Winner-winner! NTMA 2025
The 2025 New Times Music Awards were a rousing success! Congratulations to the winners! Best Album The Flower Machine,The Waterloo Green Youth Harmony Chabot,“Times Not Right” Songwriter 1 Miss Leo, “Winter Frost” 2 Harmony Chabot, “Times Not Right” 3 Kenny Taylor, “Call Me Mine” Country/Americana/Folk 1 Miss Leo, “Winter Frost” 2 Chris Beland, “Tear Apart…
California needs its agencies to do their jobs
In her Nov. 13 commentary, SLO County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg treats the California Coastal Commission’s statement that “energy policy is not within our purview” as a defect in state government (“California’s body politic is missing connective tissue”). I’d argue it’s a feature, not a bug. The Coastal Commission exists for a particular reason: to protect…
The Migrant Mother’s story is our story
Her name was Florence Owens. She was 32 when she, her companion Jim Hill, and her seven children arrived in Nipomo in February 1936. It was a cold, wintery afternoon in the depths of the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis our nation had ever known. Their car had just broken down, and Jim went…
Lawsuits all around
I’m not normally a fan of the way environmental advocacy organizations sue to get things done. The Center for Biological Diversity, for instance, sues a lot. Like a lot. This particular environmental nonprofit seems to be in the lawsuit business. On the nonprofit’s website, it brags about filing 266 lawsuits during Trump’s first term. “We…
Federal judge rules Oceano Dunes violated Endangered Species Act
The California Department of Parks and Recreation violated the Endangered Species Act after off-road vehicles mowed down snowy plovers on the agency’s watch, a federal judge ruled in response to a five-year legal battle. The U.S. District Court decision caps off a 2020 lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity against State Parks. The…
Port San Luis postpones vote on offshore wind grant
The Port San Luis Harbor District postponed talking about a $3 million state grant for offshore wind planning after more than 80 community members showed up at its Nov. 18 board meeting, exceeding the meeting room’s capacity. The grant, which the district already applied for, would be provided by the California Energy Commission through the…
The Range in Santa Margarita turns 20 and eyes a new era with chef Cheyne Jackson at the helm
It’s what’s on the inside that counts. This adage perfectly encapsulates The Range, nestled in the foothills of the Santa Lucia mountains between San Luis Obispo and Atascadero. Call to confirmThe Range, located at 22317 El Camino Real in Santa Margarita, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to close, with holidays occasionally altering…
Budget-strapped SLO County WIC is looking for more clients to boost funding
Despite budget cuts, San Luis Obispo County’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is pushing forward, but in a reduced capacity. The program with 4,760 people on its caseload has plans to increase funding and continue providing care to low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women and their children. “One in three babies who are born…
SLO native turned NYC singer Sarah Pillow returns with The West Origin Trio at The Mark on Dec. 2
One of the nice things about the holidays is they frequently bring far-flung former locals home to visit family and friends. Such is the case with vocalist Sarah Pillow, a SLO native now living and performing in New York City. She studied jazz and improvisation at SLO High, Cuesta College, and then Cabrillo College under…
New monarch corridor in Atascadero set to become pollinator haven
Atascadero is preparing to transform an overlooked stretch of land near Highway 41 into a vibrant habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators, thanks to a partnership with the Central Coast Zoo. “The city of Atascadero is excited to move forward with the Monarch and Pollinator Native Garden Corridor Project, which will transform a small…
Train Dreams is a poetic rumination one life’s ups and downs
Co-writer and director Clint Bentley and his screenwriting partner Greg Kwedar (Jockey, Sing Sing) adapt Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name to the big screen. The film debuted at Sundance in January and had a two-week run in theaters before coming to Netflix. The decades-spanning story follows logger and railroad worker Robert Grainier (Joel…
The Beast in Me is a twisty mystery
Aggie Wiggs (Claire Danes) is a reclusive author, walled into a world of her own making. New neighbor and billionaire Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys) and his wife, Nina (Brittany Snow), move in and soon disrupt Aggie’s solitude, and Nile comes to Aggie with an interesting proposal. THE BEAST IN MEWhat’s it rated? TV-MAWhen? 2025Where’s it…
Playdate is dumb, lightweight fun
If you’re looking for a silly, lightweight 90-minute diversion, director Luke Greenfield’s Playdate fits the bill. The absurdist mismatched buddy action comedy follows recently laid-off forensic accountant and new stepdad, Brian (Kevin James), who’s struggling with his father figure role to Lucas (Benjamin Pajak). Brian wants to teach him sports, but Lucas is more interested…
Prolific Cayucos oil painter and gravedigger Mike Golling is on a roll
A lot of famous artists earned notoriety thanks to dark subject matter. From Francisco Goya’s “Black Paintings” to Hieronymus Bosch’s nightmarish visions to Francis Bacon’s visceral figures, their paintings were meant to afflict and disturb the viewer. While Cayucos land- and seascape painter Mike Golling can certainly appreciate dark work, he has a simple rule for…
Susan Lyon’s linocut prints and photos hang in Paso’s The Pocket Gallery
Susan Lyon is displaying her linocut prints and photographs in Paso Robles’ The Pocket Gallery, with receptions scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6, and Saturday, Jan. 3, from 2 to 5 p.m., or by appointment (email susan@ctcranch.com). “Actually, the show has a subtitle, Jolly Rancher, because the colors remind me of the candies,” she said in…
The SLO Botanical Garden presents Nature Nights, an outdoor holiday light display
The fourth annual Nature Nights holiday light display returns to the SLO Botanical Garden through Dec. 27. Organizers are calling it “an immersive outdoor celebration of holiday light, art, and music experience. The event will showcase captivating light displays and installations across the garden from the Preview Garden through the Children’s Garden. Guests can enjoy…
A new small business showcases small businesses during the holiday season
SLO Ranch Farms and Marketplace is home to a limited-run holiday boutique throughout the holidays, put on by newly founded business, Hello Creative. The three women who founded Hello Creative—Abigail Ybarra, Tamara Shibata, and Karla Wenger—are focusing on highlighting small businesses during the holiday season. About 65 local makers, artists, and small businesses are featured…
Cambria to launch zero liquid discharge pilot in latest push to solve long-standing water crisis
For more than a decade, Cambria has lived in a constant state of water uncertainty. Now, Global Water Innovations Inc., a project developer, is preparing to test a pilot project at the Cambria Water Reclamation Facility with the hope that it could finally make the plant more viable for use. “Preparations for full zero liquid…
PG&E’s conduct is indefensible and unacceptable
According to Dawn Ortiz-Legg, the problem is “California’s body politic is missing connective tissue” (Nov. 13). The proposed plan by PG&E and the California Coastal Commission staff was permanent forever access to open space from Point Sal to San Simeon. Her opinion concludes, “that is only half the story.” And on that point I can…
