Cover Story
Pipe dream realized
Open publication – Free publishing – More water
Erath 2008 Pinot Noir Oregon
This easy-drinking wine is tasty alone and versatile enough for an array of dishes. Typical Oregonian in style, it offers aromas and flavors of bright red cherry, tangy plums, and exotic spices, nicely weaved with notes of currants and smoke. It’s available at BevMo! for $19.99 retail.
What message would you draft on a Valentine’s Day candy heart?
Mike D’Alesandor student “Bite me.” Tom Secor engineer “I’ll buy you a nice dinner and dessert.” Dawn Bergeron registered dental assitant “OMG.” D.J. Bennett student “That’s what she said.”
America in the raw
What does an avant garde saxophonist and composer do when he decides to honor the American folk tradition? He creates a banjo-driven album, of course, one that leads off with a cover of Aretha Franklin’s Ronnie Shannon-penned tune “You Ain’t Never Been Loved (The Way That I Love You).” If this all sounds impossibly odd,…
SunPower project nears completion
San Luis Obispo County planning commissioners have almost finished fine-tuning a 250-megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch project, after nearly five days of hearings focused on preserving the aesthetics of the remote California Valley. As of day five in the commission’s scrutiny of the project proposed by SunPower, no final decision had been reached. After more…
Corrections
• The Feb. 10 Shredder (“Too horrible for words”) was inaccurate. The San Luis Obispo County Superior Court plans to enact a limit of one camera per day during the Dystiny Myers murder trial. • In our Feb. 10 cover story, “Is this the party to whom I am speaking?” the last name of Laugh-In’s…
Haiku brewed locally
Two intrepid psychologists are joined by a local physician, a grieving mother, and a Cal Poly student. You can take a whack at the light bulb, as well, if you’re courageous. Send your brilliance to local writer and psychologist stevebrody@wildblue.net, and yours could be in Artifacts’ next haiku edition (every third Thursday of the month).…
Dream weaver
Wendelin Van Draanen is not going to write a book about brushing her teeth. It’s too mundane a topic for an Edgar Award-winning author who’s dropped her young characters into the middle of mysteries involving wilderness survival, elementary-school espionage, and costumed wrestling. Of course, she wasn’t going to write a book about running, either, but…
FDIC descends on San Luis Trust
On Feb. 9, the Office of Thrift Supervision, a federal regulatory agency under the U.S. Department of Treasury, issued a corrective action directive against San Luis Trust Bank, which it said is “critically undercapitalized.” The agency gave the bank until 5 p.m. on Feb. 15 to recapitalize through a merger with or acquisition by another…
Oceano nixes water sale
On Feb. 9, the Oceano Community Services District Board of Directors voted down a proposed sale of water to a developer, a move that most likely will put a crimp in developing properties bordering Pismo Beach. The board voted 3-2 against the sale, with President Jim Hill casting a surprising “no” vote. Directors Mary K.…
Binding arbitration re-visited?
During the San Luis Obispo City Council’s Feb. 15 meeting, Councilman Andrew Carter proposed putting binding arbitration and a two-tier benefit system for city employees on the June ballot. Perhaps more surprising, Carter had enough support to move his proposal forward. Council members Dan Carpenter and Kathy Smith voted to put the item on a…
Clubhouse is no more
After a turbulent four-year run, the Clubhouse at this Old House—a San Luis Obispo restaurant, bar, and music venue—is closing its doors for good. A multitude of problems, including financial hardship, code enforcement pressure, and complaints from neighbors, forced owner Andy Adams to call it quits. The Foothill Boulevard property is slated for auction on…
Oceano said no to DA inquiry
The Oceano Community Services District turned down a request from the District Attorney’s Office to continue an audit investigating financial irregularities last October, according to Oceano officials. With little fanfare or discussion, the Board of Directors turned down the request during a board meeting on Oct. 13, 2010. However, it’s likely there will be another…
Bernie Kautz passes away
Bernie Kautz, the Clark Foundation president described as “the Mother Theresa of fundraising,” died of a stroke early Feb. 9. Kautz, who turned 75 in January, was by all accounts the backbone of Arroyo Grande’s Clark Center for the Performing Arts. With the support of her husband Ron, Kautz raised millions of dollars to build…
Inconceivable
When Rasha Wyndsong, leader of the local Gypsy Pyrates guild, asked me if I could come to the Fremont theater in downtown San Luis Obispo—dressed as a pirate for a Princess Bride showing—I scoffed. Why not give me a challenge? Rasha knew I had pirate gear ever at the ready. Over the years, I’ve…
Why aren’t we moving?
Somewhere, there’s a zoo in a box. A Las Vegas wedding, your birthday party, a yoga class, the science fair—it’s all out there, waiting to be discovered. We can’t tell you where or what, or for that matter, why, New Times’ 2011 Spring Arts project, Box City, is. But if you’re reading this, chances are…
How to polish a turd
Plan A was to build a 21st century sewer for Morro Bay and Cayucos and get state regulators off of their backs. That didn’t go so well when other state regulators pointed to problems with the project design. So Plan B is to butter up state regulators with the help of a high-priced lobbyist who…
NTF calling …
In the wake of a series of raids on medical marijuana delivery services, which left the owners of those collectives with a long list of criminal charges and financial burdens, law enforcement officers have now begun contacting collective members. Charges against three defendants in the late-2010 investigation were rejected by the District Attorney’s Office early…
Clubs
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Need something to investigate?
The first thing Representative Darrell Issa did as House Oversight Committee Chair was to ask corporate lobbyists and his rich industry friends to tell him what to investigate. I have some suggestions. After what Wall Street, banks, and the other usual suspects have done to this country, why don’t we ask the Mafia to advise…
Do some fact checking, Americans
Why does anyone even listen to Republicans at all? Mitt Romney, setting himself up for a run in 2012, baldly lies by saying that Obama has presided over the largest job loss in American history. Truth: Under Bush, nearly 750,000 jobs were lost each month, whereas with Obama, there are tens of thousands of jobs created…
What’s next? ‘In Federal Government we trust?’
Federal law must be the “god” of education, health care, and business. The Federal Government giveth, and the Federal Government taketh away. Let’s all bow down to the law of the Federal Government—after all, the separation of church and state is in the Constitution. Oh, I’m sorry. That’s in the former and atheistic USSR’s constitution.…
Get out to Cuesta to hear some music
In a world that we all know can get ugly fast, it is a pleasure to be witness to a moment of human, connective perfection. The musical camaraderie (harmony?) of the Cuesta faculty at a recent Friday concert was just that. The simultaneous smiles of these paramount players (and instructors) signified their mutual respect and…
San Luis Obispo
I am very concerned about Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget cuts to developmental disabilities services. As a brand-new working, disabled, high-performance autistic man who now has job training with PathPoint EVR in San Luis Obispo, I am now frustrated at the lack of our own governor’s way of giving out budget cuts that will affect…
Union letter is scary
Today I read the letter sent out to the membership of the SLO Chamber of Commerce from the leadership of the local firefighters and police unions (“Unions boycott chamber awards,” Feb. 10) and would like to address them in public. Gentlemen, it was very disappointing to me. I am a longtime resident of SLO and…
SLO City Hall is playing on resentment
Robert McDonald’s article on the SLO Fiscal Sustainability Task Force (“One report to rule them all,” Feb. 10) was right on. The task of this group, many of whom have enjoyed preferential treatment by City Hall over the past decade, was to validate the city’s mantra that it’s the unions—not the city’s irresponsible financial administration—that…
Santos MacDonal, Il Cortile Restaurant executive chef
NEW TIMES Why did you want to start hosting cooking classes for the public? MACDONAL It’s imperative that people learn how to treat food with respect. Italian cooking really exemplifies this method by using each ingredient to its full potential and not trying to modify or change the ingredients to taste like something else.…
Ortman 2008 Sangiovese O2 Series
This delicious red is quite impressive for its great texture and balance. Forward fruit flavors of black cherries, blackberries, and pomegranate are nicely rounded out by zingy cranberry and raspberry notes. The subtle spice and herb notes make it just the ticket for pasta with a hearty meat or mushroom ragù, a great pizza, chicken…
Seafood, wines, and views
Appearances can be deceiving, and that fact is especially true of restaurants and chefs. A prime example is the SeaVenture Resort, adjacent to the Pismo Beach pier. The SeaVenture restaurant has had many chefs come and go through its busy kitchen doors, and many created impressive menus. Some of them left to seek the glamour…
Nipomo is still paradise for most
When I read the commentary about Nipomo development (“Stop paving paradise,” Feb. 10), I was a little confused by the nature of the story in general and dismayed in particular that the Kaleidoscope Inn somehow got sucked into the article because of a couple of carefully selected (and may I say unverified) reviews from Yelp.…
More than movies
The official opening of Galaxy Theatre Atascadero is still more than a month away, but it’s already being viewed as the city’s financial savior. “It’s been so exciting to see what [Galaxy Theatre] means to the city of Atascadero,” said communications consultant Maggie Cox. “It’s the anchor that the community has been waiting for, and…
News, schmooze
The inside of my mouth is so caked in chalky Valentine’s Day candy residue I can’t even swallow the chocolates I stole off a coworker’s desk. It’s not my fault. It’s just that when I get depressed, I find anything nearby and stick it in my face. Basically, I’m just a walking Cathy comic. Ack!…
