Cover Story
Her casa is their casa
Whether it’s a four, six, or eight-hour shift, at the end of the day most volunteers return home. They may plan to return the following day but for a few hours at least, whatever need they are working to ameliorate can fall away. Susan Schwartz doesn’t have the luxury of removing herself—emotionally or physically—from the…
America through their eyes
Ever since the members of former Cal Poly act Still Time graduated, they’ve been immersing themselves in the rocker lifestyle, living on top of each other in a cramped apartment, touring the country in a custom Ford Econoline van, and using their respective degrees as toilet paper. That’s rock’n’roll, folks. This Saturday, Jan. 10, they…
Fresh from the sea, into the pan
After finishing my first lunch at Pier 46 Seafood, I walked over to the owners, Eric Gonzales and Tony DeGarimore, and said I wished they had built the place in South County, where I live. They didn’t know me yet and they chuckled, but I was serious. I had just devoured a plate of their…
Saying it loud
You might call Marian Bantjes a graphic designer; or an illustrator, typographer, painter, or writer. Or you could simply save your breath and call her an artist. The Canadian is so prolific that it would be easier to define her by compiling a list of the few creative avenues she hasn’t explored and the materials…
Think outside the page
Here’s the deal: You’re blind, and you want to find out what happened to Harry Potter in the last book of J. K. Rowling’s series, so you check out a stack of CDs from the library and let narrator Jim Dale’s crisp British accent bring the halls of Hogwarts to life. A few chapters in,…
Zaca Mesa 2007 Grenache Blanc Santa Ynez Valley
Rich with aromas and flavors of apricots, nectarines, melon, and spice, it’s nicely highlighted with nuances of honey and floral notes. It’s quite elegant and well balanced, perfect for sipping or enjoying with a good meal. This would complement chicken apple sausage, mesclun with ripe pears, goat cheese and spicy walnuts, or a simple roasted…
Cristalino Cava non-vintage
This refreshing sparkling wine is made by the reputable Spanish winery Jaume Serra, and it’s my best buy of 2008. I just discovered it thanks to BevMo! manager Eric Tucker, who always helps me find great values in wine. Light and dry, it offers mineral and toast notes highlighted with zesty acidity. No one will…
Journalism’s future
New Times was founded on the premise that journalism and reporting is important to the community, which is why we’ve established the Stephen Donnellan Moss Memorial Scholarship Fund in Journalism, which beginning next year will be available to Cal Poly journalism students. New Times founder Steve Moss was a journalist’s journalist—intellectually curious, open-minded to a…
Out with the old …
Newbie SLO County Supervisors Adam Hill and Frank Mecham officially took their seats on Jan. 5, spurring not only a change in faces, but what some expect will be a significant shift in county government. Hill and Mecham’s swearing-in ceremony was tinged with speeches about change in county government and rejuvenating public trust. Supervisor Jim…
Thank you, volunteers
The Families Helping Families (FHF) Holiday Project, which connects North County families in need with sponsors who can help, has had a wonderfully successful holiday season. This year, with the support of individuals, families, groups, and businesses from North County and San Luis Obispo, we were able to make the holidays a true season of…
Give, to prosper
Take a deep breath, America, as we look at the number of foreclosures, the stock market dive, and the percentage of unemployment. What is the reverse of those numbers? Around 90 percent of people are still in their homes. And 93.3 percent of people are still working and a lot of people weren’t in the…
Trust the market
I agree with the Government Affairs Director of the Homebuilders Association of the Central Coast that we are facing “the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression” (“Start buying,” Jan. 1). Although the Homebuilders’ lobbyist and I agree there is a problem, I strongly disagree with his organization’s statement that falling home prices are the…
Get to the bottom of it
In the cover story of Jan. 1 (“What happened?”), New Times made reference to SLO County Sheriff Pat Hedges’ misconduct throughout this last year. I’m concerned there is more, not known publicly, about Hedges’ involvement in the Charles C. Lynch case. I sat through most of Lynch’s federal trial and observed SLO deputies mock the…
Tear down the walls
Ronald Reagan’s perhaps finest moment came when he stood next to the shameful Berlin Wall and challenged the Soviet Premier: “ Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Not too long thereafter, the wall did come down and with it the Soviet empire. Now, two decades later, it is the U.S. empire erecting or supporting shameful…
Investigate the investigation
I am writing you on behalf of my son Charles C. Lynch, the former owner and operator of Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers. The raid, arrest, and subsequent conviction of Charles due to the legally sanctioned operation of his dispensary is appalling. The investigation conducted by Sheriff Pat Hedges is considered by many as a violation…
Bullies court reprisals
Regarding the Israel/Hamas fiasco, when the schoolyard bully beats up on the skinny kid, friends will come to the underdog’s aid, even if he deserves a beating. Israel, the bully in this case, has not learned this fundamental truth.
Silence is the voice of complicity
Israel passed the limits of acceptable behavior long ago in its treatment of the Palestinian people, but now it is inconceivable that the U.S. government can continue to sit by and condone the slaughter that is taking place in Gaza, making our own citizens complicit by providing the very weapons used to commit these crimes.…
Making senior transportation sustainable
The Mitchell Park parking-lot controversy reminds me of the challenges and the opportunities awaiting us. I’m 70 years old and want our grandchildren to enjoy a livable planet and that desire summons the buzzword, sustainability. Every politician talks about it, at least before elections. The United Nations-convened World Commission on Environment and Development writes that…
Homelessness hits home
Brenna closes her eyes and sits back in the couch as Steve begins to massage her feet. It’s perhaps an unlikely scenario: a masseur seated at the feet of a person too poor to have a home. But at the Prado Day Center, a service station for the homeless and hungry in San Luis Obispo,…
Compassion for cats
A tour through the North County Humane Society’s Parfitt Adoption Center is a cat lover’s dream come true: a 2100-square-foot, cage-free facility where cats of every description lounge, loaf, and snooze on sofas, atop cat trees, and inside every imaginable kind of hideaway. Furry faces peer from kitty condos and cabinets; cats nestle in cat…
Like trails?
Next time you trample one of the dozens of local trails that stretch all the way from Lopez Lake to Big Sur, thank Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers. They probably built it. Over the past 20 or so years the group has managed to plan and build most of the local bike and hiking trails…
Volunteers help the homeless mend
Transitional Food and Shelter, a nonprofit volunteer organization based in Paso Robles, arranges temporary private shelter for seriously ill and disabled people upon their release from hospitals. Pearl Munak, the president of the organization, said 454 clients were provided 5000 nights of temporary shelter during 2007 through its Motel Voucher program. The referral-based program responds…
Missing but unmissed
Former County Supervisor Jerry Lenthall is the tall drink of water who just keeps on watering. Shredder thought Lenthall was all done supplying items for the column and yet, even in his absence, he provides. See, they had this nice swearing-in ceremony the other day for the new supervisors. Frank Mecham took over Harry Ovitt’s…
Garden space could grow from park paving
San Luis Obispo City Council members have approved the new $150,000 parking lot, planned to serve the senior center at Mitchell Park, ending a yearlong saga. Although a plan to build a parking lot was approved in May last year, residents from near the Mitchell Park neighborhood continued to express their opposition to the lot.…
No retrial as Lynch faces sentencing
Charles Lynch, owner of the now defunct Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers, was denied a retrial on Jan. 5. Lynch, who was convicted last year on conspiracy and marijuana related charges stemming from his operation of the medical marijuana dispensary, faces a mandatory five years prison time. Lynch returned home to his house in Arroyo Grande…
What, no gold-plated toilet seats?
The SLO City Council approved the use of $612,500 from various funds to replace a pair of decrepit bathrooms at the Laguna Lake dog park. The expense, more than $306,000 per bathroom, was explained by staff, who said the bathrooms will be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and include lighting and design features that discourage…
Should the US continue to supply arms to Israel?
Vicky Latzer student “No, because I don’t think it is helping.” John Edwards gardener/musician “Absolutely not.” Melora Nichols operations manager “I haven’t done enough research, so I can’t answer that.” Westley Barrett student “Yeah.”
Adrian Bray
NEW TIMES: Why did you move your store in downtown SLO? BRAY: It’s just a better location, with more space and more foot traffic. Our old space was quite small, and our new location allows us to have more inventory and a better selection to choose from. NEW TIMES: What was the community’s response to…
The Bard says… just do it
Volunteering isn’t very artful—or is it? Spread the word on these volunteer and fundraising opportunities in the arts community and beyond. The 2009 Central Coast Shakespeare Festival is back and will take place at River Oaks Hot Springs in Paso Robles starting July 10. The festival needs donations. Send checks via U.S. mail to_ P.O.…
Tiki me up, tiki me down
New Times How did you get a cable access show? Merrell Fankhauser In 1991 I started doing a satellite show called California Music for two years. It reached 15 million viewers across the U.S. It was on 150 stations. I produced the show in Arroyo Grande on Channel 66. I called on all of my…
A Scot’s A Scot for A’That
While there are many different recipes for what Robert Burns called the “great chieftain o’ the puddin-race,” the majority have the following ingredients in common: sheep’s heart, lungs, liver, onion, oatmeal, suet (raw beef or mutton fat), spices, and salt, all merrily boiled together in the sheep’s stomach. Wash your haggis down with a few…
