Cover Story
The justice gap: SLO leads the county in reported rapes, yet few perpetrators end up in a courtroom
RISE SLO Vicitms of sexual assault can get more information on available services and support by calling RISE SLO at 855-886-RISE, or visiting riseslo.org/. In a quiet suburban neighborhood on Del Rio Avenue, where cars are parked in driveways next to tidy green lawns in front of unassuming homes. A stone’s throw away from the…
Game of drones
I just realized that I never weighed in on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors decision to reduce the number of meetings they have every month. And then I realized why. I guess I didn’t care until it affected me! Here’s why it affected me: As I listened to frequent public commenters such…
Rock Steady Boxing helps tackle Parkinson’s symptoms
Bill Gahafer was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 13 years ago and was dealing with the disorder by exercising. “I tried some exercises on my own like riding a bike, hiking, and stuff like that but it wasn’t a well-rounded enough exercise,” Gahafer said. Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement…
Cuesta’s Portals project connects people across the globe
Connect To register for a session now through March 29 in one of the portals in the Portals: Connecting The World: A Social Practice Exhibition at Cuesta College’s SLO campus, visit sharedstudios.com/cuesta. I was a little nervous as I stepped into the inflatable gold pop-up structure, wondering what I should say or ask first. But…
Hello and goodbye
Where the wine grapes grow: TH Estate Wines, located in the Willow Creek AVA of Paso Robles, has ushered in a new assistant winemaker to craft its celebrated Rhone offerings. Phillip LaMontagne, a Cal Poly grad, has worked three full harvests with the winery, where he’ll continue to work with estate fruit as well as…
‘The Sound of Music’ comes to SLO
Enjoy a few of your favorite things on March 13 at 7 p.m. at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center. A brand new production of The Sound of Music is coming to San Luis Obispo. The beloved musical story of Maria and the Von Trapp family will once again thrill audiences with its Tony, Grammy,…
Expanding dreams
Want fries with that? Margie’s Diner, a San Luis Obispo institution for more than 30 years, will close temporarily as the restaurant changes owners and prepares for a building remodel. Don’t freak out! The restaurant located on Calle Joaquin just off Highway 101 will remain an American-style diner, and you can still get massive portions…
Collaborative solutions
The Oceano beach area has some unique features that distinguish it from the Five Cities area. The rural area west of the Pacific Coast Highway is bordered by a large sandy beach with an interior lagoon that empties into the Arroyo Grande Flood Control Channel to the south. This is a stunning area with sensitive…
Pop-up art show focuses on Cal Poly women
Shift your perspective on what it means to be a woman today at the Girls Who Handle It art show March 2. The event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at 790 Marsh St. in SLO and will feature stories and photos of Cal Poly women seen on campus every day, who are…
Sneaky sneaky
Put on your trench coat and thickest, darkest sunglasses. WineSneak has snuck its way into a newly designed 2,800-square-foot building near the San Luis Obispo Airport. Located across from the airport in the Airport Business Park, the new wine bar, tasting room, and retail outlet will offer up both shopping and chilling potential. Sure, owners…
Artists wanted to paint SLO utility boxes
The city of San Luis Obispo is soliciting proposals from local artists to beautify the remaining 27 unpainted city-owned traffic signal utility boxes with unique box art designs. The SLO Box Art program contributes to the vitality and attractiveness of the community while deterring graffiti and adding to the curb appeal. All applications are due…
Social media sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their opinion about our Feb. 22 story, “Vons follows Albertsons, files suit against signature collectors.”
The Ten Tenors will pay tribute to fallen musical icons on March 7 at the SLOPAC
Correction: An earlier version of this story mentioned that the Greg Brown show at the Fremont on March 2 was sold out. It’s not! Tickets are absolutely available. Maybe we’re hardwired for it, but I still find the human voice the most beautiful and moving musical instrument, which is why I love a cappella music.…
‘Game Night’ is an amusing and farcical black comedy that doesn’t quite live up to the hype
GAME NIGHT What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Rental What’s it worth, Glen? Rental Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10, Galaxy Co-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Vacation, 2015) helm this Mark Perez (The Country Bears, 2002; Accepted, 2006) black comedy script about a group of friends who meet regularly…
Underrated: Superstore
When? 2016 to present Where? N/A Where? NBC Network, Streaming on Hulu In 2016, NBC finally released a sitcom worthy of its Thursday night lineup, after Dunder Mifflin (The Office) closed its doors and Leslie Knope made her way to the White House (Parks and Recreation). These two shows have one thing in common besides…
David Settino Scott pays homage to the ultimate form of protest at the Steynberg Gallery through March
Come to the opening! Artist David Settino Scott displays sculptures from A Pure Working, his series that remembers those who have self-immolated as a form of protest, through March at the Steynberg Gallery. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 2, from 6 to 9 p.m., with the artist in attendance. In 1963,…
Film Listings 3/1/18 – 3/8/18
ANNIHILATION What’s it rated? R What’s it worth? Matinee Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Stadium 10, Galaxy, Park Pick Writer-director Alex Garland (Ex Machina) helms this story based on Jeff VanderMeer’s novel about a team of soldiers who enter into a mysterious and expanding energy curtain, from which nothing has yet returned, including drones and…
Australia got tough
It’s time for all of us baby boomers as well as all Americans to take travel back to our time in high school and grammar school and visualize the classrooms in America that gave us a secure beginning and a basis for our future with loving and dedicated teachers. For the vast majority of us,…
HASLO hires Brizzolara manager after a nearly yearlong vacancy
The Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo (HASLO) is tussling with property investors over ownership of the Brizzolara Apartments in an eminent domain case, but that’s not the only issue it’s faced while managing the 30-unit affordable complex for seniors and adults with disabilities. For nearly a year, between April 2017 and February 2018, HASLO…
Local legend with a heart of gold
San Luis Obispo County lost one of its greatest ambassadors, one whose organization, the Central Coast Wine Classic, gave the funds it raised to local nonprofits. It was my pleasure to meet Mr. Archie McLaren for the first time in 1993, when he included an elegant dinner at Hearst Castle in the Wine Classic festivities.…
Adelaida area residents call for groundwater protections amid development and drought
The 515-acre property neighboring David Leader’s in rural Adelaida has been dry-farmed by one family for decades—a practice that was the historical norm for the agricultural region between Atascadero and Paso Robles, west of Highway 101. But as has become more and more common recently, when the land was sold a few years back, the…
Morro Bay’s Black Hill requires a minimal hike to reach amazing views
It’s Sunday, Feb. 25, and I’ve got a man-cold, meaning I should be in bed attended by a cadre of sympathetic nurses encouraging me to rest, but instead my wife, our pack of dogs, and I are about to summit Black Hill in Morro Bay State Park. Lucky for me, of all the nine Morros,…
Local students organize to participate in National School Walkout Day on March 14
Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Feb. 28 decision to pull assault-style weapons from its store shelves across the country is a sign to Arroyo Grande High School student Casey Crouch that student activism can spark change. As president of the AGHS Young Progressives, Crouch is helping to organize his fellow students’ participation in the 17-minute-long Enough! National…
Don’t support NRA-backed politicians
The poet John Donne wrote, “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.” I consider it a personal attack when the lives of younger generations are snuffed out by assault weapons. House Speaker Paul Ryan needs to be informed that it’s past time to speak up. I want the teens of Parkland,…
Competency program showed promise for mentally ill inmates at SLO Jail
A program that sent local inmates who were declared mentally incompetent to stand trial out of San Luis Obispo County for treatment showed promise, but is no longer available, according to SLO County Sheriff’s Office officials. After sending those inmates to a jail in San Bernardino as part of a regional Jail Bed Competency Treatment…
Keep Pismo’s bathrooms where they are
We have been snowbirds traveling from Washington to Arizona and back for about 10 years. Each year, we have stayed in the RV parks in Pismo Beach. We spend many hours walking the beach, shopping, and eating at the local vendors. Walking the pier is a must-do each visit. I believe the restrooms are in…
Local Democrats announce election endorsements
The San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party is backing six candidates vying for various county offices in the June 5 elections. In a Feb. 28 announcement, the party said it officially endorsed Greg Clayton for county sheriff, Judge Mike Cummins for district attorney, and Tim Covello for SLO County Superior Court district judge. Earlier this…
Taste the new brews on the block at Central Coast Craft Beer Fest
What do you recommend? Participating Central Coast Craft Beer Fest breweries are too many to list. Taste more than 40 brews at Sunken Gardens in Atascadero on March 24 between 1 and 4 p.m. A VIP session is slated for noon to 1 p.m. and includes beer and food pairings. Live music will be provided…
SLO groundwater agencies awarded $5.9 million in grants
Groundwater management is about to get a lot easier on local taxpayers’ pockets, as the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) tentatively awarded a combined $5.9 million in grants to San Luis Obispo County water agencies. The grants will help curb costs for the many local agencies working to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management…
A cascade of failure
Once again America is witness to a homegrown atrocity as a deranged teen slaughtered his former peers. The debate on guns, their availability, and lethality is generating a cacophony of unreasoning noise. Lost in the smoke is the devastation wreaked upon another American community and the loved ones left behind. I genuinely feel the pain…
Cambria will vote in June to pay for full-time firefighters
Cambria residents will get the chance to vote in June on a proposed tax of $62.15 per parcel owner to pay for three full-time fire fighters. The Cambria Community Services District board opted 4-0, with Harry Farmer absent, at the Feb. 8 district meeting to tax all parcels rather than only taxing developed parcels. That…
That’s hot!
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a, gnome? Grown, bottled, and made on the Central Coast, Gnome Hot Sauce isn’t just homegrown—it’s totally smoked! Working with small farmers and quality produce, the spice hounds behind SLO County’s newest condiment are working hard to propel heat to new levels of smoky luxury. Find these bodacious…
Noise complaints hit record low in SLO
SLO officials are crediting a recently adopted party registration program, as well as several other initiatives, for what they say is a historic decrease in the number of noise complaints in the city. On Feb. 26, the city announced that it received fewer than 1,500 noise complaints in 2017, an overall reduction of 40 percent…
