Cover Story
Roger and out
On Oct. 6, 2006 Roger Williams Briggs packed his bags at his Avila Beach home and departed California. In downtown San Luis Obispo, a writ of mandate for deposition awaited Briggs on the desk of Superior Court Judge Barry LaBarbera. The topic of inquiry: alleged duplicity and unscrupulous action by the then and now executive…
Leave your board at home, son
The San Luis Obispo County Courthouse Annex will adopt airport-style security screenings beginning March 15, transforming the historically open facility into one that bans dangerous weapons along with laser pointers, screwdrivers, and skateboards. After the changes, members of the public will have to enter the court from one of two entrances, down from seven. “Usually…
Campus speaker draws protestors
A silent group assembled by candlelight outside of Cal Poly’s Spanos Theatre on March 5, symbolically clad in white to protest pro-Israel pundit and Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes. Inside, students toting backpacks filed into empty seats next to community members who had long since graduated. Cal Poly professor of religious studies Stephen Lloyd-Moffet, acting…
The housing doctrine
Everyone’s always talking about the need for affordable housing. Politicians, civic leaders, and average citizens all say that we need affordable housing to keep important people like police officers, fire fighters, nurses, and teachers in the community. And yet, affordable housing never seems to get built. Do you ever ask yourself why? Let’s take a…
Nacimiento pipeline comes closer
Progress is continuing on the proposed construction of a 45-mile water pipeline that would bring a major new water supply to Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, and Cayucos. The SLO County Board of Supervisors on March 6 approved the latest contract for the Nacimiento pipeline project, for the acquisition of right-of-way along the…
Letters
Why shy away from peace? New Times has done it again. It has totally ignored a peace event in the county. Last year, you had nothing in your paper about the Youth Peace Fair in Atascadero. This year, even with many press releases and phone calls, you printed nothing about the Iraq Vets Against the…
Correction
The hours for Matthew’s at the Airport, reviewed in Cuisine in New Times’ March 1 edition (“Matthew’s takes two”), were incorrectly reported. The airport restaurant is open for lunch only (11 a.m. until 5 p.m.) Monday through Thursday, and dinner only (4 p.m. until close) Friday through Sunday. The restaurant is open for dinner on…
Fast facts
The Los Osos Valley Garden Club visits Green Acres Lavender Farm in Atascadero March 8 at 10:30 a.m. To join in, meet in the parking lot behind Vons in Los Osos to carpool. For more info, call 528-6800. Tridosha Healing Center is hosting a Kirtan and chant workshop with Lily Diamond on March 10. The…
A toast to great beer
Cal Poly may be a “dry campus,” but one school-sanctioned club still has a license to brew. The Cal Poly Brew Crew has been making porters, stouts, browns, blonds, Irish pale ales, and more since 1994. The group has largely operated below the radar thanks to a loophole that allows them to purchase ingredients to…
Joint sewage treatment plant meeting postponed
On March 6, Bruce Ambo, director of public services for the City of Morro Bay, announced that the joint Morro Bay-Cayucos Sanitary District meeting originally tentatively scheduled for March 15 will be postponed until April. According to a news release from Ambo, the postponement will give the city and district staff more time to identify…
Rock around the clock
Forgive me for repeating myself, but would somebody shoot me? I’ve said it before, but nobody ever takes me up on the request. I’m serious this time. Somebody just walk up and shoot me in the head. Please. It’s time change time. Again. Which means that I’m losing an hour of precious, precious sleep, and…
Red lights all wanna be green
One or more technically minded scofflaws are driving around San Luis Obispo with gizmos that make red lights at busy intersections turn green, screwing up traffic patterns and slowing down the response times of ambulances and fire trucks. The devices shoot infrared signals at receivers mounted on key intersections around the city, signaling them to…
