Cover Stories
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ — keep those film reels rollin’!
This year’s King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking is being presented to Alan Arkin, an Oscar and Screen Actors Guild award winner who doesn’t put much stock in trophies. With more than 80 films to his credit, including The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming (1966); Wait Until Dark (1967); The Heart is…
What is your favorite film?
Rich Hodgson farmer “O Brother, Where Art Thou? It’s funny, the music by Alison Krauss and others is fantastic, and the actors are great.” Larry Royal retired crane operator “Easy Rider. It shows a cross-section of America in the 1960s.” Melissa Hodgson FARM MANAGER “My all-time favorite is Doctor Zhivago: what a wonderful romance! It’s…
King Vidor Award
San Luis Obispo International Film Festival’s King Vidor Award is presented annually to someone who has made significant contributions to the film industry in one capacity or another. This year’s honoree, Alan Arkin, will be presented with his award on March 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fremont Theatre. Past honorees are Malcolm McDowell (2009),…
Everybody’s Irish!
I already know what you’re thinking: St. Patrick’s Day at McCarthy’s is not an art event and I’m just using it as an excuse to spend the day at the bar. Well, you’re only half right! So there! St. Patrick’s Day is an awesome costumed spectacle that promises laughter, drama, action, and hundreds of intersecting…
Pink-nosed melancholy
A lot of my prints have a melancholy feel,” said printmaker Nick Spohrer. “There’s a loneliness and they’re about companionship and seeking or searching for something.” The artist, a faculty member at Fresno City College, creates each new image as part of a series, usually numbering four to 12 pieces. He works on a single…
Making the cut
Even the most dedicated cinephile would find it difficult to watch every single independent film presented by this year’s San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, primarily because screenings take place at multiple locations simultaneously. New Times is here to help you navigate the overwhelming array of options—documentary about an aviatrix flying legend or feature film…
MacMurray Ranch 2007 Pinot Noir Central Coast
I must tell you this is a rare buy, a tasty Central Coast Pinot Noir for only $12.99 at Trader Joe’s. I enjoyed this wine for its well-balanced flavors; it tastes of delicious blackberry, black cherry, plums, and tangy cherry, nicely integrated with spice notes. That said, I had one flawed bottle that tasted like…
Pedaling to new heights
A group of CalPoly students is constructing a human-powered helicopter to compete for a long-standing $250,000 prize. What this group of students is making is basically a bicycle that hovers. The contraption will compete for the Igor I. Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter prize, which was established by the American Helicopter Society in 1980. To win, the…
Shame on everyone
Somewhere there must be a factory that belches out “shame on” whomever banners and people to hold them. It seems the only explanation for how the Carpenters Local 150, a Camarillo-based union, has become so ubiquitous in SLO County. The Local 150 represents 1,400 members out of Camarillo, one branch of the Southwest Regional Council…
Dust in the wind?
SLO County health commissioners want county supervisors to do whatever they can to “stabilize” the Oceano dunes and warn residents downwind of the popular off-road recreation site they might be at risk. Commissioners were responding to a particulate study recently released by the Air Pollution Control District, which found that off roading at the state-owned…
A little fiber could get the town moving faster
A coalition of San Luis Obispo business owners and IT professionals aims to gather support in an effort to get the city selected as a test site for the upcoming Google Fiber project. The pro-Fiber folks are organizing a rally for 5:30 p.m. on March 16 in Mission Plaza. The Internet giant plans to test…
Supes say, ‘Hold on, Diablo’
A typical SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting can feel like a rehearsed stage show, in which there isn’t so much digging for answers as there is rehashing what’s already been talked about outside the public venue. But on March 9, when the topic turned to the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, question dodging and…
Death Angels lurk
Wild ’shroom pickers be warned: A killer is sprouting on the Central Coast. An Arroyo Grande man learned that lesson the hard way, but thanks to the quick thinking of a local doctor and the help of an obscure treatment, he’s recovering after ingesting one of the world’s deadliest mushrooms. On March 3, Lee Sorenson,…
Pot returning to Morro?
Morro Bay leaders are taking great pains to avoid past problems as they continue to draft regulations for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. The city council voted 4-1 on March 8 to create a subcommittee to hammer down legal terminology and possible ramifications for allowing up to two dispensaries. City Attorney Rob Shultz will…
Arson suspected at Cabo
The fire that destroyed the Cabo San Luis restaurant and damaged the Kona Deli on March 3 was likely started intentionally, said San Luis Obispo fire officials. The fire began at just before 4 a.m. and quickly engulfed parts of Foothill Square. The fire began on the outside wall of the structure. Investigators have ruled…
Washed away
Bill Bookout is a man consumed by the legal battles he’s waged. In May 2006, he sued Caltrans, San Luis Obispo County, Union Pacific Railroad, the Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange, and the Oceano Community Services District, all with the perhaps naïve hope that someone would clean out a drainage channel bordering Highway 1 in Oceano…
Saltwater sisters shred the waves
Female surfers will converge at the Cayucos pier on Saturday, March 20 to compete in the Third Annual All Girls Contest, hosted by local surf shop Good Clean Fun. An after-party and award ceremony in the shop’s warehouse will follow the surfing and feature art and craft booths from the local collective Craftinista with live…
Clubs
Goin’ South … CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Dr., Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. DOLPHIN BAY/LIDO: 2727 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-4300 or TheDolphinBay.com. ELMO’S NIPOMO SALOON: 131 South Thompson Road, Nipomo, 929-5362.…
No one is entitled to education
A sign promoting the March 4 National Day of Action to Defend Education contained two statements: Education is a Human Right; and Resist, Mobilize & Transform. The first is false—education is not a human right. We are not born with it, we or our parents earn it! The second, a trio of commands, is contrary…
Don’t be dissuaded by climate-change deniers
We have heard from Matt Kokkonen and others regarding the politics of climate change. Anyone interested in transcending the politics should explore the website climate.org. For a treatise about who might be behind the campaign to confuse the issue, read Climate Cover-Up by James Hoggan, and visit secrets.org. It may come as no surprise that…
Climate-change evidence is real
The American public and the news media seem dangerously unaware of the overwhelming solid science substantiating global warming and climate change. This is understandable because many Americans have little understanding of science, due in large part to our nation’s inadequate education system, the lack of a science-minded society, deficient parenting, and a serious lack of…
There’s no reason to change energy consumption
It’s a good thing Dave Morrow’s commentary about humans causing climate change “The evidence is clear” (March) was included in the opinion section because it is devoid of facts. One thing is very clear: The people are tired of this nonsense. Opinion polls reveal that “global warming” is last on the list of public concerns.…
Trees should not be cut for school solar project
The Tribune (March 8) published feel-good photos of students from an ornamental horticulture class who hooked up with One Cool Earth at San Luis High School to punch holes for seeds to grow trees in containers until June. Ironically the seedlings will be ready to distribute at just about the same time chainsaws and chippers…
Gays don’t deserve to call their unions marriage
I think many people like myself object to using the term “marriage” to describe the unions being formed by homosexuals. The English language is already being modified too much. It is looking more like the “Newspeak” of 1984. I don’t mind if the partners of homosexual unions have all the rights and advantages (and disadvantages)…
PFLAG fights gay oppression
There still exists oppression against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) persons. Local help is available through the Central Coast chapter of PFLAG (parents, family, and friends of lesbians and gays). We have been helping locally for 19 years. Our mission is three-fold. We support not only GLBT persons, but those who might be struggling…
Walsh mistreated animals
I’m appalled by the article “Gone but not forgotten” (March 4) about Cindy Walsh. I was a volunteer when the animals were seized from her because of her cruelty and helped with their adoption. I also adopted one. The conditions the animals were removed from were horrendous and caused lifelong damage. Walsh occupied a tiny…
Supervisors must reduce dunes pollution
The San Luis Obispo Health Commission took a bold heroic step at its March 8 meeting, regarding the APCD Phase 2 Study. It passed two motions to advise the Board of Supervisors to do everything possible to stop the health-threatening air pollution from the ODSVRA immediately, and to inform the public about the dangers. Among the actions…
Books should not be tossed
The book sale to benefit SLO library is a much-enjoyed annual event, and the sale that just occurred was no exception. The aftermath of the sale, however, was a disgrace to every cultural and intellectual value a library and its friends should stand for. Tens of thousands of beautiful, wonderful books, tapes, CDs, and videos…
Tenure institutionalizes bad behavior
All of us are aware of the many college students who have fallen victim to gun violence on campuses across America. Each time one of these horrible shootings takes place, university administrators are quick to organize prayer vigils and other ceremonies to honor innocent young people who were killed or wounded. Administrators did not respond…
Marina Huston, Marketing Manager
NEW TIMES: What makes your hot springs unique? HUSTON: Are hot springs are the quintessential experience of this resort. The hot springs themselves were founded over 100 years ago, and were originally used as a medical spa because of the mineral water found here. Our hot springs are unique not only for the natural mineral…
I say ‘meh’
How is it anywhere within the realm of infinite possibilities that John Shoals, the mayor of Grover Beach, is also allowed to shovel PR for PG&E? I can’t be the only one who thinks this is disgusting. Seriously, I just dry heaved a bit. OK. I’ll give you that Grover Beach isn’t exactly a gleaming…
Celebrating Zinfandel
If there is one wine-country appellation in California where Zinfandel, America’s heritage grape, is most honored, it’s Paso Robles. The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance (PRWCA) has 33 wineries making signature Zinfandels, and most make several versions. In fact, several wineries consider Zinfandel their flagship wine, with good reason. Each year, the PRWCA brings…
Misty watercolor memories
The first cover story I ever wrote for New Times was about Santa Barbara wunderkinds Toad the Wet Sprocket, a band whose first self-produced album, Bread & Circuses, quickly gained major label attention and launched the band into the stratosphere, where they hovered for awhile before falling back to Earth and sort of disappearing. Then…
