Cover Story
As they lay dying: Prison inmates find redemption through a hospice program
Roger Brown vividly remembers the first man he helped through death. Brown held vigil over Vernon Burnett, a 42-year-old California Men’s Colony inmate whom doctors had determined would soon succumb to his pancreatic and liver cancer. Burnett’s passing wasn’t an easy one. “He was puking his guts out; it was the smell that was…
Cougars & Mustangs
I sometimes wonder if concentration has the ability to give up on itself. You’d think that, after years of going to school and attempting to be a responsible adult, the good organization and time management would come naturally. But, of course, it’s not until the 11th hour that one realizes that scrambling to keep one’s…
Pismo Beach hotel project remains in limbo
An extensive hotel project opposite the Pismo Pier—considered a key part of Pismo Beach’s downtown development plans—was discussed for three hours and, ultimately, punted by the city’s Planning Commission on March 11. The 108-room hotel project—dubbed “The Inn @ Pismo Pier”—also includes a 128-space underground parking garage, a 125-person convention/meeting facility, seven small retail spaces,…
Safe word!
An important part of being a foul-mouthed, independent-minded journalist type is feeling comfortable enough in your own liver-spotted skin to talk about the issues that really matter—not just the ones your hoity-toity friends with bank accounts and Greenpeace memberships consider important. So here goes: I’m really concerned that the film version of 50 Shades of…
Starkey frat bans pledging
Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), a fraternity currently embroiled in a nationwide scandal over hazing deaths, announced on March 7 that the entire organization is eliminating the pledging process. Cal Poly freshman Carson Starkey was pledging SAE when he died of alcohol poisoning during an SAE hazing event in 2008. Starkey’s death is one of at…
They got your tax help
As of 2010, a student-run program at Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly has been providing the community with valuable tax knowledge. The Cal Poly Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) offers free accounting help to anyone involved in a tax controversy with the IRS. Funded by a grant received by the IRS, the LITC…
Oil prospectors file a new drilling application near Huasna Valley
Nearly a year and a half after San Luis Obispo County delivered the final death knell to Excelaron’s proposed oil-drilling operation in the Huasna Valley, a new contender is vying to pull oil from beneath another nearby ranch. The first thing the applicant—Bakersfield-based Dero Parker of PEOCO—wants people to know is that compared to Excelaron’s…
From SLO to pro: Follow Jesus Vazquez’s soccer journey from SLO High to Mexico
When you first hear Jesus Vazquez’s story, it sounds like a fantastic, unproduced sports movie script. Our protagonist grows up with two older brothers in a working-class family, and always pesters his brothers to let him play soccer with them. Though he’s smaller and younger, he keeps getting better. Eventually, he’s beating his brothers. Dreaming…
CLUBS – 3/13-3/20
Goin’ South … THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. CUVEE BISTRO AND CHAMPAGNE BAR: 550 1st St., Avila Beach, 595-2245. Live music Thurs. and Sat. 6-9pm. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the…
Bean me up, Scotty
Though it cannot yet boast of its status as “the happiest town in America,” most can argue that Santa Cruz has every bit as much of a distinct vibe as the Central Coast with its rugged redwood forests, sublime surf spots, blissful boardwalk. So what happens when the atmospheres of two of California’s coolest small…
Groundwork
One of the best value wines I’ve purchased in six months, this red Rhone will bend your mind at the first sip. It’s so well balanced, it’s already easy drinking on its own, but all good wines grow better given some cellar time. That’s why we love this amazing adult beverage. I loved the deep…
The king of red wines
In 1996 there were very few wineries in Paso Robles, but nearly all of them were making cabernet sauvignon and cabernet blends. Even then, it was clear that those foresighted winemakers were already on the road toward making the exemplary Bordeaux style reds they release each vintage. Yet during that time when Paso Robles’ pioneers…
Michael McDonald brings his smooth R&B sounds to the PAC on March 18
Michael McDonald’s got one of those amazing rock’n’roll histories that’s hard to deny. In the latter half of the ’70s, he was the singer and keyboardist for The Doobie Brothers. He was also a one-time member of Steely Dan, which no one ever seems to remember. When The Doobies finally disbanded in 1982, McDonald embarked…
Herb & Dorothy, a documentary about the art-world celebrity couple who collect minimalist and conceptual artists on government salaries, screens at SLOMA.
Herb and Dorothy Vogel live on a modest income in a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. They have also amassed one of the greatest collections of minimalism and conceptual art of the 20th century. Megumi Sasaki’s 2008 documentary Herb & Dorothy captures the vanguard spirit of this remarkable couple, who gave up their early artistic aspirations…
The SLOIFF is another rousing success!
I clearly remember the energy of sitting in the SLO Vets Hall in the late-’70s and ’80s when they showed surf films. It seemed like every surfer in the county would show up and pile into the auditorium. There’d be a buzz of excited conversation, lights would go down, the soundtrack would kick in, and…
Stairways to heaven
The Cohan Center levitated between 6 and 7 feet on a recent Saturday night as the Canzona Women’s Ensemble performed Debussy and Holst with the Symphony. OK, I’m exaggerating. The building didn’t actually lift off its foundation. The audience didn’t literally float above their seats. It is a physical fact that the law of gravity…
Neal Breton’s Savages ravage Studios on the Park in Paso Robles with their second annual group show.
It’s 5:45 p.m. and civilization has yet to fall to its discontents, but in 15 minutes things are going to get savage. Artist and curator Neal Breton is resplendent in signature beard and tuxedo T, ready for his public. Indie darlings and vintage vamps, cowboys and collectors, families with children, and everyone in between will…
Bring groceries to my door!
I think there is an opportunity for an enterprising person that is not being filled as yet: home delivery of groceries. It would be similar to the Menu Club, which will deliver food from many of the 5-Cities restaurants. The Menu Club takes the orders online or via phone and the credit card payment for…
The state Constitution still works
It looked like the “guys with the most money” had won. But it turns out that the state Constitution still works. And that they actually use it in Sacramento. The proposed legislation introduced by Katcho Achadjian for a Paso Basin water district that would hand advantage to large landowners slammed up against constitutional provisions about…
It’s all in how you ask for money
As I was approaching the entrance to the CVS store, I noticed a man putting a sign on the sidewalk to advertise for customers for a nearby business. When he finished, he then walked across the street and was talking to a homeless man who was standing on the sidewalk with a sign advertising for…
Dear rational Shredder:
Being rather new to the area, I’ve held my tongue regarding the alarming number of hippie-shaman-healer-foo-foo types I’ve encountered here, but your piece “Cheek, meet tongue” (Feb. 27) gave me courage—and caused coffee to spew out of both nostrils. I am a former teacher for whom logic and rational thought is as vital to my…
Don’t coddle America’s immature youth
The recent flurry of student violence and behavior problems on the Cal Poly campus is troubling (“Spoilsports,” March 6). Maybe it’s time to start treating young adults as if they were adults. The underlying purpose of a college is to prepare a person for the real world, gainful employment, and an enhanced life experience. The…
Don’t coddle America’s immature youthSteve Riehle
The recent flurry of student violence and behavior problems on the Cal Poly campus is troubling (“Spoilsports,” March 6). Maybe it’s time to start treating young adults as if they were adults. The underlying purpose of a college is to prepare a person for the real world, gainful employment, and an enhanced life experience. The…
An independent campus press is vital
Our first reaction was shock. When Mustang News received a tip that two candidates for Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) president had been fined $100 each after they or their campaign staff spoke with Mustang News, we didn’t think it could be true. Not only would that violate candidates’ rights to speak freely with whomever they…
County declares a drought emergency
It’s official: San Luis Obispo County is in a drought. The County Board of Supervisors declared a drought emergency March 13, applying an official identification to an already well-rooted crisis. The declaration starts the ball rolling for county agencies to form contingency plans to respond to future drought issues. It also loosens and removes red…
Morro Bay officials push off payment from Dynegy while negotiations continue
With the Morro Bay power plant officially shuttered, city officials are continuing negotiations with the plant’s operator, Dynegy, and granting the company another two months to come up with more than half a million dollars in payments owed to the city. As part of an agreement between the city and Dynegy, the company previously made…
SLO City Council votes to appeal the binding arbitration decision
The San Luis Obispo City Council voted unanimously to appeal a decision by the Public Employment Relations Board that would have undone the 2011 ballot initiative Measure B. City Attorney Christine Dietrick announced the decision following a March 10 closed session, during which she informed councilmembers and a gathering of residents that the city had…
Where would you take a monk who is visiting San Luis Obispo County?
Adrianna Cabebe student “I guess to West End Coffee Shop, to talk to him about his religion.” Ian Anderson student “To the top of Bishop Peak.” Madison Fraser student “I would take him to Avila Beach.” Rikki Fideldy Student “The bell tower on top of Lizzie Mountain.”
