Cover Story
Is this the party to whom I am speaking?
Lily Tomlin appears not to have aged since she first showed up on the small screen as the snorting telephone operator Ernestine and bratty 5-year-old Edith Ann. But since then, she’s been—in no particular order—the vengeful Violet Newstead of 9 to 5, the voice of Ms. Frizzle in the Magic School Bus series, the president’s…
Buddy, can you spare $300K?
In some ways, all is good with the San Luis Obispo County Regional Transit Authority. Ridership is up about 9 percent, and buses are packed front to back during peak periods. Enticed to public transport by rising gas prices and the gasping economy, more people are jumping on the bus despite two fare hikes in…
Help KCPR get a Woodie!
KCPR, that Bjork-free bastion of independent music for more than 40 years, has been voted one of the top 25 college radio stations in the United States. On Feb. 8, the station was announced as a finalist for the sixth annual mtvU 2011 College Radio Award, an honor bestowed on “the best college radio station…
Violence spikes Super Bowl weekend
Nearly two-dozen medical emergency calls in a 24-hour period, multiple assaults, a pair of stabbings, an armed robbery, and an apparent heroin overdose: Judging from the local law enforcement reports, it seemed San Luis Obispo citizens didn’t celebrate Super Bowl XLV safely. “I think what happened this weekend was more violent than what happens…
Morro Bay tackles pension reform
Morro Bay became the first city in San Luis Obispo County to change its pension program, joining a growing list of cities in other counties that have adjusted their plans in the face of a stifling budgetary climate. On Feb. 8, the Morro Bay City Council unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing an amendment to…
Cuesta gets more probation
Though Cuesta Community College has made some gains in appeasing its accreditors, the school is far from out of the woods. On Jan. 31, Barbara Beno, president of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, sent a letter to interim Cuesta President Gil Storke notifying the college it will remain on a probation.…
The Clubhouse gets one last shot
As financial and code enforcement pressures mount against the Clubhouse at This Old House, a San Luis Obispo restaurant and bar, management is making a last-ditch effort to save the business. Clubhouse owner Andrew Adams is set to go before the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission on Feb. 10 to report on progress…
Blakeslee to roll out ASH reforms
Outside the nurse’s station, Sen. Sam Blakeslee heard a loud banging sound. He investigated, along with several Atascadero State Hospital employees, and found a man repeatedly punching the wall, his face blank, and his knuckles bruised. Employees had calmed the man; then an alarm sounded, sending everyone scrambling to a secluded room where another…
Unions boycott chamber awards
The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Public Safety Awards Luncheon was canceled after the San Luis Obispo firefighter and police unions said, in a letter sent to 2,800 chamber members, that they would boycott the event. Union leaders accused chamber leadership of “seeming to line their own pockets with preferential treatment and special projects…
What’s the best way to recover from a bad date?
Murray Gibson retired pipe fitter “Put that in the past and hopefully get a good one the next night. But remember what’s over is over.” Steve Rice attorney “Go to a bar and try to find someone less complicated.” Maria Rice stay-at-home mother “Go on a better date! Don’t turn to alcohol; the hangover isn’t…
Separation of church and state is what it is
Well, I know, you know, we all know you’re going to get hammered on this subject, so here’s my 2 cents. Dan Johnson is right about one thing and one thing only: “There’s confusion about separation of church and state” (“Religious pamphlet causes stir at public school,” Feb. 3). And that confusion comes from Mr.…
I want to vote, Katcho!
I want to be able to vote on a tax increase. Katcho wants to prevent an election. Katcho, let me vote.
Snip snip
Carlos Sosa muses on hairstyles. “Hair changes people,” he said. “Something as simple as a new cut or style can start a ripple effect in your life.” The owner of Fierro Salon, Sosa offers his philosophies in the place where split ends potentially represent more than just the leftovers from a peripheral trim. Sosa…
The solar system at your fingertips
Over the past decade, the Exploration Station in Grover Beach has entertained and educated kids of all ages. Named for the old fire station in which it was built, the nonprofit houses permanent exhibits on the human body, weather, and electricity. At the core of Exploration Station is the Interactive Children’s Science Center, featuring rotating…
My, what big teeth you have!
It’s Friday, Feb. 4, and I’m walking into the SLOMA (that’s the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, bubs) for Art After Art After Dark. That’s not a typo, it’s when the SLOMA lets a bunch of punks take over the classroom in the museum at 9 p.m., when Art After Dark ends, allowing them…
‘I’m embarrassed to be human’
Brian Regan’s reputation as a “clean” comedian hasn’t stopped him from getting laughs and rave reviews around the country. On the contrary, Regan’s musings on everyday human absurdity—from the grocery store to the airport—have an instant relatabilty. New Times chatted with Regan on his latest album, All By Myself; the pressures of being a “funny”…
In the beginning, there was art
Knowing that the Cuesta Art Gallery’s latest show is called “Genesis” has a weird way of coloring one’s interpretation of it. Laura Krikfa’s oil painting of two boys, titled A Song for the Fields, suddenly represents Cain and Abel. Her mixed-media Fallen Woman is Eve. Clovis Blackwell’s Time of Trial, in which myriad tiny identical…
Go Greene!
Jackie Greene has “rock star” written all over him … with Sharpie, when he passed out at a party this one time. Just kidding. Rock star is written all over him metaphorically, from his impossible skinniness to his droopy doe eyes to his laconic dis-affectation to his moppish hair and his chain-smoking ways. The self-made…
One report to rule them all
Imagine walking out of your front door and seeing the street filled with garbage and trash. Visualize city parks closed, roads decayed, and a town with few police or firefighters available to come when you need them. This is a possible future for many cities in California, as revenue from taxes dwindles and municipalities scramble…
One murder, four stories
Before Dystiny Myers was killed, she was beaten, bound, and loaded up on methamphetamines, according to testimony from a key witness in the ongoing murder trial. Five defendants on trial for the murder of Myers, a 15-year-old Santa Maria resident, sat before a preliminary hearing on Feb. 7 and 8 in SLO County Superior Court.…
Too horrible for words
I guess we just want to know what happened. You can’t really call it morbid curiosity, or even plain curiosity. When the world is rocked by an unspeakably horrific event like the one that led to 15-year-old Dystiny Myers’ death, we need to know why. Maybe it’s to understand what could drive such despicable evil.…
Diana Columberg, Vina Robles event coordinator
NEW TIMES When did you start hosting the Gallery at Vina Robles? COLUMBERG We started May 21 of 2010. We feel that wine and art make a natural setting, and we’ve adorned our winery with much of the same décor to give this winery a sense of character. NEW TIMES What is it about…
You say ‘happy’ like it’s a bad thing
Hey Shred, I’ve always been a fan of yours, but not so much of your new friend, TJ (“You get a car!” Feb. 3)! I mean, tell the dude that the “H” word doesn’t need to be a nasty word! I know, I know, we’ve got plenty of problems here in “H”y Town, and I’m…
‘We, the people’ used to mean something
We are under a false illusion that our elected officials are after our best interests. We are entering an era of extensive austerity: hospitals closing, social services ending, massive foreclosures, food banks, tent cities, extended unemployment, schools overcrowded, colleges tuition rising, and the list goes on. At the same time the states are going into…
Teachers: Stop whining and quit
I am tired of the constant whining by teachers. If your job and pay makes you unhappy, quit. Compared to many other jobs, you are doing quite well, but you can’t be doing your best if you are disgruntled at your job. So, in the interests of the students as well as your own mental…
Put people first in this state
Dear Senator Blakeslee, We are grateful that, at a time when politicians often find it necessary to toe a strong party line, you have not swayed to partisan pressure to sign a “no tax increases” pledge. Instead you have committed yourself to work for a fair budget. As you know, a budget is more than…
We must clearly support true democracy in Egypt
Last month the Tunisian dictator was overthrown through peaceful means. More recently, millions of Egyptians gathered in nonviolent protest to demand an end to the 31-year rule of Hosni Mubarak. This grassroots revolution aims to bring democracy to the most populous country in the Arab world—a change many said was impossible. According to many media…
This nuclear plant re-licensing issue is personal
I have been a resident of this county since 1972 and a neighbor of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant for more than a quarter century. Some of my concerns regarding re-licensing are these: Thousands of tons of high-level ionizing radioactive waste stored here for the foreseeable future—no one knows if there will be another 20 years’…
Sprawl is what it is
In “The price of expansion” (Feb. 3), John King denied that his proposed Price Canyon project is sprawl development, saying “it’s as far from urban sprawl as you can get. … When it’s done, it will be the least dense of any built-up urban area in the county.” It is disconcerting to see that King…
Stop paving paradise
Oprah and legions of other Central Coast admirers celebrate the many wonderful features that distinguish our area. The weather is fantastic, the open space is beautiful, and the people are friendly. However, the county is cannibalizing some of the qualities that make this area so great. Consider Nipomo, for example: One of the few dense…
Lane Tanner 2009 Pinot Noir Julia’s Vineyard
“This year’s vintage is without a doubt the strangest, most lovely wine I have ever made,” Tanner laughed. “The young fruit hits your tongue; then there is a roll of velvet and huge mouthfeel that’s over-the-top crazy.” Atypical for Tanner with alcohol at 14.7 percent, this voluptuous, exotic Pinot is fabulous. It’s irresistible with its…
Lane Tanner 2009 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard
Tanner describes this wine as spot on when it was harvested at two tons per acre. “The most wonderful thing about the 2009 is that it came in looking postcard-perfect, just beautiful,” she remembered. “It spent five extra months in barrel, and the extra time rounded out the mouth beautifully.” A classic Santa Maria Valley…
Lane Tanner Pinot Noir — a 30 Year History
Tanner was only the second woman winemaker in Santa Barbara County in a commercial facility when she started working in Santa Ynez Valley in 1981 at Firestone Vineyards. For the past 30 years, the distinctive Tanner has been an icon in Santa Barbara County wine country. And she succeeded despite the fact that she never…
Clubs
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