Cover Story
A gang story
Ricardo Lopez was born into gang life and got an early introduction to all things thug related. He learned to throw up a gang sign when he was just 3 years old, shot a gun at the age of 9, and by the time he was 12, Lopez was already knee-deep in the dope game,…
County Supes approve new cell phone facility
Three new Sprint/Nextel cell phone antennas are slated for downtown Los Osos after county supervisors turned back an April 1 appeal. The 3-1 vote, with Jim Patterson opposing and Bruce Gibson out recovering from heart surgery, came despite the testimony of about a dozen Los Osans who oppose the move. They questioned whether the facility…
Letters
Keep up the good work on gas prices Yes, yes, yes, the price of gas will hit $4 a gallon soon. Yippee, I say. Good job, GW. I’m so thankful that I can contribute to GW and all his Republican buddies’ bank accounts while I put less food on the table so I can drive…
Fast facts
Attention all environmentally friendly merchants: The Shell Beach Farmers’ Market is seeking vendors to join the weekly festivities. Current vendors provide such products as organic foods, produce, baked goods, floral goods, jewelry, crafts, photo art, and clothing. Think you have something the community might like? If so, call 602-8266 or 305-7017 or e-mail shellbeachfarmersmarket@yahoo.com for…
Wal-Mart gets bomb threat
The Wal-Mart store in Paso Robles received a bomb threat on the morning of March 31, forcing the store to close for an hour. Police said they notified neighboring businesses of the threat and the Paso Robles Department of Emergency Services was advised to stand by. Wal-Mart managers closed the store and all customers and…
Vets for truth
Based on the military’s own numbers, as many of one in four veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Yet only a minority of veterans’ hospitals offer specialized treatment for it. # In 2005, the Veterans Administration acknowledged a backlog of 350,000 disability claims. It’s now estimated at 600,000.…
The Don of wine tours
Sit back, relax, and let Don Gould of Wine Tours VIP be your guide to everything the Central Coast wine industry has to offer–on land and sea. # Gould, a retired land developer, has combined his passion for entertaining with a sense of luxury and convenience. The result is elegant, but not overwhelming. “I love…
It’s a SLO council update!
Chinatown: The San Luis City Council approved a 60-day extension to negotiate the purchase of city property with the Copeland family for the Chinatown project. The Copeland option to buy the property was set to expire May 4, but the extension will allow for the property value to be reassessed and give the city and…
Pushing, polling, and trolling for support
I’m having deja vu all over again. Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist, who monitors the U.S.-Mexican border like I monitor my fat intake–closely–is speaking in SLO County in support of Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee. This all happened once before, back in late January. To be honest, I didn’t know that there were many Huckabee…
Inspiration, perspiration, and day-glo
# Leslie Baumberger tells her dancers to put on their “Pop Music” costumes as she cues the music. Fifteen minutes later, 16 or so girls and a lone male dancer have assembled. One dancer is missing her wig. The rest look like they raided a thrift store, laden as they are with day-glo wigs, boppers…
The Hummel pummel
For years, blues harmonica fell out of favor, replaced by guitar-driven blues. Chicago-based harp blowers like Little Walter, James Cotton, and Sonny Boy Williamson were brushed aside and all but forgotten, but Berkeley-based harp player Mark Hummel has changed all that by reminding blues fans that the harmonica can sing the blues better than anything.…
Don’t park in the park
I love Mitchell Park I’m pretty fond of seniors, too inasmuch as I hit the “classification” last year. So, to be in a situation where I have to think about the “essence” of a park and its purpose might appear to put me in the quintessential place that defines a dilemma (a situation when each…
All roads lead to Rhone
Would you be surprised to learn that several SLO County wine events draw wine connoisseurs and media from around the world each year? It’s true. These experts are irresistibly drawn to the heart of the Central Coast wine region, where they can learn more about all of California’s Central Coast wines. That’s because three major…
SLO Police arrest graffiti artist
# San Luis Obispo police arrested a 24-year-old artist March 29 on suspicion of felony vandalism related to 24 graffiti incidents. Police obtained a warrant and searched Nic Rodriguez’s house in the days before the arrest, confiscating art and graffiti supplies–including permanent markers, spray paint, and paint brushes. They also reported taking several canvases, photos…
Sunnier Acres?
In the aftermath of a series of run-ins with county code enforcement officials, Sunny Acres founder Dan DeVaul faces at least $22,000 in fines and the total number of residents at his sober living facility has dropped roughly in half. Some of the 28 people who remain are living in tents, and DeVaul’s been ordered…
Citizen will request a state investigation into councilman’s residency
A San Luis Obispo man says he’ll ask the state Attorney General’s office to investigate whether SLO Councilmember Allen Settle is improperly living outside of the city in a house he owns in Arroyo Grande. Speaking to the council April 1, retired highway patrol officer Gary Fowler said he plans to send a formal request…
