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Last-Minute Gift Guide 2016
What are your squad goals this holiday season? Here at New Times, we want to make sure you can get your crew in the right gear for next year—whatever segment of humanity you and your buddies lay claim to. And we know it’s hard to always agree with the people you surround yourself with, but…
Blast from the Past: A Bullet for the General
When? 1966 | What’s it rated? NR | Where? DVD. This classic 1966 Spaghetti Western will keep you guessing right to the end, as no one is quite who he or she seems. It opens as a gang of bandits led by El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volonté) robs a munitions train of its guns and…
Petition launched to change Yiannopoulos’ speech to group panel
When the news broke that “alt-right” activist Milo Yiannopoulos would be speaking at Cal Poly in January, Poly grad Heidi Petersen didn’t think that asking the university to ban Yiannopoulos from campus for his extreme views was realistic or constructive. Instead, Petersen wants Cal Poly to do something that she says it has done before:…
Two men convicted of same crime get different sentences
Just one week after his older brother was sentenced to serve a lengthy prison term for the gang-related assault of a community college student, 20-year-old Javier Chang was sentenced to probation for the same crime. SLO Superior Court Judge John Trice sentenced Chang Dec. 6 to five years of probation for the 2014 assault. The…
Pinkies up
Bated breath: December marks Wine Spectator’s unveiling of its No. 1 Wine of the Year. Wondering if a local Paso Robles or Edna Valley winery took the cake in 2016? Go to winespectator.com and see for yourself which vino has proven victorious … Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. has recently released its Sixth Anniversary Beer, aged…
A SLO Italiano tradition: Giuseppe’s Cucina Rustica makes historic new home on Monterey Street
Giuseppe “Joe” DiFronzo was born in the wrong era. He loves zipping around town on his fleet of vintage scooters and is obsessed with making pasta the old fashioned way (just like grandma). Most of all, the chef and restaurateur loves working with his hands, tilling the soil, and harvesting broccoli di rapini, heirloom tomatoes,…
Killer funk act Jungle Fire headlines KCBX’s Holiday Funk & Folk Fest on Dec. 10, in the Fremont Theater
Thank the music gods that the Fremont Theater had the good sense to take out seats in front of its new stage to make a dance floor, because when LA-based 10-piece afro-funk act Jungle Fire plays KCBX’s Holiday Funk & Folk Fest this Saturday, Dec. 10 (7 p.m.; all ages; $20 presale at Boo Boo’s…
Off to Canada, eh?: Cambrian author breaks down America’s northern neighbors
On Nov. 8, Canada’s website on immigration crashed as America elected Donald Trump as its 45th president. With a contentious election behind us and unknown future lying ahead, many Americans have been eyeballing our neighbor to the north. But what do we really know about Canada? Sure, it gave us Celine Dion. We know Canadians…
Naughty and nice: SLO Little Theatre shows different sides of holidays with ‘A Christmas Story,’ ‘Santaland Diaries’
He comes but once a year, bringing tales of unemployment, horrid work uniforms, and tears. And while Santa may drop the occasional “ho, ho, ho,” this less-than-jolly fellow lets out the occasional f-bomb and strips down to his underwear. For the fourth year in a row, San Luis Obispo Little Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Harris…
The beardliest beard
Can you grow a beard like no other? Or perhaps a man with a full face of hair makes you swoon like no other? If either applies, make a beeline for the inaugural Beard Competition at Tent City Beer Company in Atascadero on Dec. 10 from 7 to 11 p.m. The event is free for…
Sing it out loud
As Buddy the elf says, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is sing loud for all to hear.” Let the warm fuzzies of the holiday season take over at the ninth annual Community Christmas & Holiday Sing-Along at the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande at 4 p.m. on Dec. 18. Local high school choirs,…
What’s the best part about celebrating the holidays in California?
Shelia Lebbed retiree “Family is the best, because we’re all in the same area and it’s just nice when everyone can get together.” Lynn Wise retiree “I think California is the best place because we can appreciate the diversity and value the different ways of celebrating the holidays.” Denise Desmond nurse practitioner “Usually my husband’s…
Biddle Ranch Vineyard’s 2014 Sparkling Wine and Castoro Cellars 2014 Tempranillo
If you’ve got family in town this holiday and aren’t sure what to do with them, make a dash for Edna Valley’s Biddle Ranch Vineyard tasting room. With plenty of outdoor seating nestled against a scenic chardonnay vineyard (and plenty of top notch wines sourced from their Edna estate as well as vineyard sites across…
Made with love
Only a few shopping days left till Christmas! Pick up a local, handmade gift at Harmony House Yoga’s Holiday Maker’s Market on Dec. 10 from 4 to 7 p.m. Stop by the studio in Pismo Beach for an evening showcasing the many creative talents from around the Central Coast. Crafty artists will offer everything from…
Morning walks: Ontario Ridge hike is worth missing a couple of extra zzz’s
Getting out into the world in the early hours for a hike isn’t something I normally do, especially with the recent chilly mornings pushing me deeper under my covers. But I got up early enough to catch the beginnings of a gloomy morning on Dec. 4 in Avila Beach to take a hike and clear…
Clubs 12/8/16 – 12/15/16
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING CO.: Singer/Songwriter Night every Wed. from 7:30-10pm. 1462 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande, 474-8525, figmtnbrew.com. HARRY’S NIGHT CLUB AND BEACH BAR: Cypress and Pomeroy, downtown Pismo Beach, 773-1010. Thurs.: Front Row Karaoke. 12/8: JAWZ Karaoke; 12/9: Stinger 9pm; 12/10:…
Mastering trades: SkillsUSA promotes pragmatic alternative to four-year degrees
A shift in the path of higher education is taking place in California as career and technical education (CTE) gains more support. Here on the Central Coast, students are gaining skills at the high school and junior college level because of one CTE program—SkillsUSA. John Cascamo, dean of workforce and economic development at Cuesta College,…
The safety question: Ethnobotanica is still fighting to open a medical marijuana dispensary in SLO County
The night of Nov. 3, 2015, was a long one for the SLO County Board of Supervisors. Their chambers were packed with county residents who’d come to make their pleas on the issue at hand. Some appealed to logic, citing facts, studies, and other data. Others tried to appeal to their emotions, laying out personal…
On the record: Get to know John Peschong, the new SLO County Supervisor
John Peschong’s office, tucked away on the second floor of a quaint commercial complex in Templeton, is an unsuspecting workplace for a formidable political strategist. Within Templeton’s sleepy Main Street is a man who worked for Ronald Reagan in the White House, helped get George W. Bush elected president twice, and directed the Republican Party…
Santa Maria police used fake news to thwart murder
The revelation that some internet users put out fake news during the election season has caused a lot of controversy, but according to the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD), fake news can sometimes serve a beneficial function. The SMPD issued a ruse press release earlier this year that was subsequently reported by local news media…
County takes small step on affordable housing
The SLO County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Dec. 6 to raise the fees developers will have to pay as part of the county’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance—but the new fee levels are still thousands of dollars short of what the county initially planned for. Starting in 2017, the in-lieu fee for a 2,100-square-foot home…
‘Business as usual’ for Diablo Canyon in 2017
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant had a big year in 2016. In June, PG&E announced that it would no longer seek to renew operating licenses for the plant’s two reactors, paving the way for a shutdown in 2025 and, eventually, the total decommissioning of the plant. The process of closing the plant will take time,…
Yellow underbelly
I feel like I’ve been drunk wandering the streets of downtown San Luis Obispo in the dark. Everything is blurry, and I can’t quite define what hard object knocked my “A” key out of alignment, I’m just going to say it was a random homeless person because it makes for a really good story! What…
Talk radio: Stop spreading misinformation
I heard FOX News radio talker John Gibson say that liberals don’t care about saving jobs; that’s why all the jobs have left the country. Not a direct quote, but that was his sentiment. I took offense to that comment and have been thinking about it for a while. It seems to me he said…
Let’s get that marine sanctuary going
We are at a crossroads regarding the protection of our oceans of the world. We can do our part by supporting the establishment of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary proposed off of our Central Coast waters. We are graced with some of the most beautiful shorelines in the world. National Marine Sanctuaries are not…
A horrific choice for Poly
I was horrified to read that Milo Yiannopoulos has been invited by the Cal Poly College Republicans to speak at the Spanos Theater on Jan. 31, 2017. This self-described “alt-right” conservative has engaged in hate speech against Muslims, minorities, immigrants, and women. Cal Poly Public Relations Director Matt Lazier stated in response to this invitation…
Don’t forget to stop at crosswalks
November and December are the months for giving thanks. I am thankful for the drivers who actually stop for my friends and me at crosswalks and sidewalks. Whether we’re walking at night with a flashlight or our beautiful sun is shining brightly, you always stop—thanks. The rest of the drivers are teaching future drivers it’s…
America then, America now
This week marks the 75th anniversary of Imperial Japanese Navy’s bombing of Pearl Harbor. America on Dec. 7, 1941, was a very different country, however flawed; it was a nation that immediately united to fight a common foe to preserve liberty. Dec. 8, 1941, resulted in not only a declaration of war against Japan but…
Ashbaugh’s advice
On Friday, Dec. 9, our city will swear in a new mayor and two new councilmembers. It’s possible that all three of them share the Shredder’s disdain for my advice. Nonetheless, voters elected me to two terms on the City Council, and I suspect that they knew they weren’t voting for a potted plant. When…
