Cover Story
The long, hard line
They start lining up in the cold and dark, hours before many people have even hit the snooze button. If you know what to look for, the signs are obvious: columns of people huddling against cold and wind, the buzz of forklifts, the scratching sound of packages and cans being shuffled in cardboard boxes. A…
There’s a wrinkle in the bag ordinance debate
Update: After several hours of public testimony, the county’s Integrated Waste Management Authority narrowly approved an ordinance intended to reduce consumer use of single-use plastic and paper bags. On an 8-5 vote, the board passed the new rules that will ban many local retail stores from passing out free plastic carryout bags to customers and…
Clubs
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. 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…
Go big or go home
The holidaze are over and SLO Brew is back with a phat week full of shows. Hold onto your hats, people! Bluesman Tommy Castro returns for an evening of his patented “soul-inflected rockers with the occasional slow blues or shuffle thrown into the mix to keep it honest.” The San Jose guitarist cut his teeth…
Fight for your right to Mardi!
It’s Friday, Jan. 6, also known as Twelfth Night, and I’ve got so many strands of beads around my neck I feel like a plow horse in a harness. It’s 6 p.m., and my paramour Anna Robertshaw and I have just arrived at Bon Temps Creole Café, which is having a special Mardi Gras dinner…
Classically North County
If you live in North County and haven’t made the acquaintance of Symphony of the Vines, here’s your opportunity. This relatively new chamber orchestra will perform baroque masterpieces from Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi in a gorgeous setting with “Bach in the Mission,” a concert at the recently renovated Mission San Miguel on Jan. 14 at…
A dimension of sound and–soon–sight
Dennis Miller wanted to live down the street from Rod Serling. No, he didn’t want a house in some sort of Twilight Zone neighborhood where people suddenly found themselves being whisked away to random cornfields or encountering Burgess Meredith, with cracked spectacles, complaining, “That’s not fair. That’s not fair at all.” What Miller wanted was…
Can we talk?
The work of comedian and actress Joan Rivers has long pushed the boundaries of taste and decency. In her unforgettable brassy manner, raspy voice, and thick New York accent, Rivers has brought formerly untouchable topics—abortion? death? female angst?—to the stage since the ’60s. She’s also admired as an Emmy-winning talk show host, playwright, bestselling author,…
Dedicated to the end
Christopher Hitchens, one of the leaders of the New Atheism and who died on Dec. 15, 2011, at 62 after a diagnosis of esophageal cancer, was an intellectual provocateur who would not hesitate to offend or disturb if it stood in the way of what he thought was correct. To be shocked upon hearing some…
Media outlets treat Muslims and quarterbacks differently
As Muslims created a nuisance kneeling in the middle of a busy New York street disrupting traffic while supposedly praying and testing the nation’s tolerance, there was nary a negative whimper about this absurdity from our vigilant media. Yet when Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow kneels by himself on the sideline, whispering a few words of…
Invest in Mission Plaza
I read something in a travel book recently that prompted me to ask this question: Is there a place in San Luis Obispo where you can stand and say: “Ah, this is San Luis Obispo”? There is an area that has a lot of foot traffic, a lot of places to sit outdoors, and a…
You are under attack
Utility companies are utilizing bully tactics to install “smart” metering and communications technologies across the country. Do not believe the utilities are doing this for you. This is a gimmick to secure corporate profits (from you) in a changing world. There is nothing wrong with the old meters. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, section…
False anger at spending cuts
In 2011, Californians saw protests against the spending cuts to services for the elderly, poor, sick, and college students. The protesters spoke out against the cuts and directed their anger at those they deemed responsible for the reductions, mainly banks and big corporations. However, California Democrats and the people who supported job-killing legislation deserve blame…
San Luis Obispo could learn from Portland
The homeless in SLO must envy the lucky in Portland who can land a spot at Dignity Village. It is hard not to see a parallel between Dignity Village and Dan De Vaul (except Dan goes it alone with government interference and Dignity Village has government helping). Imagine if our county had embraced Dan De…
These comments should have ended campaigns
Tell me, please, how Republican presidential candidates make political hay with extremist remarks. Such remarks from a leftist would provoke no end of outcry. Rick Santorum explicitly names blacks as a taxpayer burden and immoral about marriage. Newt Gingrich implicitly references blacks while criticizing child labor laws. He blasts judges for enforcing Congress’ and President…
Eucalyptus trees haven’t been here that long
The writer from Los Osos (“Leave us eucalyptus lovers alone,” Jan. 5) would have better served the cause of her argument had she done the barest minimum of research before writing. The earliest plantings in California date possibly to the mid 1850s, with a few claims that it could have happened in 1800—a far cry…
If this isn’t a positive approach, what is?
It’s news to me that Portola brought the eucalyptus with him on his expedition to California’s Central Coast in the 1700s (“Leave us eucalyptus lovers alone,” Jan. 5). The history books I’ve read suggest most eucalyptus in California are the product of a failed experiment to use the fast-growing timber for construction and fuel at…
MICHELLE ROBERSON
NEW TIMES How long have you been stage manager at the Little Theatre? ROBERSON I did my first show there, M. Butterfly, in 2008. Gosh, it’s been a while! NEW TIMES How long have you been into theater? ROBERSON I danced for 10 years, until my sophomore year in high school, when I got…
The last of their kind
I have a moral dilemma that I’m hoping you’ll help me resolve. Last week I got a peek at former KCOY weatherman Jim Byrne’s diary. At least, I’m pretty sure it was his. Don’t tell anyone, but we get together a couple of times each month to dish about the grind and glory of working…
What’s in a name?
If you’ve paid a visit to Kreuzburg recently, you’ve probably noticed a menu theme: authors. If you’re in the mood for some hummus, pepperjack, and veggies, the Thoreau sandwich will probably catch your eye. If you happen to be craving fried chicken breast with a “tangy slaw,” the Samuel Clemens is your best bet. So…
Bishop’s Peak Pinot Noir 2010 San Luis Obispo County
This delightful Pinot is quite good for such a value price. It opens with bold, ripe flavors of blackberries, boysenberries, and plums that are well balanced by tangy, bright notes of cherry, herbs, and earth. It will reward those who cellar it a few years, but it’s so drinkable now, you’ll find it hard to…
Bishop’s Peak 2010 Riesling Arroyo Grande Valley
This lovely white wine is a great choice for sipping or enhancing your meals. It offers fragrant floral aromas with flavors of apricots, peach, and citrus, and a note of tangy green apple. It’s only slightly sweet, which is beautifully offset by the bright acidity. I loved it with Thai curry and pad Thai, and…
Living in the heart of Pinot Noir country
At Cal Poly, the motto is “learn by doing,” but for students in the enology and viticulture programs, it’s more like “learn by tasting.” The students who study winemaking, wine growing, or wine marketing are fortunate, as the school has excellent connections with the local wine industry. Students are provided internships and the opportunity to…
Cougars & Mustangs
This week we will skip along through recent happenings and upcoming events of 2012. The commencement of a new year wouldn’t be complete without the annual Tournament of Roses parade. Regardless of your collegiate affiliation, it’s always a kick to check out the garish floats decked out with garlands, streamers, and giant, genetically modified floral…
Insert joke here
It was the day after Christmas, and Sarah Forstner and Dana Cumings were in Arroyo Grande placing a one-year-old, nameless black and white Americana in the care of Stan Broadfoot, who first contacted the couple on Craigslist for general information about rooster care. Broadfoot bent down and placed his new fowl—which he later named Chief—on…
All paws on deck
With some effort, a three-legged cat hobbles over to a food bowl near the entryway to the Cal Poly Cat Shelter program headquarters. Ellen Notermann, co-founder of the program, scoops up another cat, a brown and grey tabby that’s been rubbing its head against her leg for several moments. Notermann points to a three-story enclosure:…
All down the line
It’s a sunny and clear Christmas afternoon in downtown San Luis Obispo and the streets are mostly empty, save for a few revelers hopping from one pub to another. The most happening spot in town appears to be the Amtrak station, where about 70 people walk by with bags slung over their shoulders. Young families…
A culinary adventure
If you want a culinary adventure, Kreuzberg’s saucy sister Sidecar SLO will provide you with an experience just about as exciting as a ride in a real sidecar, minus the dying pastime of using fossil fuels for fun. In a space that melds comfort and creativity, local art hangs on starlit wall murals, complemented by…
Change places!
This year began as all years do for the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors: a look back, a look forward, and some light musical chairs. Supervisor Adam Hill turned over his chairman seat to Supervisor Jim Patterson after the board unanimously approved the switch. With that change, Patterson will take his second stint…
Arroyo Grande City Council discusses lawsuits, bird poop
Jan. 10 marked the first City Council meeting of the year for Arroyo Grande, and there was much to discuss, most notably recent sexual harassment lawsuits filed against the Arroyo Grande Police Department and new rules on animal waste and water quality. The City Council held a closed session to discuss two lawsuits brought by…
Sierra Club is told to wait on its Oceano dunes petition
The California Court of Appeals rejected a petition that would have shrunk the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Area to two-thirds of its current size. The argument hinged on conflicts between the state’s General Development Plan (GDP) for the park and the county’s Local Coastal Plan (LCP). The LCP designates the 500-acre La Grande Tract as…
Are dismissals near for the Doobie Dozen?
The wheels of justice continue to spin for the defendants known as the Doobie Dozen, but those wheels may be gaining traction. The District Attorney’s Office is considering dropping at least some of the controversial criminal cases brought against local medicinal marijuana delivery service operators after prosecutors failed to convince the judge to draft jury…
If you owned a strip club, what would you call it?
Rachael Petti technician “That’s tough! I’d call it Pink Elephants.” Cody Gin state parks “Bear Naked Ladies.” Jesse Castañeda student “Bear Skins.” Jesse Huselid bike guy “What Wouldn’t Jade Do … .”
