Cover Story
Opening the floodgates
Anxiously wringing his hands as if he might squeeze out precious water onto the podium, Pascual Padilla addressed the standing-# room-only crowd at a recent Paso Robles City Council meeting: “People on fixed incomes should not be held responsible for new growth. Why should us little guys have to pay so much for Nacimiento water?”…
A century’s worth of wisdom
After bearing witness to multiple wars, countless natural disasters, and the deaths of many loved ones, Dorothy Goerke, Dorothy Woolpert, and Walter Ruksenas still have smiles on their faces. # The three all residents of Judson Terrace Homes in San Luis Obispo are celebrating their 100-year-old birthdays within months of each other. “Everybody tells me…
Plans for local patient pot shops continue
The recent arrest of Charles Lynch, the former owner of Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers San Luis Obispo County’s only (and now-defunct) medical marijuana dispensary apparently hasn’t discouraged others from plans to open similar businesses. “It won’t really deter me because the threat has always been there,” said Ken Estes, who owns several medical marijuana dispensaries…
Music licensers seek payments
The half-dozen or so acoustic musicians who tote guitars, mandolins, and the occasional fiddle into the cozy confines of San Luis Obispo’s Utopia Bakery one Sunday afternoon each month charge nothing for their playing, and neither does owner Kees Docter. With stutter starts and discussions about who knows which songs, it’s more of a jam…
Food fight
Dinner With Friends is, in many ways, a predictable choice of plays for the Pewter Plough Playhouse. The quirky little theater # and its opinionated owner, Jim Buckley, love tales of middle-aged couples. Then again, the story of Gabe and Karen and Beth and Tom isn’t about the fumbling efforts of a mismatched pair rediscovering…
Country days and (classic) rockin’ nights
The Mid-State Fair, open noon to midnight from July 25 to Aug. 5, is a terrific reminder for those who spend too much time in Pottery Barn that this county is rural at heart (and really likes classic rock). But don’t think you have to be wearing cowboy boots and a Def Leppard tee to…
Don’t believe the gripes
These are turbulent times for local public access television. While many positive developments at SLO County Public Access (SLOCOPA) are happening, lately these accomplishments have been overshadowed by controversy. It has been astounding to watch as our volunteer organization is vilified in the press, accused of everything from incompetence to racial discrimination. The real story…
Scratching your itches
One of the biggest influences on the development of reggae and dub music in Jamaica and the world is Lee “Scratch” Perry. As a songwriter, a performer, and producer, “The Mighty Upsetter” has been at the forefront of reggae music since the late ’50s ska movement. Practically the inventor of the “scratch” turntable effect used…
Creek setback is dealt final setback
Atascadero officials have scrapped the creek setback plans they embraced in May, originally enacted out of flooding and water-quality concerns. The move ends what had become a contentious issue in the area and eliminates any need to put the matter before city voters. The City Council, acting after hours of public comment, voted unanimously on…
Monday, Tuesday, happy days
If the upcoming release of the redone Hairspray with local celebrity Zac Efron has boomers yearning for the good ol’ days, I’ve got just the fix they need. Head over to Oceano for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the Rock & Roll Diner, where they’re serving old-school burgers, fries, and shakes. Not only do they…
Pigeons face death, but are they the problem?
As Pismo Beach sits poised to begin trapping and killing the pier-dwelling pigeons that City Council members believe are responsible for polluting local ocean waters, one key scientist said he’s not convinced they’re the ultimate source of the problem. Just weeks after banning people from feeding the birds, the council unanimously decided on July 19…
Letters
SLO mayor needs to shape up or ship out If ever there was a more blatant demonstration of the “good ol’ boys club,” it took place at the San Luis Obispo City Council meeting held on Tuesday, July 17. When representatives for a subcommittee to renegotiate the Prado Overpass were selected, not to anyone’s surprise,…
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
The California Mid-State Fair kicked off its summer action with a cattle drive on July 25, and as I thought about tons of beef lumbering around on clopping hooves, I couldn’t think of a more apt metaphor for what’s been going on around me around all of us these days. Is it just me, or…
