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Personal growth: Grizzly Youth Academy cadets share their stories of taking steps towards growth, accepting support, and continued endurance
Editor’s note: New Times is following eight Grizzly Youth Academy students through their journey at the military-style school down a new path toward academic and personal success. This is the second installment in the series—split in two parts, with four cadets this week and four next week. The first installment, “Pushing for Better,” was published…
SmartShare Housing Solutions hosts the Tiny Footprint Expo
This year, San Luis Obispo became the second city in California, after Fresno, to allow tiny houses in residential backyards. That’s right, folks, the tiny-house movement is sweeping through SLO Town—and advocates say its arrival holds promise as a new solution to the housing crisis. “We all know the housing shortage and [affordability] challenge is…
By The Sea Productions presents War of the Worlds
War of the Worlds opens at By The Sea Productions in Morro Bay on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. This theatrical adaptation of H.G. Wells’ sci-fi novel and the classic 1938 radio dramatization depicts a realistic Martian invasion of Earth. The show will run for one weekend only, with two more performances on Saturday,…
Fair Oaks screens A Breast Exposé: The Breast Kept Secret
Central Coast Thermography presents a screening of Thinking People Productions’ A Breast Exposé: The Breast Kept Secret at the Fair Oaks Theater in Arroyo Grande on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 to 11:45 a.m. This documentary includes interviews with several health and wellness leaders who strive to expose a harmful truth behind mammograms, biopsies, and…
In need of change
We expected 1st District San Luis Obispo County Supervisor John Peschong to disavow himself of his assertion that he “owned” SLO County’s cannabis ordinance. Instead, Mr. Peschong further entrenched himself and stated at the Sept. 19 Templeton Area Advisory Group (TAAG) meeting, “For me, it’s a property rights question … . Everybody has the rights…
San Luis Obispo Library hosts horror film series
The San Luis Obispo Library will host Horror October, a series of free screenings of various horror films throughout the month. The lineup includes screenings of Unfriended: The Dark Web on Friday, Oct. 11; Don’t Breathe on Friday, Oct. 18; and You’re Next on Friday, Oct. 25. Each screening begins at 3 p.m. and is…
Dark days
Anybody have a lawnmower, hedge trimmer, or lopping shears PG&E could borrow? The company’s really behind on its yard work! If you’re one of the 800,000 Californians being left in the dark as PG&E cuts power during its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), here’s why: PG&E is looking down the barrel of about $20 billion…
The real existential threat
Many local communities have already signed up for the Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) community choice energy program to obtain their electrical power. The holdouts are the city of Atascadero by a 3-2 vote by the City Council and the SLO County Board of Supervisors. Last week, the Board of Supervisors decided to undertake another…
Sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts on our Oct. 3 news story, “SLOPD officer reassigned after fatal dog shooting.”
Joker is disturbing origin story and comment on present-day America
JOKER What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In Co-writer Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover, War Dogs) directs this character study and origin story of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), who after being rejected by society…
Feds push oil
Federal lands on the Central Coast will soon be up for lease to oil companies for dangerous drilling and extraction processes. As our counties strive to reduce the water, land, and air impacts of extreme oil drilling in county-controlled areas, the feds rush to push drilling on our federal lands. Federal agencies are greasing the…
Bingeable—The People v. O.j. Simpson: American Crime Story
When? 2016 What’s it rated? TV-MA Where’s it available? Netflix “This is the worst day of my life,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti (Bruce Greenwood) says gravely, as he watches, from his office TV, fugitive O.J. Simpson’s Ford Bronco barrel down Highway 405, with the entire LAPD following and the entire world watching.…
A candidate worth voting for
In his opinion piece “Of Trump and tribalism,” (Sept. 26) John Donegan voices his concerns about Trump, and describes his unwillingness to support a Democrat because of perceived liberalism. Not all Democratic candidates have the positions decried by Mr. Donegan. I am a Democrat who has voted for both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates—I rarely…
Nick Offerman brings his stand-up and music to Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Oct. 12
I’ve got actor, comedian, and manly-man woodworker Nick Offerman on the phone, and after our “good mornings,” I say, “I hear you were just on NPR.” “Um, yeah, that’s the rumor. If I make the cut. We’ll see,” he responds in that laconic, distinctive voice. “Well, this interview will be a lot less professional, prepared,…
I moved here, but do I stay?
There is the climate—political and economic—and then there is the weather. I moved to SLO County for all three back in 2004. In the 15 years since, I’ve lost the political and the economic climate I moved here for. The county has turned blue in a progressive way and is thus ruining the economic climate…
Halfway Station’s new owners make this darling family-run stop a destination in its own right
Halfway there … The newly remodeled Halfway Station is a family-friendly restaurant located on historic Highway 41, halfway between Morro Bay and Atascadero. It’s open Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 15050 Morro Road, Atascadero. Call…
Film Listings 10/10/19 – 10/17/19
All theater listings are as of Friday, Oct. 11 ABOMINABLE What’s it rated? PG What’s it worth? Rent it Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10 Jill Culton and Todd Wilderman come together for the first time as a director-duo to make DreamWorks’ Abominable. Chloe Bennet is the voice of Yi, a young…
Eat and learn
Cal Poly Extended Ed is hosting Ayurvedic Eating on Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Cal Poly campus. The three-hour, hands-on workshop will explore how food affects us, including a deep discussion and sampling on the six flavors of life and an Ayurvedic lesson on food choices. Attendees will also enjoy…
Podcast documents Kristin Smart’s mysterious disappearance
The unsolved disappearance of Kristin Smart motivated a Central Coast native to revisit the past through a podcast called Your Own Backyard. One night in 1996, a 19-year-old Cal Poly student from Stockton didn’t make it back to her friend’s apartment. Smart was gone. That’s about as much as Chris Lambert, host and producer of…
Fab fests
For those who loveth the plants, superstar vegan chef Dannika Nichole will be presenting a Castaway Cookout, All-Vegan “Devour” at Kreuzberg California, 685 Higuera St., SLO. Co-hosted with SLO Vegan founder Veronica Dailey, the plant-based, family-style, pop-up fixed-menu feast will be held on Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $65 at kreuzbergcalifornia.com. Yes, there…
More water pollution found near SLO County airport
Another toxic substance is reportedly polluting groundwater near the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport. In a recent investigation of nearly two dozen wells close to the airport by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, all but one detected traces of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), industrial chemicals that have been…
Misc. nibbles
City Farm SLO began a new project this fall. The “Farm Box” project is an enterprise and educational program involving high school students in marketing produce grown at City Farm SLO. The nonprofit also runs several worthwhile garden programs: The City Farm School Project, a year-long class at Pacific Beach Continuation High School, providing academic…
Cal Poly aerospace engineering student dies by apparent suicide
A Cal Poly student was found dead by an apparent suicide in a university housing apartment complex on Oct. 6. Daniel Maerowitz, a fifth-year aerospace engineering student, was found in his Cerro Vista apartment on campus at about 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 6, according to Matt Lazier, Cal Poly’s director of media relations. Cal Poly…
Correction
My apologies for reversing the new name of SLO Food Co-op in last week’s column (News Nibbles, Oct. 3). Silly me—it was the other way around. I will now dunk my head in their delicious American apple pie! Δ Flavor writer Beth Giuffre is not too proud to eat all flavors of humble pie. Send…
Cunningham opposes potential funding cuts for widening Antelope Grade on Highway 46
Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton) is disappointed with Caltrans’ proposal to cut funding from highway widening projects through the state—specifically, the widening of Antelope Grade on Highway 46. “I’ve seen, in the three years I’ve been on this job, that we pay gas taxes and it is a constant fight to get some of that back.…
State Parks isn’t cooperating
State Parks has no intention of solving the public health, environmental injustice, and habitat conservation problems it causes on the Mesa, in Oceano, and on the dunes. Here are the latest two instances illustrating State Parks’ defiance of both our county’s and the California Coastal Commission’s authority. A public workshop by the Air Pollution Control…
SLO Food Co-op’s American apple pie
Ever go to the SLO Food Co-op’s grab-and-go case? You can find healthy, seasonal soups; vegan dream wraps; sandwiches (including tuna fish and Central Coast Muffuletta); and all kinds of baked goods. If you are on paleo or gluten free or whatever else, there are bars and food inventions (many local) all over the store,…
Newsom signs bill allowing Pismo to take over part of Highway 1
Pismo Beach is one step closer to taking ownership of a stretch of Highway 1 that runs through city limits, a move city officials say could allow Pismo more control over its own traffic and road management. On Oct. 3, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 504, which allows Caltrans to relinquish its jurisdiction over…
Arroyo Grande could be the first SLO County city to ban the sale of all e-cigarette and vaping products
Vapes and e-cigarettes in some form have been on the market for nearly a decade, but it wasn’t until about two years ago that Caren Ray Russom started finding them constantly in the hands of her high school students. Since then, it’s only become more common to catch students vaping or with vapes on campus,…
Cambria Center for the Arts retrospective exhibition pays tribute to prolific local artist Steve Kellogg
In memory Steve Kellogg: A Retrospective, an exhibit featuring the works of the late Cambrian artist, runs until Oct. 27 at the Cambria Center for the Arts. For more information, visit cambriacenterforthearts.org. When Cambrian artist Steve Kellogg passed away earlier this year, the tight knit Cambria arts community quickly found a way to honor him.…
Housing Authority settles with investors, buys Brizzolara Apartments
The Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo (HASLO) recently settled its eminent domain case for the Brizzolara Apartments—a 30-unit affordable housing complex near downtown SLO—after its investor/owner agreed to sell the property to the local agency. HASLO and SunAmerica, the apartments’ prior owner, tussled over the apartments for more than two years, with HASLO filing…
Water board workshop examines the homelessness crisis’ relationship to water
Typical discussions about homelessness tend to focus on its most obvious problem, a lack of shelter. What often gets left out, though, are the tangential issues that arise from the crisis. On Oct. 3, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board set out to examine one such issue: the ways in which homelessness and…
ARTS Obispo welcomes its 21st annual Open Studios Tour
Take a tour To learn more about how to participate in Open Studios Tour, visit artsobispo.org/programs/open-studios-art-tour. ARTS Obispo has a temporary gallery space in the Network (778 Higuera St., suite B, SLO) until Oct. 27 with a sampling of work from the tour’s featured artists. From the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art to the…
