Cover Story
Spoilsports: Opinions differ about what a flurry of violent and behavior incidents and allegations involving Cal Poly athletes means
Before the taunts, before the punches, before he ended up pinned to the ground and repeatedly pummeled, before the blows opened up bloody gashes on his head and arm, John said he was just walking through a residential neighborhood near Cal Poly, looking for a party. As John (not his real name) tells it, he…
SLO City Council votes to appeal binding arbitration decision
The San Luis Obispo City Council voted unanimously to appeal a decision by the Public Employment Relations Board that would have undone the 2011 ballot initiative Measure B. City Attorney Christine Dietrick announced the decision following a March 10 closed session, during which she informed councilmembers and a gathering of residents that the city had…
Do you think athletes make good role models and why?
Chris Daly filmmaker “I’m 50/50. People who dedicate themselves to the craft are incredible, but those who get into substance abuse, and alcoholism, etc., are terrible.” Sammy Mejia barber “Some athletes make good role models because they teach you to achieve and strive for your goals, and practice makes perfect.” Matilda Wachtmeister student “It depends…
A group sues to ban OHV activity on the Oceano dunes
The Mesa Community Alliance, a nonprofit activist group dedicated to “represent [the] common interests” of Nipomo Mesa residents, filed suit against San Luis Obispo County and the State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division on Feb. 27. The lawsuit seeks to bar OHV activities on the Oceano dunes until and unless State Parks complies with…
Pismo Beach picks a new police chief
Pismo Beach City Manager Jim Lewis announced on March 4 that he’s selected Jake Miller, a 20-year Pismo Beach Police Department veteran, to replace outgoing Police Chief Jeffrey Norton, effective Aug. 1. “After weeks of interviews with community leaders and different law enforcement officials, we decided that we had the perfect fit right in front…
Cougars & Mustangs
Good afternoon, readers. Thank you for coming. You’re probably wondering why I’m dressed all in black, despite the fact that you can’t actually see me. Welcome to Cal Poly Dead Week. I am here to extend numerous condolences to the students who have passed on. They’re in a better place now … a higher place.…
The CPUC president details mounting issues that must be addressed for Diablo Canyon funding
Read copies of CPUC President Michael Peevey’s 2009 and 2014 letters to PG&E (.pdfs). If you were to sit down and write out all of the issues Pacific Gas & Electric needs to address, you would end up with a laundry list of concurrent hurdles that even individually would be a tall order for the…
Corrections
In a recent article about filmmaker Benjamin Cooper (“The phantasmagoria of a horror director,” Feb. 27), the actor in the accompanying photo was mistakenly identified; he’s actually Matt O’Neill. The genre of the film The Brink was misstated; it is a ghost horror film.
Paso Robles tightens the leash on menacing and aggressive animals
The Paso Robles City Council passed an ordinance on March 4 that creates penalties for owners of animals that might be considered a potential danger to the community. The Menacing and Aggressive Animal Ordinance will give the SLO County Division of Animal Services officials the ability to notify and levy penalties on the owner if…
SLO approves a new Garden Street Terraces project design
The San Luis Obispo City Council approved the final design of the Garden Street Terraces mixed-use downtown project—again. On a 3-1-1 vote, with Councilwoman Kathy Smith dissenting and Councilman Dan Carpenter recused from the final vote, city councilmembers approved a redesign of the project and a new financial agreement between the city and Garden Street…
Save Price Canyon launches a ballot initiative
After months of planning, members of Pismo Beach activist group Save Price Canyon officially announced that their ballot initiative designed to preempt overdevelopment in Price Canyon will likely be headed to the city’s November ballot. In a conversation with New Times, Save Price Canyon representatives outlined the main thrust of their initiative: to preserve and…
A new study claims a Diablo cancer risk, but critics question the findings
Read the full text of the study (.pdf). A new study prepared for and disseminated by the World Business Academy of Santa Barbara claims there’s a correlation between the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant and radiological health risks in San Luis Obispo County. Authored by Joseph Mangano, a New Jersey-based epidemiologist, the study uses historic…
Dead sheep found during Storm Titan spur an unfolding controversy
Watch the cell phone videos of the Weissmullers’ discovery. On Feb. 28, after the first night of heavy rainfall brought by Storm Titan, Adam Weissmuller and his old dog Max went for a walk. What they saw—and later captured on cell phone video and posted online—has created a new storm of controversy on the…
Cycle cartography: Thanks to a joint effort, Morro Bay gets mapped
The Morro Bay Citizen’s Bike Committee first had the idea to map the bike routes throughout the city last September. They thought if they could get the right people to mark the existing paths and create a graphic, they could put it online and print copies for visitors who travel through. So the committee decided…
Clayhouse 2012 Adobe Pink Paso Robles and Rangeland 2011 Cabernet Blend Watershed
Clayhouse 2012 Adobe Pink Paso Robles I thoroughly enjoyed this well-made pink, a blend of Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Mourvedre. It’s as tasty on its own as it is with food. Pretty notes of strawberries and raspberries meld with light, zingy notes of lime and spice. It tastes dry but has a hint of…
Phyllis Madonna’s Musical Revue and 27th Annual Fashion Show to raise money for the SLO Women’s Shelter
Phyllis Madonna is one classy dame. Sure, she presides over the greatest motel in the freakin’ universe. Sure, she was married to the iconic Alex Madonna, a dude who did things his way or no way at all. Sure, her Inn has a pink tennis and basketball court and spa … not to mention more…
‘Digital Media Now’ at Cal Poly bridges the gap between the exhibit space and the virtual world
“Digital Media Now” at Cal Poly’s University Art Gallery takes the familiar media of sculpture, painting, and drawing, and tosses them headlong into the virtual world. The viewer is left on the analog side, beckoned by tantalizing partiality into the digital realm. The standout piece is Sean Phillips’ Slinky Forest, an installation of sound, light,…
Former Arroyo Grande resident Rachael Herron reads from her new novel ‘Pack Up The Moon’ in the SLO Barnes & Noble
How does someone recover from the loss of a child? That’s at the heart of Pack Up the Moon, a new novel from Rachael Herron. “I’ve lived in Oakland for the last 17 years, but before that, I was a full-blooded Central Coast girl,” Herron explained in a recent email interview. “I went to Arroyo…
The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary
The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF) ends its second decade this year with a lineup designed to match the milestone. In addition to a full schedule of narrative features, documentaries, and shorts, the festival opened on March 5 with an appearance by Adam West and continues March 6 through 9 with a screening…
Living creatures aren’t factories
Regarding “Put to pasture” (Feb. 27): “‘A cow is a factory,’ [Dick] Nock said. ‘It’s hard to replace that factory.’” How inappropriate that a living, sentient animal is thought of and referred to as a factory. This comment and mindset speaks volumes about the way livestock are treated in modern food-production operations. Animals used to…
The loss of a hero and friend: Steven Seybold lived a life worth celebrating
Steven Seybold, a beloved long-time resident of San Luis Obispo, passed away on Feb. 17 in San Diego after succumbing to fatal injuries sustained in a fall. * * * Steven loved social events of all kinds. For many years, he was an active member of the SLO Skiers Club, SLO Blues Society, and served…
‘The Biggest Loser’ confirms its name
Lose weight and win a quarter of a million dollars. It’s a clear win-win, isn’t it? For 15 seasons, the hit show The Biggest Loser has named the person who sheds the most pounds its big winner. This season’s winner, Rachel Frederickson, showed viewers the darker side to the contest. She stepped onto the stage…
When it’s 2 a.m. and all you want is a taco …
Let’s be honest. You’ve experienced the heartache that comes from realizing it’s too late to hit up your favorite places to eat, whether you’re hanging out at home with friends or just getting back from the bars. When those deep hunger pangs strike in the wee hours of the night, there’s almost nothing you wouldn’t…
Crawdaddy’s spicy seafood is hot!
Join me on a culinary journey, if you’re adventuresome, to discover the spicy-hot, intriguing cuisine of New Orleans. I encourage you to wear something that’s comfortable enough to allow you to roll back your sleeves and tie on a lobster bib. That’s because we’re going to get down and dirty after cracking through several pounds…
White Flag
Alright, outraged Mustang hos and bros, you win! It’s an outrage that your university attempted to govern your university-associated partying, an outrage that I called you out after your eloquent defenders called a Mustang News reporter “butthurt” and a “faggot.” And, after receiving criticism from young writers who didn’t expect me to last long in…
Clubs 3/6/14
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…
