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Short on money: The Five Cities Fire Authority struggles with funding gaps as call volumes increase and Oceano makes moves to separate
Five Cities Fire Authority (FCFA) union President Jeff Lane has enjoyed teamwork and being physically active since he was in high school. It informed his career path to skip college, get his fire technology certification, and eventually join the FCFA as a reserve firefighter more than a decade ago. “A big part of why I…
County approves budget for tiny-house village
A tiny house village on the horizon could help San Luis Obispo County deflate its ballooning rate of homelessness. “The intent is to serve 30 people at a minimum, a max of 60, and ideally 45 individuals,” said Joe Dzvonik, the division manager of the Department of Social Services’ homeless services wing. At its Dec.…
Appointed Paso school board member ousted with voter petition
A petition to remove Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board trustee Kenneth Enney gained enough valid signatures to merit a special election and kick him off the dais. The petition was organized by several Paso Robles parents including Tracy Dauterman, who felt that Enney’s anti-transgender social media posts on the PRotect Paso Facebook group…
Paso Robles eighth graders need business sponsors for East Coast trip
Two Paso Robles middle school teachers are hoping to jumpstart an annual East Coast trip for local eighth graders—complete with stops at the U.S. Capitol and Broadway in New York City—but they need the community’s help to do it. Mallory Spann, an English teacher at Flamson Middle School, recently issued a call-out to the local…
Park 1039’s new partnership with chef Antonio Ramos brings Italy to SLO
Haute spot To book a dinner at Park 1039—1039 Chorro St. in SLO—visit chefantonios.com. The multi-course fixed price menu starts at $55, with wine pairings from $40. To reserve the space for a private function, email chefantoniositaliankitchen@gmail.com. The prices are reasonable, the space is friendly and intimate, and the food and wine are exceptional at…
It’s a Wonderful Life
What’s it rated? PG When? 1946 Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre (Sunday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m.), Amazon Prime I can’t be the only millennial whose introduction to It’s A Wonderful Life was through Batman: The Animated Series. During the show’s special Christmas episode, Robin tries to convince Batman to take Christmas Eve off from…
JD McPherson brings Socks: A Rock n’ Roll Christmas to SLO Brew Rock on Dec. 16
By the time you read this, I’ll be in Mexico probably having my kidneys harvested by some illegal back-alley organ theft ring after an afternoon of too much tequila. As this may be the last thing I ever write, let me admit that the one show I really feel bad about missing because of my…
SLO Dems denounce threats leveled against entire community
As we watch the news of heavily armed MAGA militants invading drag performances to shut them down, domestic terrorists attacking the electrical infrastructure in North Carolina for the same purpose, and the recent anti-gay murder spree at Club Q in Colorado Springs, our first reaction might be to say it can’t happen here in blue…
Kathy Mastako’s new book Lighthouse at Point San Luis chronicles the colorful history of the iconic landmark
A perfect Christmas gift for history buffs The Lighthouse at Point San Luis is available at a variety of local booksellers, including Morro Bay’s Coalesce Bookstore and the Maritime Museum, SLO’s History Center of San Luis Obispo County, Arroyo Grande’s South County Historical Society, and Santa Barbara’s Maritime Museum. You can also find the book…
I support former SLO County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong
Thank you for the wonderful article on Tommy Gong (“Former SLO County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong testifies to Congress about a lack of resources and combatting local Republicans’ voter fraud claims,” Dec. 1). It was a great pleasure to read your article about him! I was sad when he left the County Clerk-Recorder position and thrilled…
SLOFunny brings New Year’s Eve Comedy Show to Morro Bay
On Saturday, Dec. 31, SLOFunny will present its New Year’s Eve Comedy Show at the Veterans Memorial Building in Morro Bay, with performances held at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Prolific actor, writer, and comedian Thomas Connolly will host the event. Connolly has performed at comedy festivals around the world and on The Tonight Show and…
Charles Varni is a much-needed voice for Oceano
I want to thank Charles Varni for an excellent open letter to the SLO Board of Supervisors (“Lynn Compton is taking out her revenge on the Oceano Advisory Council,” Dec. 1). Oceano has been long overlooked. Mr. Varni is a much needed, much appreciated voice for this town. Congratulations, Charles, and thank you for your…
Great American Melodrama holds annual holiday production
The Great American Melodrama’s 2022 iteration of The Holiday Extravaganza debuted in mid-November and is scheduled to run through Saturday, Dec. 31. The three-act show includes the venue’s traditional retelling of A Christmas Carol, a fairy-tale spoof segment, and a reindeer-themed vaudeville act. During A Christmas Carol, miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghosts…
Neglected community gardens neglect community hunger
I was fortunate enough to have recently been awarded a plot in the community garden on Nipomo Street in SLO. As as militant gardener and one who has noticed what appears to me to be a community garden in a bit of disarray in terms of security, billing, appearance, and general role in the SLO…
Brace yourself for Violent Night‘s holiday gore
VIOLENT NIGHT What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Bulbul? Stream it What’s it worth, Caleb? Matinee Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Fair Oaks Editor’s note: Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal and Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood wrote Split Screen this week while Glen and Anna Starkey went on holiday. Far from a saint, Santa…
Big Oil can only get you to reverse state law by lying
Ten years ago, Loyola Law School professor Jennifer Levinson suggested that “ballot initiatives have harmed California.” While admitting that some initiatives “support worthwhile ideas or causes,” she couldn’t help noticing that “the process designed to guard against special interests, and specifically their influence over legislators, has now been turned on its head and is all…
Disenchanted
What’s it rated? PG When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Disney Plus Set 15 years after the events of Enchanted, former princess-turned-New Yorker Giselle (Amy Adams) returns to the screen with a full family in tow. She misses the easy, uncomplicated charm of her old life in fairy tale land and moves her husband (Patrick Dempsey),…
Recount 2.0
If you thought you finally knew the results of the SLO County’s 2nd District supervisor race, think again! I mean, it’s going to be Bruce—and actually the recently certified election results do show Bruce beating Bruce by 13 votes, so it’s definitely a Bruce! However, one Bruce wants a recount. And it’s the losing Bruce.…
Hand recount requested in 2nd District supervisor race
San Luis Obispo County is gearing up for another hand recount of a county supervisor race. Paso Robles resident Darcia Stebbens filed her second request for a recount in as many elections, asking the county clerk-recorder to manually retally the 2nd District supervisor contest between Bruce Gibson and Bruce Jones. Stebbens submitted the paperwork to…
Residents question new coffee shop’s ties to alleged sexual assaulter
A new name on the window of what was once Kin Coffee in Downtown San Luis Obispo has several community members wondering if the spot is still tied to its previous owner, who was repeatedly accused of sexual assault. “Whether or not it [Kin] exists is not the question; it’s whether the previous owner is…
Georgia Brown parents request to delay transfer of schools
Paso Robles’ parents and community members made yet another plea to halt the transfer of Glen Speck Elementary School students and staff from the 24th Street campus to the 17th Street campus at the Dec. 13 meeting. Citing safety and financial concerns, 17 parents signed a formal request that new board members reevaluate the “double…
Fired SLO sheriff deputy indicted on jail abuse charges
A former San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputy faces up to 30 years in prison after a federal grand jury indicted him on charges related to a 2018 incident in which he allegedly dragged a SLO County jail inmate by her hair and then lied about it in official reports. Josh Fischer, 40, of Grover…
