Cover Story
55 Fiction 2011
Open publication – Free publishing – More literature
Soothing touch
Next time your baby is wailing uncontrollably and having trouble sleeping late at night, try to rationalize with him or her. Explain the importance of a good night’s sleep. Cite medical studies, if necessary. That didn’t work, did it? As it turns out, babies don’t respond to the same stimuli as adults do. They don’t…
The filmmaking prodigy of Arroyo Grande
Striking up a conversation with Matthew J. Evans is a strangely disarming experience. You know he’s only 14. But that information doesn’t quite jive with the well-spoken individual who greets me the Monday morning after a film he’s in, Bad Teacher, hit theaters, a kid whose adolescent good-naturedness turns to serious reflection when talking about…
They should listen to us, not Wall Street
I used to look forward to the 4th of July. I used to be patriotic, used to have faith in our government, used to be proud to be an American. But somewhere along the way, I’ve lost that feeling–along with my house, my business, my 401k, my pension. We are now more than halfway through…
A painter who can’t paint
George is a painter who doesn’t paint much anymore. He’s an expert at painting old houses, and he’s the kind of guy you call if you want your house painted right. You will never see paint peeling from the walls of your dream breakfast nook if he’s the man with the roller. George’s habit of…
CLUBS
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 Each Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30pm. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: 750 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach, 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music every Fri.-Sat., 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell, Doc Stoltey. GATHER WINE BAR: 122 E. Branch…
Circumcision measure ignores the facts
I read New York Times writer Jennifer Medina’s article, which appeared in the Tribune on June 6 (“Efforts to ban circumcision gain traction”), about San Francisco activist Matthew Hess’ endeavors to have a measure placed on the ballot in San Francisco to criminalize circumcision (except for any adult males who may elect to undergo the…
L’Aventure 2010 Rosé Estate Paso Robles
A blend of 70 percent Syrah and 30 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, this pretty, cranberry-hued wine is elegance in a glass. After trying it on two occasions, I had to recommend this exceptional wine. Known for consistently outstanding wines, French born winemaker Stephan Asseo makes an unforgettable Rosé. Aromas and flavors of strawberry, cranberry, rhubarb, and…
Kynsi 2008 Pinot Blanc Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley
At first taste, I was wowed by this exceptional white because there are not many versions of this varietal that impress me. This is one of the most elegant and delicious Pinot Blancs I’ve tasted in a long time. Pretty in its aromas and flavors of ripe apple, pear, melon, and nectarine, it’s highlighted with…
Chef Rick’s has closed!
We are quite fortunate here on the Central Coast to be able to have a personal relationship with our chefs, a situation that’s rare in major cities like San Francisco or L.A. Our best example is that of Chef Rick Manson of Chef Rick’s Ultimately Fine Foods in Orcutt. For more than two decades, he…
Father Ed Holterhoff
NEW TIMES Has church attendance been up or down in recent years? HOLTERHOFF In our parish, it’s going up. It’s more than doubled since I’ve been here. The only church people know is their local parish, and when you serve them, the attendance goes up. NEW TIMES What was the most surprising aspect of…
What recovery?
Obama’s in trouble. With 230,000 fewer jobs, 430,000 May unemployment applicants, home equities at 1948 levels, 15 million unemployed, and 47 million on food stamps, he says he’s not worried about another recession. It’s just that the economy’s worse than he thought, and the recovery’s going to take longer than expected. What recovery? There’s been…
Speak up: ‘War is not the answer’
It is heartening that a majority of Americans now have grown so weary of financing the endless war in the Middle East, and of sacrificing our precious sons and daughters, that a serious decision to bring it to an end is urgent. Too many people have now suffered economically, morally, and physically. We now understand…
Start looking for Oliver Twist
Grover Norquist, Republican leader of the “no new taxes” cult, boasted on TV that he’d received signed pledges from all Republican House and Senate members and almost all current presidential hopefuls to reject any tax raises to solve the deficit problem. The refusal to consider ending tax cuts for the richest Americans, who already pay…
Bring me Costco or bring me Best Buy
I recently heard the Golden Hills Plaza is close to filling in their last anchor tenants. And to my shock, Best Buy was not on their list. One of their possibilities is a grocery store! I am not excited at all about seeing a grocery store at Golden Hills Plaza. I don’t know about everyone…
Both parties are a problem, and I’m proud to support homosexuals
Letter writer Ken Goodman (“Who’s the bigot?” June 30) attempts to lump me in with Otis Page as a bigot. Um, really? Otis was gratuitous (as he always is) by naming Barney Frank as a homosexual when Frank’s sexual preference had nothing to do with the point of Page’s letter (“Democrats—and the nation—are damaged,” June…
I fear that people are dumb as rocks
I was struck by a thought as I considered Ken Goodman’s response (“Who’s the bigot?” June 30) to Patrick Mallon’s letter (“What difference does Frank’s sexuality make?” June 23): Is the light just getting dimmer in our world? Has global warming depleted O2 levels in the atmosphere (allegedly) to the point where the populace is…
There’s a reason Hitler appalls us
Regarding Rosyln Pollard’s letter (“Did I mention Adolf Hitler?” June 30), Ms. Pollard states that “not all life is beautiful,” and that the world might have been better off if some people had been aborted. That might be true. But who gets to decide? Me? Ms. Pollard? Hitler? No one can pre-determine an unborn baby’s…
Cougars & Mustangs
Cal Poly has always done a Champagne job combining athletic and academic success. This year, 17 Mustang student athletes who competed in spring sports earned Big West Academic Spring All-Conference recognition. Cal Poly’s men’s and women’s track and field programs led the way with five selections apiece. Also noteworthy was senior softball player and kinesiology…
‘Asshole’s neighbor’
There isn’t much traffic on Lucerne Street, a small outlet off of Highway 1 in northern Cayucos. It’s a quiet, seaside neighborhood, with imposing post-modern houses and condos creeping along the cliffs that fall into the churning waters of the Pacific, just north of the Cayucos Pier. The neighborhood is characterized mainly by cars with…
Vinho e ritmo!
The Central Coast Wine Classic, the brainchild of local bon vivant Archie McLaren, is already one of the most beloved events in SLO County. Started in 1984, it eventually became, in 2004, the Central Coast Wine Classic Foundation, which has conferred grants totaling $1,615,943 to 76 nonprofit organizations on the Central Coast. Quite a legacy!…
Daredevils and clowns
“Hello. This is New Times.” “Yeah, hey. This is Nick Powell.” “Oh, the talented writer with the dashing good looks?” “The very same. Look, I know I owe you folks another Art Bash, but considering the Fourth of July holiday and the utterly crap-tacular week I’ve had, I was kind of hoping to just phone…
Help Baby Ella Beckstead!
Ella Beckstead’s got a bit of rough start ahead of her. Not yet born, she’s already been diagnosed with a rare congenital heart defect that will require surgery just days after birth—and again in the months and years following. Fortunately, the little one’s already got a huge support network of friends, family, and strangers who…
Metal, meet Mozart
It’s not terribly often that classical musicians take audience requests—perhaps simply because classical musicians don’t play in bars. But Festival Mozaic, the local 10-day Mozart-and-more extravaganza, seeks to correct this. With its Notable Encounters series, the annual festival invites audiences to break out of the security of the traditional concert format and into a more…
Tempest in a honeypot
I got in a fight with Smokey Bear once. True story. I was at this all-you-can-eat buffet, I distinctly remember that I had just stacked my plate so full of fried chicken that I was having problems navigating back to my table, and suddenly this bear gets in my face all “only you can prevent…
Corrections
• The June 30 story, “Bear killed for eating chickens,” identified a wrong agency involved. The trapper was provided by the Wildlife Services Division of U.S. Department of Agriculture. • In the June 30 Art Bash column, the musician for Last Friday’s after party at SLO Donut Co. was misidentified. The performer was Brook Thompson.…
SLO council raises parking fees
The San Luis Obispo City Council recently upped the cost of parking downtown and, for the first time, began charging for parking in some neighborhoods. It also gave final approval at a July 5 meeting for upping downtown parking rates and charging for Sunday parking for the first time. The city has restricted parking in…
Will we pay to relicense Diablo?
Ratepayer advocacy group the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility is scheduled to go before the California Public Utilities Commission July 7 in San Francisco to request that the state regulator deny Pacific Gas & Electric’s request to use customer money to fund its relicensing efforts for Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. PG&E is asking the CPUC…
County audit of Wallace conflict likely
The San Luis Obispo County auditor-controller will conduct a review of the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District’s financial records—specifically related to a conflict of interest alleged by the county grand jury. On June 2, the grand jury issued a report titled “The South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District” that alleged John Wallace,…
Former public access TV exec sentenced
The former chairman for the nonprofit organization tasked with administering SLO County Public Access Television (SLOCOPA) has been sentenced after he pleaded no contest to embezzling approximately $2,500 from the organization, though he says there’s more to the story. Anthony Pope, 55, originally of Long Beach, was sentenced July 6 to 180 days in county…
SLO’s top cop retires
San Luis Obispo Police Chief Deborah Linden is retiring. Linden, SLO’s reigning top cop since January 2003, announced her retirement July 6 and said she will leave office at the end of the year. Linden said she plans to stay in the area. During her time as chief, she oversaw the end of SLO’s Mardi…
Judge orders protection plans for 27 local species
In response to a long-simmering lawsuit, a federal judge has ordered the U.S. Forest Service to enact additional protections for 27 threatened local plant and animal species within the Los Padres National Forest. The order follows a 2008 civil suit filed by a coalition of environmental conservation groups, including Los Padres ForestWatch, the Sierra…
What other holiday should have fireworks?
Ryan McCoy Sports Authority employee “New Year’s. I’m sick of the pots and pans. They don’t cut it. They are kind of a let down.” Chris Connolly unemployed former Marine “Memorial Day, because it’s kind of the same as Independence Day. I would say Christmas, but it’s supposed to be a time of silent nights.”…
