Cover Story
Here we go again
On July 1, Secretary of State Debra Bowen hereunto set her hand and affixed the Great Seal of California to yet another official election document. This time, she was making her mark on a certified list of candidates for the Aug. 17 special general election for the state’s 15th Senate District, vacated by now-Lt. Gov.…
Local wines star in a downtown SLO shop
Last year, the Monterey Street Wine Company was offered for sale, another great local shop beaten down by the struggling economy. Fortunately it was purchased by Patrick Faverty and Kris Johnson; a couple who saw potential in this comfortable little wine store. It had always specialized in fine wines, artisanal cheeses, and other gourmet goods,…
What is your purpose?
Karen Walth law-office receptionist “Just to eat, sleep, and pay the bills.” Diane Kwon student “I’m still figuring that one out!” Willy Menendez sandwich-shop manager “To be better and work.” Daniel Stephens ecologist “To take care of and enjoy my family and to help improve the planet’s natural environment.”
Flipped, be there
The red-carpet premier of Wendelin Van Draanen’s book-turned-movie Flipped, takes place on Aug. 21 at 4:30 p.m. at Fair Oaks Theatre in Arroyo Grande. Flipped is a young adult novel published in October of 2001. The novel traces the relationship of Bryce and Julianna, starting out as young children and ending in junior high. Van…
Phoenix rising
There’s nothing quite like old cars, their weathered patina, their sleepless and expanding cancerous rust, their promise of rebirth. Today, modern cars are like Bic lighters—meant to be discarded when they’re past their prime. But there was a time when cars were made to last, made to be rebuilt and refurbished. Can you imagine anyone…
Bring along your GPS
There’s a new gallery in San Luis Obispo. The challenge is finding it. Moving up Higuera Street—in the wrong direction, if you happen to be operating a vehicle—beyond downtown, past Santa Rosa St., past Bank of America on the right, and the gas station on the left, and only slightly past the Porsche dealership, you’ll…
My business is to sing
Two years ago Emma Duncan—clad in a dress of bridal white—undertook a feat that can best be compared to the theatrical equivalent of scaling Mt. Everest. Solo. The 17-year-old performed a 90-minute, one-woman monologue, initially as a senior project for Midland School in Los Olivos, and later under the tutelage of Nehemiah Persoff as a…
Long road for Laetitia
If San Luis Obispo County supervisors approve the Laetitia agricultural cluster subdivision project, they’ll have to explain why 102 homes are worth the cost of a project with more unavoidable impacts than any other project in the county’s history. But it’s still unclear when—if ever—the project will go before supervisors, and things seem to be…
Judgment day
Most people try to avoid standing before a judge in court, but Dennis Apel’s been hoping to get in front of one for a while now. Apel, along with Father Steve Kelly and McGregor Eddy, are no strangers to being arrested. The three of them have been arrested numerous times while protesting in front of…
Man assaulted in SLO
A 19-year-old man was stabbed and beaten while walking through downtown San Luis Obispo on July 20. At about 9 p.m., Chad Robinson was approached by two male adults dressed in all black while he was walking along Higuera Street, according to the SLO Police Department. One of the men stabbed Robinson in his left…
Corrections officer saves inmate
A San Luis Obispo County Corrections officer prevented a suicide at the county jail on the morning of July 15, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The officer, who was not named, witnessed the 44-year-old inmate attempting to hang himself in his cell with a towel. A jail response team comprised of medical and correctional staff…
SLO City Council reluctantly places Prado Road initiative on November ballot
The San Luis Obispo City Council voted in the early morning hours of July 21 to put a Prado Road extension referendum on the November ballot. The referendum gives voters the option to stop the city’s plan to extend Prado Road through a portion of the South Hills open space and alongside the Damon-Garcia sports…
Congress moves to restore unemployment benefits
After more than a month without federal assistance, 13,700 unemployed residents of San Luis Obispo County can expect to qualify for extended unemployment insurance payments. On July 20, Senate Democrats mustered the 60 votes they needed to end debate on a bill that would renew assistance, and includes tax credits for energy efficiency and tax…
SLO city manager’s Task Force opens doors to the public
The formerly members-only Fiscal Sustainability Task Force is now open to the public, said Katie Lichtig, city manager for the city of San Luis Obispo. “There has been considerable community dialogue about who was invited to participate in the meetings and the members of the Task Force,” Lichtig said in a press release on July…
County to contractors: thanks but no thanks
Instead of listening to more protests from contractors, San Luis Obispo County officials chose to just do $1 million worth of retrofit work themselves. Of course, they could have done so months ago, and have now made the bidding process for five contractors moot. In October 2009, the county was awarded $1.03 million in federal…
County unemployment jumps
The state unemployment rate improved in June, but San Luis Obispo County didn’t fare as well, according to data released by the state Employment Development Department. The July 16 report shows California’s unemployment rate dropping slightly to 12.3 percent. However, SLO County had a tougher month, losing 600 jobs between May and June, increasing unemployment…
Bolts pleads not guilty
San Luis Obispo County Undersheriff Steve Bolts pleaded not guilty to charges that he was driving under the influence. At a July 21 arraignment hearing, Bolts’ attorney, Chris Casciola, entered the plea before SLO County Superior Court Judge Barry T. LaBarbera. Bolts wasn’t present at the hearing. Casciola asked that a blood sample Bolts volunteered…
Port San Luis: Is it a “tarnished jewel?”
A recent San Luis Obispo County grand jury report highlighted areas in which the Port San Luis Harbor District could improve the historic sea port. According to the report, the grand jury investigated whether the district was operating efficiently and focused on areas that were later determined to need improvement, such as boatyard contract and…
Katcho should recuse himself from offroading decisions
As a resident of County Supervisor Katcho Achadjian’s district in Oceano Beach I’ve found that whenever I asked him about off-highway vehicles he would answer that he had to recuse himself because he owns gas stations and would not be impartial. Then why is he still sitting on the SLO APCD board? And why are…
Where’s the outrage?
I waited to see what outrage would be expressed by the citizens of San Luis Obispo over the $640,000 expenditure approved by the city council to “upgrade” three blocks of Higuera Street for the sake of tourists and the general exhilaration of downtown business folks. The sidewalks will be torn up to be replaced by…
Starkey’s not fair to Candye
I understand why newspapers allow writers to be expressive and sensational. I’m not sure it was fair or necessary for writer Glen Starkey to focus only on my breasts for the first two paragraphs of his first write-up (“I want Candye!” June 24) of my show in SLO (only one paragraph focused only on the…
Spread the word
June 26 was a national day of protest against offshore oil drilling. Hundreds of people in communities throughout the nation joined hands on beaches in memory of those who lost their lives in the B.P. oil spill, and in utter sadness and anger over the devastation of water and creatures in the Gulf of Mexico.…
Don’t pay bureaucrats so much
The question is not whether Katie Lichtig should “allow” her employers, the people of San Luis Obispo, to witness budget discussions (“Closed to the public,” July 1). The question is whether Katie Lichtig should be allowed to stay in her overpaid position. She was hired at a salary that’s an insult to her predecessor, and…
Project Amend deserves support
I am sad to hear how badly our local residential recovery program, Project Amend, is in need for funding to stay open for those in need of addiction treatment. I have learned firsthand how devastating drug addiction is for families and those we love, as we have personally dealt with it in our family. For…
Dan DeVaul inspires
Had there been a man like Dan DeVaul in my younger years, the quality of my life would have been far improved. Combined with common sense, compassion defines the content of character. DeVaul is a Good Samaritan, with personal honor in the finest git-‘er-done American tradition. I visited Sunny Acres to see what the fuss…
First things first
I couldn’t agree with Shredder more about the county’s final solution to the Dan DeVaul issue (“I’m speechless,” July 8). The sick irony of it all is that unknown (and probably never to be known) tens of thousands of dollars that were spent by the fascist Narcotics Task Squad on the boondoggle Pozo Saloon raid…
Enforcement priorities should be changed
I am wryly amused with the stupidity of those law-enforcement officials who planned the big drug bust and undercover operation at the Pozo Saloon (“What happened in Pozo,” July 8). What a grand waste of taxpayer money and valuable police resources, in short, what a joke: It is truly pathetic. I am not amused with…
Go back to sleep
Yaaaah-haaaaw. Sorry, I had to yawn. Hope my yawn didn’t make you yawn, too. Just don’t think about yawning and you’ll be fine. I’m just kind of bored. My inbox is still crammed up with e-mails about Sunny Acres and I’m running out of stuff to say in response—so I won’t. Conversely, even though it’s…
And the winner is …
At this very moment, I’m listening to the winners of the New Times Music Awards. Just like last year, I’m blown away by the depth of talent on the Central Coast. These songs range from the rocking to the heartbreaking, from the tender to the hilarious. Though I’d love to tell you who won first,…
Remembering Private Martinez
At Colleville-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast above Omaha Beach is the most beautiful American cemetery. It is the cemetery—on 70 acres deeded to the people of the United States—that frames the narrative of Saving Private Ryan and in which rest the remains of a farm worker from San Luis Obispo County. I had told the…
Don Whitmore Owner, Golden Hills Garden Center
NEW TIMES: Have you noticed interest growing for do-it-yourself projects during the recession? WHITMORE: Absolutely, and that includes us. We just recently remodeled our entire building; we had to readjust to the new economy. We offer beautiful plants and gardening equipment people can afford even in these troubling financial times, and lately have been providing…
Help 4-H students help the Food Bank
The Food Bank and students in 4-H have coalesced to provide protein-rich food to 30,000 disadvantaged people in San Luis Obispo County. Livestock raised by 4-H students for exhibition at the Mid-State Fair are being offered for sale to the public for donation to the Food Bank, which will process and package the meat for…
Dragonette 2008 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Fiddlestix Vineyard
I tried this wine at two events and returned on both occasions to taste it again, it was that good. Big, ripe, rich aromas and flavors of black cherries, boysenberries, plums, spice, and nuances of leather in this intense wine keep you coming back for more. A blend of Fiddlestix Vineyard blocks with Pinot Noir…
Snoqualmie 2008 Riesling Washington State
This slightly sweet Riesling made from Columbia Valley organically grown grapes will greatly appeal to sweet-wine lovers. But even if you prefer dry whites, you’ll find this nicely balanced wine offers ripe apple, pear, apricot, and honey notes that pair marvelously with all manner of Asian dishes, such soft cheeses as brie, jack, or gruyere,…
Clubs
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music on the patio at 5:30pm on 7/23: Howlin’ Coyotes. CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. DOLPHIN BAY/LIDO: 2727 Shell Beach Road, Shell Beach, 773-4300 or TheDolphinBay.com. ELMO’S NIPOMO SALOON: 131 South Thompson…
