Cover Story
The will to kill
The reserve soldier standing in the shade of a massive green truck was in his early 50s, but he was built like a powder keg: shorter than average, with a pair of tree trunk arms hanging heavily at his sides. He said he had anger issues, and the scowl and squint lines etched into his…
Judge orders SLO to stop ticketing people living in vehicles
A San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge has ordered the City of San Luis Obispo to immediately cease enforcing an ordinance that prohibits people from living out of their vehicles. On June 3, Judge Charles S. Crandall issued a tentative ruling in the civil case brought against the city by a group known as the…
Name three people, dead or alive, you’d like to have lunch with.
Deidre Silbert legal process clerk “Mother Teresa, John Adams, and my Nana.” Mike McGuire engineer “Tom Yorke, Nikola Tesla, and Roy Lichtenstein.” Amanda King clerk recorder “Bill Clinton, Gandhi, and Britney Spears.” Karl Brown faith-healer/comedian/rock-star “Rodney Dangerfeild, Danny Gatton, and Norah Jones.”
A search for the best!
Songwriters, musicians, performers, and bands, it’s once again your time to shine. The fourth annual New Times Music Awards is now accepting entries in five musical genre categories, a songwriting competition, and an album of the year competition. The genre winners must be available to perform during the Thursday, Sept. 6, live judging competition. Here’s…
Ringside slam fest
Sometimes in this column, we tend to focus on the “art” side of things and skim over the “bash.” Not this week, because we’re talking pro wrestling, the least artsy, most bashy game in town. While there is a theatrical element to wrestling and some semblance of storytelling, it’s generally about as deep as a…
New adventures in abstraction
Sometimes there’s just more awesome stuff in this county than there is time to see it. Or editorial space to write about it. It’s a happy problem, but a problem nonetheless: The abstract art of North County artist Peter Holmes, for example, certainly deserves far more than the wimpy coverage I am giving it. Readers,…
Somewhere over the rainbow
Will & Grace fans fondly remember Leslie Jordan as a sassy little man cutting loose casual zingers. (“Well, well, well, Karen Walker. I thought I smelled gin and regret.”) But there’s so much more to know about this comedian and Emmy-winning character actor, who will perform at this year’s Central Coast Gay Pride celebration. Jordan…
Philosophy in whales
I’m not going to start off an analysis of Dive Deeper by referencing the three famous words that launched Moby-Dick. I could. They are just three words, after all, two of them a single syllable. But I’m not going to. You probably already know those words, and anyway, a number of early 20th century readers…
Clubs 6/28
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. 6/29: Moon Pie from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. 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…
Let the food hit the floor
We’ve all been there. You’re running late to work, and in a moment of rushed panic, you drop the delicious blueberry scone you just bought from Starbucks. You begin to feel the stages of grief set in immediately. Denial comes first (“This didn’t just happen to me!”) followed by anger (“That scone was $5, for…
Let the food hit the floor
We’ve all been there. You’re running late to work, and in a moment of rushed panic, you drop the delicious blueberry scone you just bought from Starbucks. You begin to feel the stages of grief set in immediately. Denial comes first (“This didn’t just happen to me!”) followed by anger (“That scone was $5, for…
Dry Creek Vineyard 2011 Dry Chenin Blanc Clarksburg
This versatile white is perfect for summertime picnics. It’s fairly dry, but pairing it with food brings out the ripe fruit flavors. I loved the tangy apple, ripe pear, and nectarine notes so nicely highlighted by tropical notes and moderate spice. Try it with different dishes, like a lobster roll, spring rolls, Asian stir-fries, chicken…
Joseph Drouhin 2009 Pinot Noir Laforet Bourgogne
If you love Burgundy, you’ll appreciate the low price for this tasty Pinot: $14.99 at BevMo! in SLO. I’ve picked up a few stellar deals thanks to Wine Spectator’s recent report on value-priced Pinots from Burgundy. Tart and tangy with notes of bright cherry that meld with herbs and minerals, this is a delight at…
At 28 years, it’s still classic
I met Archie McLaren, founder and executive director of the Central Coast Wine Classic (CCWC), at Wine Spectator in San Francisco in the early ’90s, when I was the tasting coordinator for the wine critics. With his signature beret and exotically colored attire, I was impressed by this intense man’s passion for the event. He…
Cougars & Mustangs
They say that people vacation to get away from it all. Far away from technology, underneath skies of cell phone reception-blocking treetops, biding time in quiet old cabins filled with mice. It’s the good life. But all is not as it seems. In fact, our friends at the technologically advanced Cal Poly campus seem out…
Love notes
Graffiti can be awkward. For some it might be unfiltered art, or a rebellious expression spray-painted onto public walls, overpasses, and billboards. It might be a warning, like a dog marking its yard so everyone else knows to back off, even if the haughty little Chihuahua down the street won’t stop pissing on the lawn.…
Everything must go
Highly toxic, supremely radioactive, and long-lasting nuclear waste must not be stored on-site indefinitely after a nuclear power plant goes off-line, a federal appeals court recently ruled. In what’s being interpreted by experts as a game-changer for the nuclear industry on a national scale, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled…
If the spirit moves you
When I’m painting, I’m dancing,” says Abbey Onikoyi, artist and longtime owner of Sprits of Africa Gallery. He’s not kidding. When Onikoyi makes art, he’s constantly in motion, cranking up some hot James Brown and grooving in front of the easel until the early hours of the morning. His brush is dancing too, articulating fiery…
Clarifications
• For “The last hurrah of foie gras” (June 21), Helena Gonzalez forwarded quotes and information from Sonoma-Artisan Foie Gras owner and CEO Guillermo Gonzalez, so quotes and information attributed to her in the story should be attributed to him. • A cover article regarding local attempts at passing a medical marijuana dispensary (“Dave’s not…
Grand Jury talks tech
The Avila Beach Community Services District needs a website, the San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury concluded. According to its June 26 report, “Managing Millions: Assessing Transparency of Community Service Districts,” the grand jury found that the Avila Beach CSD is the largest district in the county without a website. Avila has a budget of…
It’s a Wally world, Atascadero
Amid a sea of flailing paper fans bearing the Walmart moniker and beaming faces sometimes mimicking the corporation’s smiley logo, the Atascadero City Council unanimously threw its support behind the long-debated Walmart and Del Rio Road Annex project. The development has been nearly seven years in the making, and has drawn the ire of residents…
Charges dismissed against former Paso cop
After more than a year spent kicking through court proceedings, the misdemeanor charges against a former Paso Robles police officer were formally dismissed June 19. Deputy District Attorney Jordan Cunningham asked San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge John Trice to dismiss the four misdemeanor counts of “unauthorized access of DMV information” and “unauthorized access of…
Former Cal Poly volleyball coach dead at 54
One of Cal Poly’s most successful, and controversial, volleyball coaches has died, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed June 26. Jon Phillip Stevenson, of Pismo Beach, was found in a residence in Van Nuys on June 24. He was 54. The cause of death is not yet known, according to assistant chief investigator at…
Vibrant mural irks Atascadero
Get rid of it. Paint over it. Make it go away. That’s the gist of a letter Bill Arkfeld recently received from the Atascadero Design Review Committee (DRC). Arkfeld owns the ARTery, an art supply store on Traffic Way. Over Memorial Day Weekend, he’d jumped on the chance to get a visiting artist to cover…
We’ll miss you, captain
Capt. Michele Rowley Leary was returned to the sea by her family and friends on Saturday, June 23. The Rita G was skippered by Michele’s father, Capt. John Rowley, and was accompanied out of the harbor past Morro Rock by a regatta of 20-plus private boaters, commercial fishermen, Harbor Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, and the…
Bring in the shuttles
A New Times opinion published June 21, “How to punish people for enjoying an event,” suggests that ticketing 15 to 20 cars for parking on Highway 101 was inappropriate because parking merely occurred in the lane for use of disabled vehicles, vehicle occupants were attending a car show in Pismo Beach, and nearby parking spaces…
It is all about the water
“All eyes on water” (June 21) by Kathy Johnston was rather shocking in the fact that farmers are blamed for the Central Coast drinking water pollution. Even with regulations, monitoring tier upon tier of all approved and regulated pesticides, herbicides, and nutrients, even with rules in place from numerous regulatory agencies—Regional Water Quality Control Board,…
Payment is a privilege
This is in response to Peggy Penny’s attack on Songwriters at Play founder Steve Key, and not paying the performers (“Keep the medal; pay songwriters,” June 21). First off, let me say that I’ve seen Miss Penny perform. Yes, she’s better than some, but not anywhere close to as good as others, believe me. What…
Why be ‘fair’ to such a repugnant thing?
Being “fair and balanced” with animal torturers and their “respectable” clients is disgusting (“The last hurrah of foie gras,” 6/28). It’s like giving Hitler’s rationale for killing human millions “balanced” coverage. It shows the amorality of American “objective” journalism. Some indecencies are repugnant, and must be treated as such by any decent person. A duckherd…
First it’s bike arches; next it’s rock quarries
While generally sympathetic to the Shredder’s slash-and-burn style of journalism, I urge him to reconsider the bicycle arch issue (“What are they pedaling?” June 21). Yes, it’s cute and whimsical, but who’s to say it wouldn’t fall over and crash on someone’s head one fine day? The limits imposed by the city seem to be…
Up the coast, mostly
We are traveling north on the coast highway and stopped for a week in Santa Barbara. The next week, we were in Santa Maria and were headed to Morro Bay, but after reading about the injustice of the police in Morro Bay (“Morro Bay bar patron maced and tased” June 14) “we decided to pass…
Poor taste, New Times
Ed. note: The following letter refers to an article that appeared at newtimesslo.com on June 26. Information from that article appears in this week’s issue on page 4. I just finished reading your article regarding the passing of Jon Stevenson (“Former Cal Poly volleyball coach dead at 54”). I played on the Cal Poly…
Questions For: Festival Mozaic executive director
NEW TIMES How many people does it take to put on an event of this grandeur? SWIGGER It takes a large group of committed people to put on an event like Festival Mozaic: three full-time staff in the office year-round, our music director, a committed group of volunteers, and a dynamite board of directors who…
The pedophile effect
I really hate child molesters. Despise ’em, even. I’d love nothing more than to see them all neutered and worse. I could rant on and on about how depraved and horribly selfish it is to destroy a kid’s developing psyche for the sake of some twisted fetish, but condemning perverts does not a daring commentary…
Rally to stop mediocrity
I recently made the mistake of wandering into the San Luis Obispo Tourism Office. I wasn’t trying to go there, you understand. But it was Hump Day, or whatever it is you call a day when you don’t want to go to work so you toss back a few martini olives and stage a scavenger…
