Cover Story
Pressing pollution: Residents near the SLO airport with PFAS-contaminated wells ask for “full replacement” of water
For more than 20 years, Marge Barinka has lived off Buckley Road in San Luis Obispo, using the groundwater beneath her property for livestock, gardening, and living. But the well she’s relied on for so long is polluted with chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) at levels that exceed drinking water standards, according…
Asteroid City
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, The Palm, Stadium 10 Now in their fifth go-around as co-writers, director Wes Anderson has reteamed with Roman Coppola (The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch) to pen this meta story about Tennessee Williams-esque playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton)…
SLO County uses dogs and more to inspect for invasive mussels in local lakes
Boaters in San Luis Obispo County may be unknowingly harboring aquatic hitchhikers, and officials are ready to sniff them out. Over July 3 and 4, professionally trained dogs from the Oakdale-based company Mussel Dogs smelled boats about to enter Lopez Lake for quagga and zebra mussels as a preventative course of action, rapidly cutting down…
Morro Bay approves roundabout design for congested Main Street intersection
The long wait time at the intersection of Highways 1 and 41 and Main Street in Morro Bay is a common experience for residents and tourists alike. But those issues may become a thing of the past, thanks to a 3-2 City Council vote on June 27 to approve a design process for installing a…
Health care groups in SLO, Santa Barbara counties pay $68 million for alleged false claims
A county-organized health system and three health care providers across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties will be finding their coffers lighter by $68 million combined for allegedly knowingly submitting false claims to Medi-Cal. A press release from the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that on June 28, a federal judge unsealed the whistleblower…
Chimney Rock Road’s temporary bridge opens up to the public
As of June 30, residents and non-resident motorists could cross the path washed out by fierce winter storms on Chimney Rock Road thanks to a temporary bridge. “Our goal is to put the road back the way it was,” San Luis Obispo County Deputy Public Works Director John Waddell said. “The most likely scenario is…
Correction:
• In the article “Little Town, big problems: San Simeon’s CSD loses general manager, struggles with board member appointments” that ran in the June 22 issue of New Times, we incorrectly reported how former San Simeon CSD Board Director Daniel De la Rosa parted ways with the budget committee. Director De la Rosa resigned from…
Renowned bassist Les Claypool plays Madonna Inn on July 13
Les Claypool is a force of nature, a master of alt-metal, funk metal, and prog-rock. When he formed Primus in 1984, their sound was a revelation. I also recently discovered he once tried out for Metallica after the death of their bassist Cliff Burton. He didn’t get the job because frontman James Hatfield thought he…
Speak out
Thanks to the June 29 New Times Shredder (“We’ve got you covered … not”) for shining a spotlight on San Luis Obispo’s failure to protect renters after the 2017 City Council repealed the 2015 Rental Housing Inspection Program (RHIP). Many college towns in California, for instance Santa Cruz, have a program like that one designed…
Wake up, organize, register, and vote
One year ago SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dodd v. United States decision, thereby denying the autonomy of American women by proclaiming the state’s right to control their wombs. Coupled with this are efforts by some to build a border fence to keep immigrants out and to…
Corazón Cafe is Downtown SLO’s colorful and lively answer to coffee, cuisine, and conversation with a Mexican twist
Cozy up Grab coffee or tea or sit down for a meal at Corazón Cafe on 847 Higuera St., SLO. The cafe is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Tuesday, and from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Wednesday through Sunday. Keep up with it on Instagram @corazoncafeslo. Corazón Cafe is…
Morro Bay City Council votes to adjust day of Ironman 70.3, taking local input for next iteration
Stay in the know For more information on where you can voice your thoughts about future Morro Bay events and to find out more about the economic impact of those events, visit morrobayca.gov. As droves of athletes, supporters, and local on-lookers began to pack up their belongings and celebrate the completion of Morro Bay’s first…
Anila Quayyum Agha to showcase sculptures and paper craft art in new exhibition at SLOMA
Coming soon Visit the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (located at 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo) and enjoy the works of Anila Quayyum Agha in her solo exhibition Liminal Space. For more information on the artist and her work, visit anilaagha.com. See what’s happening with SLO public art projects at sloma.org. Layers are…
Predictable outcomes, 2.0
Like a previously viewed movie, I know how this one ends. In a previous column, I criticized the inability of county leaders to see how the safe parking site on Oklahoma Avenue was going to work out (“SLO County’s decision to close its safe parking site was predictable,” May 11). Here, I am predicting that…
SLO Rep’s board of directors welcomes Myraline Morris Whitaker
Local retiree and diversity advocate Myraline Morris Whitaker recently accepted a seat on the board of directors for the San Luis Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre. The former CEO of Martin Resorts has joined the board at an “opportune moment in SLO Rep’s history,” according to SLO Rep, as the company continues to complete its capital…
The regional water board is good at the blame game
If I lived near the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, I’d be pissed at all the state and federal agencies tasked with ensuring I had clean water to drink. Nothing good comes out of the ground along Buckley Road. It’s tainted with chemicals, chemicals area residents had happily and unknowingly been consuming for decades—until…
Roaring ’20s-themed jazz fundraiser benefits the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center
On Saturday, July 15, the Octagon Barn in San Luis Obispo will host the Bootleg Ball, a roaring ’20s-themed fundraiser with live jazz music, casino games, auctions, craft cocktails, and more to benefit educational programming at the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center. Festive period attire is encouraged. Visit dunescenter.org for more info on the event. Δ
Margarita Adventures opens a new summer program for kids to explore plant and animal life at Santa Margarita Ranch
Kids cooped up at home this summer can channel their energy into the great outdoors thanks to Margarita Adventures’ new nature education program. The outdoor community recreation classes cater to local kids thanks to a partnership with the Parks and Recreation departments of San Luis Obispo and Atascadero. In late June, Margarita Adventures started offering…
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny pays slavish homage to Raiders
INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Bay, Colony, Downtown Centre, Fair Oaks, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In James Mangold (Copland, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, Logan, Ford v Ferrari) directs this fifth installment of…
Beef
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Netflix Amy (Ali Wong) and Danny (Steven Yeun) have more in common than either one could ever guess—namely, short fuses and a deep need for revenge. When road rage gets the better of the two strangers, the snowball that forms soon grows out of control. Amy…
