Cover Story
A dangerous precedent
Ralph Covell sat in his kitchen, surrounded by dozens of figurines of farm animals, tapped his boot on the linoleum floor for emphasis, and said, “Two and two isn’t making four right now. It doesn’t make sense.â€? Covell is pissed, and he has the right to be. Cambria is stealing his land. Covell bought his…
No, Virginia, there is no Santa Claus
Dear Virginia, The benevolent grandfather figure we call Santa Claus was doing fine until a few years ago. That’s when Enron subsidiary North Pole Energy tripled his electric rates. He was also slammed with a massive increase in his workman’s comp rates, and suddenly Santa’s overhead jumped a whopping 55 percent! Then, the ASPCA got…
New publisher for Tribune
Chip Visci, formerly of the San Jose Mercury News, will take over for Maureen Saltzer as publisher of the Tribune. The Tribune publisher appointment was part of several executive changes made by its parent company, Knight Ridder, the nation’s second-largest newspaper publisher. According to Art Brisbane, Knight Ridder senior vice president, “This is a win-win-win…
Against the war? Call me
I would like to find some women in North County who might like to do a “Women in Blackâ€? silent vigil once a month in Atascadero. (Men are welcome, too.) They are worldwide group for peace. In this county, they are not an organization, but a loosely net group of people who have the same…
News and brews
Cuesta business students Chantelle Noelle and Seth Meagher last month purchased Spike’s Place in the Creamery, which re-opened on Friday, Nov. 12. The partners moved into Spike’s at midnight on the previous Sunday, and with a little from their friends, who camped out in the muffler shop parking lot across the street, the new owners…
Why is hunting allowed in the estuary?
I went to the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History; a great education on conservation of the lands and wildlife. It was so peaceful out on the observation deck as my friends and I watched all the migrating birds. We spotted a boat with three men in camouflage out in the estuary. We asked and…
That burrito did taste kinda funny …
Pedro Sanchez, the 17-year-old Taco Bell employee who poisoned a burrito before giving it to a CHP officer in Santa Maria, pleaded not guilty to three felony charges this week. Sanchez was charged with assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon, assaulting a police officer in retaliation of an officer performing his duties, and…
Judge puts stop to Molski’s suits
Last Thursday a federal judged accused wheelchair-bound Jarek Molski of running a “scheme of systematic extortion,â€? and issued an order that prevents the paraplegic from filling suits under the disabilities act without first getting permission from a judge. Over the past year, the Woodland Hills resident has filed more than 50 lawsuits against local businesses,…
Thanks for the warm response
Shell Beach Elementary School and Judkins Middle School held its fifth annual Recycle the Warmth Drive. We collected hundreds of new and used blankets, sleeping bags, jackets, gloves, hats, beanies, and toys for the less privileged during this Thanksgiving season and delivered them to the San Luis Obispo EOC Homeless Shelter. Our Recycle the Warmth…
Remember the golden rule
In a recent letter written by Ms. Naoma Wright (“Bush is mentally ill,â€? Dec. 9-16), she has sung the praises of the book “Bush on The Couchâ€? by Dr. Justin A. Frank. I have a question for Ms. Wright. I have no idea of her family, i.e. children, husband, or such, but I would assume…
Bill Denneen: hypocrite
In response to the commentary by Bill Denneen in the New Times Dec. 12: Mr. Denneen, you complain about the church and that its tax-exempt status should be taken away. Why? If it is because the church is overwhelmingly conservative and pushes its views onto the minds of voters, I totally agree with you. But…
Nice rack
Do you think we’re alternative? Honestly, tell us what you think. Don’t hold back. New Times was recently referred to as a “certain alternative weekly,â€? in a tone that I assume was intended to be less-than-flattering. Are we proud to be known as a “certain alternative weeklyâ€?? Certainly. The alternative to alternative is ho-hum everyday…
Sierra Club, State Parks reach plover settlement
The Sierra Club and the California Department of Parks and Recreation have settled a lawsuit over the protection of the endangered Western snowy plover at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The Oceano Dunes Recreation Area is the only California state park where vehicles can be driven on the beach. The finalized settlement will…
Don’t force your lifestyle on me!
I am writing to express my concern regarding those people who would force their sexual lifestyle on the rest of us. They want it taught in our schools as “normal.â€? These are people that claim that they have no choice in their lifestyle, that it just comes naturally. They even assert that since God created…
Was the Diablo deal a payoff to the Coastal Commission?
Last week the California Coastal Commission said that it would allow PG&E to build a controversial radioactive waste storage facility at Diablo Nuclear Power Plant. The only condition the commission made in its unanimous approval of facility was that Diablo must open a 3-mile stretch of coastline to the public. After the announcement was made,…
There are bigger dangers to kids
All the people fussing about a sex-toy store coming into their neighborhood are just silly (“Meet Steve Diamond,â€? Dec. 9-16). Sex toys will not harm you or your children. Unless you use one as a weapon, I guess, but then a baseball bat is more lethal and no one freaks out about baseball, do they?…
Vestal case was a real tragedy
I didn’t know Jay Vestal. I just know what I have read and heard in the news. Would I have been afraid of him had I had a chance to meet him? I don’t know. It was stated in the media he used drugs. Turns out he had somewhat of a history with law enforcement.…
Love it or leave it, Bill
Yes, Bill Denneen is right, we need to “revolt.â€? However, his church-and-corporate target is wrong. Bill may know something about bugs, but he seems to know nothing about mankind or the history of the United States. America’s Declaration of Independence was founded on moral values of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happinessâ€? as given…
Tea Party redux
Dec 16 is the anniversary of The Boston Tea Party. It was a matter of principle; the overall price of tea had just gone down because the British East India Co. had been awarded the right to dump its oversupply on us without paying export taxes to Britain. Today, if president Bush drove into town,…
Corrupt news, not elections, distracts from the job at hand
In response to Robert F. Wilson’s Dec. 16 letter, “Elections distract from the job at handâ€?: Have you lost your mind? This is not a time to be tinkering with the Constitution. The Republicans can’t be trusted to make it “better.â€? They would slip in some provision like “unless in time of warâ€? or something…
