Cover Story
Art in limbo: The California Arts Council’s attempts to change its policies put SLO County arts programs in jeopardy
Stay informed Get involved with SLO County Arts by visiting slocountyarts.org or following on Instagram @slocounty_arts. More than 30 concerned representatives from various California-based arts, theater, and creative organizations made their voices heard at the Nov. 17 California Arts Council meeting. “We have participated in [these] coalition meetings, circulated letters to committee members, wrote emails…
Community Foundation of SLO County awards $25,000 to Paso Robles Youth Arts Center
New grant funds will help the Paso Robles Youth Arts Center meet the increasing demand for its free after-school arts programs, according to the local nonprofit. In late October, the Paso Robles Youth Arts Center received a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County, which split a total of $400,000 in…
Supervisors fire interim chief administrator for improper conduct toward women
With a month left to close out the year, San Luis Obispo County is on its third top administrator of 2023. The county Board of Supervisors terminated the contract for interim Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) John Nilon on Nov. 17, according to a county press release. Supervisors met in closed session that day to review…
Atascadero High School Black Box Theater presents Cowboy Noir and His Gang of Misfits
For two weekends in December, performances of Cowboy Noir and His Gang of Misfits will run at the Atascadero High School Black Box Theater. The showtimes for this student-written Western comedy are Dec. 1 and Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., Dec. 2 at 2 and 7 p.m., and Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. For more…
Some Grover Beach residents want their City Council to rethink the city’s involvement in Central Coast Blue
Some Grover Beach community members are protesting the increase in water rates proposed by the city to help fund the Central Coast Blue project, claiming that the project is unnecessary and overly expensive. While some have disapproved of the project from the beginning, most followed suit after a Grover Beach staff report recommended increasing water…
Battery storage and power generation aren’t the same
It appears that Andrew Christie was using bad math to calculate replacing Diablo Canyon Power Plant (“Diablo, replaced,” Nov. 16). He is comparing power storage with generating power. Generating power is measured by the hour, day, or year. Battery storage doesn’t generate any power. It is storing from what trickles in from renewables that isn’t…
Familiar villain gets origin treatment in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Bulbul? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Caleb? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Bay Theater, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande, Park Editor’s note: Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal and Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood wrote Split Screen this week while Glen and…
County Clerk-Recorder terminates recall attempt against Bruce Gibson
A miscalculation over a local newspaper’s printing schedule became the wrench in the recall efforts against 2nd District San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson. On Nov. 15, the SLO County Clerk-Recorder’s Office pulled the plug on the Committee to Support the Recall of Supervisor Bruce Gibson’s process to remove Gibson from office because the…
Groundwater water recharge project brings learning opportunities to Oceano Elementary School
The Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) and Lucia Mar Unified School District teamed up for a construction project that aims to help recharge the Santa Maria Valley Groundwater Basin and reduce flooding. Will Clemens, OCSD general manager, said that the stormwater capture and groundwater recharge project is crucial for environmental and safety reasons because once…
South County substation’s new commander starts with storm safety
The SLO County Sheriff’s Office substation in the Oceano just received a new commander, whose first focus is preparing for another stormy winter. “We worked a lot with our county’s Office of Emergency Services to learn about preparations such as potential evacuations and the Arroyo Grande Creek levee,” Cmdr. Ian Doughty said. “So we’re trying…
Castlevania: Nocturne
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Netflix I was more than content with the conclusion of Netflix’s four-season vampire anime Castlevania (2017-2021) because the series’ overarching story ended with a satisfying sense of completion. Even as much as I love the underrated, critically maligned string of video game films that graced the…
Nacimiento residents, Monterey County move forward with water lawsuit
Nacimiento Lake property owners’ lawsuit against the Monterey County Water Resources Agency is no longer on hold, following a Nov. 17 court hearing in Paso Robles. “The purpose of the hearing was to lift the stay that has held our lawsuit from proceeding until that report was adopted,” Charles Viescas explained. The hearing was one…
San Miguel water rate change proposal tabled a second time
For the second time in three months, the citizens of San Miguel will have to wait to see whether their water rates increase because the Community Services District (CSD) tabled the discussion at its Nov. 16 board meeting. “This is happening in part because of inflation, and in part because the district wanted to find…
Eminent domain is almost always a bad idea
Allowing the government to use eminent domain to seize private land for what a given government agency deems public benefit is a bad idea in any but the most dire situations. Those condemning SLO County Supervisor Debbie Arnold for sticking up for the rights of individual property owners and making it more difficult to extend…
The Crown (Season Six)
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Netflix The heady dramatization of the life and surroundings of England’s longest-reigning monarch draws to a roaring conclusion with the sixth season. The Crown now handles the events of the late 1990s, perhaps the most controversial time period yet, which revolve around Princess Diana’s (Elizabeth Debicki)…
SLO Partners launches a dental assistant boot camp to kick-start careers, address local shortage
San Luis Obispo County residents hoping to break into the highly specialized field of dentistry can make that dream a reality through a dental assistant boot camp poised to start in February. The SLO County Office of Education and apprenticeship program provider SLO Partners teamed up to create such an opportunity to address a gap…
Palm Street garage exit will cause an accident
It’s a tragedy waiting to happen. Standing in line at the Palm Theatre, I’ve often held my breath when vehicles pull out of the city parking garage across the street as children scamper nearby. Youngsters excitedly run ahead of parents or grandparents heedless of the danger of the exiting vehicles. And the drivers themselves are…
A shaky coalition
The recent war in Gaza over Hamas terrorism has highlighted a weakness in the Democrats’ coalition of grievance groups. They may soon find that any political alliance of identity groups whose only common attribute is a shared conviction that they are “victims” may not be as cohesive as they’d thought, and may make even the…
The Dana Reserve is in the wrong location
The recent New Times article “Sticking point,” (Nov. 16) highlighted concerns from residents and the California Native Plant Society regarding the proposed Dana Reserve project in Nipomo. The project aims to remove 3,000 mature oak trees, impacting the Burton Mesa chaparral habitat. The developers’ stated focus is on carbon reduction and oxygen replenishment, with plans…
County cracks
San Luis Obispo County is not in a good place right now. The county is in disarray, and the disarray hasn’t subsided for quite some time. We could start with Adam Hill and the trail of corruption he left in his wake. After news about the FBI raiding the county government building, the then 3rd…
SLO should turn traffic into streetcars
San Luis Obispo is experiencing a significant traffic upsurge. At times during the day, the lines of cars are extreme with people driving while using their cellphone, drivers in long lines and in a hurry running red lights. This level of traffic is not safe, it consumes individuals’ time, and it impacts the environment. An…
Guatemalan and Chiapan cultures combine to form the flavorsome Azteca Market in Atascadero
Tasty education Try Guatemalan food from Azteca Market on 7367 El Camino Real in Atascadero. They’re open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit aztecamarketatascadero.com to check out the menu. Keep up with the restaurant on Facebook and Instagram @aztecamarketatascadero. Cultural fusion at…
Alisa Sikelianos-Carter explores space and Black history in new SLOMA exhibit
Experience the wonder View Space and Splendor: A Topography of Wildness in person through March 10 at the SLO Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo. For more information on Alisa Sikelianos-Carter and her work, visit alisasikelianoscarter.com. How does your hair define you? For New York-based mixed-media artist Alisa Sikelianos-Carter, hair—specifically Black hair—is…
Former Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis plays on Nov. 28, at The Fremont
From childhood TV star (Suburban Beat, Life with Lucy) to teenage movie star (Troop Beverly Hills, The Wizard) to 22-year-old rock ‘n’ roll frontwoman of highly praised indie rock band Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis has been in front of an audience pretty much her whole life. She never seems to slow down. When one band…
