C.A.R.E.4Paws will offer boarding for pets living with struggling families
About a year ago, C.A.R.E.4Paws was offering its services to a shelter for the unhoused, when a woman staying at the shelter asked for help to take care of her dog who had become pregnant and would eventually have 10 puppies. The woman wasn’t in a state to be able to care for the incoming…
Turtle Organization of SLO has been spreading the word about the shelled reptile for decades
Did you know turtles and tortoises can be fast, their beaks can grow into overbites if they aren’t trimmed, and their shells are actually bone that is part of their spines? Turtle Organization of San Luis Obispo (TOO SLO) member Denise Boddeker and fellow aficionados of the reptile have been collecting these tidbits of knowledge…
Bobby Cain endured mobs to children could learn freely; Charlie Kirk told crowds those wounds no longer mattered
America lost two very different figures this September. Bobby Cain, little known outside his small county in Tennessee, died quietly at 85. Charlie Kirk, a nationally recognized conservative activist, was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University at the age of 31. Both men’s lives touched on the same subject—race. But the comparison ends there.…
Proposition 50 is not about saving ‘democracy,’ so please quit saying it is
Proposition 50 has very little to do with democracy; it is quite the opposite. The California representatives in the House are currently 43 Democrats and nine Republicans. This is 83 percent Dem and 17 percent GOP, yet California’s registered voters are only 45 percent Dem, 25 percent GOP, and 30 percent “other.” This is nowhere…
PG&E shouldn’t pay San Luis Coastal a unitary tax
When a dentist is administering a shot of novocaïne, they will typically palm the syringe and move in from the side of the patient’s head so that the patient will not see the needle coming and grow apprehensive about the pain of the injection. PG&E seems to employ a similar approach, although the result is…
A Central Coast couple celebrates one year of their signature hot sauce, Hot Lil Mama
Michael and Diana Muranaka quote their favorite movie, Bridesmaids, to each other so often that one scene inspired the name of their hot sauce company. The scene follows a police officer who stops Kristen Wiig’s character and recognizes her from a sign at her bakery. “You’re Cake Baby,” the officer said, referencing the name of…
Wah-mbulance!
It’s reassuring to believe that if we suffer a stroke, heart attack, or a significant injury and require an ambulance, it will be there staffed by trained professionals called to their vocation through a compulsion to care for people. It’s less reassuring to be reminded that ambulance service is a business designed to make money…
Social media star Danae Hays brings her countrified brand of humor and music to the Fremont Theater
I apparently don’t spend enough time on social media because when I saw Good Vibez was bringing Danae Hays to the Fremont Theater, my first thought was, “Who’s that?” I looked her up and it turns out she’s a hilarious Alabama-bred and Nashville-based comedian, country singer, and social media content creator playing on Friday, Oct. 24…
SLO City Council conditionally revokes a Cal Poly frat permit
Racking up 17 noise complaints and 10 different citations since the beginning of 2023, Cal Poly’s Delta Chi fraternity at 1236 Monte Vista Place must cease operations at the property after the San Luis Obispo City Council tentatively revoked its conditional use permit. “I heard a lot of, ‘Give us another chance; we want to…
Task is a family dynamics-focused gritty crime show
Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown) created and wrote this crime drama focusing on Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo), a Philadelphia-based FBI agent and former Catholic priest put in charge of a task force investigating a series of robberies targeting motorcycle gang stash houses. (seven 60- to 68-min. episodes) TASKWhat’s it rated? TV-MAWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full…
Atascadero upholds cannabis retail ban
The Atascadero City Council voted 3-2 on Oct. 14 against allowing retail cannabis storefronts, keeping the city limited to delivery and testing lab operations and potentially forgoing up to half a million dollars annually in new tax revenue, according to a staff report. “After talking to consultants, Atascadero could expect possibly up to $500,000 a…
Wayward is psychological mystery involving a troubled teen academy and a shady head teacher
C reated by and starring comedian and musician Mae Martin, Wayward tells the increasingly familiar story of “camps” created for “troubled teens” whose surface-level purpose is to whip kids into compliance and discipline the rebellion out of them. In reality, these camps are absolute cesspools of abuse, neglect, and secrecy. With more survivor stories revealed,…
San Luis Ambulance must compete to serve SLO County through bids process
After 80 years of serving San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Ambulance must now contend with other providers for the job after facing widespread dissatisfaction about long response times and working in an outdated system. “Just yesterday, we had a call at Templeton High School and our engine responded to that incident, and we had…
The Birds screens as a fundraiser for The Rock Community Radio on Oct. 27 at Bay Theatre
In time for Halloween, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1963 nature-horror film will screen as a fundraiser for The Rock Community Radio. The screenplay by Evan Hunter is loosely based on Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 novella of the same name. The basic premise is that for entirely unknown reasons, all bird species suddenly become aggressive and dangerous,…
Los Osos CSD looks at fire services options due to cost increases
The Los Osos Community Services District isn’t making enough tax revenue to fully fund its fire services for the first time in 20 years. A $280,000 funding gap for the 2025-26 fiscal year and more projected cost increases in the future are causing the Community Services District (CSD) to look at its options. The CSD…
The Bunker SLO hosts the immersive sound and light performance Memories of the Far Shore
When’s the last time you sat in nature and just listened, and I mean really listened to the ambient sounds surrounding you? Myriad evidence proves exposure and listening to nature can improve both mental and physical health. During the pandemic lockdown, two SLO County acquaintances—sound designer bryant keith bayhan (they/them and all lower case like…
SLOMA presents Julia Goodman’s solo exhibition, Unimaginable Units of Time, through Nov. 30
What were you doing when you were trapped in your home during the pandemic? Bay Area-based artist Julia Goodman spent her time slowly creating the wrapped sculpture An Unimaginable Unit of Time, currently on display with some of her other work at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) through Sunday, Nov. 30. Goodman…
Two Broads Ciderworks hosts a Spooky Bookfair for adults on Oct. 24 with author Kalyn Josephson
Remember book fairs? Typically held in schools, the events—often organized by companies such as Scholastic or Follett—offered students, families, and staff the opportunity to purchase a variety of reading materials. Well, relive those school daze memories on Friday, Oct. 24, when Two Broads Ciderworks (860B Capitolio Way, SLO) hosts The Cove Books Spooky Boozy Bookfair…
Local life coach and overnight pet sitter’s nomadic journey takes her off the beaten path
As much as she loves cats and dogs, Sarah “Bolty” Bolton doesn’t own any pets. She prefers “the cool aunt” role over full-time pet parent, which led her to start her own pet-sitting business, the Central Coast resident explained. “Pet-sitting is a way that I’m able to get my fill of puppy love and kitty…
Happy feet: See some of the sweetest animals on the Central Coast in our annual Pet issue
Find some peace by checking out the winners of our third annual pet photo contest. They’re cute! Really cute. Readers from San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties submitted hundreds of images of their fur, feather, and scale babies as part of this year’s competition. A panel of in-house judges narrowed them down to…
From Paso Robles to the world, Atlas Animal Rescue saves dogs in need
When Emily Everett-Nelson arrived at a Lake Elsinore animal shelter expecting to walk dogs in 2018, she was shown a list of animals scheduled to be euthanized that day. “They were like, ‘OK, these are the dogs, and these are the ones that are gonna be euthanized today,’” she recalled. “I was like, ‘Wait what?…
