Cover Story
Were baghouse ash and petroleum coke to blame for at least two worker deaths and multiple cancer cases at the Santa Maria Refinery?
Before Teddy Cobb died, he left his wife a bag of ash. It was gray, about the consistency of baby powder, and known among the guys who dealt with it mainly for its ability to turn shovels green. When the cancer he’d been living with for almost seven years eventually took him, Cobb’s wife had…
A medical marijuana dispensary is proposed for Nipomo
Since the federal raid of a Morro Bay medical marijuana dispensary in 2006, attempts to permit storefront dispensaries in Nipomo, Oceano, Guadalupe, and Orcutt have failed, and several incorporated cities in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties have outlawed them. Now, Ethnobotanica Patients Cooperative, a mobile dispensary—potdeli.org—operating out of Watsonville to deliver in Monterey…
Cheese, art, and a chicken man at SLO’s Art After Dark
View a slideshow from Art After Dark and Studios on the Park in Paso Robles. The forecast was not great for Friday night. Local weatherman/hunk Dave Hovde said it would rain, and lo, it was good. But this is not about the weather. This isn’t about what was supposed to happen Friday night. This is…
Studios on the Park serves food and love in juried exhibit Eat Your Heart Out
View a slideshow from the exhibit and Art After Dark in SLO. In the heart of Paso Robles’ downtown, you can find a smorgasbord of gourmet goods. Take a jaunt about the main park square, and you’ll find both the exotic and refined—duck confit, ratatouille, range-fed bison, and something called “pumpkin spatzle.” There’s French, Italian,…
Local comedians headline at annual comedy event Big Laugh Live
Lizette Miselle was 17 years old the first time she saw a comedian live. She was at Cal State Northridge and one night caught a show from the legendary firebrand Sam Kinison. Maybe because she was so young, maybe because she was female—whatever the reason was, Kinison heckled her. She hurled something back, and the…
What message would you like to see on a candy heart?
Will Samuels engineer “’Sup.” Moira Ziolkowski hairstylist “You can do it.” Joanna Rodriguez stay at home mom “Sweet.” Taylor Phillips barista “You suck. JK.”
Ex-Cal Poly fraternity president pleads no contest to felony marijuana possession; fraternity asks for return of $2,700
Just as his case was heading toward a trial, Cal Poly student and former Delta Sigma Phi fraternity president Gear McMillan accepted a plea agreement on Feb. 6 in San Luis Obispo Superior Court. McMillan—who was arrested by San Luis Obispo police on Sept. 4, 2014, and subsequently charged with two felony counts of drug…
Cal Poly robbery case moves toward a trial, but one defendant hopes to settle
In an arraignment on Feb. 9, all five Cal Poly student athletes accused of planning or carrying out an August 2014 armed robbery once again pleaded not guilty to all of the charges they’re facing. Cameron Akins, Cortland Fort, Kristaan Ivory, Dominique Love, and Jake Brito are now set for a pre-trial conference hearing on…
Mamajowali brings its Afromericana sounds to St. Benedict’s Church on Feb. 20
Like Ry Cooder or David Lindley, Joe Craven is not one to be limited by musical styles. He’s never seen a border he’s not willing to cross or a genre he’s not willing to bend, mash-up, or morph. Hence his new project, Mamajowali, and its style, “Afromericana.” Featuring Craven, Mamadou Sidibe, and Walter Strauss, the…
SLOMA screens documentary about Italian-born architect Paolo Soleri
In 1946, Italian architecture student Paolo Soleri discovered a book about Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s legendary winter home located in Scottsdale, Ariz. He immediately wrote to Wright and enclosed some of his sketches. Months later, Wright responded with an invitation to apprentice in Arizona. This was a major turning point for Soleri, who would…
Clubs 2/12/15-2/19/15
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…
Sidecar’s Spice Trader and Sinor-LaVallee’s 2013 Estate Pinot Noir
Packed full of punch, yet nonexistent in calories, spices are proof that God truly loves us and wants us to be happy. You probably already know that I love my tamales, syrah, and eggs spiced to the nines. For this reason, I was shocked to realize I had never tried Sidecar’s Spice Trader, which is…
Cake or die!: HoneyBee Cakery fights the good fight against blah baked goods
The Bunker, SLO’s newest art space, is quiet on a Wednesday morning, save for three women fussing over an edible work of art. New Times photographer Kaori Funahashi drools as she snaps photos of HoneyBee Cakery Owner Lizabeth Nagel, who is currently squeezing delicate, buttercream rosettes onto a round, white cake with deft precision. This…
Foreplay
I don’t care if you are a man or a woman: Chances are, you enjoy the adult pleasures of wine and chocolates. It’s the law! This Valentine’s Day, here are a few tips for nibbling and sipping the two together with maximum yum: As a general rule, wine should be sweeter than your chocolate; mirror…
Los Monologos de la Vagina: Cal Poly’s Gender Equity Center stages Ensler play in English and Spanish
They’re hairy, angry, happy, confused, and about a hundred other descriptives besides. And starting Feb. 13, Cal Poly’s Gender Equity Center will be giving voice to the arguably voiceless. Cal Poly’s annual performance of The Vagina Monologues takes special care to make the show a life-changing event for its viewers, and perhaps even more so…
Cougars & Mustangs
When the little newspaper boy who lives in my email inbox suddenly appeared today and proclaimed loudly, “Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Cuesta’s Accreditation Reaffirmed!” I was too caught off guard by the attempted marketing of information literally a YEAR OLD and widely covered to remember to finally ask him why I cannot seem…
The SLO County Health Department starts a new community program on climate change and its effects on public health
While climate change is a matter of ongoing discussion between scientists and politicians on a national level, San Luis Obispo County is taking steps to ensure that the community is better informed about the issue and what can be done to reduce its impacts. With a new pilot program prompted at the request of the…
Corrections
• There was an error in the Feb. 5 Hot Dates listing “An Eyeful.” It should have read “to examine her childhood in Taiwan.” • The cover story for Feb. 5, “Into another dimension,” misstated the diagnosis of Michael Balzer’s gallbladder. He only had severe scarring.
Supervisors will reconsider a countywide water conservation ordinance
One week after rejecting a proposed ordinance that would restrict pumping from three groundwater basins in sharp decline, the San Luis Obispo County supervisors stumbled their way to a decision to reconsider the issue at a future meeting. The proposed Countywide Water Conservation Ordinance would place tools in the toolbox to limit increased water use…
SLO County Planning Commission denies proposed Las Pilitas quarry
It took three lengthy public hearings for the San Luis Obispo Planning Commission to reach a decision on a rock quarry proposed for outside of Santa Margarita. Since December, the commission has sorted through public comments and a slew of impacts to the area, finally coming to a 3-2 vote of denial on Feb. 5.…
Whitewash
Hide your children! Lock away your property values for safekeeping! Stock up on spare bottles of locally produced vino and throw on a chastity belt for good measure! And if you don’t have property values to protect, kindly get the hell out and wipe down any valuable property you might have touched. Public art is…
The chair matters
I believe Supervisor Gibson lacks honesty. Why? Having been chair of many boards for years in total, Gibson knows the chair holds extraordinary power over board agendas and is, therefore, highly political. Pretending the selection of chair is merely “ceremonial and routine” is dishonest. The backlash and brickbats prove it is political. Gibson knows every…
The re-election rotation game
My observation is that two supervisors are up for election during the governor’s race and three supervisors are up for election during the president’s race. So during an election cycle, the best year to be chair is the year citizens can vote for you. In the most recent election, Supervisor Gibson was chair during his…
Relax your attitude toward police
Do the SLO police turn their backs on opinion writers and executive editors? It’s unfortunate Mr. Iqbal needs to take things out of context to make a point (“Are we policing for the people?” Jan. 29). Chief Gesell’s statements, including “when a police officer draws a weapon, listen to his commands,” are clearly meant for…
Money trumps common sense once again
Thank you for writing an informative article about the proposed mental health facility going up in Templeton (“What’s he building in there?” Jan. 29). I do agree that there needs to be more in-depth research on who is building this facility; I don’t agree with most of the reasons people are protesting one being built.…
What now?
What most citizens expect and need from their local government is actual governance. Most of that occurs in public meetings, and much of it can be unglamorous and even uninteresting. But it’s how you get the people’s business done. It’s how you resolve problems, prepare for challenges, and shape policies and programs and the metrics…
