Cover Story
Puzzling attraction: Escape rooms are multiplying on the Central Coast
Escape attempts You can learn more about The Ultimate Escape Rooms in Solvang at theultimateescaperooms.com. The Lock Boxx mobile escape room can be found at thelockboxx.com. The Locked Inn in Grover Beach takes bookings online at thelockedinn.com. The nighttime forest hum of crickets and frogs, sometimes punctuated by a distant wolf howl, fills the wood-paneled…
Investigators may be ‘zeroing in’ on source of TCE contamination
Officials with the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board say they may be getting closer to finding the source of a chemical plume that contaminated wells in the Buckley Road area, but the investigation remains ongoing. It’s been nearly three years since water quality officials discovered levels of trichloroethylene, or TCE, that exceeded the…
Deja poo
Perhaps the CIA is giving me doses of LSD at night, causing severe and frightening flashbacks. That’s all I can think of to account for what I read in the amazing opinion piece by Linda Stedjee (“Morro Bay’s issues are serious,” Nov. 22). The normally even-keeled Stedjee (whom I’ve often read, never met) came down…
Paso starts by-district election discussion
A legal challenge prompted the city of Paso Robles to conduct its first hearing about plans to transition the city to a district-based election process. During public comment at the Nov. 20 hearing, Paso resident Chip Tamagni said that he was concerned that separating the city into districts would make the future City Council inaccessible.…
A 9-cent raise is nothing to celebrate
I see that San Luis Obispo County is seeking a court order to keep “essential” employees from striking. The county recently gave employees a raise. Mine was a whopping 9 cents per hour. Personally, I would rather not have one. Talk about a slap in the face! I work for the county at the inpatient…
Bingeable: Hip-Hop Evolution
When? 2016, 2018 What’s it rated? TV-MA Where’s it available? Netflix Canadian hip-hop artist and broadcaster Shadrach Kabango leads viewers to where it all started—the Bronx during the 1970s. In the first episode of the Netflix series Hip-Hop Evolution, Kabango interviews the guys who people say laid the foundation for rap, starting with a DJ…
The shoe’s on the wrong foot
I was happy to see Chris McGuinness’ article, “Fighting hate,” in the Nov. 22 issue until I realized the article was totally incorrect. In it he quotes liberal activists saying things like, “This toxic atmosphere of political violence is being mainstreamed by President Trump,” and “The fear of anyone who is a little bit different…
County to hire victim advocate for mass shootings
With the deadly mass shooting at the Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks still fresh in their minds, SLO County officials are planning to hire an advocate to help prepare for a similar scenario. The SLO County District Attorney’s Office will use a $100,000 grant from the California Office of Emergency Services [OES] to hire a…
Singing for our lives
An old country song by Dan Hicks has been running through my head: “How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away.” I have an inverse problem: How can I be a racial justice ally when there are so few people of color in SLO? A lot of well-intentioned people might ask, “Why is…
State Attorney General approves Dignity Health merger
The California Attorney General’s Office approved a planned merger between Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives, but not before adding several conditions on the deal. According to the conditions set by the Attorney General’s Office, the newly formed organization, called Common Spirit Health, will operate nearly 140 hospitals in 16 states, including 30 hospitals in…
The first step
Well, kids. It’s raining. We might get as much as 3 inches of rain before the weekend is through! Hip hip hoorah! Maybe, now, we won’t catch on fire before February. It’s a celebration! At least, for those Central Coast dwellers who reside under a roof. For those of you who don’t, I’ve got news…
Steel bands and master steel pan player Jeff Narell will perform at Cuesta College
Have you heard of the “vacation effect,” those positive feelings that return you to a vacation mindset triggered by an image, a smell, or a sound? Steel bands are known to produce the “vacation effect”! The inherently tropical sound of steel pan music—that buoyant, dulcet, mellifluous, silvery liquid, euphonious sound—sweeps listeners away to a lush…
Emergency road proposal in Cambria sparks a larger discussion about wildfire safety
A recent proposal to develop a new emergency route out of Cambria that could help evacuating residents during a natural disaster opened up a larger conversation about wildfire safety in the coastal community. If an evacuation order was announced, evacuees could get to Highway 1 by one of the three emergency access roads in the…
Sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts on our Nov. 21 cover story, “Hustling for a living: Central Coast residents often work multiple jobs to stay afloat.”
Arroyo Grande author pens novel featuring Walt Disney
Read on Unfatally Dead: To Thaw or Not to Thaw? is available on Amazon in paperback for $5.15. Author Wayne Edmiston will do a book signing on Dec. 8 at Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay from 2 to 4 p.m. Visit wedmiston.com/books for more information. He ran and ran, but Mickey just couldn’t keep up…
Housing organizations make recommendations on SLO County affordable housing policies
A coalition of local housing organizations say they’ve struck a compromise on a pitch to SLO County supervisors for a three-year pilot program that could generate between $2 million and $5 million per year in new revenue for affordable housing. The recommendations, which will be discussed by the Board of Supervisors at a Dec. 4…
Paso Robles photographer uses art to move through grief
On view The Winter Treasures art exhibit, featuring the works of more than 90 artists from the Paso Robles Art Association, will be on display at Studios on the Park through Dec. 26. Visit studiosonthepark.org for more information. For more of photographer Nily Harel’s work, check out willynillyphotography.com. The last thing her late husband ever…
Film Listings 11/29/18 – 12/6/18
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth? Full price Where’s it showing? Bay, Fair Oaks, Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10 Pick Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men, Superman Returns) directs this biopic about Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) and Queen, chronicling the band’s rise to super stardom, Mercury’s solo career and AIDS diagnosis,…
Flamenco dancer brings show and demo to SLO
Savannah Fuentes presents her latest show, Pasajera: An Evening of Flamenco, at the 4 Cats Café and Gallery in SLO on Monday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. Fuentes will be joined by guitarist Pedro Cortes and singer, percussionist, and dancer Jose Moreno. This performance will be the 16th of an 18-date West Coast tour that…
Green solutions: EcoWatch! Movie Nights come to SLO
To close out the year, four Central Coast companies are holding screenings of environmentally conscious films as part of EcoWatch! Movie Nights 2018. “We choose films that may cover ‘eco’ or ‘green’ topics, including water quality issues, natural resource preservation, animal protection, waste issues, globalization, recycling, and sustainable agriculture,” said Mikel Robertson, co-owner of Green…
Youth ballet presents annual ‘Babes in Toyland’ production
The Coastal Chamber Youth Ballet (CCYB) presents its 11th annual production of Babes in Toyland on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. at the Clark Center For The Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande. More than 60 support performers accompany CCYB’s youth company dancers for this…
SLOcally Made back for second year
SLOcally Made, a pop-up showroom and creative market opens Friday, Nov. 30, at the former Ian Saude Gallery space on Osos Street in Downtown SLO. The market will be open the first two weekends of December and Dec. 13 through 24, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. This show features local makers who…
‘Barrio soul food’ at Rosalina heats up Santa Margarita
Road to Rosalina Rosalina is located at 22302 El Camino Real in Santa Margarita. The bar and restaurant is open at 11 a.m. Thursday through Sunday serving lunch and dinner till close. For information, call (805) 3654-7118 or follow the business on Facebook. Elvis on velvet, the Supremes on the juke, and a spicy michelada…
Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in L.A. sets a different mood than the average music festival
Full disclosure: I am a millennial that spends her hard-earned cash on concert tickets. I have to say a good chunk of my cash throughout the year goes to seeing bands, singers, and artists perform. Nothing beats the rush of standing in a crowd singing to a song in unison with who knows how many…
Gobble this
Fighting fire with friendship: Vegetable Butcher in downtown SLO opened its doors for a family-style Thanksgiving dinner for displaced fire evacuees. Volunteers and donations poured in from local wineries, craft breweries, floral growers, farmers, and vendors; 100 percent of all food and beverages donated were prepared and served. It warms the soul … Kreuzberg coffee…
Wine down
So, how was harvest? That’s a difficult answer to distill, but local wine marketing company Solterra Strategies has this report from the vines: This year was a marathon of fits and starts, with long nail-biting periods of waiting. While delays vexed winery staffers, winemakers say the wait was worth it. The longer hang times allowed…
County workers plan to strike in December
For the first time ever, more than half of San Luis Obispo County’s workforce could be on picket lines instead of in government offices from Dec. 11 to 14. SLO County’s largest employees union has notified administrators that it plans to strike amid discontent over a 2018-19 contract that included 0.5 percent raises. “This is…
Winterish wonderland
When the tourists are away, the locals will play: Morro Bay celebrates its fishing village heritage in maritime style during the totally chill holiday off-season! Find festive holiday trees crafted out of crab pots throughout town, and don’t forget to ask for fresh, seasonal crab found in Embarcadero restaurants this time of year (morrobay.org) ……
Atascadero denies warming shelter at Armory
On Nov. 27, the Atascadero City Council declined a nonprofit’s request to utilize city property as a temporary warming shelter for homeless individuals during the winter months. The proposal came after the Atascadero Warming Center’s current hosting site, St. Williams Church, notified the group that it would not be able to accommodate the shelter after…
A solid foundation
Wildfires. They are devastating, deadly, destructive, and (at least here in California) becoming more and more “normal.” But that doesn’t mean we need to throw up our arms and give up hope. In just two weeks, the Camp Fire in Northern California destroyed more structures than the state’s other seven worst wildfires combined. The fire…
‘Green Book’ is feel-good entertainment
GREEN BOOK What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy Co-writer Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary) directs this biopic about African-American pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), who hires working-class Italian-American bouncer Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) as his…
Undemocratic representation
I am a resident of Oceano. Lately, I have been attending the meetings of the Nipomo/Oceano local area board for the San Luis Obispo County Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID). I was shocked to learn that State Parks is represented on such a board. Campgrounds or RV Parks are not considered lodging businesses as it…
