Cover Story
Flash in the barrel?
It’s beer fest time, for better or for worse. In anticipation of every festival season, the travel and lifestyle media begin regurgitating features about the growth of the craft brewing industry. The formula calls for the selection of a particular style or region gaining popularity. Everything always manages to look groundbreaking in this 7,000-year-old endeavor.…
Towers of power
From about 300 feet in the air, the two workers strapped in atop a newly placed steel tower on a hilltop alongside Highway 101 looked completely at ease and unfazed by the fact that they were about to be taken for one hell of a ride. Hovering in place not far away, a Bell 500…
Moriarty makes SLO court appearance
The former Grover Beach financial consultant accused of pilfering some $22 million from his clients made his first two appearances in SLO County Superior Court. Al Moriarty, 80, was extradited from Bremerton, Wash.—where he also owns a home—following a months-long investigation by the SLO County District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Corporations, the California…
Boasting the roasting
Fresh coffee beans actually look like green peas that have been split in half and start to smell like slightly burnt popcorn as they’re being roasted. If you’re feeling a little doubtful, go see for yourself at San Luis Obispo’s in-house roaster and coffee shop, Coastal Peaks Coffee. Owner Michael Knight welcomes anyone to come…
Arroyo Grande hates on charter-bashing bill
In a continued bid to transform Arroyo Grande into a charter city, the City Council sent a stern letter on May 14 to Gov. Jerry Brown and key members of the California Senate and Assembly. The letter denounced Senate Bill 7, which would preclude charter cities from using state funds if they don’t pay state-required…
Morgan 2011 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
Consistently delicious, this is a really great buy from the highly touted Santa Lucia Highlands region in Monterey County. Beautifully balanced and delightful on its own, it is hard to resist. I loved the meld of tangy red cherry flavors with deeper notes of wild blackberries and plums, nicely nuanced with earth and spice notes.…
Twenty-nine years and still counting
After 29 years of creating unforgettable Central Coast Wine Classic (CCWC) events, founder and executive director Archie McLaren remains as ardent as he’s ever been in his mission to honor the Central Coast’s outstanding artists. That’s certainly the reason this popular charity wine event continues to attract so many people year to year, from across…
What’s your favorite local beer?
Jose Ramirez beer distribution employee “Firestone.” Nazareth Lamay music industry employee “I’m straight edge, drug free. I don’t drink. I’ve never tasted alcohol before.” Ali Cook bartendress “Hoppy Poppy, from Figueroa Mountain.” Bazil event security worker “Dunbar’s doing some amazing shit over the hill.”
Artifacts: Strawberries and more!
Where can you find belly dancing, camel rides, rock climbing, something called Walking Water Bubble Pools (I have no idea), and strawberry-flavored everything, all in one place? The 30th annual Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival, the largest free festival in SLO County, rolls into town Memorial Day weekend, May 25 and 26. Featuring hundreds of art,…
It’s on like Donkey Kong!
The highly anticipated release of Vina Robles Amphitheatre’s inaugural season has been announced, and it’s a doozy! You can read all about it on their website, vinaroblesamphitheatre.com, where you can also buy tickets beginning Friday, May 17, but here are a few highlights: I’m probably most excited to see Tony Bennett on Saturday, Aug. 10.…
Maker, maker!
It’s a hot, near summer’s day on May 11 in Mission Plaza when my girlfriend and myself make our way from booth to booth in the first ever San Luis Obispo Mini Maker Faire. Off the bat, I’m struck by the sheer amount of energy that the smaller versions of our species have in 80-plus…
No artist is an island
What is beauty, anyway? Is it symmetry? Is it surprise? Is it just a kind of inexplicable rightness? I don’t care. In the Cal Poly University Art Gallery exhibit “Cuban Photography,” it’s here, in the wisp of smoke from an old man’s cigar in Anciano Fumando, or the white figure moving through the frame like…
Wild and precious in Paso
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Mary Oliver asks in her exquisitely simple poem “The Summer Day.” Tell me, what is it you plan to do/with your one wild and precious life? Sasha Irving, programs director of Studios on the Park, first heard “The Summer Day” read during Mass, she said. The poem’s…
Geyser Peak 2012 Sauvignon Blanc California
I found this dry white—a softer vintage from this longtime producer—refreshing and likeable. Normally bold with tart grapefruit flavors, the 2012 vintage is softer with sweet melon notes nicely weaved with classic notes of grass and grapefruit. It’s perfect for sipping and a great choice for the table because this varietal is amazingly versatile. It’s…
Some whistled along as classic rock piped through the radio.
The task of the day: digging a trench for a French drain separating the Santa Margarita Community Center’s basketball and tennis courts from a hillside leading up to the Community Church, and filling it with gravel. The purpose: to prevent flooding that frequently plagues the area, so that a number of volunteers—including sheriff’s deputies, private…
Clubs: 5/16
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…
Bites: Kiss me Blarney stones!
If the last name didn’t give it away, I’m Irish. Like, really Irish. And I’m proud to belong to a race of people who can survive on food so bland, even the potatoes got bored with growing. So when the opportunity arises to celebrate such strong heritage here in America, I don’t hesitate. That’s why…
Cougars and Mustangs
We are rapidly approaching the end of both Cuesta College and Cal Poly’s spring sessions. Hope you’re all doing the best you can to stay afloat! Don’t let yourself get too distracted before it’s too late! And yet, as they say, it isn’t over until the business major sings, so don’t deny yourself the opportunity…
You’ve got male! And female! And …
Who do you think you are?” Nick Bilich asks the question from across a small table at Blackhorse Espresso in downtown SLO. He’s not posing it in a “you suggested that we meet at a coffee shop and now you’re not even ordering anything—so just who do you think you are?” sort of way. No,…
Lawsuit forces Nipomo CSD’s financial hand
Perhaps everything was legit as far as the April-approved Nipomo water pipeline financing proposal was concerned, but when faced with a lawsuit, the Nipomo Community Services District decided to go the safe route and find an alternative to finance $4 million of the $17.5-million project. The financing in question is a portion of the proposal…
Gocong misses out on a comeback
Former Cal Poly defensive standout Chris Gocong’s attempted return to professional football lasted only three days. The 29-year-old linebacker appeared in Philadelphia on May 10 for the first day of rookie tryouts with the Eagles, surprising local sportswriters. However, when the three-day camp ended, the Eagles chose not to sign him. Though unsuccessful, Gocong’s bid…
Lawsuit forces Nipomo CSD’s financial hand
Perhaps everything was legit as far as the April-approved Nipomo water pipeline financing proposal was concerned, but when faced with a lawsuit, the Nipomo Community Services District decided to go the safe route and find an alternative to finance $4 million of the $17.5-million project. The financing in question is a portion of the proposal…
SLO County objects to a proposed recording tax
The SLO County Board of Supervisors voted May 14 to oppose a bill in state Senate committee that would fund new low-income housing programs with a $75 tax on recording real estate instruments. County Clerk-Recorder Julie Rodewald asked for the supervisors’ backing in opposing Senate Bill 391, which would place the burden of collecting the…
Double the drilling proposed in Price Canyon
The owners of the oil field between Pismo Beach and Edna Valley want to add 350 new oil wells and ramp up full-capacity production by almost double—from 5,000 to 9,000 barrels per day. Though the proposed expansion in Price Canyon is still in the early planning stages, this would be the fifth phase of development…
Deputies make an arrest at Topaz
A subcontractor working at Topaz Solar Farm was arrested in late April after other employees reported seeing him with a firearm and a “bag of dope,” according to sources from the Sheriff’s Department and the construction site. Jaime Maldonado, Jr., 35, was arrested on the job site on April 24 after the Sheriff’s Department received…
Is compassion lost on you?
Do you have a pet; a beloved creature that is both friend and family? Many of us have had them, and if you haven’t ever had a pet, it is most unfortunate for your childhood. I suggest you get one or seriously consider it if you can. If you had a pet in the past,…
Odds and ends
I’m relaxing my usual Opinion Page standards to present a hand-written letter I received this week. Usually, I require writers to include a full name and city of residence to be published, but the way our readers interact with the world—with New Times, with fellow opinionated citizens, with people in power—is changing. But I’m getting…
I’m supporting Christianson by mail
The mail-in ballots for the City Council special election will be arriving in SLO voters’ mailboxes. I am supporting Carlyn Christianson. I believe Carlyn to be an independent thinker who considers all sides of any issue. Her background proves she is extremely capable of taking the lead on a variety of issues, and works in…
Elect this problem solver!
I am an enthusiastic supporter of Carlyn Christianson for City Council. I have known Carlyn for more than 20 years as a colleague and a friend. Carlyn’s experience and knowledge of planning issues is formidable, but it’s not the only thing that makes her the best candidate for City Council. Carlyn is a strong person…
We do need nuclear power
Andrew Christie states in his letter on May 9 that nuclear power “has made too many promises it has failed to keep” (“Our answer: Nuclear is dangerous and unnecessary”). This is true, but it doesn’t negate the fact that nuclear power is still needed in our energy future. NASA’s James Hansen, the father of Global…
Stay at home
I love a good game of make believe. Unlike most other games, I’m not at a disadvantage because I have the lung capacity of a 93-year-old who recreationally takes hits of carbon dioxide off tailpipes. I throw on the pair of high heels that were left on my lawn after I turned the hose on…
