Cover Story
News it is
See the below SLO Scenes for a smattering of what’s happening across the County.
Blast from the Past
Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff starred together in several horror films throughout the ’30s and ’40s. Though there are plenty of great films that come from their collaboration (as well as, if one is to be honest, a few real howlers), notably the Val Lewton-produced Body Snatcher and Son of Frankenstein (the last time Karloff…
Clubs
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. 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…
One Brew to rule the world
Am I the only one who’s noticed that the local music scene is going off like a frog in a sock? I always marvel at the number of shows we have in relation to our population. Between The Z stepping up to the plate, Frog and Peach continuing its relentless march, all the coffee shops,…
What is one thing you would change about San Luis Obispo?
Zoe Covello student “The diversity.” Chris Ross student “They don’t allow skateboarding. We should at least be able to skateboard in the bike lanes.” Joey Wiessler student “There should be drive-thrus.” Thibault Hartog student “Cuesta students should be allowed to ride the bus for free with their I.D. cards, at least while we’re in school.”
It’s raining fun!
It’s Thursday, Feb. 9, and SLO Brew is not packed to the gills. What the hell? It’s freaking Storm Large! I led my column with her show a full week in advance. Once again, the power of the pen underwhelms. I’ll take a sword any day. Still, I’m excited because I finagled a booth and…
Sing on!
“If Music Be the Food of Love,” the Cal Poly Choirs’ Winter Concert, will celebrate the great marriage of love and music through the works of classical and contemporary composers. On Sunday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m., at Cal Poly’s Christopher Cohan Center, experience PolyPhonics, The University Singers, and several student soloists. Conducted by Music…
Now you see it
The Phantom Project has, however temporarily, filled a gaping, empty space in the heart of San Luis Obispo. It’s a place that, like 672 Higuera St., had been empty for so long we’d ceased noticing its vacancy. The project, which transforms empty retail spaces into pop-up art galleries, has provided artists with a new venue…
Lucid drawing
I’m riding my goat down a trail in an extensive park.” So begins one of artist, musician, and extraordinarily vivid dreamer Philip Carey’s many dream accounts. “I get to the university and ride inside,” he goes on. “But a prof tells me the goat can’t come in, because they can’t have any carbon inside. I…
Unleash the freegan
Free stuff rules, especially when you’re really paying for it. By that, we mean free appetizers, of course. Those delicious little precursors to a well-deserved evening out don’t have to break the bank. They don’t even have to touch the bank. There are several establishments in and around San Luis Obispo that offer patrons a…
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 2009 Chardonnay Karia
This pretty, fruit-forward charmer offers delicious aromas and flavors of ripe apple and Bartlett pear, nicely balanced by moderate notes of vanilla, spice, and zippy Meyer lemon. It finishes with lingering fruity notes. It’s a good choice as a quaffer or with richer fish dishes, like crab Louis, prawn quesadilla with guacamole, roast chicken, or…
Dr. Loosen 2010 Riesling Kabinett Mosel Blue Slate
I suggest finding this delightful, value-priced white wine while you still can: It earned 90 points and the rating of “smart buy” from Wine Spectator’s critics. I enjoy Dr. Loosen’s lowest-priced Riesling, “Dr. L,” at $10.99 at Trader Joe’s, but this one is several steps up in quality. I loved its luscious, tangy green apple…
Rhone rangers ride again
For anyone new to wine tasting, just learning the basics can seem an insurmountable task. Few start out memorizing the wine varieties that originated in Bordeaux, much less the Rhone Valley (in France, Bordeaux is famous for seven, plus four lesser known varieties, according to the Oxford Companion to Wine, while the Rhone Valley has…
Have it your way
It was Tuesday, and I happened upon the sixth inner circle of hell. I was running late for work, but I made the rather keen decision to press on toward Starbucks, because without espresso I’m liable to become something out of a Wes Craven film. I stumbled absent-mindedly through the doors before I had time…
Cuesta College faculty speak to accreditation problems
Given the recent news about Cuesta College being required to “show cause” as to why it should remain an accredited institution, the Cuesta College faculty wish to help our local community better understand what has brought about this situation, and also to suggest ways in which the community can become involved. First, please be assured…
The fires won’t stop
Suzann Reeve is so right to say “don’t turn our coastal lands and inland empires into wind tunnels with blowing dust and erosion. Don’t destroy the habitat for many species of raptor and monarch butterflies … along our coasts … and trees amongst the hills and valleys.” (“Leave us eucalyptus lovers alone,” Jan. 5). When…
Changes in one area impact us all
Contrary to Michele and Hedy Avant (“Greetings from Earth,” and “Worry about native species,” respectively, Feb. 9), I enjoyed Anne Kellog’s spontaneous and heartfelt drawing and letter (“An appeal for saving the eucalyptus,” Feb. 2), which reminds us of our basic connection to this Earth, where we are surrounded by God’s expressions. I believe that…
New leaders must save our community college
For 16 years, Gaye Galvan and Per Mathiesen have overseen the decline of Cuesta College as trustees. They have now hired their third president after the first two crashed and burned after wreaking havoc. They also authorized bond measure G at maximum limits with vague needs that failed miserably. How many years now has Cuesta’s…
The Cornish are looking pasty
Poor old Dolly Pentreath must be turning over in her grave. “The pasty originated in Cornwall, England.” (“Pasty and present,” Feb. 9) Why not, Wales, England; Scotland, England; the Isle of Man, England; Ireland, England while we’re at it? Dear Maeve, the Cornish are no more English than are the Welsh or the Scots or…
New Times hit another low
What were you thinking? Or were you even thinking? Was it a slow news week? Roman Navarro? (“The Camp Snoopy Files,” Feb. 9) A criminal incarcerated for one year and facing the following charges: • burglary first degree • felony assault with a deadly weapon • felony attempt to prevent/dissuade a witness/victim • felony vandalism…
Joy Barlogio of Jack Creek Farms
New Times: How worried are you about the lack of rain this year? Barlogio: Actually, very. Most of our crops are non-irrigated, so we really depend on rainfall, especially for the fruit trees. If the soil isn’t moist, we won’t be able to plant late-season crops like safflower and pumpkins. New Times: Are there…
Gotcha!
I don’t know if you’ve taken a look at my aura lately, but it is damn sexy. It used to be a sickly green, but lately it’s more of a fecal brown. I attribute this self-improvement to my recent acquisition of an Inner Peace box, which is basically a cardboard box I nicked from a…
Cougars & Mustangs
The schedule is heating up as we head into the last leg of winter. While the newish year may still have you bogged down with work or various resolutions, you should still make time for a social life. Read on to learn about the good times to be had on the Cal Poly campus. Are…
Rooster crossing
There’s an old adage that too many cooks spoil the broth, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for the new Rooster Creek Tavern in the Old Village of Arroyo Grande. The tavern, which opened its doors less than a month ago, has eight owners. It’s a unique situation, but one that co-owner Frank…
Arroyo Grande picks a new police station location
The Arroyo Grande City Council has selected a potential site for a new police station. Council members discussed possible sites for the new station at their Feb. 14 meeting. One possibility is a spot on Ash Street where there are existing maintenance buildings; the other is an empty lot on West Branch Street near the…
Morro Bay sued over Cerrito Peak
A Morro Bay nonprofit group has sued the city following a controversial City Council decision to uphold the Planning Commission’s approval of a development on Cerrito Peak. On Feb. 6, the group Save the Park, headed by former councilwoman and mayoral candidate Betty Winholtz, filed a civil lawsuit at San Luis Obispo Superior Court, alleging…
Jeweler sentenced to 10 days
A salesman at the San Luis Obispo jewelry store All That Glitters was sentenced to 10 days in jail for delaying officers investigating his business on suspicion it was receiving stolen property. William McBurney, 57, was sentenced for the misdemeanor charge on Feb. 14 in SLO County Superior Court, roughly a week after 12 jurors…
Cuesta hires a heavy hitter for its accreditation fight
With its status as an accredited institution on its last leg, Cuesta College has hired Eva Conrad of the College Brain Trust for $234 an hour to swoop in and hopefully save the day. The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) demoted Cuesta’s accreditation status on Feb. 1 when it found the school…
Morro Bay talks snuffing butts
Guided by the “success” of San Luis Obispo’s public smoking ordinance and staring into the faces of roughly a dozen children and tweens practically begging the council to take action, the city of Morro Bay began toying with the idea of prohibiting the sucking of cancer sticks in certain areas. On Feb. 14, the Morro…
Denial recommended for Excelaron application
For many residents in the Huasna Valley, a recent county recommendation to deny an oil-drilling proposal is a sweet victory after years spent fighting Excelaron. On Feb. 10, San Luis Obispo County planning staffers made a recommendation to the county Planning Commission to deny Excelaron’s application to drill as many as a dozen wells in…
District dollars
The past couple years have been a financial bloodbath for teachers in California. Educators have fled school districts—and, in some cases, the state—taken early retirement, and endured endless cycles of pink slips and uncertainty. But a recent move by the Coastal Unified School district to increase salaries shows that some districts, at least, have navigated…
Toilet troubles
It would have been a throne room to rival the Taj Mahal, but the Paso Robles City Council decided on Feb. 7 to scale back plans for a new restroom at City Park. Don’t worry, though. It will still be pretty big, awfully nice, and really expensive. The city originally planned to refurbish the existing…
Shakeup in the valley
If you live in California Valley, the promises sound lovely: more firefighters at the ready, increased patrols from the Sheriff’s Department, and more people to keep your neighbor’s hovel up to code. Those were the promises, at least. As construction ramps up at both SunPower’s California Valley Solar Ranch and First Solar’s Topaz Solar Farm,…
Out of order
“A major pain.” That’s one of the more restrained comments recently made about an elevator at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court Annex, an elevator that’s been useless for four months. It’s more than an annoyance, since some people depend on it. The elevator has been out of operation since October due to a number…
