Cover Story
Changing the station: KCPR Cal Poly Radio dispatches with its long-time community DJs as the college charts a new course
It was quiet on a recent June evening outside the classrooms at Cal Poly, almost deserted, as a few remaining students scurried from their last finals, feeling summer in the air, and texting plans to celebrate. In the dated Graphic Arts building, up the stairs, and down the tiled halls, it was a different story…
Pasolivo expansion gets the go ahead
Pasolivo received a reluctant approval from the SLO County Board of Supervisors on July 7 to move forward with plans to expand their facilities and host events. The west-Templeton olive oil company got the county planning department’s stamp of approval to expand and add additional buildings, ramp up olive oil processing, and host industry and…
‘Doobie Dozen’ member sues police over 2010 raid
Yet another member of the so-called “Doobie Dozen” filed a lawsuit against state and local law enforcement agents who shut down his mobile medical marijuana business in a notorious December 2010 raid. Richard Newton Jones of Tarzana filed a lawsuit June 30 in SLO County Superior Court against law enforcement agents in the SLO Police…
What do you think about the changes coming to KCPR?
Bruce Patterson consultant “I think it’s great. It will give students more opportunities and real-world experience, and that’s what Cal Poly is all about.” Holly Ragsdale retired nurse “Diversity is important. Maybe they could keep a segment where outside opinions can be heard. You never want to become too insular.” Martin Barrett grocery store employee…
Pismo Bob trades bolts for flowers
This summer, Pismo Beach will lose one of the town’s fixtures. The historic Pismo Beach Hardware store will close its doors in August to allow the owners to focus on their nursery, Pismo Garden Art, and—after 33 years of helping customers find just the right nuts, bolts, or whatchamacallits—some much-needed time off. “This is…
Cougars & Mustangs
Living in the Digital Age of Information has its perks, no doubt about it. From an ever-expanding list of resources for every subject imaginable to the ability to communicate instantly from opposite ends of the earth, it’s kinda cool living in the now. But sometimes you peek beneath the surface and find a bunch of…
Blooming algae: Record numbers of single-cell organisms are producing a neurotoxin that affects shellfish
There’s something in the water off the Central Coast: It’s a horde billions strong, roaring in numbers not seen in decades, producing a neurotoxin that can cause seizures, memory loss, and death. It’s not oil. Beaches are reopening after the May pipeline rupture above Refugio State Beach; crude oil is sinking through the water column…
SLO’s homeless meters don’t bring in much, but supporters hope to keep them around anyway
It’s a balmy Thursday afternoon and Higuera Street is clogged with crowds for the farmers’ market. A young man in dingy clothes stands on the sidewalk panhandling. He calls out to a gray-haired man in cargo shorts and polo shirt. “Do you have a few bucks?” he asks. “I need it for the bus.” The…
Fight against proposed Pismo hotel goes to court
There’s a new front in the battle over the construction of a hotel in Pismo Beach: SLO County Superior Court. A group calling itself Central Coast Environmental Protection filed a petition with the court July 2 asking to halt approval of permits for the BeachWalk Hotel, a proposed 128-room hotel on Pismo’s beachfront. The petition…
Heavy use at Bishop Peak leads to new fines, new solutions
On July 7, the San Luis Obispo City Council voted 4-0 in favor of an updated management plan for the Bishop Peak Natural Reserve. John Ashbaugh abstained. The new plan addresses several issues at the open space area, including trash and dog poop, bootleg trails, sensitive habitat protection and restoration, neighborhood impacts, and night hiking. …
State employee goes rogue at SLO County Air Pollution Control District meeting
On June 17, during what was a routinely contentious discussion about the county’s Air Pollution Control District (APCD) enforcement of air quality standards at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreational Area (ODSVRA), Will Harris got up and walked to the podium during public comment. “Hello, I’m Will Harris with the California Geological Survey,” Harris said.…
Kelly Gearhart gets 14 years, will appeal
Former developer and 2006 Atascadero citizen of the year Kelly Gearhart hardly had time to hear his cell door clank shut before he began looking for a way out. On July 6, four days after he was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for bilking investors out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi…
Former Go-Go’s gal Belinda Carlisle headlines Pride in the Plaza
It’s been a great month for the LGBT community thanks to the Supreme Court’s righteous decision to protect the right of all citizens to marry whomever they choose, and the timing couldn’t be better since this Sunday, July 12, is the annual Pride in the Plaza celebration starting at noon. The family-friendly event starts with…
Clubs 7/9/15 – 7/16/15
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. 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 Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on alternating…
Water Immersion Day seeks volunteers
Are you an energetic public speaker, filmmaker, vendor, artist or simply just a willing volunteer excited by the idea of bringing more awareness to water conservation? Water Immersion Day organizers want to chat with you. The all-day earth friendly event, held July 25 in SLO, will focus on the precious resource that is H20 with…
SLOMA screens ‘Bending Sticks: The Sculpture of Patrick Dougherty’
Artist Patrick Dougherty is a certified badass. Case in point: He has created hundreds of monumental, site-specific sculptures out of nothing more than saplings in such places as Tacoma, Honolulu, Dublin, Brooklyn, Chateaubourg, and Tokyo. Never heard of the guy? Get your rear to a showing of Bending Sticks: The Sculpture of Patrick Dougherty. The…
Central Coast Renaissance Faire returns to Laguna Lake
Are you ready for mutton, jesters, bards, and corsets that make you uncomfortable just by looking at them? You should be. The Central Coast Renaissance Faire is coming to SLO’s own Laguna Lake Park this July 18 and 19! Last year, it was labeled as a “witch” and shackled in the “town square” for all…
David Settino Scott’s ‘Women’ exhibition draws a large crowd on July 3 at Steynberg Gallery
It’s Friday, July 3, and the Steynberg Gallery is packed. The man of the hour, artist David Settino Scott, is seated at a table surrounded by adoring fans, while spread out before him are prints of his pen and ink drawings for those unable to drop $2,200 on an original. Hey, man, you want the…
Find your inner child with Kelrik Productions’ ‘Peter Pan’
Take off that adult-y mask you’ve been wearing all this time, and toss it aside. Jump back into the juvenile, unadulterated role of a child with Kelrik Productions as it presents the musical performance of Peter Pan. Indians, pirates, a ticking crocodile, fairy dust, a guy with a hook for a hand, flying effects, and…
At m.BODY, life begins at the edge of your yoga mat
I’m lying on my back, my butt edged up as close to the wall as possible. My legs are splayed in the air, resting on the wall in an imperfect “V” shape. I can feel the blood pulsing through my veins; see golden light flicker across the ceiling of m.BODY Yoga studio. Here we are…
Komplete Kombucha’s Lavender Lemonade and Dunbar Brewing Co.’s Brown Porter
If you’ve been hanging out with me lately, you’re probably downright sick of how much I’ve been gushing over kombucha. It’s my 2015 summer drink jam. I have a SCOBY in my fridge. Did you know how healthy it is for you? Stay with me people. I’m going to write a full feature on this…
Rock out with your wine out
Hello Central Coast! For a true taste of “the SLO Life,” look no further than Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards, where locals and visitors alike flock to the Avila winery’s creekside lawn on Summertime Sundays. Hang for hours and enjoy live music ranging from Hawaiian to folk to bluegrass … Edna Valley-based Claiborne & Churchill Winery…
Seven Sisters mixes wilderness, local bounty, and raw talent
I’m sitting on a park bench with Seven Sisters Festival founders/organizers Sarah Mason and Jim Vanko, surrounded by golden grasses and ancient oak trees. Scenic peaks—the heads of the iconic Seven Sisters—stand tall in the distance. All is quiet and majestic. It’s difficult to imagine this patch of earth as anything but serene and uninhabited.…
To V or not to V?
Long, shiny, sharp needles poking through your skin and into your tissues and injecting you with viruses! Ahhh! If the very thought makes you cringe, you’re part of the 20 percent of the population suffering from belonephobia (abnormal fear of needles), trypanophobia (fear of injections), or vaccinophobia (fear of vaccinations). The other 80 percent are…
California, Texas, Australia, and Israel
What do California, Texas, Australia, and Israel have in common? They all have a large portion of semi-arid land or desert, and these areas are subject to periodic, severe droughts. In our fourth year of drought conditions, California and the Central Coast would be wise to look at these varied world localities for expertise and…
Shredder, only one side of your argument is correct
It is noteworthy that every argument against the Phillips 66 oil-by-rail project recited by the Shredder is accurate, and every argument summoned in support is bogus. (“I’ve got the power!” July 2.) Let us count the ways: No, the 17 California cities and counties and 12 school districts (so far) that are opposed to this…
State money needs to go into improving roads
In my humble opinion, the California government needs to cancel all funding of the California High Speed Rail project and give it to Caltrans for our statewide road and highway system. I have read there are plenty of lawsuits involving farmers’ land being divided by the route in the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley,…
Mr. Hodin, your arrogance is showing
I doubt you are a classical music listener; your condescension is arrogant. I like almost all types of music, from rock, Irish, Appalachian, and jazz to classical pieces. The music program in your symphony death cartoon from the July 2 New Times reads, “ … More Music by Dead Composers!” Using that logic, I guess…
Tsk tsk, Debbie Arnold
Obviously SLO County Supervisor Debbie Arnold was elected by the majority. Why then would she vote pro-quarry when the majority of her constituents were against this? What was she to gain by voting for this quarry when Democrats and Republicans out here realized that this quarry would benefit no one except the owners of this…
Names in the sex offender registry should be determined by case
Very few individuals know that becoming a “sex offender” placed on the Sex Offender Registry could be as simple as dating a 17-year-old when you are 20 or sending a nude photo of yourself over your phone. Whether or not someone is a danger to society should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. When cities…
