Cover Story
SLO County attempts to help victims recover from the trauma of violent crime
A young woman sitting on the stand in SLO County Superior Court speaks so softy she can barely be heard. She casts her eyes down at the carpeted floor of the courtroom and tells a room full of strangers about the four days she spent as a teenage sex slave, being coerced into having sex…
Dancing with the devil: Civic Ballet brings new life and movement to ‘The Crucible’
View a slideshow of the Civic Ballet rehearsing ‘The Crucible.’ There’s an inherent duplicity in putting on a show, pretending to be someone that you’re not. Drew Silvaggio, artistic director for the Civic Ballet, in San Luis Obispo, doesn’t see it that way. “Struggle! This is life and death,” Silvaggio says to a group of…
More Los Osos CSD management turmoil unearthed in report
When the Los Osos Community Services District (LOCSD) hired CSD specialist Peter Kampa as interim general manager in March, Kampa promised to spearhead a full-scale reboot of a district assailed by controversy, finger pointing, and ambiguity. Kampa will apparently need some outside help with that task. In a loaded April 7 management report presented to…
What steps are you taking to save water at home?
Linda Neugent nonprofit employee “I’m trying to take fewer showers and I turn off the water while washing my dishes.” Jaxon Camaero store cashier “I take shorter showers.” Christine Story manager “I collect water in the shower, and the water I use in the kitchen rinsing lettuce and veggies and reuse it to water my…
Bingeable: Flaked
Where? Streaming on Netflix. Flaked is the epitome of an identity crisis: It doesn’t ever seem to truly understand what it is, and neither will its audience. This new Netflix Original Series was created and produced by Will Arnett (Arrested Development, The Lego Movie), starring as Chip, an alcoholic who moved to Venice Beach in…
Poly alum’s book helps readers avoid media hype when it comes to health
Carbs will make you fat. No wait, complex carbs are the ticket. You need to do hours of cardio to lose weight. Why are you wasting time on a machine? Pick up some weights! Every other day it seems like a new story is being spun on the best way to stay on the straight…
Annual SLO Symphony Ball and Auction drops April 23
Do you long to be whisked away to a fabulous ball with fabulous people, food, and music? Wish no more! The annual San Luis Obispo Symphony Ball and Auction is almost here. The ball, with this year’s theme of “a night among the stars,” will take place at the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center on…
A little piece of Harmony: Harmony Headlands State Park is worth the while
I’ve passed it many times while driving north up Highway 1 on my way to other hikes and adventures, but until recently I’d yet to visit the 748-acre Harmony Headlands State Park, located just south of the town of Harmony. Open to the public since 2008, the park was once set to be developed into…
Former SLO Symphony conductor Michael Nowak is Santa Maria Philharmonic Society’s new director
A face familiar to Central Coast classical music fans made an appearance at a recent Santa Maria Philharmonic Society press conference—Michael Nowak, former music director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony and current director of the newly formed Novo Orchestra in SLO. Philharmonic Board President Jed Beebe announced that longtime maestro and Music Director John…
Nineties Seattle rockers Candlebox play Fremont Theater on April 15
Nirvana and Pearl Jam weren’t the only things coming out of Seattle in the early ’90s. Remember Candlebox? They were the first act signed to Madonna’s Maverick Records, and their debut self-titled album from 1993 generated early singles such as “Far Behind” and “You.” That first album—their best selling to date—went quadruple platinum, and the…
Clubs 4/14/16 – 4/21/16
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Rd. in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on…
Some assembly required: Four candidates run to replace Katcho Achadjian to represent the 35th District in the California Assembly
At the end of the year, Katcho Achadjian will be termed out from his seat representing the California Assembly’s 35th District. He’s reaching to higher office and gunning for another open seat representing California’s 24th Congressional District. Now, four candidates—Jordan Cunningham, Steve LeBard, Dawn Ortiz-Legg, and Dominic Rubini—are looking to step into the Assembly to…
Smell the flowers: That’s Amore Flower Shop opens in Grover Beach
Inside a small kiosk planted on the side of a bustling street in Grover Beach, a small Italian woman leans forward as she speaks. “Sometimes things happen,” she says, with her hand already in the air as she snaps her fingers, “like that.” As she finishes her sentence, the wind whips through and slams the…
Cougars & Mustangs
Do you like boxes? Let’s be real, here. Boxes are the best. They store and carry precious cargo. They provide endless hours of entertainment for toddlers and cats. And, with proper printing on their sides, they make products more attractive to potential customers. To add to the latest string of Mustang trophies and/or victories, an…
Unexploded ordinance: SLO City Councilmember Dan Carpenter’s flip to oppose a new elections ordinance creates debate on politics and representation
For a proposed elections ordinance that would create public financing in elections, politics begets politics. After trudging forward with two tight 3-2 preliminary votes from the San Luis Obispo City Council, the ordinance might be killed because Councilmember Dan Carpenter no longer supports it. His newfound opposition was announced March 24, days after voting to…
Cal Poly faculty members get a raise, call off strike
Less than a week before Cal Poly faculty members were set to join every California State University campus by going on strike, CSU Chancellor Timothy White and the California Faculty Association (CFA) announced on April 8 that the parties reached an agreement securing raises of 10.5 percent for all faculty members over two years. Faculty…
SLO County to consider ‘self-help’ sales tax for transportation funds
A proposed sales tax that could generate much-needed funding for transportation and road improvements in San Luis Obispo County is getting a final tune-up before it starts a long drive to the November ballot. The SLO Council of Governments (SLOCOG)—a collaborative regional body with representatives from local cities and the county that primarily focuses on…
A.J. Santana acquitted by SLO jury
A.J. Santana let out an audible sigh of relief as a SLO County jury found him not guilty of felony perjury on April 8. “I had no read on [the jury],” Santana told New Times. “I was just shocked that they returned a verdict in less than an hour after a three-week trial.” That trial…
Internal emails say Cal Poly Corporation’s decision to pull ads from the Mustang News was a ‘bad idea’
In the midst of unflattering coverage by local media, top officials at the nonprofit Cal Poly Corporation quickly agreed their decision to stop advertising with Cal Poly’s Mustang News newspaper wasn’t a good one. Two print ads, a significant revenue source for the student newspaper, were pulled after the corporation, which runs campus dining among…
Mads world
Racism is as American as hotdogs, baseball, and apple pie. Sure, people claim we live in a colorblind society, but the truth is America is deeply racist, and if you can’t see that, you’re not colorblind; you’re just plain old blind. Here in SLO Town, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship just had to replace its “Black…
Nipomo fire changes plans for migrant worker housing
The aroma of charred wood hung in the foggy morning air of a Nipomo cul-de-sac on April 6. The remnants of a burnt house-frame sat next to two other homes on Mads Place, one under construction—which was singed from the fire—and one already finished. Along with four other homes, the development was meant to eventually…
Tooth & Nail’s 2014 Fragrant Snare and Daou’s 2013 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
I haven’t visited Tooth and Nail’s iconic castle since before the glorious rains drenched the thirsty Central Coast, so I was delighted to see a watery moat surrounding the steps as I entered on a recent sunny afternoon. My mission: to find some awesome wines for my friend’s bachelorette party. I wanted to bring the…
Earthy
Captain Planet: Earth Day Food and Wine is almost here, y’all! This April 23 head out to Castoro Cellars for a casual food and wine experience speckled with sustainable knowledge bombs (earthdayfoodandwine.com) … Did you know that there’s a double decker bus driving around the Central Coast that you can actually dine in? The food…
Street Side Ale House in Atascadero is a casual craft beer hangout to call home
If you grew up in or around Atascadero between the late ’70s and the mid 2000s, you probably remember the Carlton Hotel in a very different way than youngsters do today. Back then, it stood as a symbol of disrepair and past grandeur. Its crumbling infrastructure represented the struggle between what Atascadero was and what…
Nuclear plants can’t hold up to massive earthquakes
The entire California coastline lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire earthquake zone, which has become much more active in recent years. As the earth’s polar caps and glaciers melt at an ever-accelerating rate (2015 was the hottest year on record), the reduced weight on both the top and bottom of our planet is causing…
Save water: replace flushing with composting
El Niño brought far too little moisture to the south of California—where all the people live. We need to start thinking about what drought, as climate change makes it worse, will mean to us on a day-to-day basis. I thought about using the toilet—flush toilets will need to go. We can get back to outhouses…
It’s time for good role models in politics
I’m frustrated. I am a longtime educator in the San Luis Obispo school system. We diligently model, expect, and teach civility. We work hard to prevent bullying, and we are quick to re-direct misbehavior. We offer positive role models at every opportunity. How can we expect our children to follow these values when we don’t…
SLO, don’t get duped again
A few years ago, Clint Pearce, head honcho at Madonna Construction, helped con SLO residents into passing Measure G, a multi-million-dollar slush fund that pays for pet projects. (Seen any improvement in our streets since then?) Of course, the ever-shilling Pearce wasn’t honest enough to inform residents that his company would benefit by building some…
It’s time to rise above attack ads
SLO County Supervisor candidate Dan Carpenter has taken a page from the Donald Trump campaign book. He’s launched a nasty, personal, negative campaign against Adam Hill and it’s about as ugly as Trump’s hairdo. After stating he was going “to get a refreshing message out to the electorate,” Mr. Carpenter has now turned to some…
Details matter
Not much has changed for the retired Robert C. Cuddy, former reporter for the San Luis Obispo Tribune who wrote the “Leftover shoe goo” commentary in the March 24 issue of New Times. Mr. Cuddy, details matter. As a watchdog and regular attendee of Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) board meetings since 2009, I am…
