Cover Story
To die on the plain
On the eastern edge of San Luis Obispo County, close to California Valley, the Carrizo Plain stretches 45 miles north to south and 10 miles east to west. Surrounded by the Temblor and Caliente ranges, the San Andreas Fault rises up through the Carrizo Plain’s expansive valley floor, where it has been slowly unzipping the…
Santa Maria rejects Wal-Mart
In a unanimous 5-0 vote, the Santa Maria City Council voted Tuesday night against a zoning change that would have accommodated a proposed Wal-Mart Super Center on a 55-acre parcel off West Betteravia Avenue. Thirty-seven people came forward during public comment period, most of them speaking against the mega store. -J.H.
Letters
Ask a Marine I wonder if Starkey spoke to any real Marines about their take on “Jarhead” (“The few, the bored, the Marines,” Split Screen, Nov. 10-17). The former Marines I spoke with thought it was a load of garbage – a left-wing propaganda film. Yes, the left produces propaganda just as blatantly as the…
To expand or not to expand?
The southernmost edge of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) ends at the coastal town of Cambria, but if local groups like the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club have their way, the sanctuary boundary will be extended to the southern edge of SLO County. Most recently the Environmental Caucus of the California…
Duke, Morro Bay reach outfall lease agreement
It’s been six years in the making: Duke Energy and the city of Morro Bay have inked a lease agreement for continued usage of the outfall canal next to Morro Rock. The natural gas power plant in Morro Bay is cooled by water that is then released into the outfall canal. The city manages the…
Pit bulls killed while attacking livestock
Nipomo rancher Carl Holloway was on his way out to feed his sheep and goats late last Monday morning when he saw two pit bulls attacking some of his animals, Halloway told SLO County sheriff’s deputies. After realizing that the dogs had already mauled and killed two of his goats and one of his sheep,…
More wells tapped at the Carrizo Plain
There won’t be any oil and gas extraction at the Arctic National Refuge in Alaska this year, but there will be at the Carrizo Plain, the national monument in the southeastern corner of the county. The Bureau of Land Management received an official “Notice of Staking” from Richard Sawyer of Malibu. Sawyer has held leases…
No Headline
Standing room only Is it just me, or is it getting harder to find a place to park your butt downtown? The last couple times I went to Starbucks and bought a latte – just to hold while I was sitting around, looking cool – I couldn’t find an available bench to use for my…
Sewer loan hits the skids
Any garage sale enthusiast in SLO County knows that some of the best deals on second-hand curios are to be found on the sandy streets of Los Osos. But if the sewer-starved community loses its $135 million State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan – which seems more likely with each passing day – Los Osos might…
Diamonds aren’t forever
A cornerstone of San Luis Obispo’s downtown community, Jorgensen Jewelers, will be closing its doors for the last time on Christmas Eve, after 46 years in the jewelry business. Nina Chapman, who’s owned the business since 1979, plans to retire and visit family in Utah. She began considering this decision to close the store two…
Sex offenders rob children of innocence
Initially I was angry that New Times devoted all of page 12 to sex offender Michael Gibson (“Curse of the crime,” Nov. 3-10). Then I realized (bravo, King Harris) it’s a wise way to expose what sex offenders are like, and how they rationalize, minimize, and self-indulge. To that point, Gibson rationalizes, “I would never…
Bearing up well
A vagrant black bear found meandering around a San Luis Obispo neighborhood on Nov. 8 is back in the forest. Again. The first sightings of the 65 lb. bear were reported to police early that afternoon after it was spotted wandering around the 2000 block of Monterey Street. “He hung out here for awhile and…
Flu shots still in short supply
The San Luis Obispo County Health Department reports that at least eight influenza cases have been reported since October, and Health Officer Dr. Greg Thomas expects to see an increase in the coming months. Thomas says late November and December are still good months to get flu shots, since the season doesn’t peak until January…
