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Off-campus degree: Cal Poly’s newest transfer program has students learning on local community college campuses, paying Cal Poly tuition to earn a bachelor’s
Learn more For more information on how to apply to Cal Poly as a transfer student, visit calpoly.edu/admissions/transfer-student/how-to-apply. Students participating in Cal Poly’s newest transfer program will pay full Cal Poly tuition but won’t be taught on the university’s campus. New partnerships between Cal Poly, Cuesta College, and Allan Hancock College will allow students in…
Atascadero City Council candidates discuss trouble-making youth, homelessness, and public safety
Troublemaking youth and homelessness are impacting Atascadero’s sense of public safety—at least that’s what City Council candidates said at a forum on Oct. 7. “If you don’t feel you’re safe in your community, then your quality of life is going to go down. You’re not going to be out and about doing things,” incumbent Mark…
SLO County’s Weyrick Lumber about to grow with land use ordinance amendments
Landowner Colin Weyrick, the founder of the longstanding Weyrick Lumber/Sand and Gravel company, moved for a double land use rule amendment that encourages growth in Templeton and eases the way for constructing more covered storage structures. More than a year in the making, Weyrick’s request for a general plan and land use ordinance amendment, combined…
Four SLO County cities will have sales taxes on the November ballot
On Nov. 5, residents in Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Paso Robles, and Pismo Beach will decide what to do about sales tax rates in their cities. Sitting at the lowest sales tax rates in the county, both Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach have a current sales tax of 7.75 percent. Arroyo Grande is proposing a 1…
It’s time to strengthen renter protections in San Luis Obispo
Glen Starkey’s recent article, “Renters, you have rights: A guide to your basic rights and helpful resources” (Sept. 12) highlights some of the key legal protections tenants currently enjoy. These include caps on security deposits and limits on annual rent increases. While useful, these measures are not enough to ensure that renters in San Luis…
Vote yes on I-24 to maintain public safety and road repair in Paso Robles
As Paso Roblans consider whether to vote yes on Measure I-24, the Paso Robles Police Officers Association and the Professional Firefighters Association would like to share why we see I-24 as a public safety priority and why we strongly endorse I-24. It is important to note that I-24 is not a new tax but a…
Don’t let A-24 strip Morro Bay planners, officials of their expertise
I am writing to warn Morro Bay voters of the dangers hidden in the misleading language of Measure A-24. My authority for commenting on this ballot measure derives from having been trained in environmental and water-quality law enforcement while serving in the Coast Guard, receiving a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the…
The higher ed hustle
Is Cal Poly’s new 2+2 program allowing Cuesta College and Allan Hancock College transfer students to complete their final two years of their four-year degree on their own junior college campuses ripping off students by charging them the same price as students attending classes on Cal Poly’s campus? According to the Cuesta College website, full-time…
Polls open to determine winner of New Times Music Awards Readers’ Choice winner
To determine the winner of this year’s Readers’ Choice Award in the 2024 New Times Music Awards competition, the New Times Media Group is collecting votes through Monday, Oct. 28. The polls opened on Thursday, Oct. 10. This year marks the 16th annual New Times Music Awards competition and showcase, which will feature performances from…
Community Foundation of SLO County funds free 1960s-themed dance concert
The Santa Maria Valley Senior Citizens Club hosts its 1960s-themed dance party, with live music from the Riptide Big Band, at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center in Santa Maria on Sunday, Oct. 13, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Admission to the event is free, thanks to grant funding from the Community Foundation of San Luis…
Flogging Molly mixes Celtic sounds with a punk attitude on Oct. 12 at Vina Robles
Vina Robles Amphitheatre only has one show this week, but it’s going to be amazing when Flogging Molly—an LA-based Celtic band with a punk rock attitude—headlines on Saturday, Oct. 12 (8 p.m.; all ages; $25 to $75.80 at ticketmaster.com). They’re coming off their inaugural Shamrock Rebellion Festival, and after this concert, they shove off on…
Joker: Folie à Deux examines our dark side
JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Bay, Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10 Co-writer and director Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover, Joker) helms this sequel about Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a tormented comedian who murdered several people…
Nobody Wants This
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Netflix Joanne (Kristen Bell) is an open book, at least on her podcast that she hosts with her sister, Morgan (Justine Lupe). The two are looking for their big break, but what that means to each of them feels very different. Both are rather unlucky in…
Tensions rise at Cal Poly among student protestors, university officials, and Jewish students
The tension between pro-Palestinian student protesters, the five Cal Poly police cars that surrounded Dexter Lawn waiting for them, and Jewish students flying Israeli flags was palpable on Oct. 8. Students for Justice in Palestine Cal Poly planned its protest to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, which began on Oct. 7,…
Wolfs
What’s it rated? R When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Apple TV-Plus Writer-director Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home) helms this mismatched-buddy comedy about two professional fixers—George Clooney and Brad Pitt—who are individually hired to clean up a mess involving Manhattan District Attorney Margaret (Amy Ryan), who ends up with a dead one-night stand in her…
Three women testify in first week of Atascadero barbershop owner’s rape trial
The San Luis Obispo Superior Court concluded the opening week of the trial of Nate Abate—the Atascadero barber charged with raping multiple women. “Jennifer was 22. Elizabeth was 20. Ashley was 20. Tiffany was 14. Lauren was 14 or 15. Carina was 14,” prosecuting attorney Kimberly Dittrich from the District Attorney’s Office told the jury.…
Studios on the Park in Paso Robles hosts Halloween pumpkin sculpting demo
Freckles, enlarged pores, and jagged teeth. Bug eyes, wrinkles, and awkwardly big noses. These are all things that Studios on the Park manager and curator Jordan Hockett gives to pumpkins. “I think the weird shapes of pumpkins lend themselves to kind of being very strange looking people, and ultimately, a lot of times they end…
San Luis Coastal school district finds a new challenger in Erica Baltodano for a board seat
San Luis Coastal Unified School District voters living in the zone containing Los Ranchos and Sinsheimer elementary schools must choose between the different versions of equity touted by two candidates battling for the Trustee Area 6 seat. Incumbent Eve Hinton, who first won the trustee post in 2020 when she was known as Eve Dobler-Drew,…
NatureTrack provides Central Coast wheelchair users with more beach access through Freedom Trax program
Many wheelchair users haven’t felt a sandy beach in years, but one organization is changing that reality one track at a time. NatureTrack is making the Central Coast beachfront more accessible for wheelchair users throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties by providing technology that turns manual wheelchairs into vehicles that easily traverse sandy…
Paso Robles’ Honey and Pumpkin Festival returns on Oct. 19
Sweet stroll Walk through Downtown City Park in Paso Robles from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 19 to enjoy the annual Downtown Golden Oak Honey & Pumpkin Festival. Entry is free. Paso Robles has been rooting for the bees for 11 years straight. This year the Downtown Paso Robles Main Street Association keeps…






