Cover Story
Come out, one and all
The biggest celebration of the year in the gay and transgender community is called Pride. In large cities, the word has become synonymous with house music, drag, and hot young men in tiny shorts, but those aren’t the only images that can illustrate the event. # July 4 through 8, San Luis Obispo celebrates its…
The Splendor of Mendocino
I’ve loved Mendocino since my first visit in 1985 when I drove three hours to get there just to dine in its renowned restaurant Cafe Beaujolais. The experience was everything I expected after reading the San Francisco Chronicle’s restaurant critic Stan Sesser report: “If there’s a better brunch to be found I’ve never come close”…
Letters
Most guns are owned for recreation Re: “Guns can kill” (June 21). Yes, guns can kill. Not only that, but they facilitate other bad stuff, too. Approximately 40,000 gun-related crimes occur in the United States annually. Luckily, they also discourage crimes. According to criminologist Gary Kleck, firearms prevent or interrupt about 400,000 acts of violence…
Free range art
Dennis Larkins is the real deal, and not just artistically, but in every sense. After speaking with the renowned artist for just under an hour, his energy, drive, and charisma become contagious. His spirit, talent, and accomplishments are simply mind-blowing. # Larkins has been creating for almost 40 years. He has studied painting at Yale,…
Fire talk underscores county threat
The Lake Tahoe fire was topping the morning’s news as California State Fire Marshal Kate Dargan began a June 29 talk to discuss ways to save homes from wildfires. And by the next day, many who had come to hear her speak were busy battling a fire that erupted in the hills above Cal Poly.…
Losing hair? Step into the light
Imagine a soothing waterfall, relaxing music, a warm cup of coffee, a view of the hills, and no more bald spots. # Nationally recognized hair-loss expert John Vincent has teamed up with local dermatologist Dr. Bradley Kurgis to make just such a scenario a reality. Central California Laser Hair Therapy opened in April at 1035…
Signature tree at SLO Mission may be axed
The Catholic Diocese of Monterey is applying for permission to cut down a landmark tree near the doors of the SLO Old Mission Church. The mature silk floss tree with its bright pink butterfly-shaped blooms is creating expensive problems for the building, church officials said in their application for its removal. The SLO tree committee…
No summer break for Chinatown project
The clock is ticking for public review and comments on the Copeland brothers’ massive downtown SLO development project known as Chinatown. July 25 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for written or e-mailed comments on the recently released draft environmental impact report for the project located in what the report terms “the heart of SLO’s…
The heat is on
Some like it hot. Not me, though. No siree, I’m one cool cucumber and I like my surroundings to chill as much as I do. The SLO County Public Health Department is right there with me. The mercury is pushing its way up into the triple digits, boiling away common sense and comfort and everything…
Sharks in the waters
Two shark sightings in local waters in less than a week have caused quite a splash. On June 27, a 15-foot white shark was spotted near Avila Beach. Three days later, an eight-foot great white was reportedly seen 150 yards south of the Pismo Beach Pier. As a result, the Port San Luis Harbor District…
Planning Commission delays height decision
The San Luis Obispo City Council’s review of a new height ordinance for downtown building has been postponed, following the Planning Commission’s decision to hold off on recommendations, according to Associate City Planner Michael Codron. A public meeting was held June 27, in which the Planning Commission reviewed a draft ordinance bearing all of the…
Developer fee delay won’t result in investigation
The SLO County District Attorney’s office won’t launch an investigation based on concerns over an Atascadero developer’s payment of several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of builder impact fees. The June 21 decision not to investigate Kelly Gearhart echoes a similar determination made by Atascadero Police Chief John Couch. The pair of refusals came in response…
Avast, ye mateys!
For sheer showmanship, it’s hard to beat the Mad Caddies, a rock/reggae/ska/punk act replete with phat horns and a hyperkinetic stage show. The quintet conjures memories of The Clash, The Police, Sublime bands that blurred the line between rock and reggae. # The Mad Caddies formed a dozen years ago in Solvang, and I know…
Don’t knock U.S. medical care
Many letters have been published extolling the virtues of socialized medicine. My family’s recent experience should illustrate such a system well. A year ago, my brother, a Canadian citizen, visited Houston, Texas. While there, he had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. His travel insurance company wanted to air ambulance him back…
What goes up can come down
San Luis Obispo County is in the midst of a changing real estate market. While the Central Coast has been a seller’s market for the last several years, it’s now becoming more of a buyer’s market or at least there’s more inventory. After plowing through several years of rapidly rising prices, the SLO County housing…
Fast Facts
On July 14, Jack’s Helping Hand, a local nonprofit providing help to children with special needs, is having a barbecue fundraiser. The money raised will buy a prosthetic leg for Owen Back, a 19-year-old who lost his leg to bone cancer. The event will be at Santa Margarita Ranch and begins at 4:30 p.m. Festivities…
Atascadero transportation is at a crossroads
Listen closely to the diner-and-coffee-shop talk in Atascadero, and you’ll still hear some longtime residents express fond regrets about the way the state plotted Highway 101 directly through, rather than neatly around this town of 22,000, in the 1950s. # Now, as Caltrans officials consider bids to rebuild a 10-years-in-the-planning interchange of highways 41 and…
