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On trial: Your Own Backyard podcaster Chris Lambert fills us in on the progress of the Salinas-based murder trials for Kristin Smart
More than 25 years after Kristin Smart’s disappearance, the murder trial for her alleged killer, Paul Flores, and his father, an alleged accessory, finally started in July. In opening arguments, SLO County prosecutor Chris Peuvrelle laid out the case to two Monterey County juries: that Paul raped and killed Smart in his Cal Poly dorm…
Central Coast artist and teacher Lynnae Lane captures the joy of gardening in a new exhibit
Seasons change Valley Art Gallery presents The Miracle of Spring and SUNsational Summer, which will remain on display at the Santa Maria Airport through the end of September. Each artwork on display is available for sale, with prices ranging from $65 to $450. The airport is located at 3217 Terminal Drive, Santa Maria. Featured artist…
Fight to reclaim Diablo Canyon tribal lands comes as pressure mounts to keep it open
In July, a local tribe wrote to Gov. Gavin Newsom, urging him to return Diablo Canyon lands back to its rightful owners—yak tityu tityu yak tihini—Ytt Northern Chumash Tribe. A legislative resolution calling for the land’s return under the state’s Tribal Land Transfer policy was included with the letter. Both documents were sent as the…
The Great American Melodrama presents Sand In Our Shorts: A Night of Sketch Comedy and Song
Performances of Sand In Our Shorts: A Night of Sketch Comedy and Song, which debuted in mid-August, will be held through Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Great American Melodrama in Oceano. The two-act production is described as a beach-themed vaudeville and variety show, similar to the Melodrama’s previous sketch comedy showcase, Comedy Tonight, held last…
Oceano Sheriff’s substation notes uptick in crime rate
A murder case marked former Sheriff’s South Station Commander Jay Wells’ final days in the Oceano Community Services District before his reassignment. “We had a homicide in Oceano that occurred this past week. Due to the diligence of the Sheriff’s Office, we were able to wrap that case up pretty quick. There is no outstanding…
By the Sea Productions brings Agatha Christie classic, Murder on the Orient Express, to the stage
By the Sea Productions presents its production of Murder on the Orient Express, which runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through Sunday, Sept. 4, at St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in Morro Bay. This theatrical adaptation of English author Agatha Christie’s classic mystery follows Belgian detective Hercule…
Ace event planner ramps up Morro Bay’s annual Avocado Margarita Festival to three-day extravaganza
Drop me a lime The Avocado Margarita Food & Drink Festival will be held Sept. 9 to 11 at various locations throughout Morro Bay. Access the full itinerary and purchase individual tickets and passes at avomargfest.com. Follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @avomargfest. After a two-year hiatus, Morro Bay’s annual festival spotlighting avocados…
New detox center opens in SLO
San Luis Obispo County’s first-ever public detoxification clinic opened its doors on Aug. 16 after more than four years of planning, fundraising, building, and licensing. The 16-bed facility, operated by Salinas-based nonprofit Sun Street Centers, is on the property of the 40 Prado Homeless Services Center in SLO and will primarily serve low-income men suffering…
Five Cities Fire prepares for future without Oceano
San Luis Obispo County’s third-busiest municipal department is about to become even busier as its remaining members grapple with a future devoid of the Oceano Community Services District. The Five Cities Fire Authority (FCFA) officially entered a “wind down period” now that Oceano voters rejected the flat parcel tax that would have supported emergency fire…
Close Diablo Canyon Power Plant on schedule
I live in Atascadero, a short distance as the crow flies from the 37-year-old Diablo Canyon Power Plant. I have staunch reservations about the Diablo nuclear plant because of the lack of safe waste disposal on-site over the long term and the unreliable condition of the plant. Diablo is one of the plants built in…
The Quilting Angels strives to keep SLO County warm through American quilt making
On the last Tuesday of every month, a group of quilting aficionados from across San Luis Obispo County gathers at the Arroyo Grande Community Center for hours of designing and stitching. Called the Central Coast Quilters, the team of 130 guild members makes unique quilts for both sale and philanthropy. According to Co-Chairman of Fundraising…
Emily the Criminal is a taut, unromanticized crime thriller
EMILY THE CRIMINAL What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo In his feature-length debut, writer-director John Patton Ford helms this thriller about Emily (Aubrey Plaza), a young woman swimming in debt who’s drawn into crime. (93…
Collective Soul plays Vina Robles on Aug. 20, touring in support of their new album Vibrating
Collective Soul has a classic “the little engine that could” origin story. They formed in 1992 and released their debut album, Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, on the small indie label Rising Storm Records in 1993. Then the single “Shine” suddenly started heating up on the radio. Atlantic Records came calling, re-released the band’s…
Vote for democracy in November
During the Jan. 6 hearings, we’ve heard from former members of the Trump administration and Republican state officials about how Trump and his allies worked together to try and overthrow our democracy because the 2020 presidential election didn’t go their way. Now, they’re working to make sure all of our elections go their way in…
Oaks and affordability
Last month, The Tribune’s editorial board asked: “Nipomo is a haven for wealthy retirees. How about more housing for local workers?” In the email The Tribune sent out linking to the editorial, the question was distilled down to: “What matters more, oak trees or affordable homes?” The occasion was the proposed Dana Reserve, a mega-development…
November’s coming
The results of SLO County’s 4th District supervisor race are in—again—and guess what? Jimmy Paulding still beat incumbent Lynn Compton by exactly 639 votes. Not even one vote was off in the June 2022 primary counts. Machines counted the same exact number of votes as humans did. And that recount result, which changed nothing, only…
Thirteen Lives
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Ron Howard directs this true-life drama about a dozen young Thai soccer players and their coach who become trapped in a cave after a monsoon arrives unseasonably early. It was international news when it occurred in 2018 in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave,…
Milestone Generations
What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2022 Where’s it showing? HBO Max Former Arroyo Grande resident Justice A. Whitaker directs this documentary about Milestone Comics, which in 1993 through DC Comics brought severely underrepresented Black comic characters into the mainstream with the Static Shock series, created by African American writers and artists Dwayne McDuffie, Denys…
Newsom wants state to loan PG&E $1.4 billion to relicense Diablo Canyon
The last-minute push to keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant running past 2025 just got its biggest shot in the arm yet. Draft state legislation introduced this month would loan PG&E up to $1.4 billion to help it relicense the nuclear plant for another five to 10 years of operation. Gov. Gavin Newsom—who in recent months…
SLO County schools struggle with student absences post-COVID-19
California is one of six states that still funds its schools based on average daily attendance numbers, but a bill currently making its way through the Legislature could change that. Authored by State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-Glendale), the legislation would provide supplemental funding to districts struggling with chronic absenteeism, as long as they can show…
