Cover Story
The city manager and the Carpenter
Following the announcement from San Luis Obispo City Manager Katie Lichtig that Fire Chief Charlie Hines would be retiring after less than three years on the job, many residents and some council members were quick to point out that the city seems to have experienced quite a bit of department head turnover recently. The fact…
Just breathe
There are a lot of opening lines in this story. From a police report, written Aug. 13 by SLOPD officer Joshua Walsh: “I was dispatched to a 911 hang up call when I was nearly struck by [suspect] Karen VELIE.” From Velie’s own news website, published Aug. 20: “CalCoastNews reporter and co-founder Karen Velie was…
City memo counters writer’s account of arrest
Karen Velie, co-founder of and writer for the controversial CalCoastNews website, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on Aug. 13. New Times learned about the arrest on Aug. 21, and sent an e-mail to Velie on Aug. 22 seeking comment as part of an information-gathering effort to determine how—and whether—to proceed with…
Kitty Balay and Suzy Newman transcend sentimentality in PCPA’s Always … Patsy Cline
Country music hasn’t aged well. I’m no expert, but I suspect that somewhere in the genre’s transition from folk art to commercial industry, something indefinable, something you might call soul, was lost. Whatever it was, Patsy Cline had it. Directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, PCPA’s Always … Patsy Cline tells the true story of the…
Who is the worst TV/movie boss?
Matthew Zarbo Loss Prevention at Ross “Kevin Spacey in Horrible Bosses.” Ben Strickland Carpenter “Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in The Aviator.” Macie Wilson Jamba Juice employee “The boss from Office Space, Bill Lumbergh.” Giselle Griffin College student “Michael Scott [from The Office].”
Two husband and wife duos form a great new quartet
Synergy—the Beatles had it. They were better artists as a group than as individuals, John Lennon notwithstanding. What causes it? How does it happen? These are things we can’t really know because synergy is a kind of magic. I recently witnessed synergy in action. A couple of weeks ago Bob Liepman of Bob and Wendy…
Peck’s picture books
Local photographer Sam Peck has recently released two quite lovely coffee table books: Coastal Zen and Central Coast Farmers Market Soups. The first, Coastal Zen, presents postcard-worthy views of the Central Coast. It’s a collection of breathtaking beauty, and even succeeds, on occasion, in offering a fresh look at an over-photographed region. Amid the sunsets…
History, hyperbole, and hilarity with Russell Brand
Wait a moment—is this a cinema?” Within moments of stepping onstage, British comedian Russell Brand realizes he’s been hoodwinked. The enormous screen behind him, the projection room, and the scent of popcorn wafting through the Fremont Theatre have totally blown its cover. Brand is performing in a movie theater, and not just any old movie…
New Times’ managing editor releases her first novel
Ashley Schwellenbach, managing editor of New Times, admits she’s going for something of a niche market with her new young adult fantasy novel Scourge of the Righteous Haddock. Protagonist Emily Nevin Cann Bell lives at a remote boarding school for orphaned girls, where, unbeknownst to them, the things they write during class influence the world…
Thomas Jefferson would have loved the Paso Macaroni and Cheese Festival, and so will you
Few words go together as beautifully as macaroni (mac, if you’re more intimately familiar with the meal) and cheese. When Thomas Jefferson visited Paris and Italy, he encountered the dish, prompting him to create a sketch of the pasta and write notes about the dish’s construction. He would later commission the American ambassador to Paris…
Sunset’s Savor the Central Coast returns
I was pretty excited about Savor the Central Coast, Sunset magazine’s major food and wine festival last September (2012), when their editors invited me to attend as one of their professional judges during the Savor the Central Coast cook-off, the Lamb Jam. Sponsored by the American Lamb Board, the event featured lamb creations by…
Adelsheim 2011 Pinot Gris Oregon and Meridian 2011 Chardonnay California
Adelsheim 2011 Pinot Gris Oregon Elegant and refreshing, this classic pinot gris is grown and produced in Oregon. Not only is this delicious white a great buy from the Pacific Northwest, Adelsheim makes wonderful pinot noirs, too. This white pinot is rich and tasty, layered with flavors of apples and pears, nicely offset by notes…
Cashed Out
Dearest Deb, Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? A gentle, Central Coast summer’s day, of course. The type that brings out the wealthy white yuppie couples strolling along Higuera Street, ice creams cones in hand, Visa at the ready lest a shirt or pair of slacks wink slyly at them from Abercrombie &…
It’s a start, New Times
New Times finally wrote a cover story on the planned Las Pilitas Rock Quarry (“A rock and a hard place,” Aug. 15). It seems very one sided in favor of allowing the quarry. Much of the information against it was left out. It didn’t allow Margarita Proud, the resident group recommending denial of a Conditional…
This is a dangerous highway
Thank you for the very informative article by Matt Fountain on the proposed Las Pilitas Quarry (“A rock and a hard place,” Aug. 15) alongside Highway 58. One thing I would have added is a description of this road. When I hear “highway,” I picture the 101 or the I-5. Highway 58, in contrast, is…
Foresight is lacking in local developments
Having read the article about mining in SLO County (“A rock and a hard place,” Aug. 15) or the huge Pismo development and the arguments against them, I am reminded that whenever I hear them, almost always these arguments seem to be geared around things like: We don’t want it because it will create too…
On promises and propaganda
In Matt Fountain’s article “A rock and a hard place” (Aug. 15), Las Pilitas Resources LLC agent Ken Johnston is quoted: “There is a lot of misinformation out there.” I agree. In fact, it is the reason I decided to do my own homework, obtain accurate project details, and follow the permit process closely. Initially,…
You want to talk seniority?
Matt nailed it when he said “Neighbors look out for each other while also trying to stay out of each other’s business.” (“A rock and a hard place,” Aug. 15) While I do believe that property owners have the right to do certain things on their land, there is a line that has to be…
Traffic will change our town of Santa Margarita
As a resident of Santa Margarita, I was happy to see the Las Pilitas quarry on the cover of the Aug. 15 paper (“A rock and a hard place”). After reading the article, however, I was dismayed by the lack of discussion about the impact of more than 250 double-trailer trucks’ trips on the town…
Let’s not beat around the basin
Mr. Christie suggested, you know, we’d be selling out to big dollars. Nobody’s ever bought my vote for anything. I’m only intimidated by three things: my wife, my god, and my daughter, and not necessarily in that order.” —Supervisor Frank Mecham, Aug. 6, 2013, SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting Supervisor Mecham is…
Oh, the Ambiance!
After an internal battle with myself, the financially responsible angel on one shoulder convinced me to leave my wallet in the glove compartment. For a minute, I thought I was looking for the familiar logo of a clothes hanger spelling out the word Ambiance as I would see in downtown San Luis Obispo, but the…
Cougars & Mustangs: A brotherly win for Cal Poly!
College is a learning experience. No, I don’t mean books and education, although that’s true; I’m referring to social interactivity and development of personal work ethics and habits, the little (and big) decisions you make every day that ultimately blossom you into a whole new world of savvy. Take your first week of class, for…
Talk supe
California uses an un-republican process for filling county board vacancies. Interested candidates apply to the state for appointment, and bureaucrats select two or three for the governor’s consideration. This process will eventually produce a person to serve the final few months of the late Supervisor Paul Teixeira’s term. The appointee would also become the District…
Clean electricity made easy
Two solar mega-projects in eastern SLO County have provided more than renewable energy; they’ve also proved an unexpected boon for local biologists. Dozens of specialized scientists are costing the solar companies millions of dollars as they study whether endangered kit foxes are thriving under the vast expanses of panels, and whether pronghorn antelope still trod…
SLO to fight McDow in court
The City of San Luis Obispo will defend itself against a civil petition from a former patrol officer, who was terminated after his arrest for bringing misbranded pharmaceuticals across the Mexico border, according to City Attorney Christine Dietrick. Following an Aug. 20 closed session meeting, Dietrick reported that the council voted 4-1, with Councilman Dan…
State advises Oso Flaco Lake fishers on friendly eats
On the menu of edible fresh fish caught at Oso Flaco Lake are blue gill and hitch. If it’s gigantic goldfish you want, though, you should probably drop your hook elsewhere. And as far as Oso Flaco Lake bass are concerned, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CEPA) recommends only eating one a week. CEPA’s Office…
Buried bones disrupt construction in downtown San Luis Obispo
As construction workers labored to renovate a house at the corner of Nipomo and Pacific streets on Aug. 16, a startling discovery stopped them in their tracks. Just a few feet deep in the dry dirt of the front yard, a collection of long, old bones protruded from a freshly dug trench. Workers at the…
Vintner challenges schedule on controversial water hearing
Rural North County residents have waited all summer for San Luis Obispo County to address overdraft in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin. Some people in the wine industry want them to wait a little longer. The Board of Supervisors plans to hold an Aug. 27 hearing on whether to adopt one of two emergency ordinances…
SLO Council rejects bar moratorium
Faced with an option that could have resulted in a maximum two-year moratorium on new alcohol-serving businesses in the downtown core, the San Luis Obispo City Council seems to have gotten the back of local business owners, whom they say have been working to address alcohol-related trouble. During an Aug. 20 study session and review…
State assembly passes Katcho Achadjian’s ‘rape-by-fraud’ bill
After almost three years and two separate tries, the California State Assembly unanimously approved on Aug. 19 a bill aimed at changing the legal definition of rape to include attackers who coerce victims into sexual activity by impersonating their significant others. Authored by Assembly members Katcho Achadjian (R-San Luis Obispo) and Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach),…
SLO Downtown Association’s Deb Cash announces upcoming retirement
By Jan. 1, 2014, San Luis Obispo’s powerful Downtown Association will have a new executive director. Deborah Cash, head of the association for the last 18 years, announced on Aug. 14 that she’ll retire from her post by the end of the year. Originally hired in 1991, the former downtown business owner worked her way…
