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Super shuffle: Controversy surrounding the Atascadero school district’s superintendent pick pushed its board to reconsider
Cheers erupted at the Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) board meeting on March 18 after Board Clerk Denise McGrew-Kane announced the district was no longer considering current Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services E.J. Rossi for superintendent. “At the end of the day we want to ensure that the board and the community support the next…
Epic Persian poem The Shahnameh inspired Lela Shahrzad Welch’s Left Field Gallery show
See the work Left Field Gallery hosts Los Osos-based multidisciplinary artist Lela Shahrzad Welch and her new exhibition, ghosts-above_ghosts-below.dxf, hanging through April 20. Featuring metal “tapestries” inspired by a short story she wrote based on Persian writer Ferdowsi’s 11th century epic poem The Shahnameh, the steel and ceramic objects were all fabricated using computer numerical…
The Central Coast Shakespeare Festival holds auditions on April 5
The Central Coast Shakespeare Festival (CCSF) invites community members to “Come play with us” during open auditions on Saturday, April 5, in the SLO City Library Community Room from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. You can sign up online at centralcoastshakespeare.org under the “Get Involved” tab. This year’s season presents The Merry Wives of Windsor on…
Group exhibition, Women’s Work, at Studios on the Park celebrates Women’s History Month
Just in time for Women’s History Month comes Women’s Work, a new group exhibition in Paso Robles’ Studios on the Park hanging through April 27. Guest curated by local artist Lena Rushing, the “exhibition will showcase artists who challenge patriarchal norms, practice empathy, protest fascism, and find catharsis in expressing themselves” through a variety of…
Eric Cotton and One Love Bomb opens for King Yellowman on March 28 in The Siren
Eric Cotton goes way back in the local music scene, to 1986—the same year this newspaper started. In the late ’80s and ’90s, his band Rock Steady Posse was a local favorite. He was frequently booked into D.K.’s West Indies Bar, and I met him while working there before I started writing for New Times…
We still have the First Amendment on our side, so speak out
Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican, has always been ranked as one of the top five presidents in U.S. history. He understood that free speech, individually and through a free press, is a necessity in any country where the people are themselves free. In the U.S., our government is the servant of the free people. In a…
America deserves better
As an elder, I’ve lived through many political crises in this country—but I have never seen an attack on our democracy like this. In the past, there was bipartisan opposition to lawlessness. Today, the guardrails are being dismantled before our eyes, and we must sound the alarm. The damage this administration has done to our…
The space boom’s cost
In 2023, there were 211 successful orbital launches worldwide—98 by SpaceX, a record it matched in 2024. Vandenberg Space Force Base set a record 51 launches in 2024, with projections to double in 2025. While promoted as a national security necessity, most of these launches are commercial. As SpaceX accelerates launches off the Central Coast,…
Money madness
Things are just super-duper at the Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD). Their search for a new superintendent is going smoother than Barry White singing “Never Never Gonna Give Ya Up.” “Cause I found what this world is searching for, here, right here, my dear, I don’t have to look no more.” Well, actually, AUSD school…
Santa Maria local Juliana Neel takes on new leadership role at Talley Vineyards
Talley chart Call (805) 489-0446 or visit talleyvineyards.com to find out more about Talley Vineyards, located at 3031 Lopez Drive, Arroyo Grande. Imagine a cozy blanket in wine form. That’s what makes Talley Vineyards’ 2022 grenache perfect for cold, stormy nights, according to the local winery’s new tasting room manager, Juliana Neel. “[It’s] pure comfort…
The Alto Knights chronicles the mafia’s decline in America
THE ALTO KNIGHTS What’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? MatineeWhat’s it worth, Glen? MatineeWhere’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10 Barry Levinson (Diner; The Natural; Rain Man; Bugsy; Good Morning, Vietnam) directs this script by Nicholas Pileggi (Goodfellas, Casino) about two New York crime bosses—Frank Costello and Vito Genovese (both played by…
Creston Village celebrates Valentine’s Day with very own Elvis Presley
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll has crooned through the halls of Creston Village Assisted Living & Memory Care every Valentine’s Day for the past two years. “People will tell me when I’m still in costume, ‘I saw you years ago in this venue at this year, and you were so great in concert then,'”…
Adolescence depicts a tragic case of child-on-child violence
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix Jaime Miller (Owen Cooper) is roused from bed by police, accused of murder, and taken to the station for questioning. This wide-eyed boy is a mess, screaming for his dad and absolutely denying having any idea of what has happened let alone guilt. Jaime’s parents,…
Grover Beach inches toward wastewater rate increase
Amid the same threats that have plagued Grover Beach’s wastewater rate increase discussion since 2023, the city is trying a different approach this time around. On March 24, the City Council opted to continue the beachside berg’s steady march toward increasing wastewater rates. At the same time, council members also asked city staff to put…
Documentary TV series Deadly Waters with Captain Lee examines bizarre crimes
What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2024-present Where’s it showing? Peacock Everyone’s favorite Boat Daddy, Captain Lee Rosbach, is back on our screens, but instead of driving mega yachts on reality TV series Below Deck, he’s here to give the audience a tour of exotic locales—and deadly accidents that happened there on the high seas.…
Cal Poly gives swim team the goal to fundraise $25 million by June to remain operational
After announcing that both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams would be discontinued due to financial concerns, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said that if the department could raise $25 million by June, it could stay. On March 7, President Armstrong sent a campus-wide letter that confirmed organizational changes and initiatives to improve…
Revamped SLO County ordinance can bring more school district housing
New housing is on its way to San Luis Obispo County to attract and retain the workforce for local schools. “What’s really challenging here in this county is finding housing for educators,” 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said. “They’re missing out on teachers that would love to come to the area and would love to…
Los Padres Forest Association projects halt amid DOGE federal staff cuts
As thousands of U.S. Forest Service workers get the axe amid mass federal staffing cuts, the Los Padres Forest Association is also feeling the impacts of loss, slowing its capacity to improve trails and preserve local wilderness. Los Padres Forest Association (LPFA) Executive Director Bryan Conant said that the nonprofit’s primary purpose is to assist…
