Cover Story
The great expander: Get an inside look at Cal Poly’s research boom
From the outside, Cal Poly looks the same as it ever was. Sure, there are spiffy new buildings and more students than ever crowding the walkways, but those same students are still sitting down at desks, being taught, and “learning by doing”—as they have since 1901. Look a little closer, however, and you’ll see that…
Assistant D.A. Covello will run against Dow in June
Tim Covello, who was recently promoted to second in command at the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, has thrown his hat into the ring to become the county’s district attorney in 2015. He’s worked as lead prosecutor in a number of high-profile cases, including the successful 2013 prosecution of the five defendants responsible…
Cal Poly: No university policies were violated at ‘Colonial Bros and Nava-Hos’ party
New Times has learned that Cal Poly has just concluded its investigation into the controversial “Colonial Bros and Nava-Hos” party hosted off campus on Nov. 16. According to a Dec. 11 press release from President Jeffrey Armstrong and Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey, no university polices were violated at the event, and the…
On the fast track? Phillips 66 is looking to ship volatile Bakken crude oil through SLO County by train, but opposition efforts are gaining steam
Though the draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the proposed rail spur extension at the Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery in Nipomo—released on Nov. 27—is 708 pages long, one sentence has received the most attention. On page 24, where it describes the oil source for proposed oil-carrying trains, the report states: “The most likely sources…
Pismo’s Cliffs Resort faces two lawsuits
The dark times for one of Pismo Beach’s premier hotels appear to be turning even darker. On Nov. 18, the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (JPIA)—the largest municipal self-insurance pool in the state and Pismo’s insurer—filed a lawsuit against the Cliffs Resort, seeking general damages, special damages, and attorney’s fees on top of a refund—with…
Who is your hardest person to shop for and why?
Grace Thornton Artist “My boyfriend because I always just want to get him things that I want to use.” Jean Nannéi Retired “My grand-daughter’s mother, basically cause she lives far away.” Brian Buchanan Chiropractor “I guess the hardest person for me to shop for is my wife. When you’re with them for 18 years you…
X and The Blasters to rock SLO Brew on Dec. 12th!
Seminal L.A. punk act X boasts a Hollywood Cinderella story about two Midwestern boys—Joe Doe (née John Duchac) and Billy Zoom (née Tyson Kindell, who’d played with Gene Vincent)—who both found themselves in L.A. and answered each other’s classified ads looking to start a band. Then John met Exene (née Christine Cervenkova) at a poetry…
‘Little Giants’ stars visit A.G. screening
The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF) continues its “SLO County on the Silver Screen” series on Saturday, Dec. 7 with a special screening of the 1994 family favorite Little Giants. The series presents movies shot in SLO County—generally shown in the same town as they were filmed. Little Giants, starring Rick Moranis and…
Mo/Tav’s Motown Brodown Movember event draws a hairy crowd!
I was sitting on a bench outside of Mo/Tav waiting for the Motown Brodown Movember event to commence when an older, bearded man approached me and asked me to open his bottled coffee drink. I’d come across him downtown before and apparently he’s an artist, seemingly homeless, but he owns an iPad with his artwork…
Reamed with the self: Photographer David King Rowe captures native scenes with a foreign sensibility
Local artist David King Rowe is currently showing landscape photography in a sandwich shop—and it’s a lot better than that sounds. Rowe, whose analog visions of the Central Coast hang at The Sal Paradise through Jan. 1, offers a look at local vistas that reveals a hint of the uncanny. Big Sur, Morro Bay, and…
Cuesta ’13: Devising theater ain’t easy, but Cuesta College sure makes it look good
We’re still in the rehearsal phase” is a common enough phrase among theater directors. It’s an incantation of sorts, casting a protective ward between reviewers and the material they’ve been sent to judge. Twelve days before the opening night of Pool ’63, Cuesta College Director of Theater Arts bree valle trots out the warning, but…
S’more please: Solvang’s S’moresFest is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser
Solvang’s annual Christmas celebration known as Julefest will have a tasty new ingredient added to its mix of events this year. On Dec. 14 the very first S’moresFest! will be held at Solvang Park in downtown Solvang, from 4-7 p.m. At this fest within a fest (within a turkey?) attendees will be able to roast…
Talley 2011 Pinot Noir Rincon Vineyard Arroyo Grande Valley and Claiborne & Churchill 2012 Dry Gewürztraminer Central Coast
Talley 2011 Pinot Noir Rincon Vineyard Arroyo Grande Valley Talley’s many fans will love this outstanding pinot noir from the estate vineyard. A complex wine layered in flavors, it’s truly a standout from what is commonly regarded as a challenging vintage. Made up with 30 percent whole clusters, it’s a wine that’s drinkable now but…
Gift yourself! Two great local chefs provide desserts even a beginner could make
To indulge my love of sweet treats during the holiday season I called on two very special (and very popular) local chefs to ask for homespun recipes that anyone could make. Chef Jensen Lorenzen works at Cass House in Cayucos and chef Maegen Loring works at Lido in Dolphin Bay Resort in Shell Beach; each…
Ho-ho-HOPE: The Women’s Shelter of SLO County needs your help
Thanksgiving has passed, igniting the Christmas fire under our tushes. Shopping season is in full force and the longing for tradition and family is seeping in right about now. Unfortunately for many families in SLO seeking shelter from violence and abuse, the holidays can put pressure on women to go back to an unsafe situation.…
Cougars & Mustangs: Relax, if you can
The holidays are here, or at least some of them are! This is a wonderful time, full of mirth and familial love, right? Wrong! As college students, however into the holidays we get (which can be stressful enough in their own right), this is the time where finals week stresses keep throwing their shipping trackers…
Correction
An online article regarding Diablo Canyon relicensing (“Diablo Canyon relicensing hits the four-year mark,” Nov. 26) merits correction. NRC-required seismic evaluations for U.S. nuclear plants are not related to relicensing efforts. Also, though state regulators denied PG&E’s request to use ratepayer funding for relicensing Diablo, the article failed to mention that PG&E may reapply if…
Police divvy up SLO
The San Luis Obispo Police Department is adopting a new policy toward neighborhood enforcement that it hopes will put officers in closer touch with the citizens they serve. Effective immediately, the department is enacting a “Neighborhood Officer Program,” which promises to dedicate patrol officers to certain districts to “address city neighborhood issues,” according to a…
Paso Robles settles wastewater fines
For about a decade, Paso Robles hasn’t treated its sewage sufficiently to comply with state standards. The City Council decided Dec. 3 to pay a $321,000 settlement package that includes violations from Sept 1, 2009, to Sept 30, 2013. The fines include a bundle of 107 violations during that time period. The money will go…
SLO City mulls community power generation
The same night the city of San Luis Obispo accepted recognition for what’s viewed as its progressive climate action plan, it also mulled over the idea of a somewhat related topic: Community Choice Aggregation. What’s that, you ask? Simply put, CCA is a system in which municipalities or regions put in the infrastructure they’d need…
Paso Robles tightens its code regulating solicitors
In Paso Robles shopping centers, the holiday cheer and hallelujahs for rain are coming alongside more complaints about aggressive solicitors. A new chapter banning aggressive solicitation has been added to the city’s municipal code. In response to an increase in phone calls and complaints in recent years, a report authored by Police Chief Robert Burton…
Schultz gets new job, Morro Bay puts off Lueker separation
Things are moving along in the contentious, ongoing story that is Morro Bay politics. Well, sort of. On Dec. 3, the city council of Los Gatos unanimously approved hiring former Morro Bay city attorney Rob Schultz. Los Gatos is a bit of a far cry from Morro Bay; the unincorporated Bay Area town in Santa…
Hypocrisy and taxes
I’ve been spending a lot of time huddled over a calculator I stole from a fifth grader, trying to get a jumpstart on tax season, which falls just behind elections as my second least favorite season. And I’ve come to two conclusions: Firstly, I should have just committed to being even more degenerate and not…
I’ve got a site idea
Looking at all the facts will show that the existing location behind Cuesta College is the best location for Morro Bay’s new sewer treatment plant. Please consider this, Mr. John Rickenbach. There is enough acreage surrounding the Men’s Colony treatment plant to install a solar field that will accomplish a positive result for all concerned.…
Stop bickering, and fight fracking together
I read with bewilderment and incredulity the recent article about the escalating legal battle over the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin (“Let the lawsuits begin!” Nov. 28). Not that this is not an important issue to resolve; I would like to step back a bit and offer a different perspective. Regardless of whether you want the…
Don’t bring Morro Bay more animosity
How can I count the lies on a recent flyer sent to Morro Bay residents? Lie No. 1: Who voted to raise your sewer bill? Janice Peters and her majority on City Council back in 2007 voted to raise your sewer bill by 5 percent every January, with no end in sight! And what did…
Ease up on the frats
Brought the family up for Thanksgiving week and found a copy of New Times lying around the pool, so I thought I’d give it a read. Jeez, you guys have really gotten yourselves worked up over this silly frat party thing, haven’t you (“Hosed,” Nov. 28)? Bad judgment? Bad taste? Yes, and yes; it’s a…
Mulholland’s drive
I take some issues with the opinion about the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, which has been in overdraft for years (“Connecting the (H20) dots,” Nov. 14). The basin, which was once considered too big to ever run dry, is now showing alarming drops in various areas. And it is, in large part, due to the…
Clubs 12/5/13
Goin’ South … THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. CUVEE BISTRO AND CHAMPAGNE BAR: 550 1st St., Avila Beach, 595-2245. Live music Thurs. and Sat. 6-9pm. 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…
Pismo Beach accepts ownership of the Chapman Estate
After a unanimous vote during the Dec. 4 Pismo Beach City Council meeting, the city officially accepted ownership of the iconic, 1 1/2-acre Chapman Estate on the Shell Beach coast. Clifford Chapman—who owned the estate since 1963 and died in July 2012—directed that the mansion and grounds at 1243 Ocean Blvd. be gifted to the…
