Cover Story
Faire play
I’m squashed into half of a two-person seat on a bright yellow # school bus. It’s hot, it’s crowded, and people keep tripping over my sword, which is sticking through my belt and into the aisle. I haven’t found an easy way to sit with it. I could lay it flat across my lap, but…
Fast facts
Rizzoli’s Automotive is giving away 150 gallons of gas. Customers who visit their shops before Aug. 31 can enter a drawing to win the free fuel. The drawing is a way for customers to meet Kyle Rizzoli, the new general manager and son of Jim and Kay Rizzoli. Rizzoli’s Automotive is located at 2584 Victoria…
Slobs and snobs not admitted here
While reading a July 9 New York Times report online about “tastings gone wild” at New York state wineries, I was miffed by the quote “slobs and snobs.” It was made worse when I read that those words came from a tasting room employee who referred to the people they serve as either drunks or…
No green light yet on SLO red light cameras
During a presentation at a recent local Rotary meeting, San Luis Obispo Police Chief Deb Linden floated the idea of installing red-light cameras at city intersections. But for now, Linden said in a phone call, it’s only an idea. “It’s something that we may be looking into over the next year,” she said. “Nothing at…
Clarification
In the July 12 story, “SLO City Council freezes public access funds,” Gail Lightfoot was speaking solely for herself not the San Luis Obispo County Public Access Board as a whole in her comments regarding changes, or lack thereof, to the board’s bylaws.
Former dispensary owner is arrested
The owner of a now-closed Morro Bay medical marijuana dispensary has been arrested and faces federal criminal charges alleging that he distributed large amounts of cannabis, including to minors, for profit. Charles Lynch, the former owner of Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers, was arrested at his Arroyo Grande home on the morning of July 17 in…
A recruiter rebounds
More than a year since the Mission Prep recruiting scandal made headlines in San Luis Obispo, the man at its center has returned to the Central Coast and is setting up to once again recruit foreign athletes to play at U.S. high schools though Tom Mott says everything’s legit this time around. Following the Mission…
Los Osos homeowners will vote on sewer tax
Homeowners in Los Osos will soon have the chance to cast their votes on whether or not they support a sewer tax for their property. County officials plan to send mail-in ballots to Los Osos homeowners on Aug. 28 to answer what a recent staff report calls “the single greatest question”: Do Los Osos property…
Sea of stories
# Sometimes it’s difficult to think of humans as a tribe. Inundated as we are with technological gadgets that allow us to hear music, access the Internet, and download videos often all at the same time what use does anyone have for the concept of survival? Or simplicity? There are few things more simple and…
Don’t feed the animals
I think I’m allergic to cats. Not cat hair. Just cats in general. Even just looking at a picture of one makes me break out in hives. But I love cats. Seriously. And I’m not going to follow that up with some pithy bumper-sticker catchphrase like “They taste just like chicken.” I can’t get enough…
Lead found in play mat
Evidence of lead was recently discovered on an outdoor rubber play mat during an inspection of the Cal Poly Child Development Preschool Laboratory, Cal Poly reported in a recent news conference. In an effort to help detect poisoning, SLO County Public Health officials are strongly urging parents of children who attended the preschool within the…
Latin rhythms come alive
Known as the Latin Beatles of the 21st century, Los Pinguos come to the Central Coast by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a sizzling mix of Latin rhythms performed with Spanish guitars, a Cuba tres, Peruvian cajon (box-drum), and harmonizing vocals. Edgy, eclectic, enthusiastic, and infectious, their lively sound # earned a devoted fan…
Delectable duo
# Shopping in Morro Bay for junior’s clothing is practically impossible. As a quiet beach town, Morro Bay’s shops generally stick to surf apparel: board shorts and sweatshirts. Morgan and Rhiannon Mistretta, sisters who offer more than cute clothing at their store, want to change that. What began as a simple “itch to open a…
Letters
Stuck between a trailer and a hard place Why do people who own $50,000 of various sorts of RV equipment not seem to be able to afford a place to store it? On one side of the street is an enormous trailer capable of moving every vehicle on the block, and the rocket scientists then…
It’s magic
I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t eagerly flinging myself into the pages of one book or another. They were hallowed passageways to another world, and I lovingly devoured them, wishing all the while that each book would magically last forever. Because that’s what books are: magic. I have fallen in love with, befriended,…
SLO mayor: Parking loss is big issue in Chinatown project
One of the less-discussed aspects of the plan for the Copeland brothers’ massive Chinatown project in downtown SLO is that the city itself is the owner of nearly three-fourths of the land that would be used to construct the planned-for mix of retail, condo, restaurant, office, and hotel spaces. # In all, the city owns…
No way in
It was never easy to reach the dramatic cliffs, rare sea life, and exceptional views from two miles of the state-owned oceanfront at Point Sal State Beach, 25 miles east of Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County. # Extremely dangerous rip currents, precipitously steep slopes, dilapidated pathways, the constant threat of landslides, and occasional shark…
