Cover Story
Health and Wellness 2024
For this year’s issue of Health & Wellness, we decided to focus on outside-the-box approaches to healing. The good sort of pain Cupping therapy is an ancient pain-relief practice that’s quietly active in SLO County BY BULBUL RAJAGOPAL Music as medicine Local violinist Brynn Albanese brings healing, hope, and more as a certified music practitioner…
SLO’s Duncan Alley is gaining traction as a beverage hub
LoBro libations New beverage district Duncan Alley is located at 3197 Duncan Road near lower Broad Street and Orcutt Road in San Luis Obispo’s LoBro neighborhood. A centralized website is forthcoming at duncanalley.com. In Ray Oldenburg’s 1989 book The Great Good Place, he suggests that for a healthy existence citizens must balance three realms: home,…
SLO Beaver Brigade celebrates the semiaquatic rodent’s contributions to local ecosystems on Feb. 10 in Atascadero
Starting Feb. 10, beavers will have more eyes on them as the SLO Beaver Brigade and the Atascadero City Council team up to celebrate their contributions to California’s ecosystem. Beginning at 9 a.m. at the De Anza Trailhead in front of the Atascadero wastewater treatment facility, the Central Coast organization will unveil a new interpretive…
A right to clean air, water, soil
In the article “Chemical conundrum” (Feb. 1), all I see is a lot of passing the buck, lawyers getting rich from all the suing going on, delays, more delays, misdirection, and no recognized authority ready, willing, and able to take charge of this screwed up mess and make it right. It could all have been…
We shouldn’t be obligated to hand out free rides
I want to commend Kathi Mendes Gulley for having the guts to write her editorial, “Lost faith,” in the Feb. 1 edition of your paper. She is expressing exactly what so many of us believe, but most are afraid to say. Kathi is telling the truth. Will unlimited billions in taxpayer dollars funneled into the…
Homelessness solutions require focusing on areas of broad agreement
Most people can broadly agree on a few things about the homeless. It is distressing to see them. They make an awful mess. Some of them are dangerous. They devalue our cities and neighborhoods. They reduce our collective quality of life. Beyond these areas of broad agreement opinions diverge. Consensus is lost. Possibilities are limited.…
Mental health is where we should start with homelessness
I am responding to Kathi Mendes Gulley’s Feb. 1 opinion piece, “Lost faith,” and her stated lost faith about how homelessness in San Luis Obispo County is being managed. I want to first state that I am not a trained professional in social services nor a homeless advocate. My only personal knowledge streams from my…
Beehive brings the boogie and celebrates famous 60s singers at SLO Rep
Get your tickets Visit slorep.org or call (805) 786-2440 to get tickets to Beehive, which runs from Feb. 9 to March 10 at SLO Rep, 888 Morro St., SLO. For more information on SLO Rep and future events, follow it on Instagram @sloreptheatre. Looking for a toe-tapping combo of nostalgia and live music? Look no…
America doesn’t need to start over; it just needs tweaks
I have never understood the MAGA movement. Make America great again? America has always been great. I should know. I have been to at least 50 countries and all 50 states. While America may need to be tweaked once in a while as democracy is dynamic, she does not need to be destroyed, as Trump…
Clark Center for the Performing Arts pays tribute to Whitney Houston in Arroyo Grande
Belinda Davids will portray Whitney Houston in an upcoming tribute show at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande. The venue’s sole performance of the touring two-hour production, titled The Greatest Love of All, will be held on Saturday, Feb. 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. According to press materials, the show…
Susan Funk has my vote for SLO County’s 5th District
San Luis Obispo County needs new, real leadership, not a hand-picked successor for the current contentious supervisor from District 5. Susan Funk is a successful businesswoman and two-term Atascadero City Council member with a master’s degree in public administration from Stanford University. And, yes, she fully supports law enforcement and all first responders; helped formulate…
Monarch Books hosts reading, signing with children’s author Patricia Toht
To celebrate the release of her new children’s book, Taxi, Go!, author Patricia Toht will host a free reading and book signing event at Monarch Books in Arroyo Grande on Saturday, Feb. 17, from 1 to 2 p.m. Illustrated by artist Maria Karipidou, Taxi, Go! follows the journey of a taxi that picks up and…
The Oceano beach death is on the ODSVRA
On Jan. 10, 2024, a man was found dead on the beach at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) by State Parks rangers. The next day his car was found in the ocean. On Jan. 11, New Times published a letter by Oceano resident Mary Martin: “State Parks take risks in Oceano.” What…
Healing holistically: Local farmers discuss plants and herbs that can serve as natural medicine
Central Coast bounty Learn more about GreenLove at greenlove.co or visit its shop at 491 1st St., No. B-1, Avila Beach. Its health and body products are sourced from SLO Creek Farms, 6455 Monte Road. For more information, visit slocreekfarms.com. Hambly Farms is located at 1390 Grana Place, San Miguel. For more information on the…
The unhoused hustle
Alright, SLO County, are you ready for another two dozen unhoused folks to hit the streets or the creeks? Because they’re coming, one way or another … or maybe not yet. Who knows? We live in litigation nation, baby! What’s certain is that after months of threats, the county has finally promised to close the…
Shortcomings is sly examination of Asian and Caucasian relationships
SHORTCOMINGS What’s it rated? PG-13What’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Netflix Randall Park directs this dramedy about a young Asian couple whose relationship is on the rocks. Ben (Justin H. Min) is an insufferable, judgmental, and aggrieved hipster and aspiring filmmaker. His partner, Miko (Ally Maki), is an…
Homeless union poised to file restraining order against SLO County
The local chapter of the California Homeless Union returned to the SLO County Government Center prepared to take another legal action against officials. During the Feb. 7 Board of Supervisors meeting, a small crowd of union members, who were current and former residents of the Oklahoma Avenue safe parking site, rallied outside against the county’s…
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
What’s it rated? R When? 2004 Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre in SLO on Feb. 11 (1:30 and 7 p.m.) and 12 (7 p.m.) Existential crisis, here we come! Joel (Jim Carrey) can’t get Clementine (Kate Winslet) out of his head. Yet it seems that Clementine has decided to treat him like a total…
Cease and desist letter temporarily halts Paso’s downtown parking fees
Downtown Paso Robles visitors can expect to pay nothing to park after the city announced a pause to its parking program. “The city has received a cease and desist letter regarding the modification to the paid parking program regarding violations of the Brown Act and other state laws,” Paso Robles City Attorney Elizabeth Hull said…
Reacher (Season 2)
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2022–present Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime I thought the first season of Reacher was good, but wowza, this second is even better. Based on the book series by Lee Child, the TV series follows retired military police officer Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson), a mountain of a man who lives the…
Strong winds topple trees, power lines across SLO County
San Luis Obispo County emergency services fielded hundreds of calls relating to downed trees and power lines during the recent storms, which dropped between 1 and 4 inches of rain across the county and brought wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour between Feb. 3 and 6. On Feb. 4 around 9 a.m.…
The Bones of J.R. Jones plays a Numbskull and Good Medicine show at Club Car Bar on Feb. 9
In The Bones of J.R. Jones’ new video for “The Good Life,” off his new album Slow Lightning, a blond woman stares dead-eyed into the camera in front of a greasy spoon’s kitchen hood, a row of pots hanging behind her. Cut to food order tickets: “ribeye,” “not a chx (tofu),” “fried chicken sando.” She’s…
Meathead Movers files response to age discrimination claims
Meathead Movers—the San Luis Obispo moving company on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) radar for alleged age discriminatory practices—shot back at the federal agency’s complaints against it. “[The EEOC] has engaged in a years-long campaign to extract millions of dollars in ‘back wages’ from Defendant Meathead Movers Inc. that it knows the company…
The good sort of pain: Cupping therapy is an ancient pain-relief practice that’s quietly active in SLO County
Loosen up Consult Avery Acupuncture and Natural Medicine for cupping and acupuncture services at 1704 Spring St., suite 202, in Paso Robles. Call (805) 400-9723 or schedule an appointment online at averyacupuncture.com. San Luis Chronic Pain Therapies at 211 Tank Farm Road, suite A, in SLO offers massage and cupping sessions. Call (805) 316-5118 or…
Cambria considers changes to weed-abatement policy enforcement
The Cambria Community Services District wants to strengthen its weed-abatement policy this year after 550 properties failed to meet last year’s deadline. “2023’s fire season was spectacular in terms of how little was done by these 550 properties,” Cambria resident Donald Archer told New Times. “It’s a good step to see that it is even…
Music as medicine: Local violinist Brynn Albanese brings healing, hope, and more as a certified music practitioner
Want to help? Visit ecologistics.org to help support the nonprofit that funds Brynn Albanese’s efforts to bring the healing power of music to the Central Coast. For more information on future events or to contact Albanese for her services, visit brynnalbanese.com. The calming sound of a violin string being played echoes in the room as…
Offshore wind farm development could take up to 15 years
It could take 12 to 15 years to fully develop the planned wind projects off the coast of Morro Bay, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). “This will be a phased approach with four phases and each phase can last between one and five years,” BOEM Renewable Energy Specialist Matthew Blazek said…
Correction
• In the Feb. 1 article, “Paso Robles delays downtown parking program changes,” New Times incorrectly attributed Clive Pinder’s statement about why Paso Robles’ downtown parking program was under review. Pinder said that residents claimed the city’s new parking program potentially didn’t abide by state vehicle codes. We regret the error. Δ
