Cover Story
55 Fiction 2018: Keep it short, keep it sweet, and if it’s good enough, you’ll read it this week
You can say a lot in 55 words. You can kill someone, love someone, or save someone. Tell stories about torture, divorce, or family drama. Make political statements. Riff on societal issues. But there are only a select few who can do it well enough to get published! For the last three decades, New Times…
SLO settles federal lawsuit with firefighters
SLO city and members of its own fire department resolved a long-standing dispute about overtime pay that led to a year-and-a-half-long battle in federal court. Members of the SLO City Council voted unanimously July 17 to approve a proposed settlement between the city and 25 firefighters who filed a 2016 lawsuit accusing the city of…
Central Coast Shakespeare Festival starts 2018 off strong with ‘As You Like It’
How do you like it? As You Like It will show at the Filipponi Ranch through July 28 as part of the Central Coast Shakespeare Festival. The Three Musketeers will also be performed on alternate nights. Tickets are $12 to $20. For more information, visit centralcoastshakespeare.org. The enchanting outdoor setting of a small valley in…
SLO increases pay range for police chief
The SLO City Council has increased the salary range for its top police position. As part of a larger vote on July 17 to approve adjustments to compensation packages for its unrepresented management employees, the council voted unanimously to increase the salary range for its chief of police by 7 percent. The increase, which will…
Bring out your inner mermaid: Sea glass workshop at Harmony Cellars July 22
Join Creative Me Time for a hilltop sea glass jewelry making class with artist Joan Martin Fee, at Harmony Cellars, on July 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guests will participate in the step-by-step process of creating their own original sea glass jewelry. Participants will make and take home a necklace and a pair…
Going recreational: Grover Beach’s dispensaries prepare for another ‘first’ in the local cannabis industry
Grover Beach’s first medical marijuana dispensary, 805 Beach Breaks, has been open for just two months, and business appears to be booming. After a May 12 grand opening bash that drew a huge crowd, Beach Breaks manager Daniel Fried said business in the weeks since indicated that the company’s push to be in the vanguard…
Have some fun at a felting workshop in Paso
Head to La Lunita Nueva Farm in Paso Robles on July 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a full day of fun with felt. Participants will learn a variety of felting techniques, and work with different beautiful wools and agitation styles. The finished product can be used as a journal or book cover.…
Home by dinner: Dr. Sima offers orthopedic replacement surgeries without overnight stay
Typically, surgeries call for an overnight stay in a fluorescent-lit room far from the comforts of the patient’s familiar sheets and warm blankets. Dr. William Sima, a Templeton-based orthopedic doctor and sports medicine specialist practicing for more than two decades, is getting rid of the expected overnight stay for his patients. In the past year,…
Experience Rafael and Katia’s magic show at libraries throughout SLO County
During the month of July, San Luis Obispo County libraries will be hosting an ongoing event with magicians Rafael and Katia. These shows will feature magic, mind reading, and big illusions paired with plenty of comedy and audience participation. These performances will be in English and Spanish. The first event is on Tuesday, July 24,…
Morro Bay Museum of Natural History is a fun, quick summertime adventure
Coastal view The Morro Bay Museum of Natural History is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its interactive exhibits provide a fun take on wildlife education. Visit parks.ca.gov for more information. My housemate Jen and I are sitting around our kitchen table as the gloom of Saturday, July 2, fills our windows. For…
A Mae Sai ethos
The rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped deep in a cave in Mae Sai, Thailand, by flooding from monsoon rains in late June captured worldwide attention. “Miraculous!” was the common exclamation made in response to the news when the last boy and coach were escorted out of the cave. But…
‘Three Identical Strangers’ is a fascinating exploration of the limits of brotherly love
THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? The Palm In this truth-is-stranger-than-fiction documentary directed by Tim Wardle, in 1980, three 19-year-old strangers discover they’re identical triplets separated at birth. Their unlikely reunion leads to notoriety, but as they learn more…
Reality check
I do not accuse Gary Wechter of a lack of imagination, especially after his July 12 opinion piece (“Just imagine”). I do accuse him of failing to acknowledge reality. I’ll try to keep my rebuttal to his points brief: • As Alexander Hamilton explained, our Electoral College was originally designed, in part, to ensure “the…
Guilty Pleasures: Clone High
When? 2003 What’s it rated? TV-14 Where’s it available? DVD, Amazon, iTunes It’s a rare thing—watching Gandhi fight crime with George Washington Carver while the two battle the latter’s talking anthropomorphic peanut (that’s armed with a machine gun and diabolical monocle, by the way). But this is Clone High and so the extraordinary and outlandish…
Rolling in the aisles
Gary Wechter has a career in comedy and doesn’t know it. His July 12 letter (“Just imagine”) is too funny to be taken seriously. He thinks that a 5-4 vote on Roe v. Wade was “awkward” and isn’t binding. Does that mean that every other 5-4 vote before or since isn’t binding? Like the vote…
Film Listings, 7/19/18 – 7/26/18
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it rated? Matinee Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Sunset Drive-In, Stadium 10, Park, Galaxy Pick Peyton Reed (Bring It On, Yes Man, Ant-Man) directs this next entry into the Marvel universe set after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Paul Rudd returns as Scott Lang…
Cannabis unenforced
Cannabis enforcement in California Valley is a joke. Nice article you had touting how they had busted up six whole grows—out of hundreds! It was irresponsible of the county to let all these people come invest out here to grow marijuana, just to do this half-hearted effort at eliminating it. Either allow it, or get…
Meaty wine country cuts come from DD Cattle Co.
Where’s the beef? Head to Calwise Distillery this Saturday, July 21, for the official DD Cattle Co. Launch Party. From 4 to 9 p.m., sample specialty meats and sip Calwise spirits. The party kicks off at 3340 Ramada Drive, suite B, in Paso Robles and tickets can be found at eventbrite.com. For more information, follow…
Drinky things
Meet the winemaker, then head to the Merrimaker: Blue Heron in Baywood will partner with Harmony Cellars for a summer winemaker series on the patio this July 21. For tickets and info go to harmonycellars.com … The bar at Hatch Rotisserie in Paso Robles is churning out some seriously chill cocktails. Try the Irish Bramble,…
Appalled and ashamed
The 2017-18 SLO County grand jury investigated the issue of air quality on the Nipomo Mesa and Oceano beach community. After months of work, it delivered its findings to the Board of Supervisors: The board has the authority to terminate vehicular riding activity on La Grande Tract, from which most of the pollution comes. On…
Noshings
Bikini weather food: Robin’s Restaurant in Cambria has developed the sexiest little lunch bite, and it won’t add bloat to your bathing suit. Try this artisan toast topped with smoked salmon mouse, salmon belly tartare, crispy salmon skin, cherry tomatoes, lemon, capers, cukes, and tarragon spread (robinsrestaurant.com) … Virt Juice in Arroyo Grande has a…
Crumbs
Loafing about: Looking for gluten-free treats that still satisfy your cravings? Head to Bless Your Heart Bakery in Paso Robles, where you can find gluten-free bread, cookies, cakes—even cinnamon rolls! … More into the real deal? Stop by Grover Beach Sourdough for sourdough loaves, buttermilk biscuits, waffles, butter cookies, and more (groverbeachsourdough.com) … Flour House…
A golden opportunity
On July 12, the day that New Times published its excellent cover article about Measure G (“Conflicting visions”), 26 environmental scientists wrote to Gov. Jerry Brown to point out that “limiting temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius and reducing atmospheric CO2 levels to below 350 parts per million as quickly as possible is critical…
Sun’s out, buns out!
Weed whip the yard, wash the sunscreen off the poor dog, drop the hormonal teenagers at the beach, run to the store to grab more coconut flavored sparkling water (La Croix, of course) … I mean, who really has time to cook dinner? If your summer is busy, I feel you. Still, maybe you should…
What a tangled web we weave
“What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive … .” so says the bard. Mr. Christie seemed quite upset at the revelation in my July 5 column (“Look behind the green door”) that his own Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council might be acting as “agents of influence” or “manipulated…
Fake news!?!
“CAL POLY PLOTS TO REDUCE WHITE ENROLLMENT,” screamed the banner across the Fox News Channel during a Fox & Friends report. What? That’s outrageous! If you cut down on the number of white students, who’s going to write racist and homophobic shit on the College Republican’s free speech wall? Who’s going to deface diversity posters?…
Howell, coastal commissioners hit with fines for transparency violations
A 2016 lawsuit pitting transparency advocates against California Coastal Commissioners concluded last month with a combined $57,100 in fines levied against five current and former commissioners—including Pismo Beach City Councilman Erik Howell—for their failure to adhere to rules for disclosing ex parte communications. In the June 12 ruling by a San Diego County Superior Court…
Social media sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts about our July 12 news story, “Women’s March SLO founder announces run for Morro Bay City Council.”
Grover Beach should change how it reports use-of-force incidents, audit says
The Grover Beach Police Department (GBPD) may consider making changes to how they report incidents of officers using force after an independent audit of the department revealed that its current practice may be inflating the GBPD’s use-of-force statistics. A department-wide audit commissioned in January by the city found that the GBPD’s use-of-force statistics were unusually…
Social Distortion plays the Avila Beach Golf Resort on July 20
Mike Ness of Social Distortion is proof that redemption is always possible. He started his band as a 16-year-old with scant musical talent. Hard work, a lot of energy, and help from Rodney Bingenheimer of KROQ grew Social D into a SoCal phenomenon. Then drug use, trouble with the law, and homelessness nearly undermined Ness’…
GALA to make name change for inclusivity
At a town hall meeting July 11, an overwhelming majority of attendees called on the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast (GALA) to change its name; now, the organization is starting the process. Almost every seat was filled in the San Luis Obispo County Library meeting room that evening to discuss the potential…
Dwelling art exhibit at Cuesta tackles the elements of domestic spaces
Exploring cyanotype Emily Gui’s exhibit, Dwelling, is on display at Cuesta College’s Harold J. Miossi Gallery until July 22. All of the pieces incorporate cyanotype, a photographic process formerly used to create blueprints. For more information, visit cuesta.edu. Bay Area artist Emily Gui believes blue is an integral part of her identity: She reads books…
