Cover Story
55 Fiction 2014
How much can you really say in 55 words? Maybe you could recite a knock, knock joke or two—but that’s not original content, and if you’re going to say something, at least say something fresh and unexpected. Is 55 words enough space to create characters? Establish a setting? We might be giving out…
John Conner makes bid for mayor
A San Luis Obispo bed and breakfast owner, John Conner, will challenge Jan Marx for the mayoral seat this November. Conner, owner of the Petit Soleil bed and breakfast in SLO, pulled his paperwork to run for office. In a phone interview with New Times, Conner said he had considered running for City Council after…
A tale of two buns : In honor of ‘Merica, I devour four SLO-area hot dogs like a champ
Many people associate hot dogs with baseball or Fourth of July barbecues. I associate them with the smell of sweat, hot pavement, and rock ‘n’ roll. As a wild-eyed teenager growing up in the L.A. area, Hollywood held quite the allure for me and my friends. Looking for trouble with our colored hair and leather…
If you were entered an eating contest, what food would give you the best chance of winning?
Trever Carter tattoo artist “Nachos … I can put away some nachos!” Giovanni Prinzivalli research assistant “Sushi is the one food I can eat until I’m uncomfortably full.” Chelsea Kolstedt sales “The answer to that would definitely be sushi.” Miguel Torres actor “A Chipotle burrito”
Gateway Project may be stuck in traffic as Paso Robles sues a developer over fees due; a falling out may ensue
A large-scale project slated for the southwestern end of Paso Robles has hit a roadblock after a disagreement between the project’s developer and the city of Paso Robles prompted the city to terminate the application process. The Gateway Project, planned for the northwest quadrant of the Highway 101 and Highway 46 West interchange, would be…
Pismo Beach council has a busy night
As luck would have it, a number of high-profile items converged on the July 1 meeting of the Pismo Beach City Council. Six and a half hours later, the council emerged with a multitude of vital decisions. After months of debates, surveys, and petitions, the city’s desired renewal of its half-percent sales tax and a…
A projectile goes through a window at Supervisor Caren Ray’s home
Sometime on the evening of June 29, an unknown perpetrator shot through a window in the Arroyo Grande home of San Luis Obispo County District 4 Supervisor Caren Ray. Details about the incident are scarce, but Ray told New Times that she and her family are safe and were completely unharmed. Ray discovered the hole…
Drought, no doubt: South County’s water-saving plans are kicking into high gear
Seeing as the emergency in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin and the dire water situations in coastal Cambria and Morro Bay have drawn a lot of attention, some locals may be surprised to learn that Southern San Luis Obispo County has water issues of its own. While California’s historically awful statewide drought is hardly breaking…
The 2nd Annual Seven Sisters Fest brings craft beer and great music to the masses on July 11-13 at El Chorro Regional Park
Hey look! Two of my favorite things! Next weekend, from Friday, July 11, through Sunday, July 13, El Chorro Regional Park & Campground will once again be transformed into a craft beer and music lovers’ paradise hosted by our own Tap It Brewing Company. Called the Seven Sisters Craft Beer & Music Fest, it features…
Poetry Church brings poetry, music, and shenanigans to the SLO Grange Hall!
Editor’s Note: Some people remember certain events—specifically the part at the end about manhandling Denz—differently. Read with a grain of salt. On June 4, I get a message from local poet and purveyor of all things artsy and esoteric, Denz Ray Falcon-Powell Junyor, asking if I might want to participate in Lucha Libro, which…
‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and ‘Matt Shephard is a Friend of Mine’ screen at the Palm Theatre
Come Together Beatlemania is coming back. On July 4, the Palm Theatre will be showing A Hard Day’s Night in celebration of the film’s 50th anniversary. The film, directed by Richard Lester, plays like it’s a typical day in the life of the Fab Four, minus the drugs and debauchery. The movie follows the four…
Two new exhibits at SLOMA feature Spanish painter Joan Longas and local photographer Gary Dwyer
The paintings of Joan Longas and photographs of Gary Dwyer do not, at first, seem complimentary. The two artists, who both have new exhibits opening at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, differ in their nationality, their preferred medium, and, often, their subject matter. The former, a Spanish painter with roots in graphic design,…
Veteran comedian Margaret Cho talks sex, politics, and her upcoming performance at the PAC
Margaret Cho is an open person. There is absolutely no doubt about that. Regarding sex, politics, drugs, race, and even the size of former beau Quentin Tarantino’s penis, the 45-year-old comedian is almost uncomfortably honest. It’s a brazen attitude and approach that has cultivated a devout legion of fans and likely provoked even more during…
Clubs 7/3-7/10/14
Goin’ South … THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. CUVEE BISTRO AND CHAMPAGNE BAR: 550 1st St., Avila Beach, 595-2245. Live music Thurs. and Sat. 6-9pm. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the…
Delicious dates
Rods & Cool Wines will return to Cerro Caliente Cellars in SLO on July 19 … SLO’s Art after Dark was canceled due to Fourth of July. However, the mix of art, wine, and music will commence at Paso Robles’ incarnation, slated for July 5 … Lighthouse Jubilee will unfold July 20 at the Point…
New Earth Superfoods’ Juice Bar and Central Coast Brewing’s CAB Barrel Aged Dark Strong Ale
When a Vitamin Water just isn’t going to cut it: New Earth Superfoods’ Juice Bar So, you woke up in an empty kiddie pool to the frightening sight of a half-eaten box of pizza teetering atop your swollen belly. Sour cream and onion chips are strewn across the lawn, peppered by the odd popsicle stick…
Welcome Map goes mobile
We’ve all seen those blue maps here and there—that painstakingly obvious sign there are tourists among us trying to find their way. For more than 25 years, Welcome Map has been producing these maps for hotels in SLO, Morro Bay, Cambria, and Pismo Beach to provide a bird’s eye view of each town. But in…
Cougars & Mustangs
When a lover of science fiction encounters college department names such as BioResearch and Agricultural Engineering, he often begins to fantasize about modern day Jurassic Park exhibits stomping merrily along the grounds of Poly Canyon. What is sometimes lost amid that fantasy, when compared with what members of such a department actually do, is that…
Hot water: A Morro Bay fisherman faces federal charges for allegedly shooting at an electrical facility
It was a brisk autumn afternoon in Fort Bragg when police arrived to a call of shots fired. One witness reported seeing a man, about 6 feet tall with shoulder-length shaggy blond hair, who had fired a shotgun at a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) substation. Police recovered a Giant brand bicycle, a riding jacket,…
SLO voters will decide the fate of Measure Y
After a months-long debate over one of the most divisive issues in San Luis Obispo city government, SLO voters will officially be asked whether to renew the half-percent sales tax, Measure Y. With three city councilmembers firmly on board with a proposed ballot measure anticipated to go before voters in the November general election, councilwoman…
On the table: $48 million for roads in Grover Beach?
New streets may be down the road for Grover Beach residents if voters approve a new bond measure this November. At a special meeting on June 25, the Grover Beach City Council gave the thumbs up to a $48 million measure that aims to repair the city’s failing roads. The vote was 4-1, with Councilman…
Godzilla stomp!
Somewhere along Highway 58, between the armpit of California and the nostril of the world, there’s a man in a car camped out on the side of the dusty thoroughfare. He’s eating the last stick from a pack of Slim Jims he picked up at a gas station and plotting his next move. He’s got…
Physical books do survive
I write books (see williamseavey.com). And I collect books. Your piece (“Shelf awareness,” June 26) suggests that books should be dispensed with (even disposed of) just because they are taking up space. My books mean more to me than most other objects around the house, even though I fully admit I have too many of…
Something smells on your new food and wine page
Your weekly Cuisine articles used to be why I picked up New Times. It was always well written and had great reviews of local or interesting restaurants, chefs, food events, and was always concise and very positive, as well as easy to read. The added bonus was “Kathy’s Picks”: brief descriptions of wine recommendations, price,…
Property owners don’t like walkers
I read with interest your article on the Ontario Ridge/pugnacious landowner fight (“Ontario ridge fight goes coastal,” June 26). I have done a lot of hiking in SLO County over the last 20 years or so and remember similar issues. There is (or was) a public hiking trail (with official trail sign) maybe a half…
Let’s invest in mental health
I have read Jim Mallon’s commentary in the Sun, “What will end the obsession?” with interest, and as a concerned citizen I think Mr. Mallon should also read the letter to the editor on the page following his. There is a very accurate letter from Ian Campbell of San Luis Obispo discussing the Isla Vista…
Fracking is a myth
Let’s face the fact that there is no fracking in Santa Barbara County. Why they brought up this initiative is a distraction because they know there is no fracking, but rather a ploy to stop oil production. The loss of those tax dollars, more than $16 million, is going to come out of the already…
Climate change nonsense
I must commend Heidi Harmon for her well-written and self-assured article on climate change (“Climate crisis has no party affiliation,” May 22), but at the same time I need to share my view. I wish I could say I was a climate change denier, but I can’t because I remember learning about the Ice Age,…
