Cover Story
Metamorphosis: A transgendered artist tells his story
Imagine being trapped in a body that just feels wrong, like it’s not yours. That’s how Los Osos artist RawfeyL Gene Burge felt from an early age. “I was 4 years old, and we had just moved to a new neighborhood, and since this was 1964 Texas, I could just wander the neighborhood. Well, across…
Blast from the Past: Cockfighter
What’s it rated? R Anything that will fight to the death and not utter a sound, well … ,” narrator Frank Mansfield (Warren Oats) trails off in the opening voiceover to Cockfighter, the 1974 cult classic from schlock king producer Roger Corman, director Monte Hellman (Two-Lane Blacktop), and screenwriter Charles Willeford, upon whose novel the…
GleanSLO: Reclaiming the county’s forgotten produce, one pick at a time
View photos of the recent harvest. Sixty-four-year-old Chuck Asmus is perched high on a ladder, wrestling bright orange clementine oranges from branches heavy with fruit. About a dozen GleanSLO volunteers are at work on the steep hillside, and you can hear the swish of nimble fingers examining, snipping, and dropping the orange orbs into deep…
Room to breathe: New lawsuit preceded most recent court ruling on Oceano Dunes dust rule
For the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District (APCD), facing new legal challenges to its controversial dust rule seems as inevitable as the waves that endlessly crash against the beach at the popular Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Within less than a week in early March, the APCD received a favorable ruling…
Figueroa Mountain Brewing’s Wreck Yo Self Double Red Rye Ale and Turtle Rock Vineyard’s 2012 Willow’s Cuvee
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company’s newest offering is a lot like your buddy that howls, “One more drink!” as the lights are being turned on at the bar and, somehow, makes it seem like a really good idea. I mean, what else would you expect from a beer named after Ice Cube’s controversial hit song, “Check…
News nibs
Masterful mixologist: Luna Red’s got a new bar manager, and he knows how to create both old-school drinks and new concoctions that inspire and dazzle the senses! Joel Schneider will be looking forward to playing with Japanese whiskey, house-made vermouth, and beet juice in his fresh spring drinks (just not all in the same drink,…
Calling Trump a racist is a cheap shot
The opinion piece “Keep out the KKK” by Robert Cuddy published in the March 10 edition of New Times is the best written cheap shot I’ve read in a long time. Cuddy spends 98 percent of his piece talking about “literature” from the past “that extolls the Ku Klux Klan” while insinuating that Donald Trump…
CORE Rhythms dances into Spanos Theatre March 19 and 20
Got two left feet? Well, you can be assured that the CORE Dance Company dancers can show you a thing or two. The CORE Rhythms show is an annual event that includes a spectrum of dancing styles. From contemporary, lyrical jazz, musical theatre, fosse, comedy, tap, hip-hop, and modern to jazz—there’ll be a little something…
Opera San Luis Obispo gives Gala Concert on March 20
If you were looking to dip your toe into the vast waters of opera, it would behoove you to know that Opera San Luis Obispo’s upcoming Gala Concert on March 20 has you covered. Showcasing a combination of songs from well-known operas, this concert will be the perfect sampler for both opera lovers and newbies…
Central Coast Brewing celebrates 18 years in SLO
The opaque golden glow of Central Coast Brewing’s (CCB) anniversary brew is like an homage to springtime. Wildflowers and green grass slip into my nose and across my tongue as I sip from a 4-ounce tasting glass. And four ounces is plenty for this six hop triple IPA, which rolls in at 11.2 percent. College…
One (wo)man show: ‘I Am My Own Wife’ tells story of early transgender pioneer
It’s easy to forget that the end of World War II wasn’t the end of oppression in Germany. Not long after the downfall of the Nazi regime, up went the Berlin Wall of Communist Germany. Many people found themselves fighting to survive twice in one lifetime. Some of them didn’t survive, but others did. Tucked…
Three of Takoma Records’ most famous finger-style guitarists–Peter Lang, Rick Ruskin, and Toulouse Engelhardt–play the Steynberg Gallery on March 18
In the late 1950s, the late great guitarist John Fahey started a little independent record label called Takoma Records, named after Fahey’s Maryland hometown, Takoma Park. Over the years, it put out albums by the likes of Bukka White, Robbie Basho, Max Ochs, Leo Kottke, Mike Auldridge, George Winston, Mike Bloomfield, and many others. This…
Messocracy
Democracy is messy. Free speech is legally protected but frequently unwelcome. And if you think I’m talking about the shit show that is the Republican Party presidential primary, I’m not. We’ve got messy democracy and selfish free speech right here in River City … or at least in Templeton and SLO Town. Did you hear…
Defeat of proposed Paso Basin Water District brings more uncertainty
Following the resounding defeat of a proposed special tax and water district to manage the sprawling Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, its opponents quietly rejoiced while proponents released a heavy sigh before attempting to figure out what’s next. The preliminary results updated March 11 showed voters and landowners in the basin were overwhelmingly opposed to the…
Templeton psych facility approved
The two-year long debate over a proposed behavioral health hospital in Templeton was finally put to bed following unanimous approval by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, unless, of course, the decision prompts a lawsuit from the project’s vociferous opponents. Located on a 4.9-acre lot directly across from Twin Cities Community Hospital on…
SLO to explore publicly financed elections
After a blunt conversation about the merits and misgivings of a proposed public financing election program, the San Luis Obispo City Council cast a tenuous vote to move forward with developing a proposal. The Integrity in our Elections Ordinance was first pitched to the council in August by Bill Ostrander—director of the nonprofit group Citizen’s…
What transitions are you going through in your life?
Kristin Ale server “I’m in my last quarter at Cal Poly, so I’ll be transitioning from college into the real world.” Shai Ford barista “My toddler is officially becoming a little girl! I’m also transitioning to going to the gym more often.” Katie Nakayama assistant manager “I’m transitioning time zones in a week to visit…
Love SLO on March 19 brings crowdsourced effort to civic service
You’ve probably seen the signs smattered around yards and roadsides that say “Love SLO, March 19th.” You might also be wondering what that actually means. Stirring that curiosity was all part of the plan for the first annual Love SLO event that will recruit volunteers and send them throughout town to work on anything from…
Cougars & Mustangs
Are you sad that MythBusters is over? Do you get a special buzz when your senseless destruction receives academic endorsement? Do you like cool acronyms and find yourself free on Tuesdays at Cuesta College from 12 to 1:30 p.m.? If the answer to these questions is yes (and other than the scheduling one, why on…
Paso City Council approves five years of water rate increases
After five straight years of water rate increases from 2012 to 2016, residents of Paso Robles are bracing for another five more. On March 15, the Paso Robles City Council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance that mandates more years of water rate hikes beginning next year. In 2017, rates will rise by 43 cents…
SLO DA’s office waited 18 months to seek victim restitution
The SLO County criminal justice system got shortchanged after it waited a year and a half to seek victim’s restitution from a man convicted of a misdemeanor crime. According to a recent ruling by the California 2nd District Court of Appeals, the SLO County District Attorney’s office waited too long to seek restitution in the…
Phillips 66 rail extension supporters bussed into SLO
On March 10, the SLO County Planning Commission held its third and final day of public comment on a controversial proposal by Phillips 66 to build a rail spur for shipments of oil-by-train at its Santa Maria Refinery on the Nipomo Mesa. The last day of public comment featured a total of 96 speakers, several…
Let’s pretend we’re in love: SLO author dishes on writing steamy romances
Oh, to be young, in love, and independently wealthy. You know the story: Boy meets girl. Boy is terribly rude so girl punches him in the face. Boy and girl conspire to get fake engaged to live up to the restrictive morals of Georgian-era England. Hmmm, oh right, that’s not exactly how your typical romance…
The health of Paso’s water basin is important
I am curious about the proposed Paso Robles Water District and the recent election. The election seems to be seen as a rejection of such a district, but is it possible that it was the form of the district that was rejected? The structure seemed to put the balance of power in the hands of…
Get the county and state out of the Paso water basin
Congratulations to the 75 percent of voters in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin who were smart enough to see through the attempted special interest water and power grab in the March 8 election! Now, the SLO County Board of Supervisors needs to do what they have been elected and paid to do: Properly manage the…
Conservation is insufficient
Last week, the voters of North San Luis Obispo County stood up to the government and exposed just how out of touch political insiders have become with the people who elected them. The resounding rejection of the formation of the Paso Robles Water District and its funding, shows us that when we get involved with…
Cooperation, collaboration
In January, Ecologistics, Inc. held the first Salinas River Symposium at the Paso Robles Inn, attracting more than 70 stakeholders to a full-day information sharing and brainstorming event. Even before the drought, the Salinas River was plagued by numerous problems, including over-extraction of sand and gravel, water quality issues, private dams, and saltwater intrusion. Invasive…
Clubs 3/17/16 – 3/24/16
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Rd. in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on…
