Cover Story
A crude proposal: The pros and cons of a controversial Phillips 66 oil-by-rail project
When viewed from the proper angle, the central conflict here bears a peculiar type of poetic symmetry: A local refinery would like to transport much of its crude oil into San Luis Obispo County via train, while opponents would prefer such plans to be driven out of the county on a rail. Many stakeholders adamantly…
The Cal Poly float wins a historic award in 2015’s Rose Parade
Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo joins with Cal Poly in Pomona each year to design and build a float for the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena. This year’s theme was “Inspiring Stories,” and the Poly entry—most prominently featuring a gryphon—won the Lathrop K. Leishman award, named for the former president and grand marshal of…
How should we get our energy in the future?
Peg Pfab retired “Alternative energies: wind, sun, and probably lots of other things that haven’t been developed yet. There’s all kinds of possibilities. We can do animal … um … leavings.” Larry Salas retired “As efficiently as possible from whatever source.” Brad Whitaker cinematographer “Right now, with the technology and everything that we have, the…
Good fences
I’ve never really been what people tend to call “a good neighbor.” Sure, I’ll loan you a cup of sugar. And while my personal fragrance might be called Eau de Forgot to Wear Deodorant, I’ve never been accused of befouling the air on a massive scale. I might occasionally give a dollar or some spare…
Sheriff’s Office finds no misconduct in how a woman was treated in jail, but witnesses provide differing accounts
The Sheriff’s Office recently reported finding no misconduct related to an incident of a woman with epilepsy who was sent to the San Luis Obispo County jail, but some witnesses to her time in custody have provided differing tales. On the evening of Oct. 11, Andrea Hansen placed a 911 call asking for assistance because…
Photographer Josie Iselin pays tribute to seaweed in her exhibit, Intertidal Heroes
When most people think of the beach, it’s usually a picturesque tableau: the sun, the surf, the annoying caws of seagulls trolling for food, and the ever-present sand that’s almost magnetically attracted to you and all your possessions. But photographer Josie Iselin is interested in only one thing: seaweed. Yes, that’s right. Seaweed—the greenish-brown mush…
Dustbowl Revival, Tipsy Gypsies give old sounds new life at SLO Brew Jan. 9
Venice Beach’s Dust Bowl Revival revels in a delicious mix of contradictions. Like any hearty musical stew worth its salt, the band has only taken on more complexity and depth of flavor over time. The ragtag group is both a “jazzy string band” and a “miniature orchestra,” both refreshingly youthful while simultaneously rooted at the…
Studios on the Park lays it on the line with new exhibit, A Line in Motion
I got an A in honors geometry, so I know a thing or two about lines. You can draw a line, you can toe the line, or, if you’re Joaquin Phoenix playing Johnny Cash, you can walk the line. This January, at Studios on the Park in Paso Robles, at least one of these is…
SLO Little Theatre stages ‘The Secret Garden’
There is an endless amount of children’s books in this day and age, but there are very few that can be considered classics. I mean, there are the ones you enjoy as a kid—Winnie the Pooh, Everybody Poops, Anna Karenina. Then, there are the ones that you carry into your adulthood. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The…
New Times gets nice and icy at Winter Wonder SLO
Geez louise. It seems like nearly every time I offer to do something for Art Bash, I wind up either bruised or exhausted, or both. I don’t know if this is some kind of New Times hazing machine, but they are winning. I’ve done it again. My battered muscles can barely stand to type this.…
Graphic designer extraordinaire Aaron Draplin comes to Cal Poly’s University Art Gallery
Aaron Draplin is a man of many talents. If you go to his website, look under the “About” section, and click on his “Professional Titles,” you’ll find a cavalcade of occupations both strange and wondrous: Junior Sasqualogist, Guitar Strummer, Junior Noodler, Carny, Master Junker, Philatelist, Record Collector, Anachronism Detective Draplin is a Renaissance man, but,…
Clubs 1/1/15-1/8/15
Goin’ South … THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. CUVEE BISTRO AND CHAMPAGNE BAR: 550 1st St., Avila Beach, 595-2245. Live music Thurs. and Sat. 6-9pm. 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…
Sparkle, sparkle fizz: A guide to enjoying bubbles long after New Year’s Eve
It’s New Year’s Day. The birds are chirping, the sun is blaring, and you can’t open your eyes without searing pain. Best case scenario: You’re in your bed, a pair of wacky “2015” sunglasses tucked under your chin, a spray of celebratory gold confetti stuck to your throbbing forehead. Worst case scenario: You don’t know…
January yum yums
Happy New (food) Year! It’s time for a fresh start and a whole new round of tastings and nibbles. Every Friday and Saturday this January, folks will be lounging at LXV in downtown Paso Robles while sampling a seductive range of Tantric Bites, like black truffle pâté on a petite toast with cornichon (a.k.a. sour…
Mistura’s Chicha Morada and LXV’s 2013 Dark Romance
New Times Managing Editor Ashley Shwellenbach can brag all she wants about how she got to try real Peruvian ceviche and fresh chicha morada in Peru (food envy is a real thing, and it can destroy relationships). I can’t whine too loudly about missing out, however. I actually enjoyed the next best thing while dining…
Restoring faith in people: Mt Carmel Lutheran Church hosts Interfaith Lecture Series
What would the world look like if we all understood and respected each other’s beliefs? This might be an impossible question to answer, and seem like a far-fetched concept, but one local church is trying to change that at the local level. Mt Carmel Lutheran Church in San Luis Obispo is playing host to its…
Cougars & Mustangs
Welcome, foolish mortals–er, dear readers–to 2015! I’m sure you’re very excited to celebrate the arrival of the new year, but you haven’t got time for that. Your first priority is New Year’s resolutions! How are you going to spend the next 364 days? What, you don’t have it all figured out yet? But, but ……
Gearing up: San Luis Obispo has a new plan to move forward with the Railroad Safety Trail for bicyclists
Throughout the many years bike advocates and San Luis Obispo city officials have worked toward completing the Railroad Safety Trail, the main obstacles have been building the trail along the railroad and making the route safe for bicyclists. The trail idea has long been a tricky one for cyclists in the city. While the goal…
Senator Bill Monning will become the California Senate Majority Leader in 2015
Central Coast constituents may get a little bit more pull in the California State Senate’s upcoming 2015 session. Sen. Bill Monning will start the year sitting as the new senate majority leader; he was appointed by President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon in December. Monning, a Democrat, represents California’s 17th Senate District, which encompasses all…
California will now issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants
Amid the national traffic jam of attempts for comprehensive immigration reform, advocates for undocumented immigrants in California have collectively inched forward a bit. Under AB 60, passed in the 2013 legislation session, undocumented immigrants who meet eligibility requirements will be able to obtain a California driver’s license. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will…
One defendant of the Doobie Dozen has filed a court motion seeking the return of his property after four years
A man recently cleared of charges related to a medical marijuana sting in 2010 is now struggling to have his property returned. Steven Gordon, one of 12 people arrested in 2010 as part of an interagency sting operation targeting medical marijuana delivery services, is seeking a court order to have his property returned; that includes…
Grover Beach man killed in Oceano Dunes crash
At approximately 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 28, Grover Beach resident Bryon Tatum, 52, was removing a flag from the rear of his vehicle parked on the sand of the Oceano Dunes when he was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle. According to Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area District Superintendant Brent Marshall, Tatum was…
Warning to all cyclists!
Day before Thanksgiving I was leaving the Marigold Centre on my bike. An older man with a disabled person’s license drove past me so close I could have touched his car. He proceeded to veer closer and closer into the bike lane. At one point, we would have hit me, except I swerved around to…
Listen to that, San Luis Obispo
Hey New Times! We may no longer be permitted “a peep” from behind the closed door sessions of our august Board of Supervisors (“Ashbaugh condemned,” Nov. 16), but we can’t miss the constant, thunderous, overhead noise of screaming jet planes and prop plane motors at 6 a.m. to know the nature of the cacophony that’s…
Short thoughts, no names, same writer?
“Obama Pelosi Reid really are idiots and Suck!!!!”—Jan. 15 “Your paper is shit. Ever since Steve Moss passed away your paper is only good for lighting the BBQ! You and your staff SUCK!!!”—sent Dec. 4
Editor’s note
As New Times kicks off a new year of covering news and presenting opinions in San Luis Obispo County, I wanted to share with you some of the submissions I received in 2014, but which didn’t make it print for one reason or another. As a rule, I require a full name (a real one;…
Notes to the Shredder
A word from the executive editor: New Times has a policy of running letters that fit each of three criteria: They’re sent to the editor (hence: letter to the editor), they have a full name attached, and they have a city of residence included. The Shredder, our cantankerous phantasm that tosses out 800 or so…
