Cover Story
Affordable by choice
Like many people who live and work in SLO County, Jeremy and Jaclyn Douglas worried they might never be able to afford to buy a house here. But late on a sunny afternoon in mid August, the family’s dreams of home ownership became reality. They received the keys to their brand-new San Luis Obispo home,…
State grant will help restore historic Nipomo adobe
After applying for the California Cultural and Historical Endowment twice before, the nonprofit Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos or D.A.N.A. received a grant award of $861,000. The money will help the group restore the 150-year-old adobe to its former glory. Built by Captain William Dana on the expansive Mexican land grant that would one day become…
Forest Service has hand in marijuana takedown
San Luis Obispo County narcotics officers recently teamed up with members of the U.S. Forest Service and the State Department of Justice Campaign Against Marijuana Planting in a joint effort to put an end to a North County outdoor marijuana farm on Aug. 27. The county and the state department teamed up again to put…
Fast facts
After the swimming season comes to a close at the Templeton pool on Sept. 3, it’s officially going to the dogs. On Sept. 8 and 9, all aquatically apt pooches are invited for a paddle and play-date to raise money for Parks-4-Pups. The cost for each dog to participate is $10, which will go toward…
Zaca fire nearly contained
Fire officials are hopeful that they’ve all but contained the second largest wildfire in state history. As of Aug. 29, officials had called the Zaca fire, which has burned through nearly a quarter million acres in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties since it was sparked on a construction site July 4, at least 95 percent…
Los Osos sewer vote is set
Los Osos homeowners not renters will soon be called upon to decide whether to assess their properties to pay for a sewer, with an official yes-or-no ballot due to be sent out in early September. “This is a tremendously significant decision for Los Osos, a huge step in the process of solving the problem,” said…
Not afraid to evolve
# About a year ago, artist Shane Yates and gallery owner Peter Steynberg talked about doing an exhibit of Yates’ portraiture. Yates calls it “psychological portraiture.” “[It’s] something with a lot of depth and not just smiling people,” he explained. Yates paints people he knows his daughter, acquaintances, a guy named Josh often depicted as…
Viewshed outcome is insulting
At one point during the epic all-day hearing on the Cayucos viewshed ordinance that transpired at the Aug. 21 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, Dave Garth, CEO of the SLO Chamber of Commerce, rose to speak. He asked for the strongest level of protection for the natural landscape that represents this county’s greatest asset…
Doggie paddle
# Saint is well known from the Pacific to the Atlantic as the lovable surfing golden retriever. He recently appeared in the L.A. Times and USA Today, catching waves at Morro Bay, but the 3-year-old canine has more tricks than that. Saint is a therapy dog, visiting elderly people with dementia and making frequent trips…
The horror, the horror of love
# It was love at first sight, I guess. In 1996, Peanut Pump Gun and Nekromantix were both playing the 1996 PopKom fest in Cologne, Germany. Pump Gun’s singer/guitarist Patricia saw (no doubt through streaked eyeliner and tears of psychobilly joy) Nekromantix’ stand-up bassist Nekroman, and m’wah! It was Euro love’n’kisses after that. Even though…
New Times busts a move
Got a hot tip for New Times? Need to drop off a packet of files exposing the biggest governmental corruption this county has ever seen? Don’t put it in the hands of whoever opens the door at 505 South Higuera after you read this. The New Times staff has crammed every last scrap of information…
Mission floss silk tree will likely be moved
Forces are marshalling to save the decades-old floss silk tree outside of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. After the local Hind Foundation came forward with an offer to pay the cost of moving the tree, city officials began orchestrating a major effort to trim, move, and replant it at the entrance to Mission Plaza…
It takes two
# When I attended my first wine class at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, I was called upon by instructor Norm Roby to describe the flavors of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape we had tasted. Red-faced with embarrassment, I admitted: “I can’t describe the flavors, I can only say whether I liked it or I didn’t,…
Out in the open
People like to complain about dirty deals being made by local leaders and their supporters in smoke-filled backrooms, but that’s not always true in San Luis Obispo County, mainly because many forms of indoor smoking have been banned for years. Plus, sometimes there’s no need for smoke or backrooms at all at least not when…
SLO height limits up for vote
On Sept. 4, the SLO City Council will take up the Planning Commission’s pot-stirring zoning recommendation to allow buildings up to 75 feet tall in the downtown core. By all accounts, it’s likely to approve the recommendations, with a few potential changes. Passage is key to the construction of two massive projects slated for the…
Battle for Sinsheimer is still anyone’s game
With the 2007 summer baseball season in the bag, local teams the Blues, the Rattlers, and the Men’s Senior Baseball League are preparing for another skirmish over use of the prized Sinsheimer Stadium next season. And at least one of the city’s options would award only one of the two semipro teams exclusive use of…
Letters
Monte Mills is my hero I want to apologize to Monte Mills, his Lucky Horseshoe Band, and his fans for the embarrassing blunder in the article on the Bangin’ 58’s (“Making the band,” Aug. 23). While I’m honored by and appreciate the story, I need to set one thing straight. In the article, it was…
Big borrowing for Nacimiento water project
San Luis Obispo County will soon be issuing bonds for as much as $235 million to pay for the Nacimiento Water Project, following unanimous approval on Aug. 28 by the Board of Supervisors. It’s the largest bond issue the county has ever seen, said county auditor Gere Sibbach, calling it “a very significant action.” He…
Cheapers’ war
His armpits turned on like a faucet and his larynx constricted so tight it was hard to breathe. His heart palpitated hard and erratic. A numb, tingling sensation trickled down his veins. He thought he was having a heart attack. # “Cheapers” nicknamed for taking long-range shots from his sniper position during his four-year stint…
