Cover Story
Lawyers, jail, and money: A convoluted tale of conspiracies, arrests, and high courtroom drama
Scott Bryan Whitenack, 55, sat behind reinforced glass in an orange jumpsuit at the San Luis Obispo County Jail visiting room. His eyes were bloodshot, and his beard was flecked with gray. As he picked up the telephone, his mouth was already moving: “I’m an attorney,” he said, “and I believe all of this is…
Dream works: Catch Bob Pelfrey’s retrospective exhibit at Cuesta
In honor of its 50th anniversary, Cuesta College has been honoring Chet Amyx, Barry Frantz, and Bob Pelfrey—its art department’s founding faculty—with a fall series of short-lived yet powerful exhibits of their work. Pelfrey, the final artist of this triumvirate, was hired by the community college in 1972. A retrospective exhibition of his paintings and…
Suzy Newman directs Lee Blessing’s ‘Independence’ at SLOLT
Before playwright Lee Blessing wrote A Walk in the Woods and Fortinbras, he wrote a little domestic drama called Independence. Set in 1985, making it contemporary at the time it was written, Independence takes place in a single living room in Independence, Iowa, where a mentally unstable mother lives with her daughters Sherry and Jo.…
KCPR’s Fall Flood Festival brings indie music to the masses
If you want something awesome to happen, sometimes you have to do it yourself. Three years ago, Carver Cordes—former KCPR DJ, music lover, and concert impresario—started the KCPR Fall Flood Festival, a series of concerts highlighting local and regional acts with connections to the local college station. It acted as a reunion of former DJs…
Shine a light: New Times probes for the paranormal at the Point San Luis Lighthouse
While driving down the narrow, cliff-hugging road at twilight as the fog rolled in, approaching a spooky old lighthouse, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my life had turned into a Stephen King novel. Earlier, I had called the gatekeeper to double-check that nobody was coming down the one-lane lighthouse road. Diablo Canyon—California’s only nuclear…
How are you celebrating the end of the government shutdown?
Bryan Grebe firefighter “By doing something I couldn’t do because of the shutdown. Maybe go to Yosemite or one of the parks.” Christine Husk retired “It’s a cautious celebration because I believe that next month and in January, and February, we have the same problem.” Molly Wallner Bello Mundo Café employee “I should go to…
‘Met: Live In HD’ series features ‘The Nose’
It’s bad enough when your nose gets lopped off during a routine haircut. But to have it gallivanting around town, dressed up as a prominent state official and refusing to return to your face because it now outranks you—well, that’s enough to send you clamoring for justice. Thus begins Dmitri Shostakovich’s absurdist opera The Nose,…
Think pink! Local walkers aim to raise awareness and money to fight breast cancer
I’ve been seeing pink everywhere lately, even on pro football players, who’ve been sporting pink shoes, wristbands, chinstraps, and more. Why? Because it’s breast cancer awareness month! All that pink NFL stuff, right down to the pink shoelaces, will be auctioned off to raise money to combat breast cancer. Buy hey, there are all kinds…
Clubs 10/24/13
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…
Eyehole candy
Death tastes so sweet. If you’re familiar with Dia de los Muertos, you’ll know that children eagerly wait for that one time of year with hopes of being lucky enough to score at least one extra skull under their belt. A sugar skull, that is. These delicious craniums decorated with vibrant flowers and intricate detail…
Bishop’s Peak 2012 Sauvignon Blanc and Costa de Oro 2012 Pinot Grigio Santa Maria Valley
Bishop’s Peak 2012 Sauvignon Blanc This bright, crisp white is one you can always count on from Talley Vineyards’ winemaker Eric Johnson. He makes an excellent sauvignon blanc each vintage. Bishop’s Peak is Talley’s value-priced brand features exceptional quality in each bottle. A traditional style with its juicy grapefruit, citrus, and grassy aromas and flavors,…
2013–the vintage of the century?
This year everyone’s talking about the early and swift wine harvest; I’ve read about it online, and I’ve heard about it when I run into winemakers around town: 2013 has been a very good vintage for every wine variety. After tasting some outstanding chardonnays and pinot noirs that had been freshly crushed and sent to…
Paul Teixeira’s Body and Balance Center relocates in downtown SLO
Paul Teixeira’s Body and Balance Center has been completely revamped and relocated into the old Antique Treasure space in downtown San Luis Obispo. With its location on busy Monterey Street, just three blocks from its previous location, visitors won’t even notice the traffic streaming by once they’re inside. The center opened its new doors on…
Cougars & Mustangs: Cuesta PROMISE promises feeless first semester
It’s not quite Hallowe’en yet, depending on whether you celebrate it only on the day itself or not, but I think it’s fair to say that Cuesta unveiled a nice shocker the other day: Starting next fall, new San Luis Obispo County high school graduates can take their first semester at Cuesta College for free.…
Money movers: The Port San Luis Harbor District shuffles some debt with help from the county and comes out ahead
Let’s do a simple word association, like I say “orange juice,” and you say the first word that pops into your head. Maybe it’s “glass” or “pulp.” OK, ready? “Good with money.” No matter what you came up with—from “my accountant” to “pulp” (again?)—you likely didn’t say “government.” If you did, you were probably cheating.…
The Doobie Dozen saga continues–possibly to the Supreme Court
The years-long legal battle following a highly controversial medical marijuana operation by the county’s now-defunct Narcotics Task Force could possibly end up before the state Supreme Court following a recent appellate court ruling. In January 2012, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office admitted it couldn’t proceed in its prosecution of a group of…
Lucia Mar enters into energy project with Chevron
On Oct. 15, the Lucia Mar Unified School District Board of Trustees made a move that will shoot the district into the world of green energy. Trustees voted to fund a $14 million energy savings project that will lead to the installation of solar panel arrays at six of the district’s 19 schools and the…
Proposed Salinas River Trail ain’t all sunshine
Grand plans for a trail to create public access along the Salinas River may get tangled up in barbed wire. Locals raised concerns at the Oct. 22 Atascadero City Council meeting when the council discussed the Atascadero leg of the Salinas River Trail, a project in the works by San Luis Obispo Council of Governments…
Morro Bay city attorney will get the axe after all
The meeting wasn’t quite as well attended as the last time the council took up the issue, but it was clear from the antagonism on the parts of residents and council members that the city of Morro Bay couldn’t be more polarized when it comes to the matter of firing the city’s long-time attorney. But…
Regarding Congress
I am curious to see if there are others who feel as I do about how our country operates. After this last debacle in Washington, D.C., I feel stronger than ever that U.S. Congress members should live like the people they represent. They should have no perks that we do not have. If they shut…
I’ll support if I get meeting access again
I’ve been a subscriber to KCBX ever since they had an upstairs office on Monterey Street. I supported a community-centered station manned mostly by volunteers who played programs unavailable on commercial radio and news rarely heard without insulting sales pitches. An important aspect of local news was the live weekly board of supervisors meeting. I…
The garden is a good idea
Richard Dunn, in his recent letter, suggested having a community garden below the Cayucos Cemetery (“Something useful,” Oct. 1, The Tribune). The Morro Bay United Methodist Church has such a garden on their property. A very successful one, too. My only concern is a source of water for a garden near the cemetery. I’m not…
You are correct, sir!
The Shredder is dead on right (“Redneck bunny hop,” Oct. 17). He truly nailed it on the head. Kudos. Having lived here for 10 years, I recognize Atascadero for what it is: an eight-exit gas stop. The city lacks the will to turn into something better. From its lackadaisical way of enforcing its own city…
Show some respect, Gibson
How nice that Gibson’s best friend is running for his seat on the BOS (“Candidate announces aims for 2nd District supervisor,” Oct. 17). Will his friend “drop out” after the filing for candidates deadline passes? Maybe this is just another Gibson scam that will allow him to run unopposed? Maybe Gibson thinks that this will…
Help for hunger is humbling
My sincere thanks to Jono Kinkade for the sensitive article, “Lunch crowd” (Oct. 17). I’ve been quite humbled to find myself needing help from the People’s Kitchen since last year. Though college educated and working hard at a commission sales job, I have put my few resources into rent, gas for my car, phone, and…
It’s worth it under the dome
While I fully realize we live in a time where media pundits compete amongst themselves to outdo each other with the shock value of stories unencumbered by anything so tedious as research or the finding of facts, The Shredder in his piece “Redneck Bunny Hop” (Oct. 17) presents such a reckless and clichéd portrayal of…
Fight!
My life was getting a bit dull, so I chucked a rock at a flowerpot on my across-the-street neighbor’s porch, and when he came running out after he heard the tinkling shatter, I pointed at my next-door-neighbor’s house and blamed her. Now they’re feuding. He scattered dandelion seeds all over her lawn, she backed into…
