Cover Story
August and everything after: Locals have struggled to piece together the narrative that’s followed six Cal Poly student arrests
Before classes officially began for the fall quarter, six Cal Poly students had already been arrested and charged with multiple felonies stemming from an alleged armed robbery attempt at an off-campus fraternity house and alleged drug activity at that same location. The story was, as you might expect, everywhere. Multiple media outlets (including this one)…
Eye-opener: Atascadero artist Bruce Miller displays abstract works at SLOMA
Bruce Miller has been a museumgoer for nearly all his life. In fact, ask him about an artist and he’ll recount his or her works and talents with an encyclopedic ease. From Da Vinci to O’Keeffe to whoever it was who carved into ice 10,000 years ago, Miller not only relishes the history of art,…
Who’s your favorite movie villain?
Courtney Owens student “The evil queen from Snow White. … She’s bad.” Terra Scott cook/barista “Batman from The Dark Knight. The police see him as a villain because he is a vigilante.” Vince Benvin mechanical engineer “Heath Ledger as the Joker, just because he’s the best.” Will Vowels hospitality “The Joker from The Dark Knight.…
South County communities plan for low Lopez levels
As water levels in Lake Lopez—a crucial South County reservoir—continue to decline, several municipalities are considering a “response plan” designed to sustain their strained hydrological resources. Members of the Zone 3 San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (made up of Arroyo Grande, the Avila Beach Community Services District, Grover Beach, the…
SLO County airport has big plans for a new terminal
With a small, outdated terminal and only one operational gate, San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport isn’t exactly setting the aeronautical world on fire. However, plans for a new, expanded terminal and a desired $20 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration could quickly change that. The SLO County Board of Supervisors will decide whether…
Former SLO Brew owners Todd and Korie Newman keep the music alive!
Arguably, no one’s done more for the downtown SLO music scene than Todd and Korie Newman. When they bought SLO Brew from Mike and Becky Hoffman almost a decade ago, the club was a hot mess: dirty, fight prone, and recycling a lot of tired music through it. They revamped it, revitalized the restaurant, and…
Balls to the wall: British-born comedian Maddy Sinclair bares all for one-woman comedy show at SLO Little Theatre
It’s Friday night. I’m in downtown SLO. I’ve just eaten my weight in garlic fries. That means it must be time for one thing: It’s time to hear some quality dick jokes. To be honest, this is the general pattern for how I spend most of my Friday nights: gross gluttony followed by George Carlin-level…
SLOMA celebrates Dia de los Muertos at Mission Plaza
Every October, it’s always Halloween that gets the spotlight. I get it. It’s got costumes, candy, and the allure of bothering one’s neighbors. But, instead of experiencing a chocolate hangover on Nov. 1, you could be partaking in Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. In honor of the traditional Mexican holiday,…
The Palm Theatre screens a stylized 1968 drama, The Swimmer, as part of the Take Two Live series
One afternoon, in a ritzy Connecticut suburb, middle-aged Ned Merrill attends a pool party with some friends. As the conversation progresses, he proposes an unconventional idea. Instead of walking or driving back home, he’ll take the scenic route. Household pools line the pathway to his house, so naturally, he will swim his way back. It’s…
Local artist and writer Marguerite Costigan is named SLO County poet laureate
For most of her life, Marguerite Costigan has been an artist. She’s written profound, lyrical poems and painted vivid scenes, all steeped in the wild and captivating imagery of her natural surroundings. Vultures, foxes, brambles, streams, and barns populate the stanzas and canvases of what Costigan so aptly calls, in her poem “Resolve,” “this forever…
Saturday afternoon fever: Ryan’s American Dance appeals to the whole family
When it comes to dance, there are basically two types of people: those who only need the slightest hint of a groove to get moving, and those who would rather get a root canal than risk embarrassment on the dance floor. The recently expanded Studio @ might be just the place to bring both ends…
Cougars & Mustangs
Thunder. That’s the first thing you hear. You aren’t used to the sound, really, in a town where the weather is the comforting flat line on the monitor of your darkest nightmare, but the startling blip reads: “Danger. Run. It has awoken.” It seems so childish, really. Why would a grown, mature adult like yourself…
Shandon residents say issues with the mail have gotten out of control
When a package intended for Jennifer Moe package was sent back to its sender, the action resulted in a four-month delay before her daughter could get a needed surgery. Moe’s is just one of many anecdotes residents of Shandon tell when they try to illustrate how seemingly small hiccups with their mail can completely screw…
A dry November: Candidates vying for two Cambria Community Services District seats talk about the town’s water woes
When election time comes, Cambria residents will be tasked with choosing candidates to fill the two open seats on the Cambria Community Services District’s five-member board of directors. There are four candidates on the ballot, and two write-in candidates. The decisions made at the ballot box will likely reflect a multitude of sentiments about how…
The SLO City Council is hung up on a decision to override the Airport Land Use Commission on future planning
A looming conflict between the San Luis Obispo City Council and the SLO County Regional Airport Land Use Commission touched ground in City Hall Oct. 21, prompting much discussion, but no resolution yet. The two bodies are engaged in a disagreement over the future shape of housing in the area around the airport, which has…
LandWatch group challenges Cambria’s Emergency Water Supply Project
Supporters of an ongoing project intended to supply much-needed emergency water to the parched community of Cambria now have one more barrier to overcome. The Cambria Community Services District Board of Directors approved an Emergency Water Supply Project over the summer, and construction is already underway on the plant. The project will use a multistep…
Bru Coffee’s Green Juice and Chop Street’s Nitro Tap: Deschutes Cinder Cone Red Ale
Bru Coffee’s Green Juice – This hip Atascadero coffee hangout may be known for its Stumptown beans, freshly prepared quiche, and killer hangover-obliterating breakfast burritos, but there are a few new stars on the menu worth giving a whirl. Try any of their frosty smoothies, sold in 16- or 24-ounce offerings, for a fresh…
Once …
I heard a story the other day, a legend really, or maybe a fable, about two hikers who decided to exercise their independent, can-do, ’Merican spirit and leave the trail they were on. What’s more U.S.A! U.SA.! than that? Than spitting in the face of the known and turning right all of a sudden, juking…
Shame on the Measure G committee
Yesterday I received yet another full-color oversized card requesting my vote for sales tax Measure G. On it, Dave Romero commented that our infrastructure was falling way behind until Measure Y passed in 2006. Wasn’t Dave Romero the Public Works director for more than 35 years? Didn’t he serve on the City Council and then…
Don’t be fooled again
The city of San Luis Obispo would like you to think it has been prudent in how it spends Measure Y tax funds. I think they spend our money without regard to how hard we work for it. Take a look at how the council authorized spending Y money on “downtown improvements” at its June…
It won’t be perfect, but I’m voting yes on G
I’ve had many calls and emails from the Yes for Measure G camp asking me to weigh in and stop allowing the No folks to use my March 2014 letter to council to give support to their efforts (without contacting me and asking for my current thoughts). I have given this some very serious consideration…
Measure G for a healthy SLO
Reading the diatribe by Keith Gurnee, et al opposing Measure G (“Measure G is just more broken promises,” Oct. 16), I’m reminded of what Abraham Lincoln said about the pro-slavery arguments of Stephen Douglas in 1858: As thin as a soup made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had starved to death. They…
The truth about Measure G
Combined, the three of us have served San Luis Obispo as mayors and city councilmembers for more than half a century. We haven’t always seen eye to eye on issues, but we are steadfastly united in our support of Measure G. Authors of last week’s anti-Measure G commentary (“Measure G is just more broken promises,”…
Sip & nibble
Don’t burst my bubble: Bubblyfest by the Sea is making waves in Pismo Beach Oct. 24 to 26 with 40 Central Coast and international champagne and sparkling wine producers. It’s all going down at Dolphin Bay Resort and Spa and Oceanfront Hotel, with a Great Gatsby theme sure to get tasters doing the Charleston (for…
A submarine dream: Lifelong pals from Italy take over Kona’s Deli
When it comes to food, Mattia Tedeschi and Filippo Giordano believe that it is “far better to be authentically American than fake Italian.” The recent immigrants, both in their late 20s, are proud of their Italian upbringing in the northern valley city of Reggio Emilia. Their food, however, is not all prosciutto di Parma and…
Clubs 10/23/14-10/30/14
Goin’ South … THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. CUVEE BISTRO AND CHAMPAGNE BAR: 550 1st St., Avila Beach, 595-2245. Live music Thurs. and Sat. 6-9pm. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the…
