Cover Story
Big health: A look at how the Central Coast’s two hospital systems shape local health care costs
Editor’s note: This article was produced as part of a Data Fellowship with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism. Jamie Maraviglia has spent long days and nights in the hospital, but her time at home with medical bills is sometimes even more intense. The Arroyo Grande resident is routinely in and out of the…
South SLO County cities move to help businesses operate outside
Like so many local businesses today, the Shell Beach Brewhouse is facing a number of unusual challenges. First, it was a year and a half of construction on Shell Beach Road just outside of the Brewhouse. Then COVID-19 hit, which owner Frank Schiro said led to an 87-day closure of the restaurant and bar. After…
Lompoc police say recent homicide victim was not the intended target
The Lompoc Police Department arrested four individuals on July 29 in connection with the shooting-death of Francisco Garcia, 30, on July 27. The shooting occurred on West Chestnut Ave., and the victim was pronounced deceased at the Lompoc Valley Medical Center. Emanuel Cruz, 32, two 16-year-old male juveniles, and a 15-year-old male juvenile were arrested.…
SLO launches social media competition to help local businesses
Are you #SLOready? On Aug. 4, the city of San Luis Obispo unveiled a month-long social media competition that it says is meant to encourage people to order from local restaurants, shop at local stores, and enjoy the local outdoors. Throughout August, Instagram users who post photos at a SLO open space, landmark, restaurant, or…
Paso city manager addresses high volume of COVID-19 cases
On Aug. 3, Paso Robles City Manager Tom Frutchey released an open letter to the greater Paso Robles community about the area’s increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. In the letter, Frutchey said the area’s zip code, 93446, has had 133 new cases in the last 10 days, compared to 313 new cases in the…
State Senate committee passes Cunningham’s police accountability bill
Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) announced on July 31 that his police accountability bill, AB 1599, unanimously passed the state Senate Committee on Public Safety. First introduced in 2019, the bill “provides a mechanism for disclosure of records in cases of sustained allegations of improper use of deadly force, sexual assault on a member…
Lompoc Unified School District announces plan for fall semester, parents ask for better communication
The Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) first announced on July 17 that the school year would begin with distance learning, with students starting instruction on Aug. 17. In a July 29 letter posted to the district’s website, Deputy Superintendent Bree Valla further confirmed the decision. “The Lompoc Unified School District is committed to the health…
Whinecountry
Not far from the vineyards of the Edna Valley, you will find the SLO “whinecountry,” where you are sure to hear lots of complaints by local Democrats over supposed “voter suppression” by Republicans. This strident kvetching is used to explain away any electoral loss that they suffer, and has been operating in overdrive ever since…
Murder hornets!
Boy oh boy, our government sure has had our backs, amirite? What a country! Greatest in the world! The best system! The very best! For instance, how’s that $1,200 stimulus payment holding up? You remember, right? Back in April, tRump made a big deal about his signature being on the check. “Hey everybody! I, Donald…
Port San Luis considers extending COVID-19 relief to two businesses
The Port San Luis Harbor District is considering extending a discount on rent aimed at helping businesses in the area stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. But as of now, only two businesses stand to benefit from the extension. At a meeting on July 28, the Port San Luis Harbor Commission reviewed its Lessee Recovery…
Sheriff addresses his comments that partially influenced the July 21 protest in SLO
“He said racism does exist but it doesn’t exist in SLO County. Is that true?” the speaker asked the crowd. “No, that’s not true, that’s ignorance. That is his white privilege.” The speaker was addressing protesters gathered at Mitchell Park on July 21, a rally organized in part as a response to comments that SLO…
A higher percentage of Latinos in SLO County are testing positive for COVID-19
Latino residents account for the majority of SLO County’s confirmed COVID-19 cases thus far, mirroring the virus’s disproportionate impact on Latinos across the state. While Latinos are just 23 percent of the SLO County population, they made up 56 percent of the local COVID-19 cases to date—which was close to their percentage of statewide cases,…
The SLO County Stumblers release their debut album on Aug. 1
I think of old-timey string musicians as folks who share an arcane language. It doesn’t matter where they’re from or if they’ve ever met before. Because they share this secret idiom, they can pick up their instruments and speak to one another like they’ve been conversing their whole lives. They share knowledge of the same…
Avila survey asks for vacation rental, event input
A SLO County survey regarding the Avila Beach Community Plan is open online and awaiting community responses, and if you care about coastal access, parking, vacation rentals, and community events in Avila Beach, you might want to consider logging on and giving your two cents. Avila Beach has been working to draft its community plan…
Local filmmakers Eriksen and Soren Dickens release a documentary about Rotary International’s worldwide polio vaccine program
Most Americans don’t remember polio epidemics, which could kill thousands and paralyze thousands more. That’s because in 1955, Dr. Jonas Salk developed a safe and effective vaccine that virtually eradicated the disease in the U.S. Other countries haven’t been so lucky, but in 1979, Rotary International began a global campaign to end polio, which is…
Fencing on Atascadero’s Joy Playground vandalized
On July 27, Sarah Sullivan posted a video on the Parents for Joy Facebook page to raise awareness of the Joy Playground’s fencing that has now been broken several times in Atascadero. As Sullivan talks to the camera, she points the video toward the playground fence that has a bar sticking out of place. “I’m…
Morro Coast Audubon Society’s August program highlights the long-billed curlew
The Morro Coast Audubon Society hosts its August Community Program over Zoom on Monday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. Career biologist Heather Hayes, community science coordinator at Boise State University’s Intermountain Bird Observatory (IBO), will host this discussion focused on the long-billed curlew populations of Idaho, which are declining at an alarming rate. The species…
COVID-19 forced CAPSLO’s Teen Monologues project to transition from theater to podcast for the first time ever
Emma Fay has been involved with the Teen Monologues program for more than a decade, since she first discovered and joined the local theater project as a San Luis Obispo High School student in 2006. But she’s never seen the program go up against the challenges it faces today. Teen Monologues is a Community Action…
Registration open for SLOBG’s Full Moon Ceremony
The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden (SLOBG) announced that collaborator Dawn Feuerberg will host the Full Moon Ceremony and Renewal Rituals on Monday, Aug. 31, from 7 to 9 p.m. Feuerberg will guide participants on how to use meditation and the full moon’s light to increase creativity. Admission is $55, and attendees can register in…
Opera SLO and Clark Center co-host free, virtual opera concert
As part of the Summer Date Night Series, a new virtual concert program hosted by the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande, Opera San Luis Obispo will present Greatest Operatic Hits on Saturday, Aug. 1, from 6 to 7 p.m. The concert will include Opera SLO performances of nine compositions selected from…
Palm Springs puts a twist on Groundhog Day
PALM SPRINGS What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee Where’s it showing? Hulu Max Barbakow (Mommy, I’m a Bastard) directs Andy Siara’s debut feature-length screenplay about wedding guest Nyles (Andy Samberg) and reluctant maid of honor Sarah (Christin Milioti), whose chance encounter traps her in Nyles’ Groundhog…
Normal People
What’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2020 Where’s it showing? Hulu There’s no doubt that teenage love is a fraught endeavor, and that’s showcased in the sweet, heartstring-tugging journey that Marianne and Connell endure. She’s smart and friendless; he’s popular but deeper than his peers. Marianne has her eyes set on life outside of high school,…
J&R provides local meat amid nationwide shortages
Finding good, local meat in coronavirus times Visit J&R Natural Meat and Sausage for locally grown, pasture-raised meats at the custom, USDA inspected meat processing center and Butcher Shop on 3450 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles, (805) 237-8100; or the Butcher Shop at 1121 Rossi Road, Templeton, (805) 434-5050. For recipe ideas and online ordering, visit…
Catch-22
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2019 Where’s it showing? Hulu Joseph Heller’s classic 1961 dark comedy novel is given the small-screen miniseries treatment, finally allowing for more reverent adherence to its source material. As good as director Mike Nichols’ and screenwriter Buck Henry’s 1970 film was, at just more than two hours it couldn’t explore…
Ignore the provocateurs
At the risk of agitating the MAGA crowd, who think English is the only lingo people should speak here in “good-ole ‘Murica,” I would like to introduce a phrase from a different tongue: agent provocateur. I bring it up because agents provocateurs are once again infesting protests, and are a key arrow, although by no…
