Cover Story
The Wandering Madman, a mobile musician, brings homespun stylings to the Central Coast
Barbara Hernandez has lived in San Luis Obispo for 16 years. One evening, she and her husband, Lanny, were walking downtown after a film festival event. They ambled toward the corner of Marsh and Morro Street, right near the alleyway that abuts Barnes and Noble. But before they could make it any farther, they took…
Celebrate the good Earth: Branch Mill Organics to hold Earth Day Fair
There’s no better time to appreciate the Earth than right now. Super storms have wreaked havoc in the Northeast, massive droughts have devastated California, and Antarctica is hotter than ever. OK, so of course it’s not the greatest time to be celebrating something that we’re slowly killing, but it is a good time to start…
Capps unlock: Congresswoman Lois Capps has announced that she’ll retire at the end of her term as candidates begin vying for her seat
In a gentle, short-and-sweet video address, Congresswoman Lois Capps has announced her retirement. “I’m proud of the work that we’ve done together here on the Central Coast—to improve education; to expand health care; to support businesses and our veterans; to protect the environment and agriculture—and I’ve been so humbled and honored that you would trust…
Neil ‘Freaking’ Young!!!
Todd and Korie Newman of Good Medicine Presents dropped a super secret show on SLO Town last night—Thursday, April 16—when they welcomed Neil Young to SLO Brew. Young, backed by Willie Nelson’s son Lukas Nelson and his band Promise of the Real, delivered two sets of environmentally focused and socially conscious rock to a sellout…
Strawberries are 2014’s top crop, but drought looms large
With the April 14 release of San Luis Obispo County’s annual crop report came yet another sign of the current drought’s profound impact. For the first time since 2008, overall gross countywide crop values declined—from an all-time high of roughly $921 million in 2013 to just less than $903 million in 2014, a decrease of…
Prominent Arroyo Grande resident accused of molestation
Lawrence “Lenny” Jones, 63—Arroyo Grande’s 2015 Citizen of the Year, a longtime local real estate agent, and a prominent South County volunteer—was arrested on the evening of April 13 on suspicion of molesting two girls under the age of 14 at his A.G. home. Jones was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, child molestation, and penetration…
If you could take a year off from work, and money was no object, what would you do?
Desiree Exline snack bar attendant “Travel through Europe.” Karen Lange professor “I would just hit the road on the Alaskan highway, and then go from there.” Kim Williams bakery assistant “Skydiving in Australia.” Wendy Dende fund raiser for the Land Conservancy “Travel to Africa.”
The darker side of Claiborne & Churchill
Claiborne “Clay” Thompson approaches the age-old hypothetical question: “What wine would you bring to a desert island” with startling decisiveness. He and wife, Fredericka Churchill, named their cat “Riesling,” after all. This should be a strong indicator of just how deep their obsession with the wine grape runs. “It goes with every food imaginable, and…
Libertine’s Morro Rock Saison and Figueroa Mountain’s Big Cone American Black Ale
Everyone’s suddenly howling about how “local” their ingredients are. Local kale! Home-grown beets. Backyard bacon (is this even safe?). In the midst of all this locovore chatter, I quietly choose to drink. My new spring beer of choice? Libertine’s Morro Rock Saison, which is perfectly tart, super refreshing, and oh-so-local it cannot and will not…
Something to chew on
Put a bird on it: Portlandia fans, get ready to get crafty! HoneyBee Cakery will be hosting a cupcake class where you can sculpt a giant peacock with modeling chocolate (April 25 at The Bunker SLO; 2 p.m; $35). Now only if we could pickle that, too … Mother’s Day is coming up quick, but…
Clubs 4/16/15 – 4/23/15
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. CUVEE BISTRO AND CHAMPAGNE BAR: 550 1st St., Avila Beach, 595-2245. Live music Thurs. and Sat. 6-9pm. 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…
Come to Earth Day on April 19 at El Chorro Regional Park
I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had during my time here,” said Agent Smith in The Matrix. “It came to me when I tried to classify your species, and I realized that you’re not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans…
SLOMA screens documentary about American arts and crafts pioneer Elbert Hubbard
When you imagine the face of early 20th century business (as we all do all the time), you probably picture the usual titans of industry—J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford. These are the men who ushered forth the age of automation, mass commercialism, and casual dehumanization. But in upstate New York, there was another man…
New Times says farewell to long-time staffers Ashley Schwellenbach and Colin Rigley
For eons now, the New Times editorial office has been dominated by two names—Managing Editor Ashley Schwellenbach and Senior Staff Writer Colin Rigley. Combined, they’ve put in around 15 years, 20,000 cartons of cake frosting, 10 million hours of sarcasm, three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures, and one battle ax into this office. And…
SLO Little Theatre stages play about emotional and physical impact of war, ‘Time Stands Still’
Time Stands Still is a play for voyeurs. Watching this show is like peeping through the window of a Brooklyn apartment. Viewers get to watch lives play out realistically on the stage—from banal chatter to weighty conversation to heated arguments. Sordid relationships run their course as the audience stares. The play works because the lives…
Kelrik Productions presents classic Broadway musical, ‘Into the Woods’
Once upon a time, Erik Austin, founder and director of Kelrik Productions, fell in love with a musical. When he was young, he went to Cheap Thrills and bought a copy of the soundtrack to Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s award-winning musical, Into the Woods. “I’ve loved that show forever,” Austin told New Times over…
Tibetan monks from Drepung Gomang Monastery bring ancient art of mandalas to the Central Coast
About 15 minutes into Werner Herzog’s 2003 documentary Wheel of Time, you see a flat, blue surface surrounded by 20 to 30 people in orange and red robes. They’re Tibetan Buddhist monks chanting in unison, ringing bells, and reciting mantras around a table festooned in flowing drapes. They are consecrating the site where some of…
The many candidates, so beautiful!
Hey, you! Yeah, you! It’s obvious you’re on your way to a wedding—either that or you really overdressed for work, amirite?—but we’ve got some chewing of the fat to accomplish before I’ll let you on your way. America’s nicest congressperson is finally retiring, and I think we can all agree that the most appropriate response…
We need this mental help in North County
As a concerned resident of Atascadero since 1981, I have seen and heard of many situations where mental diagnosis and treatment have been needed. As I have heard and been reading about this proposed mental health hospital in Templeton, it seems to me to be a perfect fit for this area. The property is in…
Wake up to ethics, students!
I’m just home from Southern California and read the article about the 67 students who cheated at Cuesta (“Class action,” April 9). Given the snarky news coming out of Cal Poly, this just hit me hard. What are our Central Coast students thinking? Or are they thinking at all? Do they have zero values? Zero…
You think parking in Pismo is bad?
I recently read about the Pismo Beach parking problem. We here in Avila Beach have a worse problem. Not only do we not have enough parking for residents and visitors, we have a two-lane road to our beautiful community, beach, and Port San Luis Harbor. In the year 2000, when the Avila Beach Specific Plan…
Public distrust of PG&E’s ‘Culture of Safety’
On a recent Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) levied a record $1.6 billion penalty on PG&E for the 2010 gas pipeline explosion that killed eight in the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno. Since the explosion, PG&E has been issued many safety citations by the CPUC. Not surprisingly the commission plans to launch…
Farmers–including almond growers–don’t take water for granted
This letter is being written with the hope of broadening the views of Karen Juran (“A ‘nut’ case,” April 9) and those who agree with her that the governor is being too soft on farmers. Please understand that this drought affects us all—some more than others. People who live in town may lose their lawns;…
Children deserve more from us
Everyone in San Luis Obispo County is aware of the homeless problem. However, there is one segment of the homeless population that receives the least attention and almost no services from the governmental and nonprofit organizations. Tragically, the individuals in this segment are the most vulnerable, helpless, and voiceless, with no one to champion their…
Cougars & Mustangs
Somewhere between two loose floorboards and three half-eaten granola bars is a talisman of serpentine. Deep etchings from a bygone era mark the stone with a curious confrontation between the ferocious mountain lion and the majestic equestrian. Theirs is a race for all time—a vicious warrior’s dance toward the horizon of the future. And whenever…
Lawsuits and legal judgments dog Eucasia Schools Worldwide and the Laureate School
The judgments against Eucasia Schools Worldwide total about $457,680, combined. If the operator of the Laureate School in San Luis Obispo loses the most recent lawsuit filed against it, it can expect to pay another $172,126 in alleged back rent, property taxes, and other charges. That lawsuit, which Eucasia’s current landlord, Full Circle Laureate, filed…
SLO County Supervisors pass ordinance to regulate the exportation of groundwater
Another piece to San Luis Obispo County’s groundwater management puzzle has been set into place, as the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to regulate the sale and exportation of groundwater. The matter took only an hour and was generally well received by the supervisors, who gave it their blessing with a 5-0 vote. The…
Lucia Mar teachers reach a tentative labor agreement with the district
The Lucia Mar Unified School District reached a tentative agreement with the Lucia Mar Unified Teachers Association on April 8 in an effort to avoid a teachers’ strike. The agreement is for a 6 percent raise in teachers’ salaries over the next three years. Before the agreement is finalized, it’s subject to ratification by the…
San Luis Obispo is set to finish work on Chinatown artifacts
Roughly three decades after they were pulled from the earth, hundreds of boxes of artifacts from San Luis Obispo’s Chinatown may well be on their way to being fully cleaned, sorted, and studied. In a city staff report, SLO Principal Analyst James David detailed the city’s new plan—and new contract with the latest consultant—to finalize…
A battle of letters: San Luis Obispo and Caltrans square off over airport development plans
In the battle over the future of southern San Luis Obispo development, officials from the city and Caltrans seem to be setting up defense in the early stages of an expected lawsuit, but for now both have kept their arguments contained to a few letters. At issue is the city’s recently approved Land Use and…
