Cover Story
Community, interrupted
For much of the year, the last leg of Morro Creek is little more than a dry, gravelly trail shaded by low trees on its way to the ocean. Vines run rampant, bearing orange and purple wildflowers that dangle from branches and make the place look almost enchanted when the fog is thick. There’s running…
Spirit animals
You won’t find a more unlikely artistic duo than Mignon Khargie and Neal Breton. She’s a graphic designer. He’s a thoroughly analog illustrator whose idea of high tech is photocopying something and gluing things onto it. Khargie’s aesthetic is clean and minimal; her images composites of unbroken lines in a sea of heavenly white space.…
What does Teen Spirit smell like?
Sarah Ragan promotions coordinator “Squeaky clean.” Jennifer Behrens small business owner “Freedom.” Reid Cain owner of Dr. Cain’s Comics & Games “Lethargy.” Danielle Strunk assistant manager of Hamilton Estate Jewelery “The Mid State Fair’s aromas of food, flowers, and everything good in the world.”
Get Salty!
Every year Escuela del Rio hosts a fundraising concert, and this year’s is a must-see for fans of acoustic roots music. The headliner is the exceptional Salty Suites, which features Scott Gates on mandolin, Chelsea Williams on guitar, Chuck Hailes on the upright bass, Elaine Gregston on accordion, and Paul Cartwright on fiddle. Gates, just…
Together at last
Heaven and Earth Gallery owner Lynn Hessler was gleeful when she e-mailed me about the gallery’s current show, “Buddha and the Virgin: Together at Last.” “A local collector of sacred sculptures from all over the world will be sharing some of his favorite pieces, and we will be featuring local versions of ‘Virgins’……and/or ho’s,” she…
Daddy issues
I can see how Daddy Long-Legs, a novel by Jean Webster, might have been an enjoyable read when it was published in 1912. On paper, the premise of a poor orphan girl sent to college by an unknown benefactor, to whom she must write a letter every month, sounds cozy and entertaining, with a hint…
Support the Oceano airport
In the Aug. 9 issue there was a letter referencing development of the Oceano beach area and airport I want to respond to. The writer seems to be bothered by the users of Oceano airport, whom she describes as some “elite” group. I am one of these “elite” people who used to sling asphalt, spray…
Homeless in downtown SLO
It is time for San Luis Obispo to do something about the homeless taking over downtown. I am a mother of two young children, a local business owner, and a residence in Pismo Beach. I visit downtown San Luis Obispo a few times a week to shop and/or eat. I am usually with my children…
Sanction Iran
The United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France have all endorsed strong sanctions against Iran’s developing a nuclear weapon. Furthermore the United States has urged resumption of peace negotiations between the Palestinian authority and Israel. Yet Iran continues to call for the annihilation of Israel, which it refers to as a “one…
Obamacare cares
Your payroll deductions for Medicare are NOT more because of “Obamacare” unless you are part of the 3 percent making over $200,000 for an individual or $250,000 for a couple. They are LESS because of the Stimulus. You just get more for your Medicare dollar. Medicare services are NOT cut by “Obamacare.” They are expanded…
Two slips and Barnums Big Top Circus
August 2 articles about Sheriff Pozdolski’s arrest and Episode #9 of “The J-Cat Files” brought back fond memories and a touch of cynicism for me. The articles call attention to a system that flies under the radar if you’ll pardon the pun. I was oblivious to our corrections and judicial system until my own “slip”…
Yelp! I need somebody
In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” These words spoken by the prophet, Andy Warhol, have never been truer. In the year 2012, everyone is a star. Just look at Rebecca Black, singer of the now infamously auto-tuned crap hit, “Friday.” Black, at 16, has more Facebook friends than Jesus and it’s…
Questions For: Judie Kewish
NEW TIMES Why is the murder mystery theatre pirate-themed? KEWISH Because our audiences love it and so do our actors, it’s great fun. NEW TIMES Are the passengers responsible for solving the crime, or if a passenger don’t solve it does it go unsolved? KEWISH No, they are not responsible, but they do get the…
Dear City of SLO,
I was walking on the sidewalk in front of Abercrombie the other day. You know, the store that reeks of toxic waste mixed with bull semen? And I saw a homeless person. And nothing happened! I’m certain, however, that this person was on drugs and that he wanted to steal my screaming baby whose face…
A night in their shoes (Part 1 of 4)
It’s a sunny afternoon in late January, and my friend Michael and I are standing outside the Prado Day Center in San Luis Obispo, waiting for lunch. Unlike most people here, we actually have comfortable beds and well-stocked cupboards waiting for us back home… but tonight, we won’t be there. Hoping to better understand the…
Couples that create together stay together
After the speeches and congratulations, the ribbon is cut, and the doors are opened amongst cheers and balloons on a beautiful, sunny, and clear day in Paso Robles. Siegel’s Jewelry, which features a tasting room with Frolicking Frog Cellars, has been open since the end of May, but the official ribbon cutting wasn’t until Aug.…
Trying times for Templeton
The Aug. 14 meeting of the Templeton Community Services District kicked off not with a bang, but a whimper. “Hello?” a floating voice crackled out of a desktop speaker phone. “Greg?” said Laurie Ion, the CSD assistant to the general manager and board secretary. “It’s the board meeting.” It was the type of awkward, shuffling…
End the speculation
According to the rules set forth by San Luis Obispo County supervisors, there is typically no room for applause during meetings. But neither decorum nor hellfire could suppress the thunderous ovations and verbal acclaim from the audience the moment the final “aye” was called. On Aug. 21, a unanimous Board of Supervisors dealt the final…
Cut down on the salt, you crazy basin
Eight North County agencies are coming together to devise a plan aimed at curbing the steady rise of salt and nitrates in the Paso Robles groundwater basin. The plan will take 12 to 14 months and cost $173,461 to draft. Because it’s responsible for the most contaminants to the basin, the city of Paso Robles…
Atascadero Wal-Mart spurs lawsuit
A group of Atascadero residents filed a lawsuit against the city for approving plans to build a Walmart. On Aug. 9, the group Save Atascadero (formerly called Oppose Walmart) filed a lawsuit against the city of Atascadero claiming the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) when it approved the Del Rio Road Commercial…
Paso lays foundation for oversight of half-cent sales tax
The Paso Robles City Council took great pains on Aug. 21 to convince citizens the city won’t misspend any money from a proposed supplemental sales tax, which is set to go to voters for approval in November. The public, however, remained surprisingly silent throughout the discussion of an oversight committee and use priorities. “I’m very…
County responds to grand jury marijuana recommendations
San Luis Obispo County officials have called grand jury recommendations pertaining to medical marijuana delivery services “unwarranted” and “unreasonable.” In June, the San Luis Obispo County grand jury published a report detailing concerns over a lack of safe and reliable access for qualified patients of legal medicinal marijuana countywide. In its 15-page report, Out of…
Blakeslee bill limiting gifts dies in Assembly
In an election year, it was thought that a bill that would place specific limits on how much schwag lawmakers could accept as gifts—and from whom—would be a slam dunk. Tell that to Sen. Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo). On Aug. 16, a Blakeslee co-sponsored bill limiting gifts to lawmakers died a quiet death at…
Diablo seismic studies get crucial OK
Just two days after residents flocked to Avila Beach to swoon over a pair of humpback whales that ventured near shore, a powerful state agency handed Pacific Gas and Electric a crucial permit necessary to begin its controversial seismic surveys off the Central Coast in about two months. Critics of the proposed studies point primarily…
County to study bike path funding options
Despite a long list of similar projects currently at various stages of development, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted to study the feasibility of purchasing a swath of land to connect a network of bike paths and trails. The study could possibly lead to adding a roughly mile-long segment in Edna Valley…
Tablas Creek 2011 Patelin de Tablas Paso Robles
Rich and plummy with notes of minerals and spice, this is an excellent wine for the low price of $20 ($16 VINsider club) at the tasting room. Highlighted with nuances of leather, herbs, and white pepper, this complex wine is hard to resist, and that’s a rarity at this price point. Tablas Creek’s website, tablascreek.com,…
Sinor LaVallee 2010 Pinot Noir San Luis Obispo County
I’m a longtime fan of winemaker Mike Sinor, who also makes Ancient Peaks wines, this is his value-priced Pinot. One taste and I thought what a deal for this impressively, rich red. A blend of Pinot Noirs grown in four vineyards, it’s all hand harvested and sorted in the vineyard and winery. Sinor doesn’t skip…
The Moose in Pismo Beach
In my first job as a professional cook I fried bacon and eggs and made old-fashioned sandwiches in a little breakfast and lunch café in the Bay Area. I didn’t stay there long but afterward totally lost my appetite for sandwiches, which lasted many years (I must have hated that job and I know it…
