Cover Story
Take the New Times’ quiz on the comedy and tragedy of 2011
And you thought we were going to let you off easy. You got a year’s worth of free news—sat back idly and watched as New Times gave frontline reporting on government waste, problems at Cal Poly, the police officer Paso Robles didn’t want you to know about, a firefighter accused of pummeling a Los Osos…
Time keeps on slipping…
Holey-moley, what a year! Remember that thing that happened? And how about that other stuff? Whether the events of 2011 inspire an urge to celebrate, the need to forget it all and start over, or neither, there sure are plenty of ways to ring in the New Year on the Central Coast, and most feature…
I got a lot of problems with you people
I live in Morro Bay, light years from Arroyo Grande’s SLO Down Pub, so I don’t go there often. In fact, I’ve only been twice, and both visits were based on the fact that they were the only place in the county doing anything interesting during the holiday weekend. These people might “SLO down,” but…
‘The Met: Live in HD’ lives on!
It’s a surreal feeling to go to the opera on a Saturday morning, settling in for three or four or five enchanted hours of high drama, art, and culture while many people are barely blinking awake. But for Central Coast opera diehards, it seems there’s no better way to start (make that spend the better…
Get me God on the line!
Let’s get this one out of the way: Melissa Vardey is a little crazy. Talented? Yes. Funny as hell? Sure. But crazy nonetheless. It seems the British-born singer, songwriter, performer, and music teacher, who currently calls Southern California home, cannot be bothered with silly inhibitions—onstage or off. But considering what she’s been through, it seems…
Uncharted soundscapes
In the first sentence of his book Last Night in Twisted River, novelist John Irving has already killed someone. “The young Canadian, who could not have been more than fifteen, had hesitated too long,” Irving writes. His last two words linger ominously in the mind like a low, sustained piano key as he goes on…
Clubs
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the…
Branching out
On Dec. 21, it was announced that San Luis Obispo’s Vintners executive director, Becky Gray was going to resign, effective Jan. 30, 2012, to start her dream nonprofit organization in North County. Her resignation from the position leaves a gap the vintners are actively seeking to fill. Since their foundation in 1989, the group has…
Domaine Chandon Brut Classic NV
A good value that will fit within the tightest budget, you can’t go wrong with this California bubbly for the New Year’s Day brunch, or watching the Super Bowl. In fact, it’s such a good deal at $11.99 for this well-made wine, I wouldn’t mind if one of my guests felt they had to adulterate…
Luli 2010 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
I know that it’s young but you’ll be happily surprised by how delicious this Pinot tastes. Fine tannins make it easy drinking and irresistible for its ripe, rich fruit. It offers aromas and flavors of blackberries, boysenberries, and black cherry with impressive highlights of fresh blueberry, ending on a lingering spicy fruit note. This bold…
Three courses for $30 and 30 days
The month of January has routinely been a very slow month for the restaurant industry—but that need no longer be true on the Central Coast. With the creation of “Restaurant Month—January 2012,” people have good reason for dining out more often. Most of our fine restaurants are offering a three-course gourmet meal for about the…
Joe Anderson, Santa Claus
NEW TIMES How many times does your beard get pulled per day? ANDERSON/CLAUS Probably in a four-hour shift about three to six times, depending on how early the shift. It’s mostly the younger kids. NEW TIMES What was the most requested toy this year? ANDERSON/CLAUS Boys, it’s legos. Girls, American Girl dolls. Older…
Gratitude for bicyclists
Holidays are an opportunity to be deliberately, vocally thankful. Commuting bicyclists out there: Thank you! Your presence on the streets makes a tangible difference. SLO is on the map in this country as a bicycle-friendly city. Though we’re a small community, the American League of Bicyclists acknowledged us at the silver level. In the past…
Re-Shred
The year is, for all intents and purposes, over. And thank goodness for that. For most of you, it was a train wreck. And not the cool kind of wreck where no one gets hurt and there’s flaming wreckage for Harrison Ford to run away from. Instead, it was the kind of train wreck that…
Cougars & Mustangs
Looking to power into the new year? Want to sharpen your creative faculties, while working a room or two? Then get ready to break out of the gates in a mad dash with San Luis Obispo’s first Startup Weekend. The event, which can be found in 30 nations around the world, will be held Jan.…
Scrum!!
In an attempt to revitalize the sport of rugby in San Luis Obispo, Director of Rugby for the San Luis Obispo Rugby Club Reggie Greenwood is reaching out to a younger generation of kids, and giving them a chance to play “the game they play in heaven.” Greenwood and his volunteer staff are offering youth…
Correction
A Dec. 21 story “A life lived in pictures” incorrectly stated the year British India was partitioned in India and Pakistan, resulting in a religious war. The year was 1947.
Cambria desal testing site rejected
In a move that could send proponents of a desalination plant in Cambria back to the drawing board, the California Coastal Commission formally rejected the Army Corps of Engineers’ testing site near the mouth of the Santa Rosa Creek. Though the long-proposed Cambria Community Services District desalination plant would be located elsewhere, testing of the…
CPUC denies PG&E Diablo funding application
An administrative law judge dismissed Pacific Gas & Electric’s application to use customer money nearly two years after the application was first filed in an effort to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant operating for another 30 years. PG&E requested $80 million in ratepayer funding to pay for its federal license renewal for both…
‘SLO 12’ hits bittersweet milestone
Members of California’s largest medical marijuana advocacy group mounted a protest at the San Luis Obispo County Courthouse to commemorate—albeit reluctantly—the anniversary of the county’s largest raid on medical marijuana providers to date. After a year, a majority of the defendants from “Operation Green Sweep” have yet to make it to trial, thanks to a…
A second officer files suit against Arroyo Grande police
A second female police officer has filed a civil lawsuit against the Arroyo Grande Police Department and its chief, seeking unspecified damages for alleged sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. According to court documents obtained by New Times, senior officer Michelle Cota filed a lawsuit Dec. 22, six days after a similar lawsuit from another female…
Local fuzz are on the hunt for an ATM skimmer
In a caper seemingly stripped from John Connor’s ATM hacking scene from the movie Terminator 2, a suspected ATM skimmer was captured on video after a failed ploy to rig a cash machine in Los Osos. According to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department, a man tampered with a Bank of America automatic teller…
What would you do if you caught your mommy kissing Santa Claus?
Jessica McCaully Freelance Hairstylist “I would keep quiet because I’ve yet to open my presents. ” Irene Roselli Realator “My Mom is 89, so I’d snap a picture for Facebook before getting her heart meds.” Seongyong Joe Traveler “I would be happy and tell them Merry Christmas.” Kristen Eldridge Teacher “I would ask her what…
