Cover Story
Waiting for equality
Kelly Baptista and Vicki Dunning each wear two wedding rings. One ring represents their commitment to each other; the other ring represents the day that commitment was acknowledged to be legal. Technically, they could wear three rings; they could add one more for the day they became legal partners, though still not quite married. Gay…
Should bears be hunted into San Luis Obispo County?
Julia Cunningham actress “Hell no, because I don’t like hunting at all. I don’t like to kill stuff.” Michael Rogers retailer “I don’t like hunting or violence towards animals, so I think hunting should remain where it is and not expand to SLO County.” Wazir Peller acupuncturist “No, I think it’s great that the black…
A historical exploration of our neighbors
New Times How are you involved in the upcoming Architectural Tour: Secrets of Five Classic Victorians in SLO? Suzette Lees I’ve been on the architectural tour committee for five years. Architecture is a passion of mine and I have been all over Europe and most of the world and appreciate the intricacies of architecture. New…
Make Dickens and Milton look like bloviated windbags!
Fifty-five Fiction is once again upon us. We, at New Times, can predict the arrival of our annual literary competition with nary a calendar in sight. The anticipation begins in spring, with the slightest of mental twinges, followed by electric charges of excitement intermingled with panic. Masses of entries are on their way; many have…
Join Dean in supporting health plan
I’m excited about the public health insurance option plan that is now being developed by some members of Congress. I’ve been fortunate to have a good insurance plan, but I’m very concerned about those who have nothing or who have lost theirs with the loss of a job. The plan would save us all an…
Secretary Salazar deserves praise
In his first three months on the job, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has taken some very positive and promising first steps to restore balance to energy development on our public lands. We need more people like him making decisions to protect the fragile environment, who realize how precious our natural resources are and…
Money’s not everything
To all those who yearn to be rich, the sad story of Phoebe Hearst Cooke’s latter years (“Phoebe’s side,” April 16) should be most instructive. For all the money she has, she cannot use it. Her own family is planning to rob her of it. That has got to hurt. More supposed good is done…
What are George Hearst’s motives?
My comment regarding Phoebe Hearst Cooke (“Phoebe’s side,” April 16) is: It is her money. Patrick Howe’s article mentioned her brother being concerned about prurient interest in her affairs. Perhaps he was worried more about prurient interest in his affairs. Her husband has been dead for what, seven months? Could it be that George is trying to gain…
Let Cooke spend
The article about Phoebe Hearst Cooke (“Phoebe’s side,” April 16) moved me. It was obvious from her comments that she has full connection to her capacities. Her eccentricities do not qualify for the treatment she is receiving from her family or the county. I am appalled that San Luis Obispo County would dare to become…
Stop teacher layoffs
I am a student at Nipomo High School, where on March 13 we held a demonstration protesting the unfair budget cuts that could cost our school a third of its teachers. More than 800 kids, including me, stood on the quad in support of the teachers whose jobs have been threatened. We believe in our…
Give injured animals a chance
Thanks to Dennis Morris for addressing wildlife euthanasia (“The decision to euthanize a bald eagle,” April 16). Euthanasia is difficult to discuss and to reach a consensus about because it involves spiritual beliefs, philosophy, and morals. His commentary makes many good points, some of which I’d like to address as a professional wildlife rescuer. I…
Where are the loans to small businesses?
D. Duane Wall ll (“Some protest,” April 16) called tax-day tea-party protesters fools and idiots, calling their actions “teabagging,” a term MSNBC coined to insult the tea-party protesters: an inside joke, I guess, since most of the country had no clue what it meant at first. We just thought they were being their usual difficult…
Ban hunting
We should not allow any type of hunting in our peaceful environmental area. Bear hunting should be outlawed at once. It’s disruptive and this is not a place for hunting. We are very concerned.
Alice Hamrick
New Times: What is worm composting? Hamrick: It is using worms—red wigglers, the same used as fishing bait—to help break down kitchen scraps, which you put in a bin with the worms. As the scraps degrade, the worms eat the bacteria. New Times: How difficult is it to do? Hamrick: There’s no work involved. You…
California must stand for human rights
Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives, led by California’s own Nancy Pelosi, approved House Resolution 226, recognizing March 10 as the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan national uprising, the flight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile, and the courage of Tibetans in the past 50 years. We are all too familiar…
Haste makes …
Haste makes shit.” That’s the sage advice SLO Chamber president Dave Garth offered one of the bosses here regarding last week’s Shredder column. Turns out those seagulls that I complained about inexplicably adorning the SLO City Chamber of Commerce logo, miles from the ocean, don’t. That was, ah, Pismo Beach’s chamber. SLO’s chamber only has…
Bogle 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel California
Few wineries offer tasty value-priced wines as consistently as Bogle, as I discovered once again with this very good Zinfandel. Grown on vines that range in age from 40 to 80 years old, it offers an amazing array of flavors for an $11 retail price. Its forward fruit flavors taste of briary blackberries, black cherries…
Pink Zeppelin 2008 Rosé Paso Robles
I love this zesty pink wine from the talented and satirical Stillman Brown, who believes as I do that Rosé should be refreshing (meaning: low in alcohol and this one is ideal at 12.5 percent). A blend mostly of Grenache and Syrah with small amounts of Cinsault and Mourvedre, it drinks deliciously on its own.…
International wine tasting in Paso Robles
The wine industry has blossomed during the past 40 years on the Central Coast and we’ve had many serious wine events that attracted American and international travelers. Wine connoisseurs will travel any distance to taste great wines, especially the outstanding varieties produced here. But there is only one event that brings an array of international…
Citizen’s Alert 04.23.09
THE POWERS THAT BE County Board of Supervisors: Room 370, County Government Center SLO, 93408; phone: 781-5450; fax: 781-1350. Email: caispuro@co.slo.ca.us; Web: www.co.slo.ca.us/Board_of_Supervisors_Inter.nsf Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee: San Luis Obispo: 1104 Palm Street, SLO 93401; phone: 549-3381; fax: 549-3400. Sacramento: State Capitol, Room 4117, Sacramento, 95814; phone: (916) 319-2033; fax: (916) 319-2133. Email: assemblyman.blakeslee@assembly.ca.gov; Web: republican.assembly.ca.gov/members/33…
Bears win a reprieve from hunting
The California Fish and Game Commission has backed off from declaring an open season on SLO County’s black bears after receiving more than 550 letters and e-mails in opposition to the proposed hunting. During a teleconference on April 21, the commissioners unanimously decided to take no action on the hunting plan for now, and to…
Double decking transit
Can eccentric teeth be far behind? An $850,000 British-style double-decker bus is headed for the bus routes of SLO (or some of them anyway, since the bus won’t be able to fit under at least one of the city’s railroad bridges). The SLO City Council on April 21 approved using a combination of state bond…
Garden responsibly
What exactly does “going green” mean? In Todd Davidson’s case, it means using Mediterranean plants to achieve sustainable landscapes. Last May, his company, Sage Ecological Landscapes, transformed the oldest nursery on the Central Coast into a showplace for beautiful native and foreign plants that thrive in coastal environments. “The great thing about the nursery is…
Vote-by-mail ballots break record
The county is mailing 88,556 vote-by-mail ballots to voters for the May 19 special election. That’s a record, representing more than 57 percent of the county’s registered voters. In some cases, voters don’t have much choice. Additional precincts were declared vote-by-mail-only as a cost-saving measure. Still, officials said the number of people requesting the ballots…
Diablo Canyon control rod malfunctions
A control rod at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is out of alignment and operators are trying to find out why. But a fix will have to wait until mid-May because doing so now could result in an unwanted shutdown. Nuclear power plants rely on control rods to stabilize the reaction. Diablo Canyon has…
In search of a fair fare
Travelers who ride the bus in San Luis Obispo can expect higher fares, starting June 1, following a vote by City Council members April 21. The move was a response to massive cuts in state transportation funds that have left the city struggling to make up operating costs. Daily fares to ride the SLO transit…
Atascadero meetings could go offline
Despite recent calls to make Atascadero government meetings more public, city officials are pushing to reduce meeting broadcasts. On April 28, the City Council members will decide how to modify Atascadero’s contract with AGP Video, which records and broadcasts local government meetings both on television and the Internet. Staff members have recommended the city cut…
What to do with sludge?
Some call it biosolids, others call it sludge. Whatever the euphemisms it was once poop and SLO County officials are trying to decide what to do with it. After more than a decade without a permanent answer on what to do with treated sewage material, county supervisors on April 21 did much the same as…
Lynch to appeal after sentencing
Local medical marijuana purveyor Charles Lynch is expected to be sentenced to five years in prison April 23 after the Department of Justice declined to intervene in his case. Lynch was convicted last summer in a federal court on five felony counts related to growing and selling marijuana from his Morro Bay dispensary. Lynch’s attorneys…
Incroyablement belle musique
Maybe it’s the romantic in me, but there’s something about a woman singing in French that scorches my knickers right off. I can’t understand what she’s saying, but damn if I don’t “understand” something. On Tuesday, April 28, French woman Marianne Dissard and her band play the Steynberg Gallery at 8 p.m. Andrew Collberg will…
You’re invited!
When Linnaea Phillips first opened the doors to her café, a whopping quarter of a century ago, the world was a rather different place. Ronald Reagan was president, New Times was but a twinkle in Steve Moss’ eye, and even Starbucks had yet to embrace the concept of selling ready-made coffee. Phillips was 50 years…
