Cover Story
Off the rails: Debate over oil trains raises the profile of railroad safety
Miles and miles of railroad track snake up the California coast though big cities and small towns. For coastal residents in SLO and Santa Barbara counties, those rails and the trains that run on them were a seemingly banal part of everyday existence. Walking in cities like Santa Barbara, Guadalupe, Pismo Beach, and San Luis…
Bringing it back: Road trip to Santa Ynez for Salt-N-Pepa is like reliving childhood, but with cocktails and good food
Missy Elliot, Vanilla Ice, 2Pac, and Warren G serenade us as we barrel through the darkness toward a fancy cocktail paired with even fancier food. My friend and I dance down Highway 101, heading for Santa Ynez, the S.Y. Kitchen, and a Salt-N-Pepa concert at the Chumash Casino Resort. Because if you’re going to drive…
Dawn Ortiz-Legg joins Jordan Cunningham in race for state Assembly
For more than nine months, Jordan Cunningham was the lone candidate in the 2016 race for the open seat to represent California’s 35th District in the state Assembly. That solitude sparked plenty of local curiosity, wondering who would run against Cunningham. Now, he finally has some competition. Long-time local businesswoman Dawn Ortiz-Legg formally announced her…
What’s your favorite Thanksgiving side?
Alex McMillen server “Green bean casserole with crispy fried onions on top. And pumpkin frost cheesecake.” Beth Hatchard shopgirl “Stuffing, the old-fashioned way with celery and onions.” Jason Moore business owner “My cousin-in-law makes a good sausage stuffing. I don’t like celery or onions.” Michael Hamilton shop manager “Mashed potatoes and gravy.”
Sweetie Cup’s chai boba tea and BarrelHouse Brewing Co.’s Rye IPA
A funny thing happens when I drink boba tea too enthusiastically. Basically, the little balls of tapioca end up being swallowed whole instead of chewed, savored, and fully enjoyed. I blame this phenomenon on the super thick boba straw and the fact that I tend to hoover my liquids down with lightning-fast speed (you should…
Jolly!
December is right around the corner, folks! Let’s talk holiday booze for those upcoming parties: Rich, wintery food calls for bubbly beer cocktails! Yes, you heard right. This holiday season, why not try a local craft beer mixed with muddled cucumber, a dash of gin, and elderflower liqueur? Or, go with something a bit more…
One love: Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates are locally made for the good of the globe
The story of Tom Neuhaus’ journey from young church organist to scientist to beloved Cal Poly professor to eco-conscious chocolatier is scrumptiously long-winded. I met with Neuhaus at his Monterey Street chocolate production facility and boutique, Mama Ganache, on a chilly afternoon—and much to my joy—had a few delicious hours to spare. Comforted by the…
Give thanks!
Thanksgiving isn’t just a time to watch football, argue with relatives, and with gluttonous abandon shove food in our faces. It’s also a time to celebrate the genocide of Native American populations. Wait, no. That’s not right. It’s also a time when we ponder our many blessings, which is easier if you forget that we’re…
What kind of a movie review was that?
Please get the Shredder to fire Editor Camillia Lanham and Arts Editor Ryah Cooley because only the Shredder can do it with sufficient relish. The movie owners in the county, not just the owners of Downtown Centre, would probably want their heads for giving away all the surprising moments in Suffragette (Split Screen, Nov. 19),…
Denial of refugees is all about the money
Hallelujah! Our chronic do-nothing United States Congress, a crude combination of two basically inert elements that have agreed on little the last decade or two except voting themselves raises and more days off, finally coalesced into a toxic miasma to foment a combined attack on helpless Syrian refugees, thereby condemning them, including numerous helpless women…
Thanksgiving, the lost holiday
It is a shame in this country, when we have so much to be grateful for, that Halloween overshadows Thanksgiving completely. Then Christmas jumps in early neck-and-neck with Halloween and stomps Thanksgiving to a token of what it should be. It is the holiday we should be celebrating most. Not with over commercialization but with…
I am confident in Phillips 66 and Union Pacific
The Central Coast has for many generations benefited from the Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery and the 200 jobs it provides. As a resident of Arroyo Grande, my family and I live with no fear from this refinery or the trains that currently run through our county. This rail extension, is safe and will increase…
No welcome mat for them
Half a million and more, crammed Into leaky boats, airless trucks, Stumbling with heavy packs on their backs Or with the burden of pregnancy, Not knowing if their baby will have a home. Women with head scarves sneaking Under barbed wire fences, Men with children in their arms Rushing the guards at borders Or pushing…
Beware of unintended consequences
The landowner-developer (a Carmel, Calif., resident) and promoters of the proposed massive 91-bed Templeton Acute Care Mental Hospital have conducted a misleading publicity campaign to win the support of SLO County residents. They claim that the facility is designed to treat “your friends, neighbors, and family members living in our community.” They are supported by…
The Ten Tenors come to PAC-SLO Dec. 1
Start off the holiday season right with some Christmas tunes sung to you by a pack of charming Australian blokes. If you thought one tenor was good, then the upcoming show by the Ten Tenors is for you. The musical group the Ten Tenors, Australia’s rock stars of the opera, will play at the Cal…
SLO’s ancient volcanic peaks are the photogenic subject of new book
Everyone’s heard of the seven sisters, a chain of hills dividing the Chorro and Los Osos Valley that provide some of the most iconic views in San Luis Obispo County. Well, guess what? It turns out there are actually nine. (Though seven sisters does sound a bit catchier.) In his new, self-published book, The Nine…
The impact of absence: Jim apRoberts gathers global following with paintings focused on the politically abducted
There’s a certain kind of closure that comes with losing someone to death, with knowing that that they’re gone and never coming back. But what if someone you love just vanished? That’s what happed to the families of at least 13,000 people in Argentina in the mid 1970s to the early 1980s. Anyone believed to…
These DIY gifts are succulent: Los Osos studio offers workshops on succulent wreaths and more
I have approximately 128 DIY related pins on my crafty board on Pinterest. I have attempted zero of them. I think about making the wine bottle glasses or the farmers’ market T-shirt tote. And then I think about how those crafty attempts might play out: with my hand gushing blood or with a million…
Corb Lund & The Hurtin’ Albertans bring their Canadian country sounds to SLO Brew on Dec. 2
Corb Lund knows how to tell a story. On “Bible on the Dash,” the Canadian honky tonker explains how the best protection from the police is, well, what the title says: “A two night stand in Tulsa/ pullin’ out and headed west/ Freddie grabbed the Gideons from the hotel in the desk/ And we said…
Clubs 11/26/15 – 12/3/15
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Rd. in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on…
Baywood Climate Fest on Nov. 29 offers a day of activities and education aimed at increasing awareness of global warming
Feel like taking part in SLO County’s biggest ever flotilla? On Nov. 29, rent a paddleboard and join the Baywood Climate Fest, an all-day event hosted by Baywood locals to inspire positive action on climate change. At 11 a.m., 350 vessels in Morro Bay will come together to form a giant peace symbol, which will…
Cougars & Mustangs
NO MENTIONING CHRISTMAS UNTIL AFTER THANKSGIVING! the voices cry, with various disgruntled noises and waggled fingers. Look, pal, it IS Thanksgiving, or potentially after. Shut your face with some mashed potatoes and hear about an awesome annual sale Cal Poly will be throwing from Friday to Sunday, Dec. 4 through 6, from 10 a.m. through…
Oil, water, and rocks: Freeport McMoRan wins one battle in Price Canyon drilling war
Oil and water mix well enough in the Arroyo Grande Oil Field that Freeport McMoRan continues to drill ever closer to the next phase in tapping its mineral resources along Price Canyon Road. The company hasn’t completed the fourth phase of its oil well drilling expansion yet, and planning for the fifth phase is underway,…
SLO County ranked No. 6 in the U.S. for female owned businesses
A hand-written chalkboard sign behind the front door reads, “We believe that women, like the clothes they wear, are more interesting with a little history behind them.” Change of A Dress Consignment Boutique owner Diana Gabriel greets everyone who walks into her new downtown San Luis Obispo location with warmth and a smile. Previously loved…
Cal Poly research brings in big grant money and patents
Millions of dollars in external funds poured into Cal Poly last year, and it’s all thanks to professors and other employees, according to the university. That money includes $26 million in grants awarded during the 2014-2015 academic year, which were used for various research programs and resulted in four patents. According to Dean Wendt, the…
New report shows challenges for SLO County women
In San Luis Obispo County, a significant number of teenage girls experience chronic sadness; the rate of forcible rape perpetrated against females is almost twice as high as the statewide rate; and binge drinking among women is much higher than it is statewide. That is according to a report recently released on behalf of the…
SLO County jury convicts Richard Scott Brooks of human trafficking, pimping
A San Fransisco man could face life in prison after a SLO County jury convicted him on numerous felony counts connected to the trafficking, pimping, and sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl. After a multi-week trial featuring the testimony of the victim, Richard Scott Brooks, 40, was found guilty of forced human trafficking of a…
Cal Poly to announce changes in diversity policies
Following two weeks of protests and meetings with school administration, Cal Poly students advocating for new policies to improve diversity and inclusion on campus will hear an official response from Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong on or before Dec. 5. Armstrong will issue a plan of action that introduces “short- and long-term” changes meant to…
