Cover Story
Smoky fields: As wildfire seasons grow more intense, West Coast elected officials want to help vineyards and wineries deal with the impact
Three West Coast senators introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to understand one nascent problem: the impact of wildfire smoke on wine grapes. On June 22, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) brought forward the Smoke Exposure Research Act, co-led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), and the Crop Insurance for Wine Grapes Act, co-led by Sen.…
SLO County supervisors authorize state grant for homeless housing
San Luis Obispo County now has a blueprint for how to spend a $13.4 million state grant it received to alleviate homelessness. Twenty-two California communities became recipients of the $199 million Encampment Resolution Fund on June 14. SLO County’s award was the third largest allocation given to a county, after Los Angeles and San Diego…
Atascadero breaks ground on first of multiple summer public works projects
With the Via Avenue Bridge officially breaking ground during the last week of June, locals and visitors may find themselves impacted by road closures as the city of Atascadero begins its efforts to revamp its downtown core. “The city has an experienced contractor and construction management team working closely to complete the project on time…
Adventure buddy: Woods Humane Society holds adoption promo
Transitioning from spring to summer on the Central Coast usually means more warm weather, days at the beach, and nights in front of a bonfire. But it also means more puppies and kittens, and no group has been more impacted by the seasonal burst of animal youth than adult dogs. “Whenever someone adopts an adult…
Local entrepreneur April Bodine brings her dough-licious desserts to downtown SLO
For sweet and unique treats The Dough Connection is located at 1075 Court St., unit 130, in San Luis Obispo and 913 Embarcadero Road in Morro Bay. Current hours are noon to 7 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The SLO location is closed Tuesday. For more information, visit the-dough-connection.square.site.…
Joy Ride is raunchy, hilarious, and heartfelt
JOY RIDE What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10 Adele Lim (screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians) directs this comedy that follows four Asian American friends—Audrey (Ashley Park), Lolo (Sherry Cola), Kat (Stephanie Hsu), and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu)—as…
The Mid-State Fair opens with Tim McGraw on July 19
It’s July, it’s getting hot, and that means it’s time for the California Mid-State Fair, “the biggest little fair anywhere.” According to my weather app, Paso Robles is expecting temps in the low to mid-90s for the first couple days of the fair. The first act on the Chumash Grandstand Arena on Wednesday, July 19,…
Love & Death
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Max This story has had an upswing in attention the last few years. Candy starring Jessica Biel as the titular character came out in 2022 and told the same story of what really happened in this sensational case from 1980. I enjoyed that version as well,…
Protect progress
As a mom, a teacher, and your state Assembly representative, it is my honor and my duty to serve in a way that fosters safe, affirming, and inclusive communities. It is my job to make sure our laws and our budget do the same. For a democracy to thrive, it is essential that all people—not…
Polite Society
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Streaming on Peacock or rentable at Redbox and on Amazon Prime Writer-director Nida Manzoor (We Are Lady Parts) helms this action comedy about British-Pakistani teenager Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), who’s determined to save her older sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), from an impending marriage she believes is…
‘Sisyphean’ but necessary
I am submitting my response to John Donegan’s opinion piece, “Predictable outcomes 2.0,” published in the July 6 edition of New Times. I realize that opinions aren’t necessarily based on facts, but you take that to a new level in your column, which is primarily based on your guesses and unfounded “predictions.” You admit that…
SLO REP brings lighthearted laughs and musical whimsey with summer show Honk! Jr.
See the show Get tickets to see Honk! Jr. at SLO REP (located at 888 Morro Street, San Luis Obispo) by visiting slorep.org/shows/honk-jr-a-musical-tale-of-the-ugly-duckling. For more information on future shows visit slorep.org. Shannon Peters knows everyone’s familiar with the story of the ugly duckling. The Hans Christian Andersen classic is a nursery rhyme most people have…
Cayucos deserves better
After enduring another several days of loud, rude, drunken people from afar visiting this little town for the glorious Fourth of July parade and fireworks, it might be time for the city to re-think this entire endeavor. It’s gotten to be way too much for the locals to handle. Why not take the tens of…
Paso Robles Youth Arts Center stages The Wizard of Oz
L. Frank Baum’s classic fantasy novel is getting a new theatrical treatment with the Paso Robles Youth Arts Center’s upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz, slated to premiere on Friday, July 28. Performances of the show are scheduled to run through Saturday, Aug. 5. Described in press materials as suitable for all ages, this…
To those leaving messes
I’d like Americans born from roughly the mid 1940s to 1960 to take a good look around (if possible) and from the perspective that you will soon leave this world in a state of condition that your parents would be horrified to see. Is this what the survivors of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl,…
Gallery at Marina Square showcases paintings, ceramics, photos in July exhibits
During most of July, three different exhibits are on display at the Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay. Works by the venue’s three featured artists—oil painter Patricia Newton, ceramicist Thomas Mackenzie Brown, and photographer Gregory Siragusa—will remain up through Saturday, July 29. An award-winning painter, Newton knew early on “that art would somehow become…
SLO Council Needs to Swing for the Fences in Rental Housing Crisis
On Monday, July 10, I watched the MLB Home Run Derby from Seattle as my favorite Mookie Betts scored “only” 11 homers against ultimate winner Vlad Guerrero Jr. in the first round. I can dimly recall seeing Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris hit back-to-back home runs in the 1960s. They did so 10 times in…
Hot cash injection, Sunny Acres rejection
If you were handed $13.4 million to clear out a homeless encampment and relocate approximately 200 “campers,” how would you spend it? The big bucks, which the SLO County Board of Supervisors unanimously accepted—because free money, whoop whoop!—came from the Encampment Resolution Fund from the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, which totaled $199 million for…
Dan DeVaul objects to first report filed by receivership group
Evictions and water wells became major talking points in San Luis Obispo Superior Court as negotiations brewed between county officials and Sunny Acres’ founder Dan DeVaul’s lawyer. On July 11, DeVaul attorney Matt Janowicz, Assistant County Counsel Jon Ansolabehere, and the president of the California Receivership Group, Mark Adams, deliberated over DeVaul’s objection to the…
Cambria citizens keep an eye out for development they believe is detrimental to their water supply
Since 2016, Christine Heinrichs has watched for new development in Cambria, challenging any project that she believes might aggravate one of the town’s scarcest resources. “I just kind of watchdog those permits. The thing is, if no one appeals them at the local level, they just go through as approved,” Heinrichs told New Times. “I…
Paso school board criticized for prolonged discussions about ‘divisive’ topics
After a third review at its July 11 meeting, the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) board decided it needed more legal clarification before finalizing its flag placement policy for school grounds. “As soon as we get the legal advice, our goal is to bring it back as soon as possible,” Superintendent Curt Debost…
