Cover Story
Migrating to oblivion
Disease and development, pesticides and pollution… these are just some of the dangers playing a part in the slow death of the Western monarch butterfly. #The monarch isn’t considered an endangered species and so receives no special federal protections. Over the last couple of years, however, the number of migratory monarchs that return to the…
Excuses aren’t cutting it
I really don’t care about Sheriff Hedges’ lame excuses and rationalizations regarding the death of Jay Vestal (“Clearing the air,â€? Jan. 27-Feb. 3). If a half-dozen burly deputies cannot subdue a short, skinny, unarmed suspect without killing him in the process, they are just flat-out incompetent. Hedges obviously cannot see past the end of his…
What the county’s talking about this week
Murder in Avila Beach Monday was a gory day in Avila. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a disturbance call at 12:10 p.m. on Laurel Street in Avila Beach. Deputies found Angeles Marqués De González, 45, bleeding from her neck and torso. Deputies said that she was screaming. Her son, Edgar D. González, 24, was inside the…
Silas of the lambs
I’ve never really been a very religious person, unless you count the time I prayed that God would give me a great, fulfilling job and a long, fulfilling life. So far, he hasn’t answered the former, which doesn’t exactly raise my hopes for the success of the latter, at least the fulfilling part, and if…
Yes, I want proof!
Gail McPherson did not do her homework. In her letter to the editor (“You want proof?â€? Jan. 20-27), she states: The LOCSD did not look at alternatives. Well, in fact, the LOCSD reviewed numerous alternatives: locations (including the Andre Site), collection technologies (including STEP/STEG), disposal strategies, and treatment technologies (including ponds). Where were you? The…
The Trib can’t get it right
On Jan. 19, the Tribune once again gave SLO residents cause to give thanks for New Times. Our daily paper took up the cudgel for one of its favorite anti-environmental causes: Wiping out the Pacific population of the Western snowy plover, which continues to have the temerity to nest on local beaches. The Trib meant…
Move over, yoga…
It took several thousand years for the art of yoga to penetrate our culture and catch on with Western fitness gurus. But in no more than two decades, the innovative Nia technique is already spreading like wildfire through gyms and exercise studios across the nation. Amy Swanson, owner of the San Luis Obispo Yoga Centre…
Cameron Clapp is an inspiration
I’m amazed and humbled after reading the remarkable story about Cameron Clapp (“Running man,â€? Jan. 20-27). I remember how the community rallied around after his tragic accident — only a few days after the 9/11 crisis in 2001. Even as the whole wide world grieved the loss of life in N.Y., SLO County reeled as…
To all my critics
Well, after my op ed piece (“This inauguration is a sham,â€? Jan. 20-27), I would say that I got a fair cross section of the American voting public. Some said, “right on!â€? Others cried foul, wimp, victim, sore losing liberal. In one letter from Matt (Jan. 27-Feb. 3), I was challenged on my assertion about…
Forget left or right; fix the system
I have been reading all the letters and commentary in the New Times about the election since it ended — the bitching and moaning from left and right. But the one thing that everyone has failed to realize is that they both work for the same team. It isn’t left or right that we should…
Don’t believe everything you hear
Recently I attended a public design meeting concerned with public input as to the city’s plan for the new “downtownâ€? area. Aside from city staff members and members of the various redevelopment committees, it would appear that I was the only person representing the public. Why was I the only one? Well, either no one…
The news… starts now
Oh my God, no one is looking out for me anymore! Silas, what were you thinking? No more column, no more radio, no more opinion, no more celebrity. You’ll miss the limelight and the freedom. Hope you can manage. Boy can I relate. All the changes in the news business. I shouldn’t be surprised, really,…
Since when is it illegal to gather in public?
Is it just me, or am I seeing a curious gesture from SLO governmental officials and the “communityâ€? that goes against an unalienable right we have to gather in public? How can they (those who drafted and ran the ad in this week’s New Times — “The Party is Overâ€?) be acting in good conscience…
Don’t be a sore loser
Robert Sachs’ commentary concerning the Bush inauguration (“This inauguration is a sham,â€? Jan. 20-27) is the pathetic response of a loser. This is the kind of liberal that has been on the public dole all this life and hopes a Democratic president will be able to supply more support for his lifestyle. It is distressing…
High and dry
Along the banks of San Luis Obispo Creek, where flood-damaged plants are still obvious, a 24-year-old Cal Poly student, Ethan Donahue talked about his rescue weeks before from a dank perch underneath the Broad Street bridge. #After spending a day scouting various sections of the creek during a recent storm, Donahue and his friend, Jacob…
Mardi Gras goes underground as city ramps up preparations
It was a busy week for San Luis Obispo police officials: There were radio interviews, more “stay home, stay safeâ€? ads, and even a briefing for local media on what to expect during the Mardi Gras weekend. Over at the Ludwick Center on Santa Rosa, officials closed the building to the public and began turning…
Reaching for the sky
Services for San Luis Obispo’s rich and famous have just stepped up a notch, thanks to the Aviation Consultants Inc. (ACI) Jet Center that opened at San Luis Obispo County Airport on Jan. 27. The brand-new private terminal and flight lounge represents the culmination of an ambition that took flight in 1999. After graduating from…
Get off it, Pandora
SLO County Parks Commissioner Pandora Nash-Karner “Trying to give kids something to doâ€? (Jan. 27-Feb. 3): Raping the entire front half of the only park in Los Osos for a skate park has more to do with your “four more courtsâ€? group and Central Coast Investments Inc. — DBA Pandora & Co. — than it…
It’s time to work together
I am aware that the “Save the Dreamâ€? group and Pandora Nash-Karner continue to slander me to people in Los Osos concerning my credentials and professional record. I challenge this group to come out of the shadows, stop bashing individuals and stifling free speech through intimidation and join us to build an affordable and sustainable…
Picking the Jackson 12
If Santa Maria attorney Michael Clayton were defending Michael Jackson from charges of child molestation in the King of Pop’s high-profile court case, his ideal juror would be a childless, middle-aged Raiders fan with a mohawk and an ear for pop music. While the odds of such a person turning up for the jury selection…
