Cover Stories
SLOPD officer arrested by FBI
Federal agents have arrested a San Luis Obispo narcotics officer for an alleged bribery scheme, according to a release by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Agents arrested officer Cory Pierce, 39, of Arroyo Grande without incident on the morning of Feb 5. He has been charged with one count of bribery in a…
Everything is illuminated
Throughout the past year, many of the most successful films have seemed especially concerned, each in its own way, with justice. Spielberg’s Lincoln is, of course, an obvious example—the masterful telling of how slavery was abolished. But at the movies, justice can also be served retroactively in a show of flamboyant ultraviolence, as in Tarantino’s…
SLOPD officer arrested by FBI
Federal agents have arrested a San Luis Obispo narcotics officer for an alleged bribery scheme, according to a release by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Agents arrested officer Cory Pierce, 39, of Arroyo Grande without incident on the morning of Feb 5. He has been charged with one count of bribery in a…
Fremont Theater to close tonight
The iconic Fremont Theater in downtown San Luis Obispo announced on its Facebook page Jan. 31 that it would be closing the doors to its main theater later that night. The assistant manager on duty told New Times that the theater’s final showing would be the 7:30 p.m. screening of The Impossible.…
What’s worth getting arrested for?
Giselle Griffin server at Mo’s Breaking into a museum. You could go behind the displays and check everything out behind the scenes. Tim Hedden retired Not much! Ha. I’ve known a few [who have been arrested], and it wasn’t a good situation. One for DUI, in fact. … After all that, I wouldn’t wish that…
‘I’m Alive’
Is it just me, or does it seem like Jackson Browne has lived a charmed life? He had relationships with three models including model/actress Daryl Hannah right around her Splash/The Pope of Greenwich Village/The Clan of the Cave Bear days. He was an outspoken environmental activist long before it became popular. He happily plays charity…
D, double E, double R, U, N … Deer Run!
It’s Saturday, Jan. 26, and I’m in Cambria looking for Deer Run Art & Artifacts. What the hell? It’s supposed to be right here! “It’s through here,” says my wife, pointing at the Garden Shed. “Huh? Wasn’t it on the street?” “I guess they moved,” she says pointing to the sign that says Deer Run,…
Sleep-dancing
In the late ’80s—as many of the Soviet Union’s greatest dancers and choreographers took advantage of new creative freedoms—the Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded with the goal of rejuvenating the country’s classical ballet traditions with new influences from around the world. The company, under the artistic direction of Elena Radchenko, formerly of Moscow’s Bolshoi…
Graphic content
In the world of painter, photographer, and graphic designer Jay Vigon, the commercial and the artistic are never completely severed. On the commercial side of things, Vigon is known for his bold, graphic logos; fashion advertising work; music packaging; and TV commercials. (Clients include George Lucas, Gotcha Sportswear, American Express, and Warner Bros.) And yet…
But what is it about!?
Of all the art media, dance should, theoretically, be most accessible. Communicating with the body is, after all, undeniably human: something we all understand, something we do without really learning how, something we cannot help but do. And yet, as Diana Stanton noted, many audiences feel intimidated by dance. Unlike music, she said, which is…
Clubs: 1/31
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…
Bites: Take it Big Easy
Reader, let me explain something to you: Mardi Gras is God’s way of saying, “Sorry about that whole adulthood thing. Here’s some food, music, and booze to wash down the sting of crushed dreams and midlife disappointment.” It’s an unfortunate truth that we are far from Bourbon Street (2,082 miles from my Marsh Street basement…
Longoria 2010 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyard
I’ve been a fan of winemaker Richard Longoria for two decades, and he never fails to impress me with his outstanding vineyard-designated Pinots. I loved the floral and dark ripe berry aromas on this deeply hued wine. It’s big and spicy yet beautifully balanced by notes of tangy wild blackberries, plums, black cherries, and earth.…
Rancho Sisquoc 2011 Riesling Santa Barbara County
Some cuisines are best served with white wines like Riesling, and this value-priced white will complement an array of intricate dishes. I liked its subtle sweet fruit flavors of ripe pear and stone fruits, nicely balanced by the bright Meyer lemon notes. It leans to the dry side with Asian food, but highly spiced food…
A passion for Burgundy
When it comes to pinot noir, I’m among those who are passionate about tasting these noble wines from appellations around the world. Some readers would call it obsessed, and I’m fine with that description, too. But who better to seek advice from when you’re developing a new interest—be it a wine variety, gourmet cooking, or…
Questions For: Nan Fowler
NEW TIMES What has most significantly impacted your business in the last three decades? FOWLER The economy is always a big factor for any business that recycles, because we trade. So when the economy goes down, we are busier because people are more conscious of their finances. I think for the business, perseverance means quite…
Spanish Springs issues need to be addressed
We reside in a single family home at 96 El Viento Ave., Pismo Beach, which directly abuts the proposed annexation and development of the huge area outside of Pismo Beach known as Spanish Springs. On Jan. 6, 2013, we sent city leaders our letter of comment regarding the city’s proposed Spanish Springs development plan. After…
Think obligations over rights
Regarding pro-gun letters in the wake of the Connecticut shooting that left 20 children dead, I quote Alexander Solzhynitsin: “We need to emphasize not human rights, but human obligations.” Guns make killing easier and quicker. A gunman can disable his victim 100 yards away with a pistol, and 200 yards away with a submachine gun.…
You need a military assault rifle?
Why on earth would the Newtown shooter’s mother need to possess a high-powered military assault rifle that could fire off many, many rounds of ammunition per minute? Oh, I guess she needed it, to defend herself, just in case a group of 20 first-grade children and six female adult educators were planning to attack her…
‘Unwanted’ seems to be label enough to justify killing
While the quality of being “wanted” or “unwanted” may be fitting criteria on which to justify terminating the life of a bothersome or unwanted insect, certainly it should not be so for a human being. Yet, on the recent 68th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, human beings are still being killed for the fatal…
This is a broken system
It was recently discovered that HSBC Bank has laundered billions of dollars for drug cartels, Iran, even groups with ties to al-Qaeda. Our federal prosecutors say they will not prosecute even one person because it might upset the entire banking industry. Boy, have I got a nice used bridge to sell you. Not one Wall…
How do you plan to pee in the military, ladies?
One thing I would like to know about women in combat, please. I thought of my time in combat in Korea. Just a few questions: Why was my helmet called a piss-pot? Where do you potty in a foxhole, revetment, or bunker, and what do you do for toilet paper? How often do you take…
Keep the appointments rolling
While many people assume that a runner-up in a recent election should automatically be appointed to a vacant council seat, historically it’s rare that it happens. In 2010, Dan Carpenter ran for City Council with a strong likelihood that a vacant seat would occur with the election of a new mayor from an existing safe-seat…
Appoint someone, SLO
Being a city resident, I want to urge the San Luis Obispo City Council to save money (having just spent so much on Stew Jenkins’ fees) and move forward with the appointment process on Feb. 5. The council could make this very simple by following past practice and appoint whomever the runner up was in…
Such extreme paranoia is dangerous
The letter from Mr. Ray David (“Learn from Our History of Violence,” Jan. 24) is an interesting document. He equates the U.S Constitution and Bill of Rights with the Bible, insisting that no changes should ever be made. If I recall my high school civics correctly, the whole point of having a Bill of Rights…
What happened to ‘live and let live’ in SLO?
As a California native, I have always enjoyed the progressive attitudes of our state. Decisions the SLO police have been enforcing in recent years seem to counter this idea of tolerance and bring to mind the idea of a police state instead. To harass or arrest homeless people for sleeping in their cars when they…
‘He gets us’
Words fail. We rose at dawn and walked through freezing cold under a sky of pink and gold. Quiet, empty streets soon filled with people dressed in long fur coats and wool, thick hats and hooded parkas. We flew all night in packed planes and walked all day to see the sights. Sleep-deprived and cold,…
Poo-rah!
It’s interesting to me that something so satisfying gastronomically—spending a lazy Sunday afternoon vacuuming the final crumbs of cheesy goodness out of a Cheetos bag through pursed lips or employing my silverware drawer in a special ops effort to recover the last tiny shred of mint chocolate chip from the ice cream container—comes across as…
Back from Baja
The two-month-old gallery occupies a building that was once the area’s first post office. Fifty paintings, a mix of limited-edition prints, and a scattering of originals line the red-brick walls, and another 50 poster-board prints sit in a binder at the center of the room. John Ramos tries his best not to get flakes from…
‘Rape is rape’
In February 2009, a Los Angeles County woman returned home from a party with her boyfriend, her brother, and his friends. The couple went to bed; the woman soon fell asleep and the boyfriend left the bedroom. After he left, one of the brother’s friends allegedly snuck into the room and initiated sex with the…
Cougars & Mustangs
Let’s face it, balancing work and school can be very hard. If you don’t go to work enough, then paying for school becomes difficult. But contrariwise, if work gets in the way of school, then progressing academically is going to be difficult. It therefore pleases me to announce to the hoi polloi of fair Cuesta…
Imminent development?
The city of Pismo Beach has had its municipal eye on the rolling green hills between Price Canyon and Oak Park Road for 20 years now, and on Feb. 5, the City Council is expected to make a decision that could literally pave the way for construction on the large swath of undeveloped land currently…
Privatizing the Anza extension
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors told staffers on Jan. 29 to stop the studies it commissioned to look into buying several parcels with the purpose of extending the Anza Trail through Edna Valley. The halt came after some public-interest land-flipping by local entrepreneur Eric Meyer, who has already scooped up one of…
County favors special vets court
Veterans convicted of certain low-level crimes could soon be sentenced to a treatment program for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder instead of incarceration. Dana Cummings, the San Luis Obispo County Veterans Services officer, presented a general plan for a special Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors during its Jan.…
Tax opponents target Gibson appointment
Taxpayers angered by Supervisor Bruce Gibson’s vote to endorse last November’s Proposition 30 on behalf of San Luis Obispo County converged on the Jan. 29 board of supervisors meeting to oppose his reappointment to the California State Association of Counties (CSAC). The commission’s resolutions carry significant weight on the legislative floor and among voters. Voters…
Mental state debated in SLO murder trial
A San Luis Obispo man was suicidal, delusional, and not in control of his actions when he shot and killed his mother—a longtime Lompoc Valley teacher—at his apartment in September 2011, his defense attorney argued before a jury. But in opening statements in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court on Jan. 28, Deputy District Attorney…
DA drops charges against pot deliverer
Prosecutors have dismissed drug-related charges against a member of a medical marijuana collective originally suspected of violating state compassionate use laws. On Jan. 22, San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Lee Cunningham filed a motion in SLO Superior Court to dismiss charges against Chance Simmons, 22, of San Luis Obispo. Simmons, an employee at…
SLO stabbing defendant to fight charges
A 22-year-old Vallejo man accused of attempted murder for his role in a late-night altercation in downtown San Luis Obispo, which left an Atascadero man with a serious laceration, will take his case to trial, arguing self-defense. Austin Sarna is facing attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges following a January 2012 incident…
Boys and Girls Club loses after-school programs
A perfect storm of limited resources, maternity leave, and a particularly rough flu season led to the Boys and Girls Club of South San Luis Obispo County losing control of the free after-school programs offered at Grover Heights and Oceano Elementary, according to the club’s executive director, Francisco Curiel. “We’ve only got two full-time people,”…
