Cover Story
‘The juvenile justice system is really a reflection of what’s going on in the home …’
In the corridors of SLO County Juvenile Hall, a painted yellow line on the concrete floor dictates to inmates the appropriate path to follow—straight down the center, through locked door after locked door. Kids straddle that line as they shuffle between classroom activities, legal proceedings, and their tiny, cage-windowed bedrooms. It’s a sparse and serious…
What was the hottest news story of the summer?
Emma Boehm student “Yogurtland!” Sean Sullivan musician/educator “The weather, and the fire on the Cuesta Grade.” Erik Thurston writer/performance artist “The way America communicates is rapidly changing, and is peaking this year.” Tenisha Thorne supervisor “The son on 19 Kids and Counting being a child molestor.”
New developer for Avila’s Harbor Terrace campground
The 32-acre Harbor Terrace project near Avila Beach hit another speed bump in August when negotiations between the Harbor District and the HomeFed Corporation broke down. At the Aug. 25 Port San Luis Harbor District meeting, the board officially terminated the agreement with that company, but executed a new agreement with Red Tail Acquisitions to…
SLO Comfort Sparkling Tea’s Amazing Mango and Scar of the Sea’s 2013 Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir
I’m a pretty bubbly person (at least when I’m not thangry—that’s thirsty and angry mixed together). When I feel a bout of thanger coming on, I need to look outside of myself to bring my bubbles back up, and that’s typically when I reach for a Pellegrino … or a beer. Lately, I have been…
Sounds yummy
Groove to the sounds of Loren Radis at Four Lanterns Winery in Paso Robles this Aug. 27. Music goes from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and always pairs nicely with delicious Rhône wines … The SLO Botanical Garden is hosting a Sept. 12 Fruits of the Central Coast class featuring the California Rare Fruit Growers (for…
Cookbook author Brigit Binns opens her Paso Robles-based Refugio Kitchen to foodie acolytes
When it comes to food, Brigit Binns is the real deal. She isn’t afraid to make little noises of joy while she eats, and she’s a lifelong devotee of “the crispy bits” that cling to the bottom of her frying pan. At a recent winery luncheon—where she talked about her latest book, Eating Up the…
Savages to run amuck at Steynberg Gallery Sept. 4
I recently discovered the phenomenon that is “The IKEA Monkey meme,” thanks to Delaware artist Morgan Hamilton. He dropped the bomb during our very normal interview regarding the upcoming Savages group show slated for Sept. 4 through 30 at Steynberg Gallery. Suddenly, the interview took a left turn into WTF territory. I actually asked him…
SLOMA offers after-school art classes
There are a lot of things your kids could be doing after school: watching re-runs, throwing rocks at cars, poking dead animals. Why not teach them the invaluable art of making art? SLOMA is offering a slew of after-school art classes for kiddos age 5 through 12, both at the museum location in downtown SLO…
It’s time for the Summer Craft Invitational at Studios on the Park
Do you need an artsy porcelain mug to hold your morning coffee? How about a clean, modern receptacle to showcase your cool new air plant? Or, perhaps you are looking for that perfect scarf made from iridescent, unicorn-approved thread (we all need one of those)? Studios on the Park has gathered all of these unique…
Lazy Arrow Adventures hosts Western dances, shooting, and more
There are two things in life I can never, ever pass up. One is kissing mini donkeys and the other is country dancing with my husband (we honeymooned in Austin for this very reason). So when I caught wind that Lazy Arrow Adventures at Camatta Ranch would be holding a traditional hoedown—complete with exotic animals…
Erin Hanson’s Wine Country is a Technicolor dream
Painter Erin Hanson is forever driving her van to deserted places. She packs her digital camera, some bedding (there’s a mattress in the back), and a set of steel nerves. When her cell phone loses service, she knows she’s found the right place. Recently, Hanson found herself high in the Cascade mountain range, tucked away…
Clubs 8/27/15 – 9/3/15
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. 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 Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on alternating…
Maestro Michael Nowak to conduct a Labor Day Pops concert at Madonna Expo Center on Sept. 6
You can still get your Labor Day Pops fix this year when maestro Michael Nowak conducts a 60-musician-strong symphony concert on Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Alex Madonna Expo Center, with special guest Inga Swearingen. This is the concert that almost wasn’t. By now, it’s not news that Nowak, after 31 years with the SLO…
Common Core is common sense
Common Core fundamentally is akin to making a standard requirement that all children learn their multiplication tables by a certain age. It’s just that simple. Mr. Bargenquast’s anti-Common Core opinion piece (“Rational education is the right education,” Aug. 13) has several items with which I whole-heartedly agree: 1) The values of “hard work, respect, excellence…
Morro Bay doesn’t need fireworks
I watched the Morro Bay Tourism Bureau meeting where Michelle Jacquez proposed fireworks be added to the Harbor Festival. Her reasoning was that this would lure people staying in the motels she manages (Best Westerns) to stay an extra night. She would benefit. The cost of fireworks is approximately $1,000 per minute! The city of…
Support the End of Life Option Act
I am very pleased to provide readers with an important legislative update regarding the subject of a recent New Times opinion piece written by Dr. Zaf Iqbal, “The Dignified Choice” (Aug. 6). On Aug. 18, the End of Life Option Act was reintroduced in the state Assembly Public Health Committee during the special session called…
Support an independent water district in Paso
Planting of new grapes has helped lower the water table in the Paso Robles Basin by 70 feet in recent years, causing wells of rural residents to go dry. More wells will go dry if nothing is done. Certain wineries, which are causing the problem, prefer to deny the problem and do nothing. State law…
Don’t get complacent
Bravo to Jono Kinkade for managing to make (some) sense out of the fire/forest issue in Cambria in the Aug. 20 New Times cover story (“Cutting down catastrophe”). I can see it was a struggle. It’s a struggle shared by most of us who live here in Cambria. Certainly many would be greatly enlightened by…
He’s just not that into you
It’s happened to us all. You think you’ve met Mr. Right, only to have him break your heart. I’ve been there, girl! Don’t worry! It gets easier. It really does. Take Cal Poly, for instance. She was like a naïve freshman filly when big man on campus Al Moriarty came courting, throwing his letterman jacket…
Shine a light: Firefighters bike California to raise cancer awareness
The road from San Francisco to the Santa Monica Pier threads some 500 miles of tarmac through the pastures, bluffs, and beaches of California’s Central Coast. Steve Winter, who worked with Ventura County Fire for three decades, biked that road through SLO and Santa Barbara counties on Aug. 20. “I’m just one of 31 guys…
Proactive maneuvers, fair weather helped firefighters contain Cuesta Fire
A Cal Fire pickup truck carefully drives up the chalky dirt road toward the East Ridge of the Cuesta Grade on Aug. 21. Down below, Highway 101 and what’s visible of San Luis Obispo is a tiny sliver between rolling hills. The truck’s headed for the top, so Bennet Millo, a Cal Fire public information…
Pros and cons: Inmates help fight Cuesta Fire thanks to state program
Editor’s note: New Times did not include the last names of any inmates at the request of The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Cal Fire. The day’s sun beats down on a group of men trudging up a steep hillside within the Santa Margarita Ranch. They wade through thick clusters of poison oak…
Cougars & Mustangs
Dr. Jim Eickemeyer, of the Cuesta College Physics Department, has enjoyed three wonderful years of educational European tours with interested Cuesta College students. These well-received excursions have included, for example, touring the incredible Large Hadron Collider near Switzerland to learn about particle physics, and marvel at the incredible technology we have created. Well, from May…
SLO County Jail inmate allegedly throws urine at deputy
A SLO County Jail inmate with an alleged history of violence is facing a criminal charge after authorities said he attacked a sheriff’s deputy with urine. The SLO County District Attorney’s Office charged the man, identified in court documents as Montoya Nichols, 24, with a felony charge of battery by gassing in connection with the…
Cal Poly pays to remove Moriarty’s name from Spanos scoreboard
After years of disgraced alumnus Al Moriarty’s name emblazoned on the scoreboard at the campus sports stadium, Cal Poly can finally remove the convicted fraudster’s name, but not for free. After legal wrangling with the bankruptcy court in charge of Moriarty’s estate, the university announced that it agreed to pay $480,000 to remove his name…
Desal in SLO County closer to reality
Using desalinated ocean water to combat the impact of the state’s brutal drought on SLO County is slightly closer to actually happening. The issue was the center of a lengthy discussion by the county Board of Supervisors on Aug. 25. The supervisors reviewed a detailed report on the county’s desalination prospects. The 538-page document laid…
Cambria to allow outdoor watering
Cambria residents may now water their outdoor landscapes, gardens, and trees, as long as they stay within existing water limitations. On Aug. 20, the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) amended the town’s water conservation rules, which previously prohibited the outdoor use of potable water. The CCSD initially passed the strict water use limitations on Jan.…
SLO resident rocks the boat of front yard parking ordinance
The exact location of a boat kept on a driveway at the end of a San Luis Obispo cul-de-sac is the subject of debate between the boat’s owner and city officials. That feud has been appealed all the way up to the SLO City Council, which will hear the matter on Sept. 1. On May…
