Cover Story
Education Today 2024
School is about to be back in session for the 2024-25 school year, which means summer is almost over—sad. But it also means a new school year for all of those students, new learning, new friends, new experiences—rad! For this year’s annual Education Today issue, Staff Writer Samantha Herrera talks to Lucia Mar school district…
Trap is preposterous fun
TRAP What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10 Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs, Lady in the Water) helms this psychological thriller about a serial killer called The Butcher, but even serial killers can have kids, and…
A public safety issue
In April, I took my mother to French Hospital Medical Center. After filling out her intake forms, I was told by staff that a bed would be available for her within the hour. The emergency room was at full capacity. Making matters worse, patients were informed that Sierra Vista, the nearest hospital in town, was…
Silent Fallout
What’s it rated? Not rated When? Monday, Aug. 12, at 5 p.m. (reserve a free ticket at eventbrite.com) Where’s it showing? Unitarian Universalists San Luis Obispo (2201 Lawson Ave.) SLO Mothers for Peace hosts a screening of Silent Fallout on Monday, Aug. 12, and director Hideaki Ito will attend the three-hour event and screen his…
Ferngully: The Last Rainforest
What’s it rated? G When? 1992 Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10 and 11, at 1:30 p.m. My favorite troublemaking fairy is back on the big screen! Crysta (voiced by Samantha Mathis) is fixated on seeing what lies beyond the boundaries of FernGully and tales of the fictional creatures…
Il Cortile owners open Parchetto, a California bistro that pays homage to Paso’s Downtown City Park
Reservations needed Visit parchettobistro.com to reserve a table at Parchetto on 1234 Park Street in Paso Robles or call (805) 286-4636. Parchetto is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Paso Robles’ Downtown City Park is an inspiration to…
Guit with it when country guitarist and singer Junior Brown plays BarrelHouse Brewing on Aug. 11
Junior Brown is such a badass. His instrument—the “guit-steel”—is a combination electric guitar and lap steel guitar, and he freaking rips on it. He’s also got one of the most distinctive voices in country music, and his songs are a flat out a hoot. “Highway Patrol” is about a cop whose “hours are long, and…
Culture of safety
As a South County resident and business owner who is interested in public safety, our local economy, water resiliency, and state electrical power capacity, I recently visited Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) for the first time. I was impressed by their adherence to a culture of safety. My experience as a professional pilot has taught…
90-day sprint
Last August, my Rhetoric and Reason commentary concluded with this observation: “One thing is certain: By next August, both parties will have completed their primary elections … and named their nominees. We already know the stakes in 2024: Nothing less than the future of our democracy, the security of our planet, and the conditions under…
Energy, schmenergy
If nuclear energy, offshore wind energy, and solar energy are all bad for San Luis Obispo County’s environment and therefore its residents, and we don’t want battery energy storage anywhere near us, what should we generate and store our electricity with? Coal? That’s really bad for the environment, too. Hydroelectric dams? Bad for the watershed,…
ECOSLO calls for volunteers to participate in Coastal Cleanup Day in September
ECOSLO is hosting its 19th annual coastal cleanup on Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon, aiming to pick up trash along the Central Coast before fall and winter rains sweep it into the ocean. ECOSLO Executive Director Kendra Paulding said the organization is anticipating 750 volunteers this year between its 30 sites countywide after…
New enhancements: High school students in the Lucia Mar school district can expect some fun new classes this upcoming school year
The Lucia Mar Unified School District is starting some exciting new programs that will be available to both students and parents this upcoming school year. With school starting Aug. 17, Marketing and Communications Director Amy Jacobs told New Times that both Arroyo Grande High School and Lopez High School will begin a cosmetology program for…
Prioritizing teen health: CAPSLO wants to give high school students more access to mental health help
Help out CAPSLO is hiring 50 student ambassadors for both SLO and Santa Barbara counties for its Teen Wellness Program. Applicants must be 13 to 18 years old and have an eagerness to address the mental health crisis. Ambassadors will dedicate three hours per week to the program. To apply, visit forms.gle/rjs2Y63dqechTNC29. Since the COVID-19…
Port San Luis votes to move forward with offshore wind port study
Tensions ran high between community members and Port San Luis Harbor District commissioners over offshore wind during a July 23 board meeting. During the meeting, commissioners discussed collaborating with Clean Energy Terminals (CET) on studies, ranging from six to 12 months, about whether Port San Luis can be a potential site to support offshore wind…
Morro Bay artist Kirk Psenner connects with his younger self through sculpture
Eccentric statues View Kirk Psenner’s art at Cruise Control Cambria until Aug. 14 at 1075 Main St. Visit cruisecontrolcambria.com or @kirkclayart on Instagram to view Psenner’s work online. If you ever wanted to see a 6-foot cat smoking a cigarette, head over to Cruise Control Cambria and check out the eccentric yet expressive and strangely…
Templeton purchases new fire engine with $1 million grant
A new Type 1 fire engine is headed Templeton’s way after receiving $1 million in federal funding secured by U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Monterey) to replace the district’s more than 20-year-old engine. “It’s going to be a valuable asset that benefits the community for years and years,” Templeton Community Services District (CSD) General Manager Jeff…
Coalesce Bookstore hosts book signing with speech therapist Kit Roberts Johnson
Central Coast local Kit Roberts Johnson will be signing copies of her book, Frozen Voices: A Speech Therapist’s Alaskan Memoir, at the Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay on Aug. 10, from 1 to 4 p.m. Johnson released the memoir in December 2023, more than three decades after she first began work as a speech-language pathologist…
Grover Beach residents will vote on wastewater rates in the general election
Come November, Grover Beach voters will get the chance to lower their wastewater rates with Measure G-24. The citizens ballot initiative from Grover H2O proposes repealing water and wastewater rate increases from December 2023 that aimed to help the city fund its portion of the Central Coast Blue project. While the Grover Beach City Council…
Studios on the Park’s End of Summer Soiree raises funds for arts programs
Held in conjunction with the Artsy Adornments exhibit, Studios on the Park’s End of Summer Soiree will take place on Aug. 29, from 5 to 7 p.m. While accessing showcases of upcycled clothing and handcrafted fine jewelry on display in Artsy Adornments, guests of the event can look forward to enjoying appetizers, drinks, live music,…
SLO County seeks fix for a century of mismatched zoning in Cayucos
For nearly 100 years, a residential home in Cayucos has sat on a piece of land that is technically zoned as professional. Now SLO County is requesting approval to amend the land use to reflect what’s actually there. The California Coastal Commission approved the amendment at its Aug. 7 meeting. Central Coast District Manager Kevin…
