Cover Story
Trench deaths
The sun had just set on a mild October night when Bob Gaines’ phone rang. He was at dinner with friends and on the other end of the line his ex-wife, Cindy Conte, was hysterical. There had been an accident, she told him, and their son Jake was in trouble. Neither knew then that Jake…
Help cats
Like so many people during the recession, I found myself in a financial crisis when I became unemployed. I was especially despondent when my precious cat Boogie Man broke his back leg. I spent $650 for the initial treatment, but the break was complicated and needed a specialist. My cat had showed me only love…
Ride on, rookies
Ms. Langford’s statements (“Let’s return to nature,” Dec. 11, 2008) would lead you to believe that the California Department of Parks and Recreation is ambivalent about the issue of pollution caused by off-road vehicles. This is not the case. Recently, Andrew Zilkie, the district superintendent, accompanied by a representative of CARB, visited our facility to…
Deliberately deaf
Based on an incomplete historic structures analysis (produced not coincidentally by the Chinatown developer’s own consultant), the outgoing SLO Council voted in favor–4 to 1–to demolish the Blackstone Hotel and the Sauer Bakery buildings: a contributing historic structure and a building on the City’s Historic Master List. This in spite of the fact that the…
Shame on them
Russia recently stopped providing most of Europe with gas, leaving Europeans miserable in bitter cold, just because they accused Ukraine of stealing the gas. There was no demonstration anywhere, no one was accused of atrocities, no humanitarian crisis, and no cries of war crimes. If the same were to happen in Gaza, if Israel would…
They have no idea
Cathryn Sells of Grover Beach (“Silence is the voice of complicity,” Jan. 8) and Ray Bracken of Los Osos (“Bullies court reprisals,” Jan. 8) are totally uninformed about Israel, Gaza, and Israeli defense. According to Israeli news sources and our friends living in Israel, Hamas has been launching rockets into Israel for over 10 years,…
Think twice
I read the letter from Shiloe George (Jan. 1) regarding the sad ignorant defacing of her Obama/Biden ’08 bumper sticker. I agree 99 percent with everything she said and am appalled that she experienced this. However, as a retired Special Education teacher and the past director of SLO County Special Olympics, I was disappointed…
Ban smoking in parks
At its goal setting meeting on January 15, I understand the SLO City Council will consider an ordinance that will eliminate tobacco use in outdoor areas and at events. We’ve all heard about the dangers of secondhand smoke, especially to young children. Now studies find that third-hand smoke, toxic chemicals in tobacco that remain on…
Join us
Thank you for your fine edition on volunteering (Jan. 8). As the volunteer coordinator at the Community Health Center of SLO, I’d like to inform your readers of our need for volunteers. As a local nonprofit health clinic, we rely on volunteers to better serve our clientele. We provide primary and specialty medical care for…
Steer clear
As a paper specializing in local news and entertainment reporting, I find it appalling how you covered the international news story in Gaza on your editorial pages. The situation is quite complex; providing a forum for such extremist viewpoints as those in Cathryn Sells’ letter (“Silence is the voice of complicity,” Jan. 8) is disturbing.…
Process 101
New Times How did you get involved with acting at such an early age? Metchik My mother was a drama teacher at Nipomo High [and other schools]. I would act in a scene in her little elementary school plays. At the time I sang, and a friend had heard about Les Miserables open auditions, so…
A tea party fit for the Mad Hatter
When Rollie Younger exhibits his teapots, men take notice. Younger has even overheard one (female) passerby scoff to another that the teapots are “a guy thing.” This perception may have something to do with the rivets, or the pressure gauges, or even the blue-collar industrial aesthetic that characterizes his boiler teapot series. In all, he…
Love in the time of Hallmark
Perhaps your love is “like an ancient cameo/ Turned brown with the ages,” as Langston Hughes described in “When She Wears Red.” Or perhaps, instead, your “luve’s like a red, red rose,” as was the case for Robert Burns. Maybe, like Carol Ann Duffy, you would give your valentine “an onion…moon wrapped in paper.” But…
A field and dreams
In November, a small L-shaped tract of city land came to be regarded by some as perhaps the most underutilized public parcel in San Luis Obispo. The city has owned the property for In November, a small L-shaped tract of city land came to be regarded by some as perhaps the most underutilized public parcel…
Are you optimistic about the Barack Obama’s administration?
Ryan Cole teacher “I’m optimistic in the sense that it’s change from the past, but I don’t expect radical change.” Jasmyn Day student “No, because I don’t think he can do everything he said he would.” George Burtge disabled “I hope so. I voted for him.” Veronica Johnson retired “Absolutely. It’s all about intelligence and…
Millionaires’ tax is slow to trickle down
Voters approved a measure in 2004 to dedicate to mental health services a new 1 percent tax on Californians who earn more than $1 million per year. It was described at the time as a way to fulfill decades-old promises made when California began to turn away from treating anyone but the criminally insane in…
Correction
The Jan. 8 news story “Like trails?” said Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers built the trails at Dairy Creek. They didn’t
Clarification
The free SLO Transit Gold Pass for bus passengers (“Get ready for public transport!” Jan. 1) is available only to people who work in the Downtown Parking Meter District, which encompasses the area from Peach Street to Pismo Street and Toro Street to Nipomo Street.
Sewer plant gets five more years before improving
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted a waiver allowing the wastewater treatment plant serving Morro Bay and Cayucos to continue operating for five years as upgrades are completed. The plant, which discharges into the ocean, has been operating under a variance that exempted it from fully treating wastewater. Although all of the wastewater receives…
OptiSolar looks to a brighter future in SLO
OptiSolar, one of a handful of companies seeking to harvest solar power in San Luis county, announced Jan. 9 that it had laid off nearly half its workforce, almost 300 people. The Hayward-based solar company said, however, that the layoffs were not likely to affect the proposed 500-megawatt solar farm slated for the Carrizo Plain.…
A new split for the supes
The new Board of Supervisors members had their first minor clash on Jan. 12, signifying both a change in the board majority and a potential to throw out a dated, spotty land policy. Three supervisors—Bruce Gibson, Jim Patterson, and newcomer Adam Hill—said a 13-year-old countywide development transfer program had turned out to be a failed…
Your park, Your park, delivered
Welcome to Montaña de Oro, brought to you by AT&T. It’s not a reality yet, but in an effort to keep Montaña de Oro free, some are hoping AT&T could become a corporate sponsor of sorts. By 2010, SLO County officials will have to make a choice that could result in a kiosk and park…
Diablo winds stir action
Members of the Avila Advisory Council are worried about the emergency system at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant and plan to gather representatives from PG&E and the county to talk about wind next month. In response to the Dec. 25 New Times story, “Devil Winds,” outgoing council chairwoman Sherri Danoff asked to have various experts…
True Gritty
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (almost) founding member and multi-instrumentalist John McEuen (banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle) is getting ready to permanently bust a move to Manhattan, which will severely limit his West Coast exposure, but you can check him out one last time when he plays a couple of shows at Cambria’s Painted Sky Studios on…
Let it die
Let’s put it right out there: People who don’t own televisions can be annoying. Some seem to try to find any way to let you know that they don’t, you know, do that, as if watching television is too common and too beneath them. Some set conversation traps, as in: Them: “Did you see last…
John Moule
NEW TIMES: What did you do before you decided to open a restaurant and brew beer? MOULE: I was a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service. I’ve been home brewing for 15 years; I grow my own cascade hops. I should also mention that my business partner Eric Beaton is a professional beer tasting…
Mission accomplished
Shredder has achieved yet another astonishing accomplishment. The day after Shredder raged that the government was set to ban thrift stores from selling used kids clothes and toys, the Bush Administration crumbled and issued clarifying remarks saying they won’t. Probably won’t, anyway. Good enough for me. Chalk up another notch in whatever’s holding up my…
Longoria 2006 Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Santa Rita Hills
In Spanish, “Fe Ciega” means “Blind Faith,” which was the original name of this vineyard until the band of the same name said, no way. And winemaker Rick Longoria found a simple alternative. This special vineyard supplies Longoria with superlative grapes each year, and I always buy the result. Rich and complex, it’s layered with…
Bogle 2007 Chardonnay California
This value-priced Chardonnay offers something for every taste, when it comes to America’s favorite variety in wine. Barrel fermentation in oak gives it subtle spice notes that meld with forward flavors of green apple, luscious pear, and citrus. It’s good for sipping alone or for enjoying with mild fish or poultry dishes dressed in butter-based…
Celebrate American traditions
When it comes to Americana, we citizens are enthusiastic about celebrating our rich history, be it our politics, food, wine, music, or art. One needs only to consider the excitement among Americans across the nation over the upcoming presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. for President-elect Barack H. Obama. This special event is attracting hundreds of…
Giving women a boost
What’s a woman to do if she suddenly loses her rental housing and can’t afford a new security deposit? If her son or husband is beating her? If her husband has a midlife crisis and wants a divorce? Or even if she just wants a place to sell her handmade crafts? Her first stop to…
