Cover Story
Rooting for Ukraine: Hear from a resident trying to raise money to help his family and friends in Kharkiv
Each morning when he wakes up, San Luis Obispo resident Slava Narozhnyi anxiously grabs his phone, loads the news, and texts his friends and family in Ukraine—praying that they’ve survived another day. Narozhnyi’s hometown of Kharkiv, Ukraine, is one of the hardest hit regions of Russia’s recent invasion. Since the war started, bombs and artillery…
South County water treatment project gets go-ahead
Central Coast Blue received the signal for construction kick-off, with Pismo Beach approving its share of the project’s $55 million cost. The City Council’s unanimous agreement on March 1 completed the trio of endorsements needed to move forward with the water treatment plan. Earlier this year, Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande—Pismo Beach’s partner cities—greenlit the…
Correction
• In last week’s (March 3) news brief titled, “Local grocery store workers rally for better wages, staffing,” New Times inaccurately stated what store managers told employees to do during the rally. They were told not to speak to the media. New Times regrets this error. Δ
Greener Pastures Animal Sanctuary gives farm animals a new lease on life
Out to pasture To make a donation to Greener Pastures Farm Sanctuary and learn more about the organization, head to greenerpasturessanctuary.org. The sanctuary’s first open house of the year will be held April 3 from noon to 3 p.m. Entry is a $10 donation. When Dinky the potbellied pig first came to Greener Pastures Farm…
Local musicians emerge from the pandemic with new albums in tow
The pandemic was a disaster for musicians, venues, and music fans, but the downtime allowed for a lot of creative woodshedding, and now all those lonely hermit-like hours of contemplation and practice are coming to fruition in the form of a lot of really great locally produced music. Find below a few recently released full-length…
SLO Rep and TMHA co-host production of Every Brilliant Thing
The San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre will premiere its latest production, Every Brilliant Thing, on Friday, March 25. The comedy-drama is scheduled to run through Sunday, April 10, and is described in press materials as “a funny and moving play about depression and the lengths we go to for the ones we love.” Kevin Harris…
Touring magicians bring group show to the PAC
Cal Poly Arts presents It’s Magic!, a live magic show featuring five magicians, at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) in SLO on Sunday, March 13, at 3 p.m. Prolific touring magicians Chris Hart, David Goldrake, David Zirbel, Tom Ogden, and Dan Birch will perform during the two-act show. Tickets to the performance range from $19…
Templeton High School presents upcoming musical, Sugar
Performances of Sugar—a musical based on the 1959 film, Some Like It Hot—will be held at the Templeton Performing Arts Center, Thursday, March 24, through Sunday, April 3. This production, which features songs by composer Jule Styne and lyricist Bob Merrill, is produced by Templeton High School’s drama department and will run on Thursdays and…
Local singer-songwriter Dan Curcio and his group Moonshiner Collective release a new EP on March 12, at SLO Brew Rock
Moonshiner Collective frontman Dan Curcio has a super soulful voice—distinctive but with hints of Ben Harper and Dave Matthews. He’s also a whopping good songwriter. “Autumness” from 2013 still lights my fire every time I hear it on the radio. I’m always eager to hear his newest, and the three-song EP Galactic Sailors does not…
A new chapter
Two years have passed since COVID-19 forced schools around the world to close their doors, a tectonic shift in daily life with effects still unfolding. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic. By Friday, March 13, many schools here and beyond announced that campuses would cease in-person instruction and…
Local takes humanitarian team to Ukraine, needs donations
San Luis Obispo local Burke Bryant, founder of the Humanitarian Aid and Rescue Project (HARP), has spent the past decade traveling to war-torn or disaster-stricken countries, from Haiti to Afghanistan, providing emergency aid and rescue with a team of skilled military specialists and first responders. Now, Bryant and HARP have taken their mission to Ukraine,…
Dana Reserve housing development
I am very much opposed to the development proposed in Nipomo (“Develop and conserve,” Feb. 17). I usually exit Highway 101 at Willow Road to avoid the traffic on Tefft Street. If this development goes through, the traffic at this intersection will increase dramatically. I also am appalled that the developer will be removing 3,400…
Emergency aid allows Cuesta College students to access benefits like gas cards, but some minority students face unexpected roadblocks
Construction technology major J.P. Flores’ daily drive to Cuesta College from Cambria costs him roughly $20 a day for gas. Luckily, the school was offering gas cards worth $300, and Flores thought help was on the way. But first he had to power through some unexpected swerves. “I was denied a gas card because I…
The Batman is a dark political thriller noir
THE BATMAN What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Fair Oaks, Galaxy, Stadium 10, Palm, Park, Sunset Drive-In Co-writer Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) directs this new reboot of the popular DC Comics series about…
Addis captures California Democratic Party endorsement, leads fundraising
With freshly drawn boundary lines bringing Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties into the same Assembly district for the first time, candidates running for the 30th District have a big task ahead of them: getting to know voters who may have never heard their names before. “I’ve been canvassing in SLO County, knocking on doors…
Let’s be energy freedom fighters
While we wring our hands over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are not powerless to make a difference. The Ukrainian people are fighting with their lives, but we can fight with how we choose to live. The world’s dependence on oil and gas gives Putin the resources and leverage for his power grab. Oil…
AG changes City Council election cycle and chooses new districts
Arroyo Grande City Council districts will look very different starting with the 2022 election if the map council members recently voted on gets officially adopted. “The most important issue is making it easy for our residents to understand where they’re going to elect them [council members] from, and those that are going to elect them:…
Stop digging
Will Rogers once said, “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” These are words that the gun control movement might want to take to heart. One of the great political ironies is the fact that, the more that the anti-gun forces try to restrict or eliminate gun rights, the more that they force…
Los Osos CSD gets permit to drill new well away from ocean
Los Osos is one step closer to breaking ground on a key project to secure its water basin. On March 4, the Los Osos Community Services District (CSD) received a San Luis Obispo County permit to start work on a new municipal well project—which will replace an old CSD well closer to the ocean, which…
Unsettling settlements
The cost of attending Cal Poly is similar to purchasing half a condo—not in SLO County, of course, but somewhere else. According to Cal Poly, an in-state undergraduate student attending the California State University for one year will spend about $30,000, which includes room, board, books, and tuition. Sounds like a down payment! Four years…
Cambria’s 927 Beer Company celebrates 10 years quenching locals’ thirst for craft beer and building community
Imbibing by the sea Learn more about Cambria’s 927 Beer Company and its 10-year anniversary celebration March 19 and 20 at 927beer.com or via Instagram and Facebook @927beer. The brewery is open Wednesday to Saturday noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Dixie Walker is a regular at Cambria’s 927 Beer Company.…
Moses Storm: Trash White
What’s it rated? Unrated When? 2022 Where’s it showing? HBO Max From a stage composed of a big screen and surrounded by piles of trash painted white to match his clothing, comedian Moses Storm presents a comedy special that also is a commentary on growing up in poverty. From being the lookout for the family…
School mask mandate to lift after March 11
Beginning March 14, school teachers across the state of California may see something new: The bottom half of their students’ faces. The California Department of Public Health announced on Feb. 28 that effective after March 11, masks are no longer required indoors in schools and child care centers. But some districts already took the issue…
Kimi
What’s it rated? R When? 2022 Where’s it showing? HBO Max Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s Eleven, Magic Mike) directs this thriller about Angela Childs (Zoë Kravitz), an agoraphobic tech worker whose job is to monitor data streams from a new smart speaker called Kimi, making corrections to its software. Unlike other smart speakers that…
