Cover Story
Where the antelope play
It’s a scene that could have happened during the ice age hundreds of thousands of years ago—or today, just an hour’s drive from San Luis Obispo. Graceful pronghorn antelope move slowly across the vast plain, munching on the tender leaves of flowering plants emerging among the grasses. Startled by the distant approach of a predator,…
What media do you rely on for international news?
Kingsley Hurley retail salesperson “Probably Yahoo, before I check my e-mail.” Brett Moser software engineer “BBC because the English are more in tune with the world, and NPR because they’re less biased.” Jeanette Kimball manager “Channel 4, I think his name is Brian Williams.” Robert Hubberd medical claims adjuster “Anything Anderson Copper says, I believe…
Sites to behold: Overheard in New York
Ever been walking down the street and overheard part of a conversation that had you laughing for the rest of the block, shaking your head in confusion, or bewailing the general downward intellectual spiral? If you were living in New York and had the wherewithal to record what you heard, you could report your finding…
Take that, Scrooge!
Filing into the PAC on Sunday for the Forbes Pipe Organ Holiday Concert and Sing-Along, I hear a kid behind me exclaim, “Wow, that’s a really big pipe organ!” For once, I’m grateful to spot kids in a theater. I figure they will sing loudly and take some of the heat off my own performance.…
Into the future
Change is no stranger to the San Luis Obispo Symphony with the recent departure of Sandi Sigurdson. Interim Executive Director and Communications Director Patty Thayer, a 12-year veteran of the organization, has mixed feelings on the subject, but is excited about what is to come. The new year will be the 50th for the symphony,…
Many artists. One Muse.
Bring us your photographs, your paintings, your films, your dance, your noble sculptures yearning to be displayed. This spring, New Times is letting the art speak for itself. Artists are invited to submit paintings, theatrical works, songs, film, dance, photography, sculptures, poetry—art in any medium—inspired by the theme “The Death of Winter.” Create a Greek…
It’s all right, it’s all right
You never know what you’re going to find at the Steynberg Gallery. It might be a man blowtorching Salvador Dali’s visage onto a tortilla. Or a new line of cell phones manufactured by Lost Horizon, guaranteeing “unlimited minutes for you to talk to your phone until you die.” Churches march on Washington. Monkey apprentices saw…
Unite mind, body, and spirit in Pismo
Relax, take a deep breath, and slowly exhale while connecting your mind, body, and spirit. The newly opened Harmony House yoga center is a place where you can take that feeling to an even higher level with other like-minded people. The new center is located at 991 Price St. in Pismo Beach, next to Honeymoon…
Looking back, looking forward
I’m sitting opposite Sarah Christie in her living room. She’s just pulled a kettle of boiling water from a wood-burning stove and poured two cups of tea. She has some collection of folksy music playing and occasionally jumps up to fiddle with the stereo or put in a new CD when the music stops. When…
Babbo settles
It was an early summer evening—7:30 p.m. or so—and Jeff Milne had just returned home. He kicked off his shoes, his socks, and his shirt, lay into a recliner and cracked a beer. Looking back now, he probably would have kept his clothes on and waited on the beer. Not long after he settled in,…
SLO wildflower guide now available
A new guidebook is hot off the presses, featuring color photos and descriptions of 300 species of wildflowers found within five and a half miles of the San Luis Obispo City Hall. Wildflowers of San Luis Obispo, California covers public open spaces and trails, with flowers organized by color. Produced by the SLO chapter of…
The Conservation and Open Space Element: It’s over!
It took the better part of the year, but on Dec. 17, SLO County planning commissioners finally closed the books on the Conservation and Open Space Element (COSE) of the county’s general plan. Through the process, commissioners and county staffers essentially dissected, rewrote, and combined nine land-use policy areas into one element. Some of the…
County mourns passing of eco-activist
Anne McMahon—former journalist, county administrative aide, and prominent environmental activist—lost her seven-month battle with cancer on Dec. 19. McMahon was a well-known figure on the Central Coast, one who worked in many capacities for a number of local agencies and organizations. A Cal Poly graduate, she began her career as a reporter for the Paso…
PG&E dogged over Diablo relicensing
Members of the state’s main energy policy and planning agency spoke out against the decision by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to apply to renew the company’s operating license for the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant before addressing their concerns. The topic came up at a Dec. 16 California Energy Commission (CEC) hearing in Sacramento…
PG&E hires Grover Beach mayor
John Shoals, mayor of Grover Beach, has been hired as a PG&E governmental affairs representative. He’ll be focusing on getting the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant re-licensed. Shoals, a Democrat, dropped out of the race to replace State Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee in October. He had formerly worked for RRM Design Group and the city of…
County may euthanize 27 cats by Christmas
A group of cats confiscated from a single household could die by Christmas if they’re not adopted, county animal officials said. The fate of the felines will be decided Dec. 23, the same day they will be available for adoption, said Eric Anderson, San Luis Obispo County animal services manager. The cats were picked up…
Dancing for health care–in Africa
Why not party for a worthy cause on New Year’s Eve? Rather than just focusing on welcoming 2010—which may or may not be better than that tired old 2009—you can cast your eyes wider, all the way to Kenya and Uganda in eastern Africa. Living in those countries are thousands of people with no access…
Christie was a superb commissioner
Sarah Christie—a great environmentalist who was summarily removed from the county Planning Commission by Supervisor Jim Patterson, who appointed her—is one of those rare people you might, with luck, meet in a lifetime. She’s so rare that in the 43 years I spent reporting for such newspapers as the Los Angeles Times, I can’t remember…
Shaky ground
If I were to build a power plant you could bet I would not place it on a fault line, and I certainly would not build it out of glass and mirrors. The reason the Carrisa Plains are as flat as they are is because they are in a zone where earth moves like liquid…
Why do we need a public option?
I guess I can’t say I’m surprised by the holiday “gift” I found in my mailbox the other day. It was notification from my health insurance carrier that my monthly premiums are going up 18 percent: yep, 18 percent! It’s so nice to know that at least one already wealthy sector is taking steps to…
Support Meals on Wheels
San Luis Obispo Meals on Wheels delivers nutritionally balanced meals to homebound individuals. There is no minimum age requirement and the program receives no government funding, which sets it apart from other nutrition services. Since 1973, San Luis Obispo Meals on Wheels has been serving the community by offering limited subsidies to those who could…
Help improve treatment for addicts
Kudos for Colin Rigley’s Nov. 13 article, “Stuck on the list.” Though some past New Times articles (such as the Feb. 2006 story about methamphetamine production) haven’t always displayed positive editorial judgment regarding the topic of substance abuse, his story presented a responsible and balanced perspective on a very important topic. The dramatic elimination of…
Since when is expertise a liability?
Regarding Colin Rigley’s article, “So long, Sarah” (Dec. 17): The first to go are the intellectuals, in this case the critical and holistic thinking SLO Planning Commission Chairperson Sarah Christie. Rigley describes her loss as a consequence of her expertise—since when is expertise a liability? This pompous and contrived pit stop between real cities has…
Return Christie to the planning commission
Sarah Christie is the best thing that’s happened to our county government process in many years. She’s brilliant, informed, concerned, and feisty about asking us to respect the rules we have established, which are the ideals for a smart, livable, sustainable green county. She has been controversial because she hasn’t sold out her integrity, like…
Patterson folded
Supervisor Patterson’s dumping of Planning Commissioner Sarah Christie was a really dumb move. Apparently, Patterson doesn’t understand that Christie was only one vote on a five-vote panel. He could have retained her competence, knowledge, and pit-bull determination to make projects better, thereby soothing his “environmental/better-projects base,” while soothing his corporate “sure, build whatever” sponsors by telling them off…
It’s no secret
Colin Rigley wrote in his story “So long, Sarah,” (Dec. 17) about Sarah Christie’s resignation from the planning commission: “But Christie’s departure would signify much more than just the loss of a mid-level decision maker who is virtually a volunteer (planning commissioners make $150 per meeting); it would be a sign the county’s political infrastructure…
Get wise, supes
I’m one of the many folks who worked hard to give the board of supervisors a new direction in 2008. I supported Jim Patterson and Adam Hill. After the election, we figured we had finally left behind the bad old days of the “Three Amigos” (Supervisors Katcho Achadjian, Jerry Lenthall, Harry Ovitt), under whose corrupt…
Alan Baker
NEW TIMES: Has meerkat membership increased since the popular show “meerkat manor” hit TV? BAKER: Visitors no longer read the graphic, and we don’t hear “what are those?” anymore. NEW TIMES: What’s the most popular animal visited? BAKER: The tiger. He’s big, pretty ferocious, and very impressive. Plus he’s at the front of the…
Enjoy the leftovers
So what’s going on this week? No, really, I’m asking. After the absolute run of chaos that unrolled last week, and perhaps a few days before that, I’m flummoxed. Perhaps I went a little too heavy into a rant about ex-planning commissioner Sarah Christie to make way for the other mind-blowing bouts of idiocy leading…
Chronic Cellars 2006 Le Perfecto Paso Robles
Although this red blend is quite unusual with 44 percent Tempranillo, 33 percent Petite Verdot and 23 percent Malbec, the name is totally appropriate. A new brand by Josh and Jake Beckett of Peachy Canyon, the Beckett brothers took a totally modern approach with the Los Muertos labels that are as much a hit as…
Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne NV
This lovely, classic French Champagne is quite the value of the season, and it won’t be around long. Elegant and creamy, it offers subtle green apple, pear, and citrusy notes with toasty nuances. Wonderful for a holiday brunch or New Year’s Eve celebration, no one would dream you paid so little for it. Available at…
Cars and wine mix–in cyberspace
Vintner and winemaker Don Peters is raising the limit for drinking and driving. He’s the only winemaker I know who can mix wine and cars, and not get you stung with a D.U.I. Of course, cruising around is strictly limited to the information superhighway. Long known for such witty, auto-themed wines as his flagship Multi…
Clubs
CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, Shell Beach, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. Mon. and Tues.: Louie Ortega. Fri: Live music. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Dr., Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. DOLPHIN BAY/LIDO: 2727 Shell Beach…
