Cover Story
The comedy and tragedy of dispatch
At 10:45 p.m., Holly Porter has the phone pressed to her ear and she’s trying to get the person on the other end of the line to answer. “Hello?” she says again and again. Then she punches a button to mute the phone’s receiver and turns in her chair smiling like a kid who just…
Loose cannon?
According to people who claim to know him, Brian Miller was a terrific high school math teacher at San Luis Obispo High School. But about a year ago, they say, things began to fall apart for the 27-year veteran instructor. Today, Miller sits in the county jail on more than a $1 million bond, as…
If you were going to die tomorrow, what would you want as your last meal?
Bob Haycock teacher “Steaks.” Caryan Lugo and Lucy Lu hairdresser “Chili verde.” Alex Lynch hot dog cart operator “Filet mignon wrapped in bacon, broccoli, and cheese; sweet potatoes; and a keg of beer.” Courtney Miller pet groomer “Dragon Ball roll from Yama Sushi. It’s in Redding.”
Cowboy up!
The Pozo Stampede is back with a line-up tighter than a pair of Wranglers on a bull rider’s skinny cowpoke butt. Dierks Bentley, The Eli Young Band, Will Hoge, Brett Eldredge, and local favs The Ragged Jubilee will all take to Pozo’s outdoor stage for what’s become a popular annual event. Past Stampedes have featured…
Wet, hot, American summer!
Breakfast and a show, anyone? It’s about 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 7, when I pull my massive GMC truck into McCarthy’s parking lot, where half a dozen bartenders are holding a charity car wash for the Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center—all because they lost a bet with the Bull’s bartenders over who could sell…
Opera SLO gets intimate
In the tradition of the legendary European salons of the 19th century—in which artists, writers, or philosophers gathered in elegant homes to exchange ideas and spark conversation—Opera SLO will debut a brand new salon series starting Sunday, April 15. In addition to hosting performances by opera singers and musicians in some of the county’s finest…
Breaking bread–and other things
Dinner with Friends is so real, so domestic, it often feels like spying on one’s own neighbors. Donald Margulies’ Pulitzer-winning play, while tightly wound and nonchalantly brilliant, has a sheen of quotidian ordinariness. The homes, like the relationships, feel lived-in and comfortable. Conversations almost always begin on a cordial note, but from there, they can…
Sha Sha and the creatures
A conversation with Sha Sha Higby recalls that strange state after waking but before regaining the ability to distinguish dreams from reality. When I met the artist, whose intricate works transcend the disciplines of fine craft, sculpture, and performance art, she spoke softly, her movements seeming almost in slow motion. Her voice threatened to blow…
Clubs 4/12
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. 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 Pismo…
Best block by the rock
In that yuppiest of traditions, Morro Bay has thrown themselves a block party, and someone gave them an award. Sunset Magazine featured 15 Morro Bay adults and 16 children in a recent article as the winners of their One-Block challenge. The One-Block challenge is a contest designed to bring neighbors together and teach folks about…
Niner 2008 Twisted Spur Paso Robles
Big, lush, and ripe yet quite nicely balanced, this was impressive. A blend of estate grown grapes including Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, and Petit Verdot, it’s an intriguing wine that keeps you coming back for more. Aromas and flavors of sweet blackberries and tangy boysenberries are nicely offset by currants and spice box notes,…
Hearst Ranch 2011 Rose Paso Robles Chridhe
This tasty blend of 51 percent Tempranillo, 26 percent Syrah, and 23 percent Malbec, all estate grown, created a delightful Rose you can enjoy alone and at the table. “Chridhe,” pronounced kree, is Scotch Gaelic for heart. A portion of proceeds from the sale of this wine will go to the Hearst Cancer Resource Center…
Who’s the greenest of them all?
I love our many Central Coast wine festivals that all take place around the same time, which makes it difficult to choose one over another. That’s the only reason I skipped the Earth Day Food &Wine Festival the first couple of years. But last year I finally attended and discovered I had been missing out…
Questions For: Annie Noebel
New Times What does “SLO Revealed” reveal? Annie Noebel It gives answers to clues we’ve written about locations downtown, public art, some vendors, and historical trivia. Last year we focused on history, but this year is more about the city’s art. New Times Can you give us an example of a clue that was…
Good government isn’t cheap
I have a negative reaction to the initiative that would require our legislators to become part timers. Governing a modern, pluralistic state of 37.5 million people is incredibly complex. Each assemblyperson must also represent about 420,000 people, the highest ratio of any state. This should be a full-time job with no second jobs or business…
Our public education needs a serious reform
Gov. Brown urges us to support a temporary tax increase to fund public education. As a long-time educator, I really want to respond positively, but I am weary. I have seen so much waste along the years that I have become despondent about the future of our children. At Cal Poly, I have seen the…
There are medical treatments for drug addiction
Prescription drug abuse is more than a problem; it is an epidemic with a 400 percent increase over the last decade. In regard to your article, “Prescription addiction” (April 5), you should mention there are physicians trained to prescribe medications that are effective in helping drug addicts to stop abusing drugs. Substance abuse is a…
Regarding the homeless
Dear Shredder, I have mixed feelings, having observed people begging on parking lot entries/exits who, in my opinion, were looking for enough to head to the smoke shop to restock. En cambio (on the other hand), I have observed sincere-looking youngsters with backpacks, families with pets, forlorn folks with the fear of less than adequate…
Don’t paint all Christians with the same brush
Dear Shredder, I have been a big fan of yours for some time now, always looking forward to Thursday to see what you have to rant about. I have noticed lately that you seem to be very “anti” Christian (“Shills!” March 29; “Tin Man walking,” April 5). I would like to point out to you…
Figure out how to let the public have access to info
Isn’t public access supposed to be for the public? The decision by SLO County Court’s Susan Matherly to remove the self-help computer terminals that allow family members to conduct background checks on caregivers for their elderly loved ones is a shame (“To serve or protect?” March 29). As a care manager and advocate for senior…
D’oh!
About 16 years ago, when I was editing New Times, we published a cover story making the case that San Luis Obispo was Springfield of The Simpsons fame, along with a cool graphic by now-publisher Alex Zuniga of the Simpsons driving down Higuera. Alas, we were wrong. The idea had so much going for it.…
Trimming the fat
My Nana is a hardheaded old goat with a feeble voice and a penchant for calling people she needs a favor from “deary.” Once you’ve performed said favor, her thin voice swells like crashing waves and you’re back to being “the no-good slob who crashed the vintage Model A while your grandfather and I were…
Airing grievances
Back in 2011, the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) Board raised the fees it charges businesses and farmers by 5.2 percent for permits and inspections. It justified the increase on the basis that the money was needed to cover its employees’ increased salary and pension costs. Apparently the agency had enough…
Gourmet food hits the street
Food trucks have already overtaken major cities, delivering mobile nourishment and deliciousness to throngs of hungry people eager for something different. And now they are invading San Luis Obispo. Haute Skillet Truck is the newest food truck to hit the streets, serving nontraditional grilled Panini’s and delicious fries. Owner Anna Andriese graduated from the Culinary…
Cougars and Mustangs
Cal Poly is known for its school colors, green and gold, but Open House weekend will add a little pink to the palette. Bright pink. Phyllis Madonna, owner of the garishly popular Madonna Inn—the local establishment that draws tourists looking to eat at the fabulous Copper Café, sleep in a caveman-themed room, and/or urinate into…
Parkour brothers
Is it a sport? A discipline? A philosophy? According to its practitioners, parkour (or l’art du deplacement) is all of the above, incorporating running, jumping, climbing, vaulting, and balancing to discover efficient paths through any environment. Nipomo’s Craig Gibbons, a “traceur” (parkour practitioner) since 2009 and a student at Allan Hancock College, recently gave his…
SLO City looks to get ‘proactive’ on codes
Citing such instances as the March 5 house fire on Buchon Street, where an illegal porch couch caught ablaze, members of the San Luis Obispo City Council voted to implement a new enforcement regimen aimed at keeping neighborhoods tidy. On April 10, the council voted unanimously to move forward with a new proactive code enforcement…
County puts teeth in aggressive animal ordinance
It will soon be a crime to keep an unsecured dangerous animal in San Luis Obispo County. SLO County supervisors on April 10 passed a revised ordinance that cracks down on careless owners of aggressive animals. The ordinance was passed on a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Frank Mecham voting against the proposed language. The ordinance…
Morro-Cayucos JPA to vote on consultant contract
After one year of services, the consultant charged with persuading the California Coastal Commission that the current proposed location of the Morro Bay-Cayucos Wastewater Treatment Plant is sound may have her contract extended for another six months—at a cost. As of press time, it appeared there was enough support to renew the contract of Susan…
False alarm, folks
San Luis Obispo County is officially fed up with false alarms at the Government Center in San Luis Obispo—so much so that officials have decided to set aside $513,000 to fix or replace the existing alarm system. General Services Deputy Director Katie Perez called the false alarms “annoying” and “expensive.” To be precise, the county…
Moore requests local case; Cavaletto, too, if at all
Local agriculturalists Mark Moore and Michael Cavaletto have each filed legal responses asking that a lawsuit filed by Moore’s former employee be moved to San Luis Obispo County, and that Cavaletto be removed as a defendant. The most recent court filings in the case brought by former CoreClean CEO Anyck Turgeon add another layer of…
IRS calls upon Abel
California congressional candidate for the 24th District Abel Maldonado is now haggling with the Internal Revenue Service over roughly $470,000, which the government agency says it’s owed. Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, a Republican from Santa Maria, has disputed the IRS’s claim in a statement released by his campaign April 5. The dispute centers on…
