Cover Story
Rediscovering Atascadero: City officials and businesses work together to make a destination spot on the Central Coast
Two miles south of downtown Atascadero, there is a building that’s essentially split into three. A barber shop and an insurance office take up the front, with a home connected to the back. Dan Phillips owns both the building and Dan’s Barbershop, which he established in 1961. “When I came here, we were between 5,000…
Sip, sip, hooray
More wine drinkers and wineries mean more wine storage needed! Meathead Wine Storage, an extension of Meathead Movers, the local family-owned student athlete moving company, has announced the newest opening of its professional grade wine storage facility in SLO. The 427-unit addition is a supplementary building to the already existing 92-locker wine storage facility that…
We need SLO County to become a beacon of opportunity
As a small-business owner, I have experienced firsthand how difficult it is to run a business on the Central Coast. But the cost of running a business here is only part of the problem. The other problem is how incredibly expensive it is to live on the Central Coast, where few good-paying jobs exist. Middle-class…
The buzz
Gimme that sweet stuff: SLO Honey Co. in Atascadero offers up honey made from bees that wild forage around the region. Cooler still, their unfiltered honey does not crystalize, not even after three years of sitting in the back of your cupboard! Learn more at slohoneyco.com … Mama mia! Sconos has opened in Arroyo Grande,…
Blast from the Past: The Shining
When? 1980 What’s it rated? R Where? Netflix, Blu-ray, DVD “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!” Shelley Duvall’s reaction to Jack Nicholson axing away at the bathroom door separating the two is probably the most iconic image of any horror film (please relay my sincerest apologies to Psycho, The Exorcist, Ghost Shark, etc.). And the only real competition with…
A vacancy tax would be ridiculous
Uh … Atascadero, we have a problem. While great progress has been made in the past years, in bringing in new businesses, stores, offices, restaurants, and hotels to Atascadero, and with our economic future looking bright, we have a candidate for our City Council election who proposes a change in how property owners of vacant…
Are you hard-core?
When it comes to cider, that is? Grab your fam and head to San Luis Obispo’s El Chorro Regional Park on Oct. 13 for the Hard Core Cider Tour, now in its third year of hard cider commotion. Before you get freaked out about the hard-core nature of this event, let me assure you it’s…
Lynch mob or rule of law?
When Tomas De Torquemade initiated the Spanish Inquisition, he built the foundation for nearly three centuries of terror throughout Europe. Religious heretics (anyone accused of not being politically correct) suffered horrendous persecution, torture, and barbaric execution. The Inquisition rapidly expanded in scope to anyone accused of engaging in even the slightest deviation from established religious…
SLO seeks solutions for idling rideshare cars downtown
Catching an Uber or Lyft ride home after a long night of bar hopping has become a common practice in downtown San Luis Obispo. It’s so common that the city is facing an issue of too many rideshare cars idling on its main drag of Higuera Street—with nowhere to pull over. “There are documented issues…
In this corner …
In less than a month, SLO Town residents will have to decide who should be the Grand Poobah of the happiest/saddest (depends on your point of view, dig?) burg in the land. In the blue trunks with the red rose is current Mayor Heidi Harmon, who opponents call self-aggrandizing, pushy, and more interested in her…
‘Muthaland,’ Minita Gandhi’s powerful story of survival and identity, comes to PCPA
One-woman show Muthaland by Minita Gandhi is featured at Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) in rotating repertory along with An Illiad through Oct. 21 in the Severson Theatre, located at Allan Hancock College, 800 S. College Drive, Santa Maria. More info: (805) 922-8313. Minita Gandhi was always drawn to acting, even as a young girl. But…
Harborwalk Plaza moves closer to being developed in Morro Bay
Morro Bay City Council members unanimously approved TCL Family Enterprise’s concept plan for a two-story mixed-use commercial project on the Embarcadero, which includes demolishing the Off the Hook building. The company’s proposal—a 25-foot building called Harborwalk Plaza—came before City Council on Oct. 9. “I’m really very excited about it, and I’m fully supportive of moving…
Film Listings, 10/11/18 – 10/18/18
BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE What’s it rated? R Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10 New Writer-director Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) helms this mystery thriller about a group of secret-keeping strangers—fake priest Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), nightclub singer Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo), criminal Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson), vacuum…
Big Sur artist Erin Gafill explores the area’s beauty
Going north The Coastal Awakening: An Esalen Perspective Show will be on display at the SLO Museum of Art through Oct. 28. Visit sloma.org for more information. For more of Gafill’s work, see eringafill.com. For as long as she can remember, Erin Gafill has gone to the regionally renowned hot springs at Esalen in Big…
‘Person of interest’ in unsolved murder charged for DUI crash
A Paso Robles man named as a person of interest in the 2009 slaying of his father is facing multiple felony charges in connection with a DUI crash unrelated to the case. The SLO County District Attorney’s Office filed charges of driving under the influence against Brian Scott Greer, 51, in connection with the Sept.…
Sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts on our Oct. 4 news brief, “Chevron pours $4 million into fight against Measure G.”
Recipient of Performing Arts Wish announced
The Foundation for the Performing Arts Center announced Cooper Hawes, a local student and aspiring musician, as the recipient of the 2018 Performing Arts Wish. Hawes was gifted with a vintage Ernie Ball electric guitar along with complimentary guitar lessons for one year. Cooper, 11, currently attends Teach Elementary School in SLO and became interested…
Correction
The Oct. 4 news brief “Chevron pours $4 million into fight against Measure G” misstated Chevron Corporation’s oil production in San Luis Obispo County. Chevron has active oil wells in the Midway Sunset oil field, near the Kern County border. Δ
Pop-up escape rooms benefit Central Coast Makerspace
Escape Area 55, a pop-up that includes 15 different escape rooms, is open to the public on Oct. 26 and 27 from 4:30 to 10 p.m. at Los Osos Middle School. Proceeds from this fundraiser will support modernization of the school’s Central Coast Makerspace program. Live music will be performed throughout the event including a…
People’s Self Help Housing is creating a support program to empower Latina women seeking higher education
Natali Camacho remembers her college experience as a tough but important part of her life. She went to Allan Hancock College for three years and then transferred to UC Davis where she earned her degree in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. She wasn’t exactly thrilled to be attending community college because her first choice was…
Local author releases cancer memoir
Arroyo Grande-based author and spiritual healer Klazina Dobbe will be signing copies of her new memoir, Visitors Along My Cancer Journey: Emotional Release of Generational Wounds, on Oct. 20 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay. Admission to the event is free. Copies of the book will be available for guests…
Pismo Beach bans scooter-sharing services
Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly characterized the scooter ban ordinance as temporary. The ordinance is permanent. In a Sept. 20 letter “to the community,” Bird founder and CEO Travis VanderZanden laid out the mission of his electric scooter sharing company in optimistic terms. “We created Bird,” he wrote. “And with it, Rideshare…
Dispensary can continue to operate over dance studio’s objections, judge rules
One of Grover Beach’s first commercial cannabis dispensaries was handed a legal victory after a SLO County judge shot down a neighboring dance studio’s request to halt its operations. In an Oct. 2 ruling, SLO County Superior Court Judge Linda Hurst denied a request for an injunction to prevent the dispensary, Natural Healing Center, from…
From child soldier to philanthropist: Julius Achon to appear at the Fremont
Imagine the terror. You’re 12 years old and the militant rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army comes to your village and kidnaps you and 15 classmates, taking you 100 miles away to their training camp. “I was forced to fight and kill, and when I refused to kill, I was caned—beaten on my butt. I…
Creston landowners voice qualms about Paso water management
If there was any doubt left that setting one management plan for the expansive Paso Robles Groundwater Basin would be a political and logistical headache, a room full of Creston landowners squashed it at a tense Oct. 8 workshop on the subject at Creston Elementary School. Agencies overlying the 780-square-mile basin are tasked with writing…
Cambria raises water and sewer rates
After receiving an insufficient number of protests, Cambria approved a water and sewer rate increase on Oct. 4 amid a turbulent time for the district. Even though the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) received 1,268 Proposition 218 protests against the rate increases, it was 700 shy of meeting the 50 percent-plus-one threshold to successfully protest…
Gurnee on city growth
In running for mayor, it’s fascinating to see what positions have been falsely attributed to me on my stance on growth. On one hand, I’ve often been called a “developer” when the only thing I’ve ever “developed” is my own home in the early 1980s. On the other, I’ve been called “no growth” by many…
#MeToo movement increases calls to RISE crisis line
RISE, which provides services and support for rape and sexual assault victims in SLO County, recently reported a 322 percent increase in calls to its sexual assault crisis hotline from the previous year. The nonprofit’s executive director, Jennifer Adams, said the increase in calls corresponded with the rise of the #MeToo movement. “It’s given people…
Ostrander on human trafficking
Julia Bayless defends the issue of human trafficking in a letter to the editor (“Human trafficking is absolutely an issue,” Oct. 4) and suggests that my position was that it “affects too small of a portion of the population to be a problem worth addressing.” Unfortunately, Ms. Bayless has mischaracterized what was said and provided…
Paso’s got Brunch, five days a week
Brunch on any old day Brunch is located at 822 13th St. in Paso Robles and hours are Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (805) 440-4729 or follow the business on Instagram @brunch.paso. What is brunch? Is it the stuff of boring baby showers and…
‘A Star Is Born’ reminds that Hollywood can still deliver
A STAR IS BORN What’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Bay, Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10 Co-writer, director, and co-star Bradley Cooper helms this remake of A Star Is Born (first released in 1937, and later remade in 1954 and 1976). In this iteration,…
Greenery
Mo money to grow: Slow Money SLO will celebrate local farmers and ranchers at a Niner Wine Estates dinner in Paso Robles on Oct. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. Raise a glass of sustainable estate grown wine and toast the nonprofit’s mission of helping local food purveyors succeed (learn more at slowmoneyslo.org) … Farmers’…
Cambria’s water facility will have limited output
Wouldn’t a regional effort toward more water availability make more sense than one small area trying to develop its own new water source, both from financial and physical points of view? For example San Diego County is building a $1 billion desalination facility in Carlsbad. The water will be available to the whole county. The…
