Cover Story
Window to a rural economy: The Blue Sky Center works to empower Cuyama Valley residents with creativity and community
Things don’t move too fast in rural communities like New Cuyama, and they especially slow down when the midday sun bears down and the heat hits the high 90s. That is, except for Louie, the pit bull/black lab mix who bounded after a small lizard darting for the safety of the nearest desert shrub on…
Two longtime Cambria CSD board members resign
The Cambria Community Services District is losing two board members—and key supporters of the controversial Sustainable Water Facility—who recently announced their resignations just days apart. District board member Michael Thompson announced his departure at the Aug. 24 board meeting. “I will miss this board and the people in this community. I’m looking forward to playing…
Sweet art
Get into the creative and Dia de Los Muertos spirit on Sept. 9 at Graveyards Vineyard in San Miguel by learning how to paint and decorate a candy sugar skull. The event takes place from 4 to 6 p.m., and artist Karyn Blaney will instruct attendees through the process of painting a sugar skull and…
Law firm ranks SLO’s 25 most dangerous intersections
Want your next drive through San Luis Obispo to feel less like a scene out of Mad Max? A local personal injury law firm’s list of the city’s 25 most dangerous intersections just might help you avoid another fender-bender or worse. The list, which ranked the city intersections by the number of accidents recorded by…
Singin’ out loud
The San Luis Obispo Master Chorale is on the hunt for new members as it prepares to start its fall 2017 season. The group will hold auditions on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. in building 5400 (room 5401) on Cuesta College’s SLO campus. The 100-member voice ensemble is composed of musicians from throughout SLO County.…
Surf’s up
A slightly pineapple-scented store is sprinkled with surfboards and skateboards, its walls are lined with countless photographs of Central Coast surfers, perfect barrels, and surf-related quotes from classics like The Endless Summer and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. For more than 40 years, Central Coast Surfboards has supplied locals with all things surf, skate, and…
On the spot
Get creative and silly in North County with Central Coast Comedy Theater, which is offering improv classes in Paso Robles starting in September. Classes will begin on Sept.14 and will take place in the back studio of Earthtones on Pine Street on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. This improv comedy class is open to…
That mountain high
It’s getting hot already. I open the hatchback and stretch my legs all the way out, bare feet hanging out the back of my car in the 75-degree cool of a summer morning on the Eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada. Independence Creek trickles away as purple-pink shades of sunrise tint the barren mountains that…
Speech limits
Ann-Marie Slaughter, president and CEO of New America, writes “The oldest and simplest justification for government is as a protection of its citizens from violence,” not just from foreign foes, but from each other. Our government does this by creating law and order. State and local government leaders tried to get the permit for the…
Bangin’ twang
I can already smell the sweat seeping out the front door and open windows onto Higuera Street in downtown SLO. It’s sickly sweet and covered in beer that’s been sloshing around on a dance floor since high noon. Part country, part rock, and all guitar, this is what happens when you roll into the Frog…
Caleb Lawrence was on point
I couldn’t agree more with Caleb Lawrence (“Find a new writer, New Times,” Aug. 17). I also respect your coverage of local issues and cannot understand why you give Al Fonzi an ongoing platform for his denial of scientific evidence of climate change and his sometimes ill-informed opinions on other issues. Most recently he put…
Taste that terroir!
This land is grand: This summer, ONX Estate Winery in Paso Robles acquired Kiler Creek Vineyard located in the Willow Creek AVA of Paso Robles. The 50-acre property is currently planted with five varieties including syrah, grenache, mourvedre, tempranillo, and viognier, and it will surely bolster the winery’s already alluring lineup of eclectic and unruly…
Typical SLO County heart
Because my husband is almost 94, he can no longer bike nor hike our mountains, nor can he change a tire. I drove him to the end of the pier in Avila Beach to enjoy the sea. Driving home on Shell Beach Road we noticed a rumble that soon shouted, “Flat tire!” I searched for…
Did ya hear?
Put your heart where your mouth is: The Food Bank Coalition of SLO County has served more than 125,000 breakfasts to kids this summer thanks to a $30,000 grant from Hunger Is, a joint charitable program of The Albertsons Companies Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation … Sally Loo’s summer small bites menu has sadly…
Hitler, the right-wing nut
Either August Salemi (“Trump is the antithesis of Nazism,” Aug. 24) is a liar or he is woefully ignorant about Nazism, Donald Trump, American progressives, and the left’s motives for wanting to tear down monuments that celebrate slavery and treasonous Confederate generals. Nazism is defined as “the body of political and economic doctrines held and…
Marvelous munchies
A fresh coat of paint: Lincoln Market Deli in SLO has finished its revamp, and it looks gorgeous! Of course, they still have the same yummy sandos, craft beer, local wines, and unique gifts (for more, and to see their facelift, follow @LincolnMarketDeli) … The popular Cubanissimo food truck has opened its own brick-and-mortar locale!…
Trump and the Nazis
Where to start with a reply to August Salemi’s Aug. 24 letter (“Trump is the antithesis of Nazism”) claiming that Nazism was a left-wing organization? OK here it is, Mr Salemi, you are full of baloney. The Nazis are and have always been a hard-right movement of hate-filled whackos intent on making the Aryan race…
Grover Beach’s retro cool lunch munchin’
What red-blooded American kid doesn’t have a soft spot in their heart reserved for fried bologna sandwiches? At Spoon Trade, that kid is invited to come out and play, while growing up just a little. The Grover Beach American farm-to-table restaurant’s new lunch menu is chock-full of playful bygone goodies made from scratch. That bologna…
Ready for 100 percent renewable energy
There are a few problems with “Mathematical conundrum” (Aug. 17), Mark Henry’s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant vs. solar power critique. He proceeds from the premise that when Diablo Canyon shuts down, all power now generated by the plant must be replaced only by solar panels. The renewable energy vision laid out by the state…
Kaleidoscope of sensory experiences to lose yourself in at Whale Rock Music Festival Sept. 16 and 17
Feels so right! Whale Rock Music Festival kicks off Sept. 16 to 17 from noon to 10 p.m. For more information on Castoro Cellars and the Whale Rock Music Festival, including a link to purchase tickets, a detailed lineup of bands, artists, yoga teacher bios, food and drink vendors, and music videos, go to whalerockmusicfestival.com.…
Officer-involved shooting incidents rare in SLO County, 2016 report states
While officer-involved shootings continue to spark debate and controversy across the country, incidents of police shooting suspects in San Luis Obispo remain a rare occurrence. According to a recent report from the California Department of Justice (DOJ), only two such incidents were reported in San Luis Obispo County last year. The report documented incidents where…
Look through the telescope
Among others, Dr. Michael Mann responded to my Aug. 3 article “Polar bears aren’t canaries,” castigating me as a “climate change denier” and dismissing most of my arguments as being untrue with lots of “kind words” directed at me personally. In his Aug. 10 response (“Fonzi misleads on climate change”), he took exception to my…
Good Time
GOOD TIME What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre Benny and Josh Safdie (Heaven Knows What) direct this crime drama written by Josh and Ronald Bronstein about bank robber Connie Nikas (Robert Pattinson), who must race against time to raise enough…
Dam inspection time
The Oroville Dam in Butte County cracked in February due to a wet winter, causing the evacuation of communities along the Feather River and a more than $275 million repair bill, which prompted the governor of California to call for the re-evaluation of dams across the state. Four of those dams help store water for…
Denial makes you senile
Houston and the surrounding coastal areas of Texas are drowning thanks to Hurricane Harvey, which very well could be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Louisiana’s next. Western Montana’s forests have been burning for months. California is in the middle of a crazy heat wave that’s supposed to end with thunderstorms in the mountain…
Bingeable: Rupaul’s Drag Race: All Stars 2
When? 2016 Where’s it available? Streaming on LOGOtv Just days after VH1 renewed RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars for a third season, I’ve binge-watched All Stars 2, one of my favorite seasons of Drag Race to date. All Stars is a spin-off of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where chosen contestants go wig-to-wig in a series of…
ICEing the system
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are arresting undocumented immigrant witnesses and victims of crimes at courthouses across the country, effectively throwing a wrench in the criminal justice system and its ability to prosecute criminals. This is according to state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), who told New Times on Aug. 24 that stricter…
What’s the worst intersection in the city of SLO?
Jim Turner retail associate “The intersection where the city meets Los Osos right off Madonna Road gets pretty congested.” Beth Thompson Cal Poly employee “I spend most of my time on foot so as a pedestrian I noticed that drivers don’t stop for people. I especially notice it on High Street; it’s a nightmare.” River…
Atascadero works with its community on cannabis regulations
Almost every seat was filled at the special joint meeting between Atascadero’s City Council and Planning Commission on Aug. 29 discussing the city’s next steps in creating cannabis zoning regulations. Mayor Tom O’Malley started off the conversation by saying that both he and city staff were going into this meeting with an open mind, not…
New kid on the block
Fine art sold here The Park Street Gallery will host an opening reception during Paso’s monthly Art After Dark event on Sept. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. The gallery is located at 1320 Park St. Visit Park Street Gallery’s Facebook page for more information. Julie Dunn knows better than most that sometimes you just…
Man accused of Charlottesville vigil threat may have history of troubling posts
A 45-year-old San Luis Obispo landscaper accused of posting a violent threat against the organizers of a local vigil for the victims of violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, appears to have previously posted racially charged rants on his Facebook page. Daniel Joshua Phares is currently facing a misdemeanor charge for allegedly threating to kill the organizers…
Another era
Yesteryear The All Night Strut shows at the SLO Repertory Theatre through Sept. 17. Tickets range from $20 to $38. Martinis will be available at the bar for matinee and evening shows on Sept. 2, 9, and 16. Upcoming main stage productions for the show’s current season include Rabbit Hole, Rounding Third, The 39 Steps,…
Film listings 8/31/17 through 9/7/17
ALL SAINTS What’s it rated? PG Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre New All Saints is based on the inspiring true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked everything to plant seeds for a future that…
Gulling for laughs
Don’t miss the laughs PCPA presents its production of Twlefth Night showing through Sept. 10, Wednesdays through Sundays at the Solvang Festival Theater, 420 2nd St., Solvang. Cost is $40.50 to $51.50 (with discounts for students and other groups). More info: 922-8313 or pcpa.org. I’ve heard some people say if William Shakespeare were alive today,…
