Cover Story
Party foul: Finals, threats of fines, and St. Fratty’s Day make for a slow St. Patrick’s Day
View a slideshow of St. Patrick’s Day 2015 in downtown San Luis Obispo. Bruce is having a rough morning. It’s a little after 9:30 a.m. when Lt. Bill Proll arrives at a small parking lot that juts off an alley near City Hall in downtown San Luis Obispo. The first thing we see are the…
How are you celebrating the first day of spring?
Erin Lake barista “I’m not. I’m working.” Aja Gerardis stay at home mom “I’m celebrating with my dad, drinking coffee.” Carol Belmore retired “Trying to get my phone fixed.” Lars Johnson manager “Working and taking a motorcycle ride.”
Lucia Mar Unified School District teachers, students, and parents rally ahead of a planned ‘grade-in’
Amid the sounds of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up,” a gymnasium full of Lucia Mar Unified School District teachers, students, and parents rallied ahead of a planned “grade in” at the March 24 Board of Education meeting. As of press time, members of the Lucia Mar…
Never mind: Where on Earth is Janeka Samuels?
Janeka Samuels wants to put her past behind her; she wants to put San Luis Obispo behind her; she wants to put the media behind her. The problem is that her lawsuit against Chipotle is still very much in front of her. On April 6, Samuels’ case against Chipotle and her former regional manager Ben…
Supervisors debate, ultimately punt on authorizing Nipomo development plans
What was scheduled to be a key referendum on the viability of development in water-starved Nipomo ended up being more of a false start. The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors debated whether to authorize initial processing of proposed specific plan, general plan, and land use ordinance amendments at Nipomo’s Blacklake Golf Resort for…
A fifth inmate dies at SLO County Jail in just more than a year
At about 3 a.m. on March 24, correctional deputies at the San Luis Obispo County Jail noticed that Sean Michael Alexander, 33, had stopped moving in his single cell. At 3:47 a.m., Alexander, of Pismo Beach, was pronounced dead at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center. His passing marked the fifth inmate death at the SLO…
A trio of amazing singer-songwriters–Tyrone Wells, Dominic Balli, and Emily Hearn–plays SLO Brew on March 27th
Some singer-songwriters become ingrained in our culture, people like Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell—they’re simply too good to ignore. Tyrone Wells is like that. He’s also pretty darn charming. “Tyrone Wells is 6 feet 4. He’s bald because he’s never really liked his hair, so he just shaves it right off. He’s a white…
SLO Little Theatre stages reading of ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’
Man loves woman; man has bulbous nose; man seduces woman by having another man recite his poetry to her. It’s a tale as old as time. Well, almost. It’s a tale as old as the 17th century—one familiar to us as the classic Cyrano de Bergerac, which the SLO Little Theatre will be staging a…
The Palm’s Take Two Live series screens Italian classic ‘Umberto D.’
There’s nothing extraordinary about the life of Umberto D. Ferrari. He goes about his day, caring for his dog, selling a watch at one point, and talking to a maid. However, it’s not necessarily the actions that make director Vittorio De Sica’s seminal 1952 film, Umberto D., a classic, but the context behind them that…
The Rides of March vintage scooter rally descends on SLO County March 27-29
Don’t be surprised if you hear the wing-ding-ding-ding of a few dozen two-stroke motors this weekend. Local “bike gang” the PushStart Motor Scooter Club will host its annual rally The Rides of March, which draws scooter enthusiasts from across the state and beyond. For the uninitiated, the most common vintage scooter is the Italian Vespa,…
SLOMA showcases world-renowned photographer Arthur Tress
For more than 50 years, Arthur Tress has been intriguing and captivating audiences with his photography. His latest exhibit, About Morro Rock: 100 Views, is being shown at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, and what intrigues about this show is the fact that you can see some aspect of Morro Rock in every…
SLO Civic Ballet stages Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’
Inspiration can come from the strangest of places. It’s well known (because I’m just now making it up) that Orson Welles came up with the idea for Citizen Kane when he saw an actual cane dressed in the garb of an early 20th century tycoon. For Drew Silvaggio, art director of the SLO Civic Ballet,…
Clubs 3/26/15-4/2/15
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 Pismo…
Upper Crust Trattoria’s Adult Root Beer Float and Creekside Brewing Company’s Roberto Roy
As long as I can remember, root beer floats have always been my favorite of all desserts. Maybe it’s because my dad liked to call my eyes “root beer brown” or the special trips to A&W that marked my reward for stacking firewood all summer (doesn’t really seem like a fair deal now, though). Still,…
What’s new?
Dribble this: Woodstock’s in downtown SLO has launched a new “baller pie” in honor of March Mania! Try the new flavor covered in pulled pork, Carolina barbecue sauce, onions, chives, and Canadian Bacon while you can … Creekside Brewing Company celebrated its grand re-opening on the weekend of March 13, unleashing a fresh, upscale menu,…
Mom and poppin’: Lincoln Market kicks it old school
If television and movies have taught us anything, it’s that a gang is only as cool as its home turf. With its row of flashing vintage pinball machines, killer made-to-order sandwiches, and vast array of cold craft beer, Lincoln Market is more than a neighborhood grocery store and deli. It is also the beloved stomping…
Jog wild: SLO Marathon returns for a fourth year
Running. You either really, really love it, or you hate it with the fire of a thousand burning suns. There is no middle ground. Because running is the worst. It’s not overdramatic to say that it will destroy you and everything that you hold dear. Not that many people will acknowledge this incredibly true, not…
Cougars & Mustangs
The information is simple. Cuesta Gaming Club, zombies of the Cougar cafeteria, known for spreading their Magic: the Gathering-laden diseases into the darker corners of the campus, will be hosting a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament on April 17, at 1 p.m., in room 5401 with a $5 entry fee. No big deal, right? From a…
Swirling sands: A tragic death on the Oceano Dunes has led to a torrent of investigations, lawsuits, restraining orders, and fights
Bryon Tatum, 52, was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle on the Oceano Dunes as daylight was fading on Dec. 28, 2014. His death was a tragedy. Everybody agrees on that. Unfortunately, that’s about the only point of agreement these days among Tatum’s friends, family, and acquaintances. On March 16, about 20 of those…
Correction
A recent article (“Cambria CSD receives Notice of Violation from water board over Emergency Water Supply project”) incorrectly characterized the well levels and the status of permits for Cambria’s Emergency Water Supply (EWS) project. During rainy periods, well levels in Cambria have been at a normal level in recent months, and the EWS hasn’t been…
SLO County clears the way for a program that will fast track permitting for small-scale solar projects
The final vote needed to clear the way for a program designed to fast-track small-scale solar project approvals in San Luis Obispo County has been cast. The SLO County Supervisors approved a set of amendments to the county’s general plan on March 24, including changes that will allow for the Renewable Energy Streamlining Program (RESP)…
San Luis Obispo City Councilman Dan Carpenter announces his candidacy for supervisor
City Councilman Dan Carpenter could be defined by a few things these days, including his proclivity to go against the majority as a member of the San Luis Obispo City Council and his political isolation on the City Council after the departure of former Councilwoman Kathy Smith. Now, Carpenter hopes to add SLO County supervisor…
Talk directly to the supes about Wild Cherry Canyon
Talking with neighbors and letters to the editor are good, but I urge everyone who is concerned about the Wild Cherry Canyon development to address their concerns to the Board of Supervisors. It is easy to get their email addresses by putting “San Luis Obispo County supervisors” in the Google bar. Hopefully we will have…
Don’t forget cloud seeding
Why, as California is running out of water, have we not demanded that a cloud-seeding regimen be implemented, publicly or privately?! It has been known since Project Storm Fury in the 1960s that clouds can be manipulated to either grow or dissipate by using small amounts of strategically placed silver iodide in timed intervals. This…
Oppose the Oceano water service increase
I protest the proposed increase in water service charges planned by Oceano Community Services District. Contrary to what it claims, the increase would do nothing to help us with the drought. I rather think that Oceano District needs the increase to pay for the deficit caused by its dysfunctional governance. I suggest that the Oceano…
Yes, these two projects are one
Thanks to Rhys Heyden for hitting the nail on the head in his report on the wider implications of the proposed Phillips 66 refinery rail terminal and the company’s stonewalling when confronted with the fundamental nature of its project (“Warning shots,” March 19). The ongoing denial that the delivery of tar sands crude oil to…
Why are you picking on us, New Times?
When we first saw the utility box covered with weird, dripping paint at Broad and Pismo, we assumed it was graffiti. We waited for the city to paint over it. Only upon close examination did we realize it was done on purpose. So what do all the tourists who drive by that corner think? It…
Oh, the smells you can’t smell
Hide your dance shoes and turn that rock ’n’ roll down! Those of you who thought we weren’t living in the film Footloose might want to re-evaluate based on the lengthy list of crap the San Luis Obispo City Council has already banned: smoking; any sort of revelry on designated holidays; sitting on benches for…
A change is coming
A funny thing happened to the Tea Party juggernaut on its way to finalizing its churlish, mean-spirited coup d’etat against local government in San Luis Obispo County. It ran into resistance. Some residents of l’etat hereabouts apparently don’t cotton to the idea of being couped. Especially by this hateful crowd. To me, the most startling…
