Cover Story
Not everyone finds Carrizo Plain solar plans sunny
# Newsweek called it “the world’s largest solar installation.” The gover-nator bestowed his blessing. The ink was still moist on a 177-megawatt contract with PG&E. The principal investors, $47 million worth, are heavyweight Silicon Valley venture capitalists whose holdings include Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and Google. One investment partnership boasts a Nobel laureate and Oscar winner…
Labor of love
# Art, wine, and love–three of Earth’s greatest inspirations–have recently come together in the village of Arroyo Grande. Local award-winning husband and wife winemakers Craig and Sheri Wood have successfully combined all three creative media at their new Wood Winery tasting and art room located at 136 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. “It’s a perfect…
A new year means new rules for the road
# The new year has brought new laws, particularly from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The most anticipated law, SB 1613–due to take effect July 1, 2008–prohibits drivers from using wireless telephones without a hands-free device while driving. In addition, motorists under the age of 18 won’t be allowed to use a cell phone even…
Iceman chills the Axe Murderer
Chuck Liddell combined some new takedown tactics with his familiar striking skills as he won his Dec. 29 mixed martial arts by unanimous decision over Wanderlei Silva at Ultimate Fighting Championship 79 in Las Vegas. Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for the former Cal Poly wrestler, who snapped a two-fight losing skid with the…
DUI arrests rise in SLO, but drop in California
San Luis Obispo-area California Highway Patrol officers rang in the new year with 80 percent more holiday driving-under-the-influence arrests than they made during the same period last year. According to Joe Vega, the SLO area CHP public information officer, local highway patrollers made 18 DUI arrests from 6 p.m. on Dec. 28 to midnight on…
The new year starts out wet
The first of a trio of strong storms is expected to hit the Central Coast on Jan. 3, and weather experts say it may result in the heaviest downpour and biggest waves San Luis Obispo County has seen in some time. “This could be the most significant rainfall across the Southland since January 2005,” read…
Volunteers to the rescue
# Linda and Rich Antles, a Santa Maria couple, recently helped organize an annual pre-Christmas dinner at the Santa Maria Fairpark, where Central Coast Rescue Mission staff and volunteers handed out hot meals, clothes, and toys to hundreds of needy local families. Volunteers from the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County stood in long rows serving…
New funds launch Cambria Flood Control construction
Predictions of the first storms of the year came on the heels of a SLO County Public Works announcement that bids would open on Jan. 17 for the first segment of the Cambria Flood Control project. This step involves construction of a bridge on Highway 1, south of Cambria Drive. An announcement from the county’s…
What’s hot and cool?
Welcome to the future, where we all have miniscule attention spans. Many of us prefer channel surfing to watching an entire program. Many of us put five CDs into our changer and hit the “random” button so we don’t get bored listening to an entire album. Some of us even change lovers more often than…
Bingo!
# “You have to have a thick skin to work here, Chrissy,” explained Betty, the rosy-cheeked president of the Central Coast Senior Center. She smiled as she motioned for me to take a seat next to her, behind three folding tables pushed together that held all of the Bingo supplies anyone could ever need: game…
Fast facts
The Santa Barbara Regional Health Authority announced that it’s changing its name to CenCal Health as of Jan. 1. The name change is designed to meet the needs of its expanding Medi-Cal service area. The new service area will include both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. “We’re excited about the opportunity to offer…
The new year already sucks
I’ve got buyer’s remorse for 2008 already. It looked good when I first saw it cresting over the hill. It was flashy and sleek and had that new-year smell I love so much. I kicked the proverbial tires and signed the proverbial paperwork and found myself the proud owner of a new year. The ball…
It’s all good
# What’s new for 2008? Lacking a crystal ball, I can’t even pretend to make a prediction about the 2007 harvest yet. I can say that some wines I’ve tasted in stainless steel tanks and in barrels were pretty impressive, but it remains to be seen how the final versions will turn out once they’re…
Giving is easy
I got off a Greyhound in L.A. almost seven years ago with $6 in my pocket, a promised job in a hostel from a phone interview, and hope that I could create the world I wanted. I knew that I would be okay, because I knew that I could give, and because I can give,…
Primary season is now
In past decades, the process of selecting the major parties’ presidential candidates was a fairly lackadaisical affair, as one state after another welcomed the hopefuls to their coffee shops and cornfields and then held primaries or caucuses to judge them on their merits. That trend has been changing for years as states have sought to…
Letters
Bag recycling should be status quo Kai Beech’s recent brief in New Times (“Paper or plastic? SLO County shoppers may soon not have a choice,” Dec. 27) that San Luis Obispo may potentially follow San Francisco’s decision to ban plastic bags brings to light an important issue that affects all residents of SLO: the elimination…
Making tracks
Like molecules, cultural landscapes are all around us, unnoticed for the most part. Cultural landscapes, however, aren’t invisible to the naked eye. They’re made up of miles of farmland, roads, buildings, and railroad tracks–all highly visible, but often ignored. “A cultural landscape is the tangible evidence or tangible result of the interplay between humans and…
