Christmas is still coming, whether you’re ready or not, and there are plenty of local shops that could use a little extra love this winter season. The latest round of COVID-19 restrictions do allow retail operations to stay up and running, albeit at 20 percent capacity, and plenty have adjusted since March to offer online…
Local veterans and their families can receive free COVID-19 tests and also get connected to benefits, housing, food, and other services at an upcoming “pop-up” clinic on Dec. 18 at the San Luis Obispo Vets’ Hall. Between 9 a.m. and noon, veterans and family members may drop by the facility at 801 Grand Ave. to…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established National Influenza Vaccination Week—Dec. 6 through 12—in 2005. Although the week recently passed, it’s not too late to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu. Karim Henin, CVS’ licensed district leader and pharmacist for the Central Coast region, told New Times that he and other health care…
Despite the latest wave of increased COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations throughout California and the resulting implementation of a regional stay-at-home-order, State Parks has no known plans to close the Oceano Dunes to vehicles as it did at the beginning of the pandemic. While that’s good news for off-roaders, some Oceano community members say the decision…
Stand Strong recently put out an urgent call for donations to provide services to its significantly growing client base impacted during COVID-19 pandemic. The local advocacy and resource group for those experiencing domestic violence released an impact report in November that tallied the number of individuals it helped from July 2019 to June 2020. The…
San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon, who just won reelection to a third term in office on Nov. 3, said she is interested in floating a potential ballot measure to extend the city’s mayoral term length to four years. “I did want to just plant a seed, I guess I would say,” Harmon said at…
For this year’s Last Minute Gift Guide, we are showing you where to get that holiday shopping out with a focus on local, local, local—whether it’s online or in person, curbside, delivery, or in-store. Read the cover story! View all the stories in this issue!
After the announcement by Gov. Gavin Newsom that San Luis Obispo County was officially part of the newly created and highly fictional “Southern California region” as far as the new COVID-19 state of emergency went, I ventured forth for one last dinner al fresco before the next day’s shutdown. A friend and I headed for…
San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties are banding together in hopes of creating a Central Coast region on the state’s new stay-at-home order map. At a press conference on Dec. 3, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced another system for tracking and slowing California’s currently exploding cases of COVID-19, a process that splits the state…
I believe it is time to get away from hearsay and start listening to what the facts say. The COVID-19 response has been confusing in part because we have become unable to discern fact from opinion. I spent the last four years studying communication at Boston University. I grew up in Los Osos. Boston University…
At the Atascadero City Council’s Dec. 8 council meeting, it rejected a San Luis Obispo County grand jury recommendation to consolidate dispatch services with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, citing projected increased costs. A grand jury report states that communities not already contracting with the Sheriff’s Office would benefit from consolidation, however the…
I must say, I don’t think I’ve laughed as hard since Al Capp’s Li’l Abner cartoon stopped some 40 years ago. In Al Fonzi’s “Conservative perspective” (Dec. 3), he goes delightfully reactionary with his “Democrat” Party Trump-talk. When he says that the Republican Party were “the original political champions of desegregation and civil rights,” I…
Spotting a beaver-made dam is like walking into another world, according to Audrey Taub. “You’re walking through this sandy-dry arid environment, and then all of a sudden it’s green, lush, and full of birdsong and herons. You can even see the fish and frogs,” Taub said. “Something big is happening here.” Taub founded the San…
At this point, with the kind permission of the Conspiracy Theorist in Chief, we can reasonably hope that, come Jan. 20, we will return to government policies based on science and data. We can expect the climate emergency, environmental justice, and the need for a clean energy economy to be front and center in those…
Image bonanza The Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay (601 Embarcadero, suite 10; call (805) 772-1068 for more info) hosts the photography exhibit Evening Skies, a collection of images showcasing breaking dawns and closing days on the Central Coast. Photos by Beth Sargent, Karen Peterson, Terry Garvin, Jack McNeal, and Greg Siragusa will be…
I know you thought you lived on the Central Coast, that magical place between hella-cold NorCal and dank-ass SoCal, but it turns out you’re wrong. According to Gov. Gavin Newsom, SLO County is part of Southern California. We’re lumped in there with LA, Orange, Riverside, Imperial, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. My…
Local artist and designer Jordan Quintero is currently showcasing some of his most recent artworks as part of a new solo exhibit at Big Sky Cafe in San Luis Obispo, Coast Ranges, which is scheduled to remain on display through Thursday, Dec. 31. This exhibition highlights some of Quintero’s oil landscapes, painted on handcrafted, wooden…
I met Los Osos author and songwriter Jon Stebbins when we worked at the same record store in the ’90s. In between deepening my knowledge of music, he’d regale me with tales of his late-’70s and ’80s band The Point, which enjoyed a long run in LA as part of the Paisley Underground. The band’s…
SLO County Arts announced an upcoming Holiday Pop-up Market, which takes place on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 2460 Carpenter Canyon Road, San Luis Obispo. The event includes a variety of art for sale and other holiday shopping opportunities. Local artists participating in the event include Amy McKay, Neal Breton,…
The Roots Gallery Design Company in Los Osos hosts an intimate and socially distanced one-day exhibit to commemorate the end of the year, Art Fair[well] 2020, on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. COVID-19 safety precautions will be adhered to, and masks will be required during the event. Admission to the exhibit…
THE UNDOING What’s it rated? TV-MA What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? HBO Based on Jean Hanff Korelitz’s 2014 novel You Should Have Known, this tale of betrayal written for television by David E. Kelley and directed by Susanne Bier follows successful New York therapist Grace…
What’s it rated? TV-PG When? 2020 Where’s it showing? Netflix Don your apron and dust off the springform pan because the 11th season of The Great British Baking Show is on Netflix, and the winner has been chosen—so you have 10 delectable episodes full of baking triumphs and heartbreaks ready to go. From seemingly simple…
What’s it rated? R When? 2018 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Writer-director Sarah Daggar-Nickson helms this tale about domestic violence, revenge, and—as the title promised—vigilantism. Olivia Wilde stars as mysterious Sadie, who we discover helps women and children get out of abusive situations. Jumping back and forth through time, we learn Sadie’s own troubling history…
Support local Visit harvestly.co to peruse a list of SLO County vendors growing, making, and selling near you. Find Harvestly on Facebook @harvestly.co and Instagram @harvestly_co. Learn more about Grandpa Rossi’s Garden at grandparossisgarden.com, on Facebook @grandparossisgarden, and on Instagram @grandparossisgarden. The timing was good. Not many businesses can say that about the onset of…
In San Luis Obispo, city officials will buy up gift cards from local businesses to give to residents who are shopping locally. In Grover Beach, small businesses hardest hit by COVID-19 closures can apply for $7,500 city grants. SLO County will spend $1 million to support economic development initiatives. With the state’s latest stay-at-home order…
The SLO County Planning Commission is again considering a minor use permit application that would allow the Port San Luis Harbor District to store several seatrain containers in a downtown Avila Beach parking lot while construction continues on the Harbor Terrace camping and marine gear storage site. Though county staff are recommending denial of the…
