Cover Story
Home is where the punishment is
Jim plopped a heavy boot onto the kitchen table, his foot landing with a thud. He peeled back one of his work-stained pant legs to reveal a small, plastic box cinched tightly around his ankle. Held in place by a thick rubber band just above his sock, the device was matte black and about the…
Basti is new undersheriff
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department is getting a new undersheriff. Chief Deputy Martin J. Basti, 59, a 32-year veteran of the department, will be sworn in Jan. 3 directly after the new sheriff, Ian Parkinson, takes the oath at noon, according to a department news release. Basti is currently custody/court services chief and…
Hardcore showdown
When most kids my age were bopping their heads to Kriss Kross, I was rocking Pantera shirts and drawing flaming skulls all over my Trapper Keeper. By the time middle school rolled around, I’d devolved into a punk rocker, with brightly dyed hair and a middle finger set to automatic. But something went wrong somewhere…
Trail to nowhere
Some paths in life don’t go much of anywhere at all. Take, for instance, the bike trail that runs by the railroad track near the Cal Poly campus in northern San Luis Obispo. Those unfamiliar with the trail, part of the city’s Railroad Safety Trail, might expect it to go somewhere. It doesn’t. A New…
Righteous bucks
City salaries have come under scrutiny recently. Ever since the City of Bell fiasco, everyone wants to know what city leaders are earning—and watchdogs have begun to catch that financial wave to ride it into unincorporated territory. Out of the six special districts in San Luis Obispo County, Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) General Manager…
Local lakes are rising, but still low
Lakes on the Central Coast are filling up fast, but most—at least as of press time—were still far below full. Lake Nacimiento jumped to 41 percent from 34 percent in four days, an impressive increase for such a massive lake. Monterey County is releasing water from the lake to recharge groundwater for the Salinas Valley.…
Los Osos just bought itself a sewer
Lacking a protest from 5,262 property owners—the necessary majority—San Luis Obispo County supervisors on Dec. 14 approved a rate structure that will cover the operation costs for the $182 million Los Osos sewer project. At the close of the hearing, the county had received 801 protests, roughly 15 percent of the community and well short…
SLO Task Force calls for cuts in staffing costs
The San Luis Obispo Fiscal Sustainability Task Force concluded months of work in an effort to help the city get its financial house in order. At the end of the final meeting, a near unanimous task force voted to approve a report that calls on the city leadership to drastically cut back on personnel expenses.…
Carpenter appointed to SLO council
Nearly elected retired businessman Dan Carpenter was unanimously appointed to the San Luis Obispo City Council on Dec 21. The four council members who appointed him cited his experience on city boards as a major reason why they chose him over the other candidate, Patricia Andreen. Another reason was overwhelming support Carpenter had from residents.…
Jewelry theft victims: Reunited, and it feels so good
The victims of three robberies are finally able to reclaim their stolen jewelry months after it was taken. Four victims of three robberies were originally asked to repurchase their jewelry from Hamilton Estate Jewelry in San Luis Obispo, the store where 21-year-old Jesse Cornelison unloaded dozens of pieces of stolen jewelry. Cornelison pleaded no contest…
Crap storm hits county waters
On Dec. 19, six San Luis Obispo County sewage systems were overwhelmed by heavy winter rains, causing tens of thousands of gallons of sewage to run into storm drains, flow into creeks, and seep into the Pacific Ocean. The sheer volume of spills was so bad, in fact, that San Luis Obispo County Environmental Health…
Time stops, for a limited time
Steven Boothe greeted me with a jubilant high-five as I entered the Compact Gallery early one morning to chat about his first art show, “More Than Watching.” The cheerful artist, who tucks his pants into his boots and describes his work as “digital painting,” created his latest piece by snapping a series of random shots…
Death drew up on his painted black horse
Local artist “Rainbath,” otherwise known as R. Sawyer, was pretty pleased with his alias until someone asked if he had christened himself after the refreshing Neutrogena shower gel of the same name. But while this Rainbath doesn’t guarantee to clean, soften, or condition skin without leaving behind heavy residue, he still kicks ass in other…
What are you doing New Year’s Eve?
SLO Symphony Musical Director Michael Nowak remembers well the first time he heard the angel voice of soprano Maria Jette: “It just knocked my socks off how good she was, and what a creative spirit she is. I had to get her down to San Luis Obispo.” The director also recalls Jette’s first local performance…
American picker
I had my garage, dining room, and two bedrooms packed to the ceiling with stuff,” Mike Taylor said. “I couldn’t even get to most of it.” Taylor, owner of Ontology, could easily be featured in an episode of Hoarders, a show that profiles people with an inability to restrain themselves from filling their home with…
And one last sugar plum before Christmas
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo, we would like to thank Bob Rucker and New Times and the many other sponsors and donors, along with the volunteers, PAC staff, and dancers who made The Nutcracker possible. The performances held at the Performing Arts Center were amazing.…
They need to see it for themselves
I understand there are plans for Kiev, Ukraine, to open the sealed zone around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor that exploded in 1986, to visitors who wish to learn more about the tragedy. According to the article and documentation of the accident: “Hundreds of thousands of people were resettled from areas contaminated with radiation fallout in…
See ya, Betty
We could not have been happier with the election results here in Morro Bay. Needless to say, we attended the swearing-in ceremony of our new mayor, Bill Yates, and council members George Leage and Nancy Johnson. The outgoing mayor and councilmembers gave their farewell speeches—and then there was Betty Winholtz. Well Betty, after listening to…
Is anyone paying attention to Smart Meters?
Not too long ago, I received a notice that PG&E would soon be installing their “Smart Meter” in our neighborhood. Like many, I had read some brief articles from concerned or frightened citizens of other counties who reported double—even triple—increases in their monthly bills. I also have a friend who has been studying this coerced…
How dare jerky Canadians trash us here
Please excuse my language, but I am really getting pissed off here. In response to Brendan Barnett’s letter (a visitor from Canada) “This is why the rest of the world hates Americans (Dec. 2), my response would be “Go back home and shut the f— up!” I have a cousin plus several friends living in…
Shredder: I hate you, I love you
Dammit, Shred, Just when I’m plotting to dump a bucket of Grade 8 aircraft bolts down your shred-hole and rewire your favorite electrical outlet from 110 to 220 volts. You’re as cantankerous an office appliance as any I’ve ever bloodied a finger or electrocuted myself upon. My thesaurus says I should also add bilious, dyspeptic,…
You chauvinistic, hypocritical Shredder
Wow, your column seemed to be an anger free-for-all that was also a case of “thou dost protest too much” (“Stacking the odds,” Dec. 16). What’s really going on with you? I can’t figure out if it’s male chauvinism of if you are just best friends with Dan Carpenter, but your “facts” and comments were…
Homelessness isn’t seasonal
Each year as the holiday season rolls around, I am reminded almost to the point of giddy exhaustion just how giving our community is: We live in an amazingly generous community! As I sit at my desk peering over piles of hand-baked Christmas cookies and stacks of crisp white envelopes containing desperately needed program donations,…
Sandra L. Mack
NEW TIMES How does this anxiety management service work? MACK It’s an anxiety management group. I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist. The group’s a relatively new thing for me. I’ve been in private practice for years. With the group, people can learn skills to cope with and manage their symptoms. I have a curriculum…
I am Shredder, hear me meow
I’ve had a rough couple of days. Don’t ask. And I won’t tell. Oh, wait. HA! Don’t have to deal with that bologna anymore. A little bird told me the other day that I might be leaning toward the sexist side. To be honest, I had a hard time listening to what it was chirping…
Clubs
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Ancient Peaks 2008 Zinfandel
Grown in the famed Margarita Vineyard, this bold, flavorful red offers big brambly flavors of blackberries, boysenberries, and plums. The forward fruit is nicely balanced by tangy notes of raspberry, earth, and spice. A blend of 96 percent Zinfandel and 4 percent Syrah, it’s just the ticket for Santa Maria-style barbecue, a really great cheeseburger,…
Hug Cellars 2008 GSM Blend El Papé
This outstanding blend of 70 percent Grenache, 25 percent Mourvedre, and 5 percent Syrah is winemaker Augie Hug’s salute to France’s Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It’s an impressive, ripe wine that’s layered in flavors. Hug suggested decanting it at least an hour ahead of serving. Big, ripe, black fruit and black cherry flavors meld with notes of dark…
Find last-minute gifts aplenty
If you still have a few important people on your gift list—your dad, say, or BFF—for whom you still haven’t found a present, I offer a simple solution. You can find something really special at your neighborhood wine shop. The great thing about wine shopping is that you don’t have to be a wine geek,…
A Knight to remember
Picture yourself relaxing at the end of Christmas Day, settled back with a full tummy in a comfy overstuffed sofa, sipping your favorite libation in front of a roaring fire, all your obligations successfully fulfilled, while your heart is warmed and your ears are soothed by our own local nightingale, Jill Knight. It’s no surprise…
If you could go back to any time and place in history, where would you go?
Toby Francis musician “Late ’70s England, strictly for the music. It was really raw and untouched, the basis for everything I’m into now.” Jenna Mitchell business owner “Ancient Egypt. I’m really curious to know how they really lived and how they built the pyramids.” Bill Harris semi-retired “For me, it would be the mid-1950s in…
