Cover Story
Budding controversy
Almost exactly a year ago, Charles Lynch opened San Luis Obispo County’s first medical marijuana dispensary. After testing the waters in Atascadero and finding them frigid, he set up shop on Monterey Street in Morro Bay. He got a business license, hired security, and began providing doctor-approved marijuana from behind the tinted windows of the…
Sorry, broccoli, grapes are No. 1
San Luis Obispo County agriculture production reported a record high last year, with the total crop value increasing 4.7 percent from 2005 to an estimated $621.5 million in 2006, according to the county’s annual crop statistics released April 3. For the 18th consecutive year, wine grapes were the top value agricultural crop no surprise to…
Just relax
San Luis Obispa doesn’t look like much from the outside not yet at least but behind the heavy red front door rests something truly unique. The refinished farmhouse from 1913 is filled with all things relaxing and indulgent. Joanne Winsell bought the property in October 2005 with her husband Dennis, who’s studied aromatherapy for more…
Alternative Space
Are you on www.MySpace.com, the Internet’s social networking site that began as a grassroots thing only to be sold off to big media ($580 million to Rupert Murdoch’s Newscorp/Fox News)? Well, a new green, grassroots company wants to lure you away and onto MyCounterSpace.com. To get the ball rolling, the Grover Beach company is having…
Fast facts
The landmark 1917 building located at 740 W. Foothill Blvd. in SLO has housed a lot of business over the years, from the Callaway House to This Old House to AJ Spurs and, most recently, Pinky Carmines. The latest incarnation, The Clubhouse at This Old House, seeks to honor the community’s long history with the…
A dream and a Hail Mary
I vividly remember the first time I spoke to the Vines to Wines Club at Cal Poly in 1996, and I’ve been an advocate of the group ever since. I love meeting with these aspiring young winemakers who chase their dreams with unbridled enthusiasm. I’m particularly proud of one student I’ve watched blossom into a…
Little of this, little of that
I wanted to start this week by congratulating Pat Hedges and everybody over at his SLO County Sheriff’s Department. At the end of March, they plucked the sweet fruit of a year of investigation and discovered that gasp! a well-known medical marijuana dispensary in Morro Bay actually had marijuana on the premises. They discovered other…
CSU faculty, administration reach a deal
Less than a week before California State University faculty members were set to begin a series of rolling strikes, union leaders reached a contract agreement with administrators. Over the next four years, under the tentative deal reached April 3, all faculty members will receive a raise of 20.7 percent over the life of the contract.…
County looks gift horse in mouth
egregious adj : conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible [syn: crying, flagrant, glaring, gross, rank] “a crying shame” “an egregious lie” “flagrant violation of human rights” “a glaring error” “gross ineptitude” “gross injustice” “rank treachery.” WordNet It was a close one, but we dodged a bullet. On March 27, San Luis Obispo County almost made…
Crash leads to small outage
Some San Luis Obispo residents were left without power April 3 after a Pacific Beach Continuation High student crashed his vehicle into telephone pole guide wires. The crash damaged phone and electrical lines and attracted gawkers along Los Osos Valley Road. Police said the collision came after the man had an argument with another student.…
Born to perform
In 1928 at the age of 15 Bud Mercer began a career that would span 75 years in an industry known for its harsh, fickle, and competitive nature: show business. At times he would reluctantly accept a non-entertainment job to supplement his income and, at others, his diet would consist of onion sandwiches while on…
Letters
Timeshares aren’t compatible with neighborhoods As one of the Cayucos residents concerned about the proposed three-story (four stories if you include the underground parking) timeshare project at Old Creek Road and Highway 1, I have something to say to Kim Hatch, the project manager. How can you say, “We believe it’s as compatible as you…
Roads with a view
One of the most iconic views in SLO County a sweeping vista from Highway 46 West, used as the glossy centerfold photo in the Chamber of Commerce visitor’s guide is back on the table for possible protection from new ridgetop mansions. After a marathon hearing on the “Cayucos Fringe Viewshed # ordinance” April 3, the…
Engineers adjust downtown parking
In an attempt to decrease the number of accidents downtown, San Luis Obispo City engineers are adjusting the location and size of existing parking spots. The move will ultimately result in the loss of two spaces, one on the 800 block of Higuera Street and one on the 1000 block of Osos Street. # “From…
One gaseous goal
California’s ambitious new plan to shoehorn the state’s lug-soled boot of a carbon footprint into a slimming strappy little number depends in part on getting local governments to radically change the way communities develop and grow. Trouble is, nobody’s yet told the planners how to craft the sort of strategies that would meet the goals,…
