Cover Story
Hearst heist history: A new novel explores the drama and unexpected twists of Patty Hearst’s 1974 kidnapping
Hear all about it Meet author Roger Rapoport and catch a talk about his new book—Searching for Patty Hearst, which will be released in January—at the Atascadero library on Jan. 30 and at the San Luis Obispo public library on Jan. 31. For more information, visit pattyhearst.com. Almost 50 years ago, Patty Hearst’s kidnapping captivated…
Trial to determine election recount requester’s debt awaits judge’s decision
Darcia Stebbens fought against time on the final day of her trial de novo case over money owed to the San Luis Obispo County-Clerk Recorder’s Office. On. Dec 19, the two-time election recount requester entered the third day of her argument against paying the full cost of manually retallying votes cast in the 2022 2nd…
Leah Rosenberg returns to SLOMA for Outside In exhibition
The artist behind SLO(W) Rainbow, a colorful mural at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA), is currently the featured artist in an ongoing solo show at the venue. Outside In, an exhibition of works by San Francisco-based artist Leah Rosenberg, opened at SLOMA on Nov. 30 and will remain on display through April…
Paso City Council supports SLO County’s rejoining waste authority
SLO County’s move to rejoin the Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) received a unanimous vote of support from the Paso Robles City Council on Dec. 19. “I’m extremely happy that the county wants to return,” said Mayor John Hamon, who serves as the city’s representative on the IWMA board. SLO County initially withdrew from the…
Supervisors extend shelter crisis to boost temporary housing
San Luis Obispo County’s number of emergency shelter beds isn’t keeping up with its surging rate of homelessness. The disproportion prompted the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12 to unanimously extend the shelter crisis declaration for an additional year. The declaration relaxes state and/or local rules surrounding building, fire, and health and safety standards to…
Paso superintendent debunks elementary school closure rumors
Parents expressed distress and confusion after a digital flyer prompted concern over the future state of Winifred Pifer Elementary School. “If you thought school closure in Paso Robles was off the table—think again!” Laura Parker said in a Dec. 11 letter to the editor published in the Paso Robles Daily News. Changing Winifred Pifer, the…
A Boston transplant and a Los Osos native seize the day with specialty cannoli shop Yolo Cannolo
Fill ’em up Find Yolo Cannolo at the Baywood Farmers Market on Mondays, the Paso Robles Farmers Market and SLO Farm Supply on Tuesdays, the Atascadero Farmers Market on Wednesdays, and the Templeton and Morro Bay farmers markets on Saturdays. Place online orders for pickup twice a week at yolocannolo.com. Follow them on Facebook and…
Pismo Beach nears settling developer fees battle
The Pismo Beach City Council voted in favor of approving a development agreement with Pismo Beach Self Storage during its Dec. 19 City Council meeting. That vote settles more than a decade of conflict between the city and developer over Pismo’s development fees. During a Nov. 14 Planning Commission meeting, where the project was initially…
Open wounds
Oceano is dramatic! For such a small place along such a beautiful stretch of beach, the town is full of people who like to create chaos. The unincorporated community started the year dealing with the remnants of 2022’s advisory council duel—OAC (Oceano Advisory Council) vs. VACO (Vitality Advisory Council of Oceano). OAC members like Charles…
On his new album, Phil Lee sings songs that slay
Tis the season, and if you’re looking for a last-minute gift for a local music lover (maybe for you!), my recommendation is the hilarious, brilliant, inky black Phil Lee album When I Close My Eyes I See Blood. I can’t seem to pry it out of my CD player. It’s filled with earworms living rent…
Previous Oceano Community Services District general manager Paavo Ogren takes the reins again
A familiar face is returning to the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) in 2024. Beginning on Jan. 1, OCSD’s previous general manager, Paavo Ogren, will take over as interim general manager from current General Manager Will Clemens, who’s retiring on Dec. 31. Clemens told New Times that Ogren was the perfect candidate to take over…
SLO County’s handbook for advisory councils gets modernized for the first time in 10 years
A year to the day after dropping the ax on the controversial Oceano Advisory Council, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors reworked the handbook guiding the county’s 11 remaining advisory councils. In one of her final official actions last December, then 4th District Supervisor Lynn Compton recommended revoking the council’s 26-year-old certification after…
Atascadero Chamber sells 2024 Central Coast Wine Passport promoting wineries, breweries, and more
The number of wineries, breweries, and now distilleries available on the Central Coast can be overwhelming. The Central Coast Wine Passport can help, according to Josh Cross, the president and CEO of Atascadero’s Chamber of Commerce. “The Central Coast Wine Passport is one of our favorite programs,” Cross said. “The passport allows people to discover…
Great American Melodrama’s Grave Mistakes opens in January
While performances of The Holiday Extravaganza will be held through Dec. 31 at the Great American Melodrama in Oceano, tickets are currently available in advance for the company’s next production, Grave Mistakes. The upcoming show is scheduled to open on Jan. 26 and run through March 16. The play’s plot follows Ray, who falls in…
Incivility and personal attacks
Kellie Myrick’s opinion piece in the Dec. 14 New Times (“Not a team player”) is simply another character assassination containing the same old stories perpetrated by persons who are uncomfortable with the positive, community enhancing ideas brought to the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) by a new majority of directors. There’s an old saying that…
Maestro is an engaging examination of a problematic relationship
MAESTRO What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, The Palm (and Netflix) Bradley Cooper directs himself as conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein in a screenplay by Cooper and Josh Singer that chronicles Bernstein’s lifelong relationship with actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey…
Is harm reduction for drug use the best practice?
Pragmatism or surrender? The term “harm reduction” has recently come into the social lexicon as a sort of shorthand for the practice of facilitating a person’s self-destructive behavior in an effort to prevent or minimize a graver danger. This is a truly depressing practice. Perhaps the most depressing example was described in the Oct. 13,…
The Family Plan
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus This is the sort of lightweight predictable fare that critics despise but that casual viewers love—especially in the run-up to awards season, there’s plenty of “important” films to see, but can’t we all lighten up a little? Sometimes you need a little Dude,…
Charles Varni takes over as OCSD board leader
Amid a major personnel change-up at the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD), its board is also getting a new president for 2024—one who some local residents have said is the cause of the district’s current state of disarray. Director Charles Varni was appointed in a 3-2 vote on Dec. 13 to be the OCSD’s board…
The Lesson
What’s it rated? R When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Various streaming services TV director Alice Troughton (The Living and the Dead, Baghdad Central) helms this tricky, sophisticated thriller about ambitious young writer Liam Sommers (Daryl McCormack), who’s hired to tutor Bertie Sinclair (Stephen McMillan) as he gears up for university. Liam jumps at the chance…
