Paso Robles artist and craftsman Brad Golden shares his expertise at Studios on the Park
Do you wish you could make something cool and beautiful but don’t know where to start? Maybe you want to create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry or make an original linoleum block print. Brad Golden can help you with that. He’s now offering hands-on classes in several media, from torch-fired enameling to silver sandcasting to…
The SLO City Council gave itself higher salaries as compensation for growing workloads and incentives for diverse candidates
The paycheck that comes with being San Luis Obispo mayor will almost double next January—a move approved by the City Council in response to the increased workload and time commitments demanded by public service. At its Jan. 13 meeting, the City Council unanimously voted to adopt new pay rates based on recommendations by a city…
With federal grant ending, Templeton cuts reserve firefighter program to fund full-time staff
Templeton is a town that understands the value of minutes. When a fire tore through the iconic Templeton Feed and Grain building on July 4, firefighters arrived within three minutes, containing a blaze in the heart of downtown. For the past three years, a federal grant helped ensure that kind of rapid, experienced response was…
Operate Well Consulting focuses on uplifting neurodivergent communities in work environments
A simple walk during lunch, meditation, and other “self-care stuff” are things that left San Luis Obispo native Marissa Mosunich unfulfilled as she tried to adapt and take care of herself at work. She knew something needed to change. After receiving diagnoses relating to neurodivergence in adulthood, Mosunich’s professional and personal life improved. Her experiences with…
Our democracy is under attack
We have lived over half a century in this lovely idyllic locale and through many uncertain and traumatic events and times. However, none compare to what is happening at this moment in time—none! To say that we are living in an unprecedented time cannot be overstated or over-emphasized. As such, our individual and collective responses…
Learn about one woman’s impact on San Luis Obispo at the History Center
The History Center of San Luis Obispo County has opened Who Was Ethel Cooley? The hands-on exhibit is based on dozens of scrapbooks Miss Cooley (1905-1995) kept for decades that were donated by her niece. Credit goes to new Executive Director Steve Schmidt and the collections department, which sifted through boxes and curated insightful pages.…
We all win if we recognize racism, respect differences
Have you ever asked yourself, “If I had been alive during the Holocaust what would I have done? If I had been alive during slavery, what would I have done? If I had been alive during the battle for equal rights for all Americans, what would I have done?” Well, we each are doing it…
California’s cannabis rules are moral posturing masquerading as governance
This didn’t “mysteriously” happen (“Cannabis is California’s dead golden goose,” Jan. 15). California’s legal cannabis market didn’t fail—it was designed to fail, and the warning signs were there from day 1. When Lori Ajax, a former alcohol regulator, was put in charge of cannabis, that should have told everyone everything they needed to know. The…
With trial looming, new TAAG chair faces 24 charges tied to Templeton road dispute
The Templeton Area Advisory Group (TAAG) is navigating a period of upheaval. Its chair resigned, board members voted to remove the vice chair, and they also appointed a new leader, who is facing dozens of charges stemming from a long-running neighborhood dispute. Freshly appointed TAAG Chair David Leader faces 24 misdemeanor charges from the San…
Estefany Contreras’ celiac-safe Mexican bakery finds a new home in Grover Beach
Sin Gluten Co., the name of Estefany Contreras’ upcoming Mexican bakery in Grover Beach, appears straightforward enough, but its meaning is actually deeply layered and personal. Stay tunedSin Gluten Co., located at 191 South Oak Park Blvd., unit 1, in Grover Beach, is aiming to open its doors by March. Track the company’s progress via…
Paulding and Verdin criticize donor types in 4th District Supervisor campaign contributions
The race to be San Luis Obispo County’s next 4th District Supervisor heated up after campaign finance contributions were disclosed. “My opponent, Adam Verdin, has raised about $165,000 so far. Over $30,000 of that comes directly from housing developers,” incumbent Jimmy Paulding wrote in a Feb. 3 email to constituents. “I never accept money from…
Singer-songwriter and raconteur Steve Poltz returns to The Siren on Feb. 11
“A dude named Steve Poltz (me) in East Nashville wakes up one morning and gets a call from another dude in East Nashville named Dex Green. Dex says, ‘Hey man, you live so close. You oughta come over and make some music. Maybe we’ll document it—who knows, maybe it’s a record,’” troubadour Steve Poltz explains on…
Atascadero Unified teachers push back over no pay adjustment
Teachers, parents, and community members packed the Atascadero Unified School District board meeting on Feb. 3, many wearing red and orange school colors, to urge administrators to reconsider not offering a cost-of-living pay adjustment (COLA) for educators. Despite receiving a 2.3 percent COLA adjustment through the state, the district previously said it would not be…
The Wrecking Crew is a well-cast mismatched buddy action comedy
Angel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle) directs Jonathan Tropper’s (The Adam Project) script about estranged half-brothers—reckless Oklahoma reservation cop Jonny (Jason Momoa) and disciplined former Navy SEAL turned drill instructor James Hale (Dave Bautista)—who reunite in Honolulu after their shady private eye father, Walter (Brian L. Keaulana), dies in a hit-and-run. Was it murder? As they…
SLO City Council calls to keep Laguna Lake golf course accessible
Golfing was passed down from father to son in San Luis Obispo retiree Jeff Spevack’s life. He played with his father, and ultimately taught his son the game at SLO’s Laguna Lake Municipal Golf Course. Spevack now plays friendly games for a small trophy called the Laguna Cup every Tuesday with a group of avid…
Kidnapped reveals new insights into the Elizabeth Smart abduction
It’s a familiar story for anyone who was around in the early 2000s. At 14, she was abducted from her Utah home while her family slept, except her little sister Mary Katherine, who witnessed the kidnapping. The media storm that followed was deafening, yet Elizabeth’s captors managed to keep her hidden away for nine months.…
Tantrum time!
Did Dan Dow confuse the official San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office Facebook page with his personal propaganda machine? He must have because amid all the normal posts from the office about scams, professional achievements, and convictions was a lone comment targeting a local media outlet. “A local blog masquerading as media claims this…
Shelter is a serviceable but predictable Jason Statham vehicle
Ric Roman Waugh (Greenland) directs this action thriller about a recluse (Jason Statham) living on a remote Scottish island with his dog. A young girl, Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), delivers supplies every week, but during a storm, her dingy is swamped, forcing the recluse, who we later learn is named Michael Mason, to rescue her.…
Back by popular demand, Million Dollar Quartet returns to SLO Rep
It’s a Sunday afternoon in SLO REP’s downtown theater, and Million Dollar Quartet Director Kevin Harris is putting his actors through their paces while working with his tech crew to get all the glitches worked out. Elvis Presley (Tony Costa, one of only two locals in the cast of professional actors) can’t hear his voice…
Chicano artist and activist Juan Fuentes’ Paso de la Luz opens at Pocket Gallery Feb. 7
We’ve all heard negative Latino stereotypes. For Chicano artist Juan Fuentes, “My goal has always been to portray our people in a very positive, beautiful, and dignified manner in contrast to the continual negative portrayal of us in the media.” Fuentes’ parents were born in Texas and later migrated to New Mexico, where he was…
