Cover Story
A history of violence
“We’re locked in now,” Craig Dacus said. We walked into the north hall of Atascadero State Hospital, and the door shut behind us with a slight whoosh of air, as if we had just left a decompression chamber. Behind us lay the security checkpoint that leads into the hospital—a rectangular room barely large enough to…
Clubs
Goin’ South … COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. ELMO’S NIPOMO SALOON: 131 South Thompson Road, Nipomo, 929-5362. Karaoke on Thurs. and Fri. at 8pm. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: 750 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach, 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music every Fri.-Sat., 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell, Doc…
Cool like a fever
Versatile singer and two-time Grammy winner Rita Coolidge first hit the national spotlight in the ’70s, as both a solo recording artist and a hugely in-demand session vocalist for the likes of Delaney & Bonnie, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, Leon Russell, and Joe Cocker, among others. She was invited to join Joe Cocker’s famed Mad…
How do you clear your mind?
Darci Palmer graduate student “Yoga at the Yoga Centre. I take Rocky’s Vinyasa Flow class.” Amanda Michelson stay-at-home mom “Going out for a walk and listening to music on my iPod.” Dave Bourbon hair stylist “A motorcycle ride. I go east.” Sabina Ross retail employee “I close my eyes and deep breathe.”
Farm-fresh foods
If you’ve visited the popular Farmers Market in downtown SLO on Thursday nights—and who hasn’t?—you’ve experienced the joy of buying raw foods you can use to create delicious dishes, and/or cooked foods prepared by local restaurants. There’s everything you could possibly desire, from organic fruit, produce, honey, and dates to sustainably raised meats, seafood, and…
Correction
The Cliffs Resort director of food and beverage’s last name was misspelled in the Nov. 24 “Questions For.” The correct spelling is Hartman.
Shazam!
What makes a good comic book? According to Reid Cain, owner of Dr. Cain’s Comics and Games, the key to a good comic is the creator’s ability to balance elements of art and literature. “It’s not like a book; if the writer is good, that’s great, but if the art is terrible, it’s tough,” he…
Resistance in the county
On Nov. 23, San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill did a strange thing. After county officials finished their routine business for the morning and applauded an agreement reached with the union representing SLO County Sheriff’s deputies, Hill blasted two other unions for resisting similar agreements. “I’m happy that our deputies association has in fact…
Fire burns Bon Temps
A slow-burning fire scorched the interior of the Bon Temps Creole Cafe at 1000 Olive St. in San Luis Obispo during the early morning hours of Nov. 30, according to the SLO Fire Department. According to fire officials, someone reported seeing smoke coming from the restaurant shortly before 4 a.m. More than 20 firefighters and…
Pacific Capital Bank Corp is all split up
On Dec. 28, shares of Pacific Capital Bancorp—parent company of First Bank of San Luis Obispo—are expected to increase 100-fold. No, this isn’t some insider tip or indication that the bank is about to experience a fiscal explosion. Though the bank’s share price will likely skyrocket, its overall value will remain unchanged. Here’s how it…
Poly announces new prez picks
This season, Cal Poly will be visited by three ghosts of Christmas … no, make that three potential university presidents. That’s the best I’ve got. Four months after the first round of candidates slated to succeed former university president Warren Baker fell through, three new candidates selected by the CSU board of trustees are stopping…
Atascadero water rates are set to rise
On Dec. 8, the Atascadero Mutual Water Company’s board of directors is scheduled to decide whether to raise rates for about 30,000 customers. If board members go with the staff recommendation, those customers would see a 15 percent increase in their bill over the next year. The increase is intended to offset the $2.4-million-annual debt…
Atascadero water rates are set to rise
On Dec. 8, the Atascadero Mutual Water Company’s board of directors is scheduled to decide whether to raise rates for about 30,000 customers. If board members go with the staff recommendation, those customers would see a 15 percent increase in their bill over the next year. The increase is intended to offset the $2.4-million-annual debt…
Commissioner Wyatt calls it quits
San Luis Obispo County Planning Commissioner Anne Wyatt announced Nov. 30 that she will be stepping down at the end of the year. As County Supervisor Bruce Gibson’s appointee, Wyatt has served four years on the commission and had the potential to serve an additional four. This year, she acted as commission chair. Wyatt could…
Marx is the new SLO mayor; council will choose a new member
Jan Marx was sworn in as mayor at a special council meeting on Dec. 1, taking the gavel from retiring Mayor Dave Romero. Re-elected Councilman Andrew Carter was sworn in for another four-year term, as was former council member Kathy Smith. Handing the gavel to the new mayor was the final act in Romero’s long…
We must extend unemployment benefits
As we enter the holiday season, I am ever mindful of the thousands of Central Coast families struggling through this recession, especially those who continue to look for work. Yes, we have come a long way since December 2008 when we were losing nearly 800,000 jobs a month. And yes, we have now seen nine…
Jana Seely
NEW TIMES Hearst Castle is preparing for Christmas at the Castle. What does that include? SEELY Our entire staff starts decorating the estate in the beginning of December in order to give our guests a truly unique feeling of the holiday spirit. We don’t have a specific tour for the Christmas-themed estate, so everyone who…
So many questions
There’s just no better way to sum up Kevin Rice’s latest stunt, so I’ll just say it. Or write it, as it were. Kevin. Dude. Sound that out in your mind’s ear with the “U” drawn out. It should sound something like, duuude, but all judgmental—not like a stoner impressed with himself because he just…
For a good time restoring native oaks, join us
Thank you for Kathy Johnston’s article on oaks and acorns (“Our surprising superfood: acorns,” Nov. 25). Even though she is a “Model T” Johnson, she always writes interesting, well-researched articles. Our group, onecoolearth.org, has been growing and planting oaks of all types on the Central Coast for the past 20 years, and we will be…
Get your financial sector facts here
The lead-up to the Great Recession is complex, but clearly this recession could have been avoided or, at the least, been a more typical recession. Any of us wanting to invest any significant amount of money would wisely gather all the appropriate facts before investing—right? We need facts to correct the errors. Numerous reliable journalistic…
Want to restore trust? Solve the Smart case
Hopefully one of Sheriff Ian Parkinson’s first acts to “restore your trust in our sheriff’s department” (“Thanks for voting me the badge,” Nov. 18) will be finding Kristin Smart and convicting her killer. It’s almost 15 years of pain for her family, while the only suspect walks the streets in SLO. One suspect, mounds of…
Fix this affront to democracy, San Luis Obispo
It has come to my attention that, because council member Jan Marx has run for and been elected mayor of San Luis Obispo, her former council seat is now open and will be filled by a vote of the exiting council members instead a vote of the citizens of San Luis Obispo. Is this not…
More people than me are worried about the gorilla
Those obviously conservative readers who took offense to my Nov. 18 commentary concerning the 500-pound gorilla (the budget of the defense department) obviously missed something. In the commentary, I cited a quote from Donald Rumsfeld—you know, the Secretary of Defense in the Bush Administration—who in essence said the Pentagon and its costs are among the…
This is why the rest of the world hates Americans
Regarding “Sophisticated defense doesn’t come cheap” by Justin Ruhge (Nov. 25): As a Canadian traveling through SLO, I was appalled by the statements made in this letter and the fact it was even published. “The Muslims must be defeated with focus and determination by freedom-loving people in the world.” How do you “defeat” a billion…
Beware peacocks parading as patriots
I’m glad Mr. Ruhge is retired from his 40-year military and aerospace career. Good riddance. In his Nov. 25 letter (“Sophisticated defense doesn’t come cheap”), he repeatedly exhibits an odious and blatant religious bigotry against adherents to Islam and an ideology constituting a threat to our national security. He conjures “The Muslim threat to the…
Robert Hall 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Paso Robles
This delicious white offers zingy grapefruit flavors nicely softened by notes of melon and lime. Just the ticket with spicy foods (not too hot), it refreshes the palate between tastes. But you’ll find it’s quite nice enjoyed as an aperitif. I’d pair it with green enchiladas, chile rellenos, or shellfish salads. Working at a SIP-certified…
Buttonwood 2008 Devin Santa Ynez Valley
Devin is this winery’s homage to white Bordeaux. A blend of 60 percent Sauvignon Blanc and 40 percent Semillon, it’s partly aged in new oak but it doesn’t overwhelm the bright fruit. It’s a pretty wine with forward fruit flavors of ripe pear and melon, and notes of minerals, lemon, grapefruit, and honey round it…
A Ho-Ho Christmas
Hey, miss thang, are you disgusted by heartwarming, magical, heterosexual holiday events that will delight the entire family? If so, you’re not alone. Here’s a chance to delve into your fabulous side by celebrating the birth of Christ in a wig and stilettos. Ho Ho Ho Ho: A Holiday Drag Show, coming to SLO Brew…
The Thanksgiving After Thanksgiving Thanksgiving
I love Thanksgiving, mainly because my mom’s a smoking cook and it’s nice to see the family. But as much as I love it, the Friday after Thanksgiving is always the best day of the year. That’s when, for the last dozen years or so, I’ve hosted “The Thanksgiving After Thanksgiving Thanksgiving,” in which I…
In the spirit of Christmas Carols past
If you hear music, and you’ve done a ballet to it enough times, the steps still come back to you, just automatically,” said veteran ballet dancer Gilbert Reed. “I still react to ballets that I did 50 years ago.” It’s been eight years since the now-defunct Gilbert Reed Ballet graced the stages of the Central…
Sky’s eye view
When visiting a foreign country, local photographer Sky Bergman believes, you should always know how to say hello, thank you, and goodbye in the local language. It’s not accuracy that matters, she explained. Over the course of her two trips to Burma—also known as Myanmar—she just went for it: “I know I massacred it every…
Go fast at SLO Brew
There’s a sleigh full of great shows coming up during the next couple of weeks, and seeing as how this is the last music column I’m going to write this year before taking the rest of December off (sweet paid vacation, I salute you!), I’m stoked at all the possibilities for nighttime sonic fun. First,…
