Cover Story
Behind the spark
Shortly after Loretta Borges saw the column of smoke wafting from the remote land behind her ranch, she saw two men in a truck barreling up a dirt road in her direction, honking the horn. She described them to fire investigators as “in shock.” But as the smoke plume grew, the men got out of…
Summer harvest pizza: taste the rainbow
It’s summer baby, and that means plums are popping off my tree, squash are blooming to pert perfection, and there’s an overabundance of, well, everything in the garden—especially heirloom cherry tomatoes, which are finally ready and offering up juicy little morsels of orange, red, and yellow. When my head spins and I start to feel…
Is it hot in here or is it just me?
Sometimes when New Times Editor Camillia Lanham is shredding letters to the editor that she’s deemed too fallacious to print, I sneak a peak as they grind beneath my gears, mainly for giggles. It’s dumbfounding how dumb people can be, like climate change deniers, who seem to have become emboldened in their ignorance by Dunce-in-Chief…
A few stay as Alamo Fire burns near Santa Maria
There’s a slight smell of smoke in the air as Fran Spencer and one of her friends sit on the concrete bench outside the Minami Community Center in Santa Maria. Both women are evacuees, forced to pack up what they could in their cars and flee their homes as firefighters work to get a handle…
The search for contamination source continues with Buckley Road residents footing the bill
In real life, things are often messier than a CSI episode purports them to be, and mysteries of all kinds can drag out for months or years without a satisfying resolution. That appears to be case for tracking down just who is responsible for the toxic solvent found in several domestic water wells in the…
What’s your favorite farmers’ market treat?
Trevor Miller business owner “We just finished a bag of kettle corn, so I’m going to say my favorite is kettle corn.” Clay Van Schoyck business owner “I like Old San Luis BBQ, and I order from their secret menu. The item is called The Mark and I’ll leave it at that.” Micaela Rios visitor…
Dogs chased mailman prior to deadly Grover Beach attack
Recently filed court documents are shedding more light on the circumstances surrounding a dog attack in Grover Beach that left one person dead and another injured. The documents, filed by an attorney representing the former Grover Beach Police officer who owned the dogs, included investigative reports that stated the animals chased a postal carrier just…
Fire season roars to life as Cayucos fire department dissolves
The Cayucos Fire Protection District is definitively dissolving its department and looking to San Luis Obispo County to fill the gap, but the road to future fire service for the community may be a long one. Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) Executive Officer David Church said settling on what level of fire service the county…
County pushes back on grand jury’s juvenile hall report
Probation officials took issue with some of the findings in a recent grand jury report on SLO County’s multi-million dollar effort to expand space at its juvenile hall facility. The county completed the $20 million expansion project in 2016, adding an extra 24,000 square feet of space and increasing the total number of beds at…
SLOMA hosts Borensztein’s photo exhibit, a personal glimpse into life with a disabled daughter
Memories Sharon, a series of pictures of photographer Leon Borensztein’s daughter, will be on display at the SLO Museum of Art through Aug. 27. The photos will be also be displayed at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Illinois in March and April. Visit sloma.org for more information. Like every other parent, when Leon…
SRAM opens its SLO bike manufacturing facilities to benefit World Bicycle Relief
Not too long ago, someone wrote a letter to the editor complaining about using tax dollars to create bicycle lanes, wondering, “Why should my tax dollars subsidize someone else’s recreation?” Sadly, many think of bicycling as solely a recreational pastime, forgetting that many commute to work by bike, lessening not only their carbon footprint but…
‘Tree’ novel chronicles California history through an unusual narrator
The hills are alive Melina Sempill Watts’ novel, Tree, is available for purchase on Amazon for $18 for paperback and $9.99 for the Kindle version. We humans are lucky if we get a solid 100 years on this planet, but imagine what it might be like to live for several centuries, all in the same…
Slocals on the small screen
Tune into ABC on July 13 at 10 p.m. PST to see SLO County’s own Mark Wilder and Jonathan Nowaczyk performing on the newly revived The Gong Show. Together the duo forms the unicycle act Something Ridiculous. Wilder and Nowaczyk will up the ante by playing basketball while riding unicycles. The Gong Show originally aired…
Separation of church and state
When looking at our country’s history, it is wonderful to know that some people of Christian faith were opposed to slavery, as they should have been. However, it is most disturbing to know that “passages in the Bible on the use and regulation of slavery have been used throughout history as justification for the keeping…
Save the land, buy art
Snag some fine art for a good cause July 22 at Greenspace, the Cambria Land Trust’s annual Art and Adventure Dinner and Auction. The event supports Greenspace’s land acquisition and preservation in the Cambria area, its community-wide educational programs for adults and youth, and its work to advocate for protection of the Central Coast’s unique…
Enough bipartisan bullshit
In the face of today’s polarized, partisan environment, with the country’s political leadership caught between spasms of incompetence and arrogance, many are nostalgic for the days of yore when, the story goes, moderate centrists worked together and governed through bipartisan cooperation. The problem is, this vision of centrist leadership is mostly bullshit. Bipartisan cooperation has…
Run away to the circus
Learn to clown around, juggle, hula-hoop, or even pick up some aerial skills at Circus Camp at Suspended Motion in SLO July 24 to 28. The camp is for kids ages 8 to 13 years old and runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The cost is $450 per student. Discounts are available…
An opportunity for developers, but what’s in it for us?
The San Luis Ranch project calls for 580 homes (plus accessory dwelling units), a 200-room hotel, 150,000 square feet of office space, and 200,000 square feet of commercial space. Sure, we need more “affordable” housing for people who want to live here, but let’s look at what the bigger picture looks like with so many…
Walk the plank to the Needles Lookout in Giant Sequoia National Monument
Find a monument Visit the national monument or national park of your choice in California by checking out californiathroughmylens.com/california-national-parks-national-monuments/. To figure out where you want to go in the Sequoia National Forest, visit fs.usda.gov/sequoia/. My hands are shaking slightly as I tentatively try to take an iPhone panorama with one hand while hanging on tightly…
Ladyfest III brings female-centric music acts to the SLO Guild Hall on July 22
Rock ‘n’ roll has historically been a very dude-centric endeavor. Sure, there’ve been lots of iconic female rockers, but for every Janis Joplin and Chrissie Hynde there are 100 leather pants-clad, guitar-slinging rock guys. Three years ago, Shea Kelly, a music teacher at TeVelde Conservatory of Music and member of the (mostly) female rock act…
New Times needs varied opinions in the opinion section
Bravo to Andrew Christie for writing his excellent piece (“Of folly and Fonzi,” July 6) detailing the many studies that show the undeniable effects of climate change on ice melt, rising sea levels, temperature change, extreme weather events and the other negative impacts; many more could have been cited but this was a thorough refutation…
Guilty Pleasures: UHF
When? 1989 Where? DVD and Streaming and on Amazon.com When it comes to comedy in television and film, I’ve always felt that the weirder the humor is, the better. I’m not ashamed to admit that this deeply held opinion comes from discovering and falling in love with the oddball humor of films like Monty Python…
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
New In War for the Planet of the Apes, Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel (Woody Harrelson). After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.…
Shame on New Times and Bob Cuddy
I must hand it to Bob Cuddy. For an intelligent and educated columnist he sure knows how to use vitriolic language to prove he is right and the other side is all wrong. Let’s recount the adjectives and names he used in his recent article “The T-word” (June 29). Here are the words describing the…
THE BIG SICK
The Big Sick tells the true story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Zoe Kazan) after one of his standup sets. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing, which complicates the life that is expected of Kumail by his traditional…
Blue Heron takes flight
Water’s fine The Blue Heron is located at 1365 2nd St. in Baywood Park. For reservations, go to blueheronbaywood.com. Dinner is served Wednesday through Monday from 5 p.m. to close. You can take the chef out of the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the chef. If you’ve eaten at Blue Heron…
The Bible predicts climate change
With all the back-and-forth opinion pieces in New Times, I think the folks warning about climate change should be listened to! The climate is changing. Despite any “pause” or conflicting data (yes, it’s out there) influenced by politics, power, and funding, the Earth is going to get hotter. Eventually one third of trees and all…
Gimme dat Green Stuff!
Herbacious, dude! This July 28 sign up for an educational class presented by two indigenous herbalists and explore the delicious flavors of The Chumash Kitchen! It’s all going down at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and you’ll learn to eat seasonally with local edible plants and herbs tucked…
A reflective view
As I sat at the “Faces of Freedom” Veteran’s Memorial in Atascadero one Monday evening, I took time to reflect on where we are as a country. For me, being there is very comforting, honoring, and peaceful. I am humbled and very proud of what the memorial represents. I look at the division and hatred…
Beer, wine, good times
I don’t always dance when I drink, but when I do, it’s not to be missed: Get your Most Interesting Man Alive memes ready because Branch Street Deli in Arroyo Grande is kicking off its Most Interesting Summer Concert Series this July 14 with The Cliff Notes Band from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. … A…
We are all the same
It doesn’t take much to lose the roof over your head. A chronic illness, the loss of a job, family breakdown—so many factors… . Domestic violence is also one of the leading causes of homelessness. People experiencing homelessness often feel exhausted and invisible. Everyone wants to be loved, acknowledged, and respected. A small but significant…
Get outta town
Daytrippers, daysippers: Travel to the exotic land of Santa Maria for Presqu’ile Winery’s Summer Concert Series presenting: The Dustbowl Revival with Klancy & The Tepusquet Tornadoes! This one-two punch of good wine and good old timey music pops its cork this July 22 at 5 p.m. (For info, call 937-8110 or visit the winery on…
Cal Valley’s development and lack of water
Will Powers confuses the issues in his June 15 commentary, “Land-use politics,” and most of what he said is incorrect and/or misleading. Having not been there long, his mistaken views and inconsistencies are understandable. First, let’s clear this up. Land-use planning for the California Valley has always been centered around suburban residential use, not agricultural…
BABY DRIVER
What’s it rated? R What’s it worth? Full Price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Stadium 10, Park, Galaxy PickWriter-director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) helms this action crime film about a young, gifted driver (Ansel Elgort) who’s coerced into driving for Doc (Kevin Spacey), a criminal mastermind,…
DESCPICABLE ME 3
What’s it rated? PG Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive In, Park, Galaxy The mischievous Minions hope that Gru (Steve Carell) will return to a life of crime after the new boss of the Anti-Villain League fires him. Instead, Gru decides to remain retired and travel to Freedonia to meet his long-lost…
THE HERO
What’s it rated? R Where’s it showing? The Palm, Galaxy Lee Hayden (Sam Elliott) is an aging Western icon with a golden voice, but his best performances are decades behind him. He spends his days reliving old glories and smoking too much weed with his former-co-star-turned-dealer, Jeremy (Nick Offerman), until a surprise cancer diagnosis brings…
THE HOUSE
What’s it rated? R What’s it worth? Rental Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Stadium 10, Bay, Park, Galaxy Written and directed by Andrew Jay Cohen) along with co-writer Brendan O’Brien (both worked together on Neighbors, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) comes the slapstick comedy The House, starring Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell. Is this…
MAUDIE
What’s it rated? PG-13 Where’s it showing? The Palm Pick Aisling Walsh (Joyriders, Song for Raggy Boy, The Daisy Chain) directs this screenplay by Sherry White (The Breadmaker, Down to the Dirt, Crackie) about arthritic Nova Scotia painter Maud Dowley (Sally Hawkins), who after having her family home sold out from under her by her…
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Sunset Drive-In, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10, Galaxy This new Spider-Man film picks up a few months after the events of Captain America: Civil War, which chronicled the rift between Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron…
THE BEGUILED
What’s it rated? R What’s it worth? Full price Where’s it showing? The Palm, Stadium 10, Bay Writer-director Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette) helms this Civil War-era story about a wounded Union soldier named Cpl. John McBurney (Colin Farrell), who’s taken in by head mistresses Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman) of…
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT
What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth? Nothing Where’s it showing? Stadium 10 Director Michael Bay (Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Transformers) returns with this fifth—and hopefully final—installment of the bombastic series based on Hasbro toys about two Cybertronian races: the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons. This time around, Autobots leader Optimus…
WONDER WOMAN
What’s it rated? PG What’s it worth? Full Price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Stadium 10, Galaxy Pick Patty Jenkins (writer-director of Monster) directs this origin story of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who was raised as Diana, an Amazon princess trained as an unbeatable warrior on a remote island. When an American pilot named Steve…
