Cover Story
Locals only?
Is SLO Town too pretty for its own good? That’s what a group of concerned citizens is saying. Too many tourists, students, and homeless people are infiltrating the city and unfairly gobbling up scarce resources and social services, claims a group calling itself Save Our City From Outsiders (SOCFO). “San Luis Obispo is considered one…
Skyscraper slated for San Luis Obispo
Citing the need for more vertical and holistic development downtown, the SLO City Council approved a new development, which, if built, will consist of a single cylindrically shaped skyscraper set to soar 128 stories above the ground. “This will solve all the city’s and county’s development problems,” said Jurgen Schwanz, spokesman for IG Grobe, the…
What’s your best April fools’ joke?
Dimitri Baron-Vin student “A few years ago, my teacher said we had a big surprise test and everyone started freaking out until she said, ‘April Fool’s!’ Susan Wilky optician “I put a rubber rat in the corner of my friend’s office. I had to stop him from shooting it with a pellet gun. It was…
Fecal madness!
It’s 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 27, and I’m at Laguna Lake off-leash dog park for the first ever Laguna Dog Art Show. Canine and objet d’art lovers are packed in thick, vying for a look at the fecund display of dog sculptures, many being created on the spot. Unlike cat painting, a phenomenon that’s…
Other Stuff White People Like
So we know that white people like t-shirts, at least they do according to the blog Stuff White People Like (stuffwhitepeoplelike.com) but what else do they like? According to a recent post, white people like picking their own fruit. “When white people think about growing their own food they are reminded of pastoral images of…
Putting the art in chemtrails
In anticipation of pouring a cup of coffee for a guest, Josephine Marx pushes back an errant sleeve revealing two black lines of script on her wrist. “In scientia veritas, in arte honestas,” she reads her tattoo, when she feels eyes on her wrist. “In science truth, in art honour.” She got the tattoo 12…
Sailing the rollicking Threadless sea
A century and a half ago a dandy might have labored over an elaborately knotted cravat or strapped himself into a girdle to achieve a pleasing silhouette. The hipster—the contemporary equivalent of the dandy—has a simpler signifier. The t-shirt. The only somewhat-ironic blog, “Stuff White People Like” has this to say about the garment: “Many…
My big night!
Wow, what an honor! Los Lobos has asked me to join them on stage this Thursday, April 1 for their 8 p.m. show at Performing Arts Center in the Cohan Center. Ever since they saw me singing along in the audience at the Fremont Theatre during their Kiko tour, they’ve had their eye on me.…
Share the hope
On the second floor of French Hospital’s Pacific Medical Plaza, tucked away from the exam rooms, patient beds, and lab equipment, there’s a little-known wing that treats the souls of cancer patients. The Hearst Cancer Resource Center has a beauty salon with wigs for chemo patients and a yoga studio. It offers a myriad of…
Vietnam in the park
His face is unshaven and smeared black, tears stream down his cheeks and carve small rivers through the soot. The soldier rips his helmet off and hurls it away while with his other arm he cradles the limp, bloodied body of his friend. He lies lifelessly flopped on the ground, his fatigues glistening red with…
Philanthropists volunteer to pump sea slime
According to a recent presentation by marine biologist George Loney to the County Board of Supervisors, the U.S. Geological Survey has discovered a black sludge beneath the local sea floor that threatens plankton and thereby the aquatic food chain. Loney said the sludge changes the ocean’s pH, inhibiting plankton photosynthesis. Krill and small feeder fish…
Correction, for real
In the March 25 news brief “Is there or isn’t there a problem in Oceano?” the person whom District Attorney Alex Simas asked to step down was misreported. Simas said Lori Angello should voluntarily step down.
Alt-weekly celebrates April Fool’s Day
In honor of April 1, long held to be a day for pulling pranks and crafting tricks, SLO County’s weekly paper, New Times, ran a series of articles of questionable veracity. In its news briefs section, for instance, stories ranged from outright fabrications—such as pieces on a new towering development in downtown SLO, Karl Rove’s…
Rove shocks Central Coast, world
Notorious conservative politico Karl Rove startled attendees at a Central Coast fundraiser after he revealed a more liberal side of himself. Rove, a former senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, spoke at a Republican event at the Madonna Expo Center March 27 in San Luis Obispo. The fundraiser proceeded…
Nothing to worry about, PG&F says
Less than a year after distributing a new round of potassium iodide pills to the public, PG&F announced it would be releasing another supply—enough for every resident in SLO County—along with updated lists for fallout shelter locations and evacuation procedures. All the materials are scheduled to be released on the same day: April 14. Though…
What they’re wearing
As I walked into the small echoing room in the South County Regional Center, Alison MacLeod of KP Public Affairs, the new consultant for Australian oil-prospecting company Excelaron, quickly honed in on my obvious reporter mystique. After a brief chat at the environmental scoping session in Arroyo Grande for Excelaron’s Huasna Valley oil exploration project,…
Lay off ‘The Man’
“Damn the man,” some say. Recently it’s more like, “The man is damned.” Have you noticed as I have that the old white man, in this country at least, has endured a malicious public lashing? The populists out there enjoy bashing “Whitey” or “The Man” for no reasons other than he’s rich and powerful. Yet…
Later, suckers!
Bye. Later. Sayonara. Ciao. Adios. That’s all for me, folks. Peace out, y’all! After almost a quarter century of shoveling this drivel out, I’m calling it quits. Some of you might be made a little weepy by this news. Then there are those who are literally jumping for joy and wishing I was dead just…
Do those who condemn off-roaders want ghost towns?
It appears to me that Carol Georgi and Nell Langford are both trying to have an epitaph on their graves about killing the towns of Grover Beach, Oceano, and Pismo, by making up “facts” about the OHV park system getting millions of dollars from the general fund, when in fact, the general fund consistently raids…
Permitting vehicles on the dunes amounts to crime
The Oceano dunes state park has gone bad. Given the global consensus about the negative impacts of the combustion engine, the use of off-road vehicles in the pursuit of frivolity is nothing short of a crime. To speak of 3-foot fences, barrier trees, or other mitigation is to dance in the wake of continued pollution.…
No one used to complain about dunes pollution
No one complained when Cecil B. DeMille filmed his movie in the dunes in the ‘30s, and there have been vehicle activities in the dunes ever since. During the ‘70s, motor homes five deep as far as the eye could see from Oceano to Devil’s Slide pulled sand vehicles and families to the dunes for…
Health reforms are good first steps
The passage of health reform is a historic victory for all Americans; for families, seniors, young people, workers, and small businesses alike. All Americans will now have the security of knowing that they don’t risk losing the American dream if they get sick or are in accidents. Insurance companies will be held accountable, they will…
Kudos to Capps for health care vote
I commend our Representative, Lois Capps, for supporting health care revision in this country. We all knew the system was broken and finally we have a good start for a fix. Is there anyone—Republican, Democrat or independent—who hasn’t had a family member’s legitimate medical insurance claims manipulated, lost, or denied? For years, patients and doctors…
Arroyo Grande street vendors threaten stores
Regarding the letter “Competition is healthy” (March 18), I have been a professional florist working on the Central Coast for more than 25 years. I have worked in many different shops in my career and have watched hard-working florists fight to try to keep their businesses going while every grocery store and street vendor has…
Plan for AG city hall will harm the village
I am deeply saddened by the recent 3-2 vote by the Arroyo Grande City Council to move ahead with the relocation of City Hall. What disappoints me the most is that with this complicated plan comes the demolition of the Malt Shop. Even if the Council felt this building was not technically historic, they could…
Criticizing the Iraq war is not unpatriotic
G. Baxter, the author of the letter “Iraq war is worth the losses” (March 25) has a right to his opinion, even when he tells everyone else they don’t have a right to theirs. That’s the beauty of democracy, which he should embrace instead of offending every other veteran in the nation. The actions taken…
Paso council is all wet on water rates
Once again, the Paso Robles City Council has proposed doubling our water rates. The new water rate is so similar to that of the plan that was voted down in November, it seems the council simply will not listen to the citizens. In adding the cost of the water treatment plant to our water bills,…
Look up; look out!
Recently, illegal spraying operations have intensified over SLO County on a massive scale. The sky is obscured by particulate materials that have been released into the atmosphere from jet aircraft. This has resulted in a marked reduction in overall visibility as well as the presence of dust particle fallout. These are measurable results of the aerial spraying…
Jud Clark, Head Coach Puma Swim Team
NEW TIMES: How would one join the Puma Swim Team? CLARK: All a swimmer needs to do is perform a freestyle backstroke one full length of the pool, so 50 meters total. After that we have a small membership file to fill out online. We give the swimmer a ten-day trial to see if they…
Clubs
Goin’ South … CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Dr., Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. DOLPHIN BAY/LIDO: 2727 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-4300 or TheDolphinBay.com. ELMO’S NIPOMO SALOON: 131 South Thompson Road, Nipomo, 929-5362. Karaoke…
Rodney Strong 2008 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
This Sonoma County winery impressed me with a 2008 Pinot from the renowned Russian River Valley. It’s a tad big but quite tasty with bold black-cherry and plum aromas and flavors weaved with notes of leather and spice. The wine is nicely balanced, easy to drink alone but meant for the dinner table. It paired…
Healthy junk food?
Don’t you wish you could eat all of the junk foods you love and know you’re getting something good for your health, too? I certainly do, but French fries and nachos are difficult to duplicate when you’re compromising the original recipe with healthy ingredients. Though some products claim to be healthy foods that taste good,…
