Cover Story
Yours, mine, and ours
We wanted to see something different. Stuck between endless plein air landscapes, gift galleries, an impossibly safe public art program, and a ceaseless parade of billboards, we were struck by an inexplicable urge to consume. New cars, beautiful landscapes, and attractive women were commanding our perception of the world a vacation from predigested imagery was…
Carrizo nomination gets three thumbs down
On a 3-2 vote on March 27, SLO County supervisors declined to support the Carrizo Plain National Monument’s nomination as a World Heritage site. The Wilderness Society decided in January to nominate the grassland for UNESCO World Heritage designation because of the opportunities for economic benefits, but the lack of political support may doom the…
Fast facts
March 31 is Pet Adoption Day on the Central Coast. Keller Williams Realty is partnering with local animal adoption agencies and Farm Supply stores to host an event in four cities around San Luis Obispo County. Everyone who adopts a pet will receive a free goodie bag full of treats and coupons for their new…
Old Edna’s best-kept secret
Just south of SLO, the town of Edna exists much the same as when it sprang up more than a hundred years ago. Among the old clapboard homes and budding vineyards that dot the landscape is a little slice of SLO-Town history. Built in 1906, all but abandoned 70 years later, and revived in 1998,…
Mouse in da house
If reggae has a Bobby McFerrin, it’s Eek-A-Mouse, whose vocal gymnastics created a style of reggae all his own. Coined singjay style, Eek (born Ripton Hilton, sometimes spelled Hylton), sings Asian-sounding abstract utterances as well as recognizable words. The towering 6-foot-6 performer took his name from a racehorse he continually lost money on. By the…
Drink fair
Americans are heavily addicted to the two most valuable traded commodities in the world: oil and coffee. And as long as we have uninterrupted access to each, we don’t give much thought to where either came from or how it was procured. But on some level, most of us recognize that there are wide-reaching ramifications…
Proposed Cayucos development stirs opposition
Residents of a Cayucos neighborhood have formed a new group, Concerned Citizens of Cayucos, to oppose plans for a three-story timeshare and commercial development proposed for Old Creek Road and Highway 1. The group has already succeeded in convincing the Cayucos Advisory Council to re-examine its support of the project at its next meeting on…
Taxes rise along coastal cities
Beginning April 1, sales taxes in the cities of San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, and Morro Bay are rising by a half-percent. The cities will soon be presenting their plans for how to spend the expected booty, and interests have already lined up to stake their claimed share. Want to help the politicians…
SLO Downtown defenders band together
Concerned that changes recently proposed or planned for their city will blot out views and quash its quirks, a new group of citizens plans to work as the watchdog for San Luis Obispo’s downtown. The group is called “Save Our Downtown.” Members there are eight founders said they’ll work to maintain current building heights, preserve…
Crumbling skate park needs funds
San Luis Obispo’s skate park sucks. No one disputes this. But what should be done about it? For much of the population, the answer is a resounding “Who cares?” Skating is vilified, outlawed, and generally dismissed as the purview of adolescent ne’er-do-wells. But a growing community of concerned skateboarding enthusiasts is becoming increasingly vocal and…
Dreamer, come in
SIBLING RIVALRY Sidewalk Stories will include the delightful tale of a brother who attempts, unsuccessfully, to sell his sister (portrayed by Nellie Salisbury in the picture). PHOTO BY BARRY GOYETTE Drew Silvaggio, Civic Ballet’s artistic director, probably doesn’t belong in San Luis Obispo. In fact, the choreographer, who seems to be making a habit of…
Letters
Why can’t SLO plan for Mardi Gras? So, is St. Patrick’s Day now on par with, or even becoming, the new Mardi Gras in SLO? Consider the statistics (“Paddy Gras, anyone?” March 22). Also consider WOW Week, when all of the newbies arrive for the beginning of the Cal Poly semester. Halloween, if falling near…
The picket of the litter
Equal pay for equal work! Just say no! Four more years! Sorry. If you were expecting my typical half-cooked rant about local notables, potent potables, and whatever other dreck I managed to dredge up from the depths of my brain this week, you’re in for a sore surprise. Or a pleasant one, depending on your…
The fat of the land?
Restless hooves churned up clouds of dust in the corrals outside the Templeton Livestock Market as agitated cattle noisily waited their turn to enter the auction ring. # Inside, the clang of metal gates and a forceful “Hee-yah!” signaled the arrival of another herd, the focus of the auctioneer’s singsong patter and the beef-buyers’ bids.…
Enjoy artisanal food
Santa Barbara Vintners Association Director Jim Fiolek has watched the Santa Barbara County wine industry grow tremendously over the years. PHOTO BY JESSE ACOSTA When I first tasted American Flatbread at the annual Au Bon Climat and Qupe spring open house event, I had an epiphany. The flavor and chew of the delectable, crisp wheat…
