Cover Story
Making bad taste more respectable: Cult filmmaker John Waters brings his one-man show to SLO
John Waters started his career as a trash-cinema auteur at the tender age of 16. In his early years, he made films with all the cheery plasticity of ’50s and ’60s America and lurid imagery of B-horror movies, starring a rotating cast of Baltimore misfits known as the Dreamlanders. His biggest star, however, was the…
SLO councilwoman calls it quits
San Luis Obispo City Councilwoman Kathy Smith announced that she will not seek re-election and will retire from her seat effective Dec. 1. Smith first served on the city council as an appointee in 1994, and she was elected to a full term in 1996. She ran and won again in 2010, but this term…
SLO councilwoman calls it quits
San Luis Obispo City Councilwoman Kathy Smith announced that she will not seek re-election and will retire from her seat effective Dec. 1. Smith first served on the city council as an appointee in 1994, and she was elected to a full term in 1996. She ran and won again in 2010, but this term…
Artifacts: A guide to Valentine’s Day happenings around SLO County, in heroic couplets
SLO guys and gals, now listen here! We’ve come upon that time of year When expectations run too high, The least you ought to do is try. So settle down and don’t be frantic, Here are some ways to get romantic: If you’ve been out on Valentine’s You know how everybody whines. Dining is…
After a mix-up, officials order the removal of Ontario Ridge fences
View a copy of the letter sent to the county (.pdf). Late on Feb. 7, San Luis Obispo County officials and their counterparts at the Coastal Commission came to an agreement about the legality of fences and signs blocking access to a popular hiking trail on Ontario Ridge. Although county leaders had previously maintained that…
Cal Poly Greeks taken off probation after agreeing to new party policy
After protracted negotiations, Cal Poly officials and the university’s Greek community finalized their long-awaited draft party registration policy on Feb. 12. The agreement ended a month-long social probation for Poly fraternities and sororities while also enacting more restrictive policies governing alcohol consumption and the makeup of Greek parties. Headlining the five-page policy are all the…
What is the grossest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Tania Servin sandwich maker “Cow tongue.” Favi Amaya inventory at Best Buy “Cow intestines.” Ashley Miller student “Escargot” Casandra Dagama student “Calamari.”
The Dude abides: Jeff Bridges & The Abiders play Fremont Theater!
As much as I enjoyed seeing Jeff Bridges & The Abiders in the cozy environs of SLO Brew, I’m looking forward to his show at the Fremont Theater on Friday, Feb. 21 (doors at 6:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $40 presale or $45 at the door). First of all, it’s not like I could make it through…
Kid’s play: Arroyo Grande’s The Spot stages Lee Blessing’s ‘The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid’
Lee Blessing’s The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid is actually a revised version of his first play, The Real Billy the Kid. That seems fitting. Revision, after all, is key to this tale. Legend has it that Pat Garrett shot Billy the Kid at Fort Sumner in 1881. But that didn’t actually happen, according…
Driving drums: Get the beat on local author Mark Parsons’ debut YA novel
View a video trailer for ‘Road Rash.’ There’s an old adage in the world of wordsmithing: Write what you know. Mark Huntley Parsons knows drumming. Here’s a partial list of bands in which he’s handled the beat: Patch of Green. Tamerlane. Hero’s Welcome. Plains. Kiq. The Fear Brothers. Lures Kite. Bottoms Up. Tequila Mockingbirds. The…
Keep out
Does anyone have Steven Spielberg’s contact information? I’ve got a script I’d like to pass along, and it’s really important that I sign a multi-million dollar contract with him soon so that I have some pocket change before all the good Valentine’s Day candy gets picked over. It doesn’t have plot or characters, but it…
What do you think about a rink?
As of 2012, SLO County has been without an enclosed roller skating rink facility. Skate-Mor in Paso Robles closed in 2012, and in the early 2000s Flippo’s in Morro Bay closed. This year, the city of Goleta gave a $250,000 break to a nonprofit group working to open an ice skating rink. It’s a shame…
Speak up for one person, one vote
The formation of the proposed Paso Robles Basin Water District would be by votes based on acreage. There are 4,906 landowners. It would only take an estimated 30 to 50 large landowners to establish it. The vote should be one person, one vote. Thirty to 50 people should not be able to force this district…
Misguided criticism highlights the need for this law
Thank you for your informative article on this important issue (“Privacy and/or equality,” Feb. 6). People who identify with a gender that is different from the gender they were assigned at birth face many obstacles. As a result, they often need support from legislation that prevents discrimination based on their gender identity. The new law…
You, Shredder, outdid yourself!
The Shredder has sooooo outdone itself on this one: “Denturefied” (Feb. 6)—a quintessential example of how politics has been played, accepted, and even celebrated in Morro Bay for way too long. Hopefully, these and other “retired” politicians won’t be recycled again through our city government this spring election. — Betty Winholtz – Morro Bay –…
You, Shredder, are a coward!
The Shredder’s column on Feb. 6 (“Denturefied”) reflects the “clueless” mindset mentioned in my earlier letter regarding people who are new to the area and don’t understand the history and traditions of Morro Bay. The self-centered and clueless snide comments made by the Shredder about the 50th city birthday celebration shine a bright light on…
Cuesta regains full accreditation
Cuesta College President/Superintendent Gil Stork announced on Feb. 10 that the college’s accreditation has been fully reaffirmed, and all sanctions against Cuesta have been lifted. After the college’s two-year struggle to retain its accreditation due to inadequate planning with regard to technology resources and financial stability, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)…
Slackers’ paradise: More SLO city parks could soon allow slacklining
San Luis Obispo public parks could soon turn into a playground for slackliners. On Feb. 18, the SLO City Council is scheduled to vote on whether to expand allowable spaces open to slackliners. Slacklining is an increasingly popular balance sport in which a person walks a length of flexible polyester, usually strung low off the…
From bad to worse: Water situation in Morro Bay dire
Barring a massive flood of rain in the upcoming weeks and months, Morro Bay’s water situation will continue to grow even more dire. On Jan. 11, the Morro Bay City Council grappled with a decision to further increase the city’s conservation measures on new construction. However, city councilmembers voted 4-1 to at least temporarily forego…
A look at lobbying: Federal lobbying in SLO County is more pervasive than you might think
Lobbyists never really had a chance. In fact, the mere term “lobbyist” tends to conjure up images of slicked-back hair, briefcases full of cash, expensive suits, and closed-door meetings in smoke-filled rooms. In a December 2013 Gallup poll, respondents were asked to rate the “honesty and ethical standards” of various professions. Lobbyists had the absolute…
Speaking out: The number of reported sexual assaults in SLO increased dramatically in 2013
On March 29, 2013, a woman called the SLO Police Department to report that she had just been raped, and the suspect was still in her house. Three weeks earlier, another victim reported that a sexual assault had just occurred. In July, a woman called to report that a man had made sexual remarks to…
The 805 fight racket: Knock Out Boxing Gym in Paso Robles
A boxer lives a thousand lives. When you’re getting hit in the face, a three-minute round can feel like 30 minutes. The fighter’s minute is imperious: It makes itself as big as it can, puffs out its chest and flares its nostrils. In a fighter’s minute, each second exists more fully and pronounced than a…
Cougars & Mustangs
Procrastination, like Bowser or the main character in a Disney movie, usually never stays dead for very long. After writing a column on the subject I received an email from Arroyo Grande resident Nancy Macy with her own procrastination story, which I thought you might like to hear. “In the early ’80s Cuesta College offered…
The devil is in the details
Paso Robles Agricultural Alliance for Groundwater Solutions and Pro Water Equity (PRAAGS/PWE) has stated that I have participated in a “smear campaign to deceive and confuse residents” with “deception and half-truths.” These accusations are false. As a citizen of this county and an overlying landowner, I should be able to pose questions in public discussion—especially…
Calera 2012 Pinot Noir Central Coast and Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2012 Albarino
Calera 2012 Pinot Noir Central Coast I recently had the opportunity to taste the latest value-priced pinot from this respected winery and it’s excellent. Vintner Josh Jensen is one of the Central Coast’s most notable winemakers. The pinot is very pretty with tangy red fruit flavors of cherry, strawberry, and plums with sweet notes…
The 25th anniversary of Justin Vineyard’s Isosceles
I’m among the many long-time wine aficionados who has appreciated Paso Robles wines for well over two decades. In the early years, the wine community was made up of fewer than a dozen wineries. No local wine lover, however, will ever forget the year that Justin Vineyard’s 1994 Isosceles won the Pichon Longueville Comtesse de…
A hearty dish: Nardonne’s Pizzeria offers Valentine’s special
Tina Fey’s character Liz Lemon from NBC’s 30 Rock has a great line about the word “lovers” which goes like this: “Oh, that word bums me out unless it’s between the words meat and pizza.” Given that this is an article about heart-shaped pizzas, it was inevitable that I try to work that line…
Abraca-awkward!: How I wound up on the cover of Poof magazine
My boyfriend woke me up the morning of my birthday party to tell me the bounce house was cancelled. I hadn’t even known there was going to be a bounce house until that moment. The weather gods, it seemed, were keeping up their perfect record of rain on my birthday, which made me feel a…
Clubs 2/13/14
Goin’ South … THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. CUVEE BISTRO AND CHAMPAGNE BAR: 550 1st St., Avila Beach, 595-2245. Live music Thurs. and Sat. 6-9pm. 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…
