Cover Story
Taking downtown SLO’s temperature
Christmas is just around the corner, which means we’re in the midst of the busiest shopping season of the year. The Dalidio Ranch shopping center proposal has passed. The Copelands’ gentrification projects continue to bring national chain stores to downtown SLO. Seismic retrofitting is still creating worries for downtown’s mom-and-pop establishments. In the midst of…
Lindsay Lohan film to begin shooting in SLO
Actress Lindsay Lohan is scheduled to be in San Luis Obispo next month to play a college student abducted by a notorious serial killer in the thriller I Know Who Killed Me. Lohan, who played Cady Heron in Mean Girls, will potentially be working alongside thousands of locals. Cameo Casting Services in San Luis Obispo…
Bad blood
The term “season of giving” means different things to different people. To some, it’s an excuse to purchase presents for friends and family. For others, it’s an opportunity to lend a hand to less-privileged segments of the population. A small percentage of the population chooses to instead lend a vein, and judging by the sudden…
Morro Bay residents voice nitrate concerns
On Nov. 17, the City of Morro Bay terminated a 36-hour notification to citizens regarding sudden unsafe nitrate levels in the drinking water. # Three weeks after the incident, a growing number of residents are complaining that city staff issued the warning a day late and recalled it prematurely possibly by as much as two…
Fission for laughter
I called Diablo Canyon last night. Don’t ask me where I got the number or exactly who there I was calling. National security and all. “Hello?” The voice at the other end was a bit surly. And tired. “Yes, hi,” I said, but I disguised my voice so nobody would know it was me. “Uh,…
Correction
Dona Cobelens misidentified the EOC Thrift Store manager in a recent letter (“Can’t somebody help the EOC Thrift Store?” Nov. 30). The manager is actually Nancy Hyman.
Letters
Jan and Phyllis: Keep your voices up! People who write letters about venom (“Measure J is over,” Dec. 7) often should hold up a mirror as they proofread their texts. Jan Marx is a nice person. I have met her. I don’t know Phyllis Davies (yet). Has anyone watched the high school kids after an…
Diablo explosion shuts down one reactor
PG&E spokesperson Sharon Gavin confirmed that on Dec. 12, Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant’s unit 2 reactor shut down after a cooling pump exploded and caused a small fire at approximately 1:30 p.m. The blaze was extinguished within an hour. No one was injured, and no radiation leaks were reported. # This is the third…
Fast Facts
Fifteen years ago, Rotarians started what is now an annual tradition of providing needy children with a pre-holiday shopping spree. This year, during the early morning hours of Dec. 9, local elementary-age children danced between the racks of clothes to select their favorites, while Rotarians and local high school student volunteers chaperoned the lucky shoppers.…
Animal cruelty trial continues
A trial involving an Edna Valley woman charged with six counts of felony animal cruelty plus misdemeanor charges moved into its second week, and it’s the defense’s turn to allege animal neglect. Originally, an anonymous tip led officers from Animal Services to Cynthia Walsh’s home on Dec. 14, 2005, where they reportedly found 84 dogs,…
The young and the beautiful
# Local toddlers traveled throughout the county to create the 2007 Beach Babies charity calendar. Eighteen children took part in the calendar, which helps raise funds for Friends of Hearst Castle. Friends of Hearst Castle is a nonprofit association that funds educational, interpretive, and artifact conservation programs at one of the Central Coast’s finest historical…
County steps up to trails plan
SLO County supervisors voted unanimously Dec. 12 to approve a new parks and recreation plan for the future, including a trails element calling for around 50 new trails. The trails plan includes strict conditions, enacted after a four-hour public hearing at which around 70 people spoke for and against the plan. It was the second…
Alleged hospital thefts lead to charges
An Atascadero State Hospital (ASH) employee faces charges for allegedly pinching expensive pieces of machinery from the state facility. Forty-three-year-old equipment manager Beverly Wright pleaded not guilty to four counts of felony possession of stolen property and a misdemeanor marijuana charge. During a Dec. 6 hearing, presiding judge Dodie Harman scheduled the prelim for Jan…
Roadblock for proposed rural development rules?
A controversial proposal to revamp SLO County’s rules for new subdivisions in rural areas has too many flaws and should be halted, according to advisory committees from around the county. The Rural Planned Development Ordinance a change in the county’s land-use ordinance is due to be considered by the Board of Supervisors at its Dec.…
