Cover Story
Forensic Foul-up
DiscoveryJust below the northbound Highway 101 off-ramp to Los Osos Valley Road, on the southern outskirts of San Luis Obispo, there is an enclave of makeshift tents and lean-tos, carved-out shelters and hidden encampments. #You wouldn’t know these shelters were here unless you had reason to look for them. Adjacent to San Luis Obispo Creek,…
FAST FACTS
Fear fat no longer. LA Weight Loss Centers, a nationally acclaimed meal plan and counseling center, has just opened up an office in SLO. With over 11 years of experience in the weight loss industry, these experts have seen for themselves the difference a compassionate, personalized program can make to help clients lose weight and…
Charges dropped against local activist
On July 7, when the Tri-W site was still a field of long grass and scattered eucalyptus trees, hundreds of Los Ososans gathered for a ceremonial sewer groun-breaking. A wooden podium draped with red, white, and blue bunting, and twenty gold shovels sat waiting for the triumphant event.  #Opposing residents gathered in vitriolic opposition and…
Atascadero building wars
A battle is underway in Atascadero between homeowners on Allemande Lane and city staff over the construction of a nearby fire road on the side of a precarious, steep, unstable hillside below their homes. The homeowners claim false and misleading reports led up to the road’s approval and that the city failed to give them…
Letters
It was a Skinny Tuesday Lenten sackcloth and ashes have arrived. “The Partyâ€? is over at last. We won’t be wasting more taxes on anti-tourism ads and police presence to battle phantom riots for at least another year. Sadly, fighting the “global war on terrorâ€? touted by White House mercenaries has finally descended to relatively peaceful…
It’s not a party until the cops show up
Score another one for the blue team, Mardi Gras is over, still, again. In 2005, SLO city leaders waged a war on Mardi Gras, and the ensuing drunken chaos, declaring: “The party is over.â€? This year they came back for round two with the ever clever message, “The party is still over.â€? But next year…
Medicinal cannabis club withdraws lawsuit
An Atascadero cannabis dispensary, the only one in the county, will remain closed after its owners withdrew a lawsuit filed against the city. On January 24, city officials forced Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers to close, claiming the co-op did not comply with existing land use codes, or lack thereof.  Instead of fighting a long and…
The field of dreams
What makes a good ball player great? Practice, practice, practice. Of course, a little bit of help from a seasoned professional probably doesn’t hurt, either. After all, baseball only looks easy, and having someone explain the ins and outs of the game, the mental aspects as well as the physical ones, can mean the difference…
Atascadero’s redevelopment chief back at work
Marty Tracey is back to work after three months of paid administrative leave with a change in duties and a new title: redevelopment specialist.  In November, the Atascadero City Council asked for Tracey’s resignation due to allegations that he threatened downtown property owners Pat and Sue Gaughan with eminent domain litigation if they refused to…
“Over my dead body�
Morro Bay resident Ahmed Fahmi woke up Wednesday morning to a knock on his door from law enforcement officers, who claimed there had been an accident involving his car and asked him to step outside. But Egyptian-born Fahmi wasn’t fooled. He refused to leave his home, and that’s when the officers — federal immigration agents…
Trim the fat
Well, Gung Hay Fat Tuesday and all that. Mardi Gras is over and I’m still here, you’re still here, we’re all still here. We survived for another year despite potential destruction from debauchery and the nuclear hazards of bare breasts. Those things have a long half-life, you know.  To celebrate everything being quiet on this…
