Cover Story
The movies that matter
I love this time of year. I love meeting actors and filmmakers. I love serving on the judges’ panel. I love attending parties and eating cheese with film buffs. Like any journalist, I love any chance to wear a lanyard around my neck, knowing afterward I can add it to my prized collection, pretending not…
What film or person didn’t get the recognition they deserved at the Oscars?
Jerae Byrd microbiology student “Denzel Washington should have won Best Actor for Flight, because the movie shows the strength of doing what’s right.” Bob Whiteford still a work in progress “It was really great to see Don Stroud get whacked by Christopher Waltz in Django. It’s good to see a guy like that that went…
What’ll ya have, pal?
It’s Wednesday, Feb. 27, and I am drinking a Cosmo on the rocks made by a robot. It’s delicious. My first question is this: Who would win in a bartending contest between Tom Cruise’s character Brian Flanagan in Cocktail and Bartendro 15, the bar-bot that made my drink? Even Party Robotics marketing director Erin Berman…
Smartasses, pottymouths, and physical therapists
In other words, the Best of the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition is back at the Clark Center. The San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition is where legends like Robin Williams and Ellen DeGeneres got some of their first big breaks, and this local “best of” showcase, back by popular demand, packs all the best stuff…
How will the wolf survive?
What can I say about Los Lobos that fans don’t already know? You know they formed way back in 1973 in East L.A. and managed to make biculturalism hip as they moved between their Chicano roots and American rock. Over their four-decade career, they’ve played norteño, blues, country, Tex-Mex, ballads, folk, rock, and world music.…
Is this it?
Jeff Jamieson is still waiting for someone to mistakenly hang a coat on one of his wall sculptures. The diminutive yet precise structures, alongside the still life paintings of Jeff’s brother Dalton Jamieson, make up the joint show “More is More,” currently hanging at the Cuesta College Art Gallery. Most of the wall sculptures are…
Clubs: 3/7
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. 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…
Questions For: Brent Marshall
Ed. note: Lifeguard tryouts will take place March 9 at 9 a.m. at the base of Grand Avenue in Grover Beach. A picture ID is required and minors must have a parent or guardian present. Applicants must pass a 1,000-yard open ocean swim in less than 20 minutes and a continuous 200-yard run, 400-yard swim,…
Pop!
Ooh. Ouch. That looks bad. Sorry about that. To be blunt, you should really try harder next time to keep your eye out of the path of my champagne cork. These things can really fly, you know. Did you see that? Ka-pow! Some ice would probably help, and you—no! Not that ice, you cretin! I…
We can get energy from a lot of sources
This letter is in reference to exploiting California’s Monterey shale oil deposit, building the Keystone pipeline, and other such things. The world is awash in free energy. The earth receives about 274 million gigawatt-years of power from the sun, more than 20,000 times as much as all energy from all sources currently used by humans.…
If we have to store it, can we stop making it?
Thank you, to the Tribune editors, for calling our attention to the problem of nuclear waste (“Nuclear storage: an issue too long on back burner,” March 4). However, one aspect of the problem you have left unmentioned. In the unlikely case that one or more permanent sites for the waste is found, then picture this:…
Traffic flow reform needs to happen now
Our family is friends with the Maier/Cherry family, and when I heard the news of Alex Maier’s tragic accident, my thoughts almost immediately went to the on/off ramps in the location of the accident. I’ve been a resident of SLO County for more than 20 years, and, like many residents, haven’t needed to use certain…
Be fair, and keep what works
I want to add a brief comment regarding the proposed closing of Teach School. In general, I am against magnet schools. They encourage car pollution, waste of money in busing, obesity, and neighborhood trashing. They select children by various means, including lottery, and create frustration in the ones left behind. Local schools, on the other…
NOT QUITE A LETTER
Does an “I” in the wrong place constitute a letter to the editor? SLO resident Kevin Rice sent this photo to the New Times letters e-mail address—to point out the misspelled “PROSICUTED,” it seems—which we suppose is comment in and of itself.
Don’t fall for that CEQA screed
We are impressed that Andy Caldwell managed to take a break from the demands of his COLAB radio show—where he chums it up with regular guests such as swift-boater Jerome Corsi, “birther” and Tea Party Manifesto author Joseph Farah, and the staff of the virulently anti-environmental Pacific Legal Foundation—to write a lengthy screed against the…
Bites: Veggie tales
I don’t ever recall having a hard time eating vegetables as a kid. I’m sure my family would contest this statement, but the truth is that vegetables have always sort have been … all right by me. And really, every kid should love vegetables. They’re usually covered in a thin layer of dirt, and—let’s face…
It’s the environment, stupid
It surely came as no surprise to anyone that COLAB, in its accustomed role as handmaiden to big developers and polluting industries, recently occupied this space with a call to weaken California flagship environmental law (“Flies and fungus vs. jobs and prosperity,” Feb. 28). Also no surprise: Every major conservation and public health group in…
Sinor LaVallee 2012 Pinot Gris San Luis Obispo County
This amazing white wine rates among the finest versions of this variety I have ever tasted. And I’ll be honest here—I taste plenty of wines like this from Central Coast wineries and beyond. Once you’ve tasted it, you won’t be able to step away from the glass. I loved its delightful flavors of Meyer lemon…
Conn Creek 2009 Herrick Red Napa Valley
I wasn’t sure what this bottle held when I picked it up, but I remembered that I always liked Conn Creek wines. What a wonderful, delicious surprise—not only impressive on its own, but great for an array of good meals. A Bordeaux blend with a touch of Syrah, this wine is rustic and oh so…
This is 40!
Del’s Famous Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant in Pismo Beach celebrates its anniversary over the four weeks of March each year. While some restaurants may celebrate their anniversaries, Del’s is truly among a category of rare places that can boast they’ve been cooking their popular Italian food for 40 years. “When we opened Del’s in 1973,…
Doth he contest too much?
Contests can be a wonderful way to make yourself known, get feedback on your work, and even just get the incentive to get off your bum and make art in the first place! But not every contest is alike. Some have different styles than others, and some should probably be avoided in their entirety. Let…
Moviegoers wanted
When the historic Fremont Theatre closed its doors in late January, the surprise was a wake-up call to San Luis Obispo moviegoers, who, during a few days of initial confusion, feared a beloved staple of their city had shuttered for good. Two weeks later, the single-screen theater was back up and running, just in time…
Just the beginning
Fresh strawberry-basil flavored water, a silent auction, and a shiny new 28,000-square-foot building greeted hundreds of supporters who attended the Nipomo Community Medical Center dedication ceremony on March 1. The ceremony kicked off a weekend of open house festivities at the newest addition to the family of more than 25 medical centers that make up…
Obama targets Proposition 8
News surfaced the afternoon of Feb. 28 that the Obama administration planned to file an amicus brief in support of efforts to overturn Proposition 8. Within hours, a copy of the brief, which calls for the U.S. Supreme Court to strike California’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, appeared on the Internet. The administration joined plaintiffs…
Paso water plant plan gets membrane money
Paso Robles is putting together the pieces for a water treatment plant planned to process water piped from Nacimiento Lake. On March 5, the Paso Robles City Council unanimously approved nearly $1.6 million to fund the plant’s membrane, an essential component of the filtration system. The funding is part of the total $12.4 million allocated…
Bob Jones project gets state funds
Thanks to an infusion of state funding, the Bob Jones Trail will soon get a little closer to being a true city-to-the-sea connection. The California Transportation Commission awarded the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) a $600,000 grant on March 5 to connect the Bob Jones Trail to Los Osos Valley Road. San Luis…
Council postpones a Broad Street decision
Outcry from the manufacturing community so drained the San Luis Obispo City Council that members postponed mulling a resolution to include adding the long-term South Broad Street plan to the general plan for the city’s future. On March 6, the council was asked to move the South Broad Street Area plan along so it could…
Manson follower again denied parole
For the second time in just more than three years, a California governor has reversed a parole board’s recommendation to release Bruce Davis, a member of the notorious Manson “Family,” from the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo. Davis, 70, originally convicted for his roles in two Charles Manson-related murders in 1972, has been…
Decision delayed to allow changes in Spanish Springs
For the third time in as many months, the Pismo Beach City Council discussed planning documents for a major development proposed in Price Canyon, but once again, no decision was made on the project known as Spanish Springs. Instead, the council on March 5 pressed staffers and the developer, Stephen Hester of BHT II Pismo,…
Capps questions new NRC head on Diablo safety
The new chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was taken to task on the need for a better understanding of the seismic landscape around the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. On Jan. 28 in Washington, D.C., the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Power had a chance to hear from NRC Chairman Allison…
Grover considers raising the limit for card tables
South San Luis Obispo County card players might want to spend some time in the mirror perfecting their poker faces, because on March 4, the Grover Beach City Council told staffers to craft an ordinance change to allow gambling houses to increase the number of allowable tables and operate up to 24 hours per day.…
Judge tosses Paso police harassment suit
The city of Paso Robles received notice last week that Judge Jac Crawford had recently dismissed a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the city by fired police sergeant Brennan Lux. Crawford dismissed the suit because Lux failed to promptly comply with discovery requests made by Paso Robles City Attorney Iris Yang. The dismissal order awards…
Former CoreClean president aims to accept a plea deal
The former head of a South San Luis Obispo County agricultural chemical company has tentatively agreed to accept a plea deal with federal prosecutors after being accused of forging loan documents in his family members’ names at a number of local banks. According to a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles…
County moves forward on airport terminal expansion
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved designs and gave the go-ahead to its Airport Services to move to the second of three phases in constructing a new terminal building at the SLO County Regional Airport. The airport currently sits on 340 acres of land south of the city of San Luis…
