play, explore, craft, and learn while listening to stories about monarch butterflies and their life cycle. This family-friendly event takes…
Tooth & Nail Winery’s free Friday concerts are a hit!
It’s Friday, July 10, and after arriving in Paso via the 46 West exit, off to the right, we see a hilltop castle surrounded by vineyards. This castle’s legit! There’s a moat out front, machicolation, brattice, and battlements. It’s Tooth & Nail Winery looming in front as we walk up its steps, but instead of…
Blur the lines between indoors and out
You can see exactly how much my life has changed over the past few years just by looking at my backyard. There’s the raised concrete bed filled with flax, artichoke, and California lilac that my husband built not long after I first moved in. Back then, I didn’t even know the difference between guara and…
Shooting deer for art’s sake: Coral’s ‘Deeries’ blur lines between humans and nature
Deer. They seem to fade into the background of Central Coast life. Rural residents can especially attest to an overwhelming sense of indifference. In backwoods Atascadero or rustic Templeton, a massive doe trailed by adorable, stumbling babies barely warrants a second look, let alone an iPhone pic. I mean, how many likes can one measly…
Third Eye Blind and Dashboard Confessional play Vina Robles Amphitheatre on July 17
It’s hard to believe it’s been 18 years since Third Eye Blind lit up the charts with “Semi-Charmed Life” off their self-titled debut album. Songs like “Jumper,” “How’s It Going to Be,” and “Never Let You Go” proved the band had legs, but like any good rock ’n’ roll tale, there’s been personnel changes, long…
Suspect arrested for allegedly vandalizing windows in SLO on June 9
Police arrested the man who allegedly caused more than $20,000 in damage vandalizing banks and businesses in SLO, and a police station in Morro Bay. The man, identified as 26-year-old Joshua Ryan Meissner of Morro Bay, was arrested July 7 in connection with the multiple instances of vandalism and booked into SLO County Jail on…
Clubs 7/16/15 – 7/23/15
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on alternating…
Love is in the air … waves
Editor’s warning: You probably shouldn’t let your kids read this Shredder, or if you’re sensitive, you shouldn’t read it either. It’s got sexy-time talk in it. Thanks, Target! Between making national news for being the happiest place to live, having the best public university in the West, or our great quirky landmarks such as the…
Shredder is an A-hole
Glad to see that the Shredder is now an expert on vaccinations (“To V or not to V?,” July 9). Since he mentioned A-holes bringing back the mumps, I assume he’s calling out Merck—that multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical company currently under legal investigation due to two insider whistleblowers fingering their boss company for falsifying information about…
Damn, another fallen hero
Well Shredder, I am done with you. I have been a faithful reader for 10 years, but your last article (“To V or not to V?,” July 9) changed my opinion of your intelligence. After I send this, I am deleting you from my favorites. How do you explain Vaccine Court? How do you explain…
Shame on you, supervisors Hill and Gibson
Supervisors Adam Hill and Bruce Gibson have engaged in the most despicable behavior I have ever witnessed from our elected leaders: seeking the review of a scientist for testifying in front of the Air Pollution Control District Board (“State employee goes rogue at APCD meeting,” July 9). Licensed Engineering Geologist and Hydrogeologist Will Harris knows…
KCPR should change, but I’ll miss the way it was
I enjoyed your story “Changing the station: KCPR Cal Poly Radio dispatches with its long-time community DJs as the college charts a new course” that was published on July 8. As a community member and long-time listener, as well as a graduate of Cal Poly I felt there was one big point missed. That is…
Supervisors should stop working with big banks
Recently Santa Cruz County ceased doing business with the following convicted felonious “persons:” Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, and UBS. Is SLO County doing business with them? I do not believe that the law can compel the county do business with felons. In fact, I think that any responsible official would…
About that r-word debate …
I found it strange that the letter writers who objected to someone’s use of the word “retarded” each equated this term with a person with disabilities. In fact, the person who used the word only used it to define liberals. — Mary Cook – San Luis Obispo
We are SLO-fortunate
Wow! GALA and the annual SLO Pride celebrated equality and justice for all this past weekend, and it was awesome to witness. People of all ages and persuasions joined in the festivities, and all sides of the conversation were represented. I am often impressed, as we all are, with the many virtues that help define…
Dust, energy bills, and you
See that dust building up on your nightstand? Well before you reach for a rag, you may want to make a run to the hardware store for a caulking gun and a new filter for your furnace and air conditioning system, as this build-up could be a sign your home has some energy efficiency troubles…
A Place to Grow helps locals build a structure tailored to their outdoor-meets-indoor needs
In response to the craze of the Man Cave—usually indoor spaces designed by and for men to drink, watch sports, and play video games—a countermovement started, empowering the opposite sex to claim their own space and, at the same time, enjoy their yards. The outdoor structures are known as She Sheds, explained A Place to…
Cougars & Mustangs
Four years remain until the iconic “P” adorning the Cal Poly hillside celebrates its 100th anniversary. I’ve no particular idea what celebration, if any, will be thrown for the landmark in 2019, be it a casual Facebook post, a celebratory hike to the location, or even an exact replica of the structure built to scale…
SLO County Planning Commission approves Ethnobotanica’s Nipomo medical marijuana dispensary
Visions of gun-toting gangsters didn’t deter the SLO County Planning Commission from approving the permit for Ethnobotanica’s brick-and-mortar medical marijuana dispensary in Nipomo, but it did stimulate a scintillating discussion about crime and business. Ethnobotanica would be the county’s only operating brick-and-mortar dispensary, unless it gets appealed to the Board of Supervisors, which is likely.…
One Cool Earth works with SLO County students to create a greener future
While most schools function as important centers for the education and development of young minds, they aren’t always very exciting to look at. It’s something that Greg Ellis and members of the nonprofit One Cool Earth hope to change. The organization, which is responsible for planting thousands of trees in San Luis Obispo County, takes…
SLO Safe Ride tests a phone app
A local ride service with a mission to keep SLO streets safe is testing out a new app to make it easier for its customers to get a ride. SLO Safe Ride, which offers rides to and from local bars, restaurants, wineries, breweries, and local events, stealthily rolled out a new phone app for iPhone…
Cuesta College data breach gone wild
A crime spree that started with a June investigation into an alleged data breach at Cuesta College and turned into a drug bust with several other crimes tacked on, is over, for now. Former Cuesta employee Lacey Fowler, 29, of Paso Robles, was arrested on July 13 after taking investigators from the San Luis Obispo…
Old Oak Park Road residents raise concerns over oil pipeline project
Residents along a road in unincorporated SLO County are concerned about the construction of an underground oil pipeline but are probably too late to stop it. Over the last few weeks, residents along Old Oak Park Road, located northeast of Arroyo Grande, watched as construction and digging equipment was staged for the project along the…
