Cover Story
SLO County DA says Paul Flores raped and murdered Kristin Smart
Nearly 25 years after Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing, SLO County law enforcement agencies arrested Paul Flores, the last person seen with her in 1996, and his father, Ruben Flores, on suspicion of murder and accessory to murder. Smart’s body has yet to be located. On the morning of April 13, Paul, 44,…
Some Santa Maria high school seniors return to classroom
Santa Maria Joint Union High School District seniors returned to in-person learning for the first time in more than a year on April 20. Some students opted to continue distance learning through the end of the school year, and those who returned are on a hybrid model. For now, only senior students at Pioneer Valley…
SLO County moves to MyTurn for COVID-19 vaccine sign-ups
San Luis Obispo County will retire its COVID-19 vaccine registry and lottery system and start using the state’s MyTurn website for vaccine sign-ups starting on April 21. Public Health Officer Penny Borenstein announced the change during a COVID-19 update to the Board of Supervisors on April 20. Borenstein said she’s comfortable transitioning the county to…
Carbajal voices support for housing migrant children at Camp Roberts
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is still considering whether Camp Roberts Army National Guard base will be the eighth site to house unaccompanied migrant children in California after it sent a request to the facility in early April. While it is expected to announce its decision soon, no date has been…
Grover Beach Community Library offers free books to children
The Grover Beach Community Library is hosting a special book sale on Saturday, May 1, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Social distancing policies will be followed during this free event. Book prices vary, but free children’s books will be offered while supplies last (one free book per child). A special $2 bag sale will…
Organic materials flow into sculpted forms in CaliforniaAesthic3D at Studios on the Park
On all sides Through May 3, you can take in the full view of CaliforniaAesthetic3D at Studios on the Park, Sunday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. at 1130 Pine St. in Paso Robles. Or you can catch the sculptures by Carl Berney, Peter Charles,…
Story of Soil in Los Olivos offers high-quality, balanced wines from winemaker Jessica Gasca
Come hear the story The Story of Soil tasting room—located at 2928 San Marcos Ave., Los Olivos—is currently open for reservations and walk-ins every weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and private reservations during the week. To find out more, visit storyofsoilwine.com. The age-old adage “less is more” rings true…
Conditional relief: Fewer local businesses are receiving a second PPP loan
In the two years that Sheila Kearns has owned her boutique chocolate shop on Marsh Street in downtown San Luis Obispo, she’s yet to experience normalcy. When the shop first opened in 2019, construction work on Hotel Cerro next door disrupted foot traffic and business. Then, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and upended life…
Voyagers is Lord of the Flies in space
VOYAGERS What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2021 Where’s it showing? Galaxy, Park What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee Writer-director Neil Burger (The Illusionist, The Lucky Ones) helms this sci-fi adventure about a mission to reach a habitable planet 86 years away from Earth by spacecraft. Crewed by 30 young people, all…
Achieving sound public policy
The blatant and misleading political hit published in this paper last week deserves response (“Something to remember,” April 8). (The letter writer, it should be noted, is the chair of the San Luis Obispo Democratic Party, and perhaps let partisan bias seep into a false narrative.) Since day one, our office has taken the COVID-19…
WeWork: Or The Making And Breaking Of A $47 Billion Unicorn
What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2021 Where’s it showing? Hulu Written and directed by Jed Rothstein, the documentary examines the six-week unraveling of a multi-billion-dollar overvalued company on the brink of an IPO that was supposed to save it. Wondery put out a podcast called WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork last year,…
Recognition of effort and improvement isn’t all bad
I agree with some, but not all, of the sentiments expressed by John Donegan in “Participation trophies” (April 8). I don’t like the idea of mindlessly handing out trophies to one and all. On the other hand, I recall that when my oldest son was 9 years old and played an entire season of Little…
Boss Level
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2021 Where’s it showing? Hulu I can’t believe this is a film that was almost never released. Directed by Joe Carnahan (The Grey, The A-Team, Smokin’ Aces), it was planned for release on Aug. 16, 2019. Instead it was shelved. Thank goodness it’s found a home on Hulu. It’s a…
Roosters on steroids
Imagine that a new neighbor moves in with an obnoxious rooster that crows night and day without stop. Now imagine that your neighbor moves in with 40 obnoxious roosters with the intent to breed more of them. Well folks, it turns out there is an animal louder than a rooster and it’s called a gibbon.…
Hollywood music veteran Bette Byers and The Candlelight Strings release a terrific new album of ’30s-inspired silent film music
Violinist Bette Byers spent decades in Hollywood playing music for countless films and TV shows, backing performers such as Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Billy Eckstine, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Tom Jones … the list would take up the whole page! She started her training at age 4, and by 18 she was a professional…
Undemocratic process
The modern filibuster is the greatest impediment to progress our nation faces. Rooted in decades of racism, the filibuster is a longstanding tool of white supremacy that has been perverted and abused to uphold systems of oppression. Today, without stepping foot into the Senate, a single senator can write an email stating they intend to…
Proposed ethnic studies course in Paso Robles sparks larger conversation about diversity and healing on the district’s campuses
When Susana López reflected on the March 23 Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board meeting, she said it was painful for many reasons. That evening, an ethnic studies course—”Ethnic Studies: Multicultural America”—was proposed as an elective for Paso Robles High School students in the fall. Community members and students submitted emails ahead of the…
Aggressively white
Indoctrinated students, white kids in danger, and someone else pulling the strings. It sounds like a rally for Donald Trump’s next run at emperor in chief, doesn’t it? Sorry to disappoint all you lovers and haters out there, but you’ll need to turn your attention to the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, the most…
Casa of Hope and RISE SLO offer resources for victims of sex trafficking
Casa of Hope is a nonprofit in Santa Maria that’s dedicated to providing safe housing for survivors of sex trafficking, and Executive Director Ellen Torres understands the importance of this resource from personal experience. She survived sex trafficking in Santa Maria when she was a teenager. “When I was 16, my family moved here from…
SLO codifies ban on tents in parks, will regulate shopping carts
At an April 13 special meeting, the San Luis Obispo City Council amended its municipal code to explicitly ban the use of tents in public parks and passed a new ordinance regulating shopping carts—both moves that aim to curb the impacts of homelessness, but that opponents say target and punish the unhoused during a pandemic.…
Past due utility bills pile up throughout SLO County
A number of cities in SLO County are still waiving the penalties and fees normally charged to those who fail to pay their water and sewer utility bills. In some local cities, the past due payments are piling up, and it’s still unclear whether customers will be expected to pay off their debts. Like most…
Paso Unified approved its ethnic studies course offering with more contingencies
Two meetings and two sets of amendments later, the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District voted 6-1 to offer “Ethnic Studies: Multicultural America” for a one-year pilot that’s subject to review. During the meeting, several trustees continued to cite concerns about the course’s contents and recent community backlash. The April 13 ethnic studies course hearing…
County testing sites now allow self-swabbing
If you’re planning to get tested for COVID-19 at one of San Luis Obispo County’s community testing sites in the near future, be prepared to swab your own nose. The county’s state-funded testing sites, which are operated by federal health services provider OptumServe, are converting to a supervised self-swabbing testing model. So instead of having…
Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause holds up some local shots
On Friday, April 9, a “pop-up” vaccine clinic in Atascadero helped inoculate a few dozen unhoused North County community members for COVID-19. Hosted by the El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO), with assistance from the Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC), the clinic used the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine on ECHO dinner and…
Laboratory Series features D.C.-based installation artist Jessica Valoris
The Laboratory Series, an ongoing Black-identified artist showcase co-hosted by R.A.C.E. Matters SLO and the Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery, holds its next virtual program with special guest speaker Jessica Valoris, on Thursday, April 22, starting at 5 p.m., via Zoom. Admission to join the meeting is free, but pre-registration is required. Inspired by Afrofuturism,…
Glasshead Studio hosts fused glass sushi set workshop
On Sunday, April 18, Glasshead Studio in Atascadero will host a fused glass sushi set workshop, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will create their own sushi plates with matching dipping bowls and chopstick holders. Masks are required during the class, which will be limited to six guests. Admission to the workshop is $200,…
