Cover Story
Yabba dabba do(n’t): An uncertain future and a legal gray area shade the growing trend of cannabis concentrates
Sunday, April 27, was like any other spring day in San Luis Obispo. The breeze blew through the trees, and the weather lingered in that pleasantly mild zone that so often settles on this part of the coast. At 2:15 in the afternoon, personnel from the San Luis Obispo Fire Department responded to a reported…
How do you feel about legalizing marijuana?
Katelyn Goodwin biomedical engineer, recent Cal Poly graduate “I’m not opposed, as long as we have appropriate legal restrictions so it’s not abused.” Lauren Romero mechanical engineering student, sales associate at Hands Gallery “I think we should legalize marijuana because so many people already use it.” Morgan Smith shopgirl, Tails Pet Boutique “I would be…
The 21st Annual Avila Beach Blues Festival beckons on May 25 at Avila Beach Resort!
According to my weather app, it’s going to be sunny and 71 degrees in Avila Beach this Sunday, May 25, for the 21st annual Avila Beach Blues festival. Think about that. The sun-drenched Avila Beach Resort looking out on the blue Pacific as a light breeze and a cold beverage keeps you cool as you…
Wilder and Sutherland in French Revolution farce at The Palm
Babies switched at birth. One is low born, the other high—it’s a classic storytelling trope. The 1970 film Start the Revolution Without Me takes that formula, doubles it, and then turns the farce meter up to 11. It has to be one of the silliest movies ever made, which I consider a compliment. Starring Gene…
SLO bikes get blessed at Salon 544!
It’s Sunday, May 18, and my wife, Anna, and I are peddling against a breeze to get to Salon 544, at 544 Higuera, where owner Sherry Jiminez has organized the inaugural SLO Blessing of the Bicycles as part of Bike Month. I’m not too sweaty by the time we arrive, and it doesn’t matter anyway…
Paso ARTSFEST takes over Memorial Day weekend with its annual artstravaganza
Wine and art have always had a strong affinity for one another, so it stands to reason that our local wine country would host a festival designed for creative types. Paso ARTSFEST (all upper case) is the yearly jubilee brought to you by North County arts powerhouse Studios on the Park, taking place over Memorial…
Los Padres ForestWatch hosts a screening of the award-winning environmental documentary ‘DamNation’ at The Palm
“As a teenager, I watched in amazement as steelhead trout the size of my arm jumped 5 feet out of the water, soared head first into Stanford University’s Searsville Dam, then bounced off the concrete in defeat,” recalls fish biologist, underwater photographer, and DamNation producer Matt Stoecker in his press statement on the film’s website.…
Clubs 5/22/14
Goin’ South … THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 7735000 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…
Floral delights
Flowers are the compostable diamonds of nature. Their beautiful, bright hues and alluring fragrances have been fascinating bees, birds, and humans longer than we can remember, but there is one thing bees and birds still love about flowers that we humans seem to have long forgotten: the taste. Yes, you can eat flowers. Since our…
‘Bon appétit!’: The inaugural Santa Barbara Food & Wine Weekend salutes Julia Child
Legendary chef, author, and TV cooking show host Julia Child, who lived in Santa Barbara at the end of her storied life, once said, “Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun.” How appropriate that the inaugural Santa Barbara Food and Wine Weekend, a festival of…
Cyclists, meet the new way to camp
San Luis Obispo goes from college town to tourist hotspot in a matter of hours sometimes. Depending on the time of year, and what holiday is near, we are either overrun with stumbling college students, or with lost and wandering tourists, all of whom are simply trying to find their way. With summer just weeks…
Cougars & Mustangs
Greetings, student. I’m glad you could make it. She’s calm, but in pain. Your beloved school week reclines placidly among ebony drapes and sheets. There’s no need to deny it, I’ve read enough Dickinson to know where this is going. Though the kindly Reaper has not yet arrived, it’s time to look ahead toward those…
The crowded 24th: A long line of candidates wants Lois Capps’ seat in the House
The crowd is thick in the race for U.S. Rep. Lois Capps’ (D-Santa Barbara) seat representing the 24th Congressional District. The district includes all of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and a small part of Ventura County. Nine candidates are officially running, but—if you follow the money—Capps is holding her incumbent head well…
Correction
In our 2014 Best Of issue, the wrong heading appeared over the winner and runner-up for “Best Local Nursery,” awarded to Miner’s Ace Hardware and Cherry Lane Nursery, respectively.
Clarification
While Captain Nemo Games and Comics shares a building and interior sales space with music store Cheap Thrills, the Cheap Thrills side is the one that carries the video games, and so should have been listed as runner up for Best Video Game Store in our 2014 Best Of issue.
A Nipomo man files a complaint against the Compton campaign
Alleging a “potentially enormous” amount of unreported campaign contributions, Nipomo resident Ed Eby filed a complaint against Lynn Compton—a candidate for San Luis Obispo County’s 4th supervisorial district—on May 20. Eby’s complaint—filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)—claims that Compton has completely failed to disclose the cost of several vehicles and trailers that…
San Luis Obispo City Attorney Christine Dietrick receives a pay bump
San Luis Obispo City Attorney Christine Dietrick will receive a 4 percent bump in her salary, bringing her annual pay from $168,000 to $175,006. On May 20, the SLO City Council voted 3-2 to raise Dietrick’s pay, the third consecutive increase in as many years. “I think the message we want to send with this…
Pismo Beach to consider ordinance legalizing goats
No, that surfing goat you just saw riding the waves in Pismo Beach wasn’t the symptom of a heat wave-induced mirage. It was actually happening. The rising popularity of goats among city dwellers in Pismo Beach—and one goat-loving resident, specifically—has prompted the city to consider an ordinance that would institute a set of rules and…
Pismo Preserve gets $1.1 million from supes
In an unusually exuberant San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting, members unanimously approved $1.1 million in funding for the Pismo Preserve land conservation project on May 20. The Pismo Preserve project emanates from the Land Conservancy of SLO County, a nonprofit aiming to buy 900 privately owned acres in the Pismo Beach hills…
Wiki bias
I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news. The good news is that I finally found the jellybean I lost in the folds of my back fat some time around Easter. Also, the Internet doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, which is great if you’re a loner type like me who enjoys nothing better…
Irons has my vote
In 2012, Morro Bay elected a new City Council majority. We knew that there were entrenched positions and the road to change would be as bumpy as many of our city’s streets. We also knew that Mayor Jamie Irons would need support to turn the tide and establish policies for all of Morro Bay’s citizens…
Byrd is the word
I am writing to express my strong support of Mike Byrd for 4th District supervisor. As a leader in several local good-government community and nonprofit organizations over the past 24 years, I have often worked with elected officials. I know what it takes to be a good public servant. Mike is a local small businessman…
Caren Ray keeps focused on the job
As Caren Ray attempts to dodge the mudslinging lies and dirty tricks that are beginning to define the 4th District supervisor race, she continues to perform her job at the highest level. The pressure of the campaign could make a lesser leader succumb to the temptation of easy pandering over real leadership. While Caren has…
Compton isn’t a career politician–and that’s good
In the race for 4th District supervisor, it seems that the main criticism of Lynn Compton is that she is not an experienced career politician. Politicians are the people who put us about $20 trillion in debt with about $80 trillion in unfunded promises. Spending money you don’t have may be a slick way to…
You can pry my ‘Under Siege’ DVD from my cold, dead hands
Wot’s this!? I’m all set for some redneck rock with Nugent and the Mouthbreathers, when I see the New Times ad for Vina Robles concerts, and it’s gone! Had my AR-15 all lubed up, my Mitch McConnell blow-up doll inflated, and a case of Bud Light in the cooler. Damn! If these socialist bastards keep…
Climate crisis has no party affiliation
“Owing to past neglect, in the face of the plainest warnings, we have now entered upon a period of danger … . The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling … delays, is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences. … We cannot avoid this period;…
