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Preventing flames: A California Coastal Commission-approved project aims to protect Cambria from future fires
For Cambria resident Lorienne Schwenk, most of the time, power outages aren’t a big deal. When a weather event caused parts of the town to lose power on a recent Tuesday, her home and workplace were both affected. “To me, it’s not a nuisance,” Schwenk, the director of the Cambria Chamber of Commerce, told New…
Fishy, fishy
When someone poops on a Pride flag, films it, and posts it on TikTok for the world to see, what do you do? Ban flags, obviously. At least, that’s what you do if you’re the Paso Robles Unified School District. But not all flags. Just the really big ones, because those are the only flags…
Tenth annual Garagiste Wine Festival showcases Paso’s passionate small-lot producers
The lineup Tickets to the Garagiste Wine Festival on Nov. 12 to 13 in Paso Robles are available at garagistefestival.com. Learn more about participating winemakers on Instagram and Facebook @garagistefestival. It’s not easy making a splash in California’s fastest growing wine region and largest geographic wine appellation. The Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA) boasts…
Miss Leo releases her debut album, All I Need, at Morro Bay’s Libertine Pub on Oct. 29
The first time I heard Miss Leo, she was still performing as Miss Leo & Her Bluegrass Boys, and it was immediately clear hers was a voice for the ages. It’s simply one of those classic female country voices—crystal clear, soulful, and timeless. Lately, she’s been performing as The Miss Leo Trio, honing her solo…
Monsters and madmen run amok just in time for Halloween at Oceano’s Great American Melodrama
The grave escape The Great American Melodrama presents Frankenstein’s Bride through Nov. 14. Performances take place Wednesday through Friday at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 6 p.m. The theater is located at 1863 Front St., Oceano. Call (805) 489-2499 or visit americanmelodrama.com for more info. There are few faster…
County redistricting maps range from status quo to major changes
On Oct. 26, San Luis Obispo County held its first redistricting hearing since the U.S. Census Bureau released 2020 data. So far, members of the Board of Supervisors’ conservative majority are keeping their opinions about maps close to the vest. Come Nov. 30, they’ll vote on one. “Personally, I’d just like to wait, take in…
Local storytelling group hosts its 2021 series’ season finale, The Big Reveal
The Reboot, a SLO County-based group of local storytellers, presents its season finale program, The Big Reveal, at Top Dog Coffee Bar in Morro Bay on Friday, Oct. 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. This outdoor showcase marks the Reboot’s final event of the year and will include stories from group regulars as well as…
SLO County debates its authority over Arroyo Grande Oilfield as it gives go-ahead to expand
A few days before the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors would give the green light to Sentinel Peak Resources to drill 31 new wells at the Arroyo Grande Oilfield, county officials notified the board of a “recent legal issue.” On Oct. 12, a state appellate court struck down core aspects of Monterey County’s…
Festival Mozaic presents singer and multi-instrumentalist Sierra Hull in Arroyo Grande
The Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande is hosting prolific musician Sierra Hull live in concert on Thursday, Nov. 11, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., as part of Festival Mozaic’s concert series. Hull is widely known as both a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She writes and performs in a variety of genres, including…
Paso school district upholds large flag ban as students, teachers push back
“I won’t wait to be my full self until I’m out of this school,” said Paso Robles High School student Nicole Rogers as she stood on the school’s performing arts center stage on Oct. 20. The audience before her, packed with more than 200 people, roared with applause. Dozens more spilled out into the foyer,…
Central Coast Weavers holds multi-day sale and showcase
A variety of handwoven and handcrafted items will be available for purchase during the Central Coast Weavers’ 14th annual Sale and Guild Showcase in Atascadero, held Friday, Nov. 5, through Sunday, Nov. 7. This multi-day event takes place at the Strawbale Barn Weaving School, located at 9156 Santa Margarita Road, Atascadero. Call (805) 438-5501 or…
Arroyo Grande declares water shortage emergency
Arroyo Grande residents officially have to work harder at conserving water or pay fines up to $200. The Arroyo Grande City Council unanimously declared a Stage 1 Water Shortage Emergency at its Oct. 12 meeting due to the statewide drought and resulting low water levels at Lopez Lake, which provides drinking water to the Five…
Dune offers a compelling spin on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic
DUNE What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Bay, Downtown Centre, Fair Oaks, Galaxy, Palm, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In Co-writer and director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) takes viewers on the heroic journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet),…
Dayspring owns Natural Healing Center property in SLO
Former Natural Healing Center (NHC) owner Helios Dayspring may be facing prison time for bribery and tax evasion, but the discredited cannabis businessman could still be collecting rent checks. Dayspring owns the property on Broad Street that was going to host the company’s newest dispensary in San Luis Obispo, before the city revoked the permit,…
Maid
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2021 Where’s it showing? Netflix Alex’s (Margaret Qualley) life is pretty bleak. She’s a young mother in an emotionally—and on the verge of physically—abusive relationship. Her 2 1/2-year-old daughter Maddie (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet) is adorable and well loved, but Alex feels deeply that she isn’t giving her daughter the life…
Atascadero allocates funds for downtown infrastructure project
Atascadero is one step closer to putting its plans for downtown improvements into action. At its Oct. 26 meeting, Atascadero City Council awarded the contract to develop construction drawings for the El Camino Real Downtown Infrastructure Enhancement Project. The council also authorized the allocation of $3 million from the city’s state budget allocation funds to…
Y: The Last Man
What’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2021 Where’s it showing? Hulu Based on a comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra and adapted for TV by Eliza Clark, this post-apocalyptic sci-fi show follows Yorick Brown (Ben Schnetzer) and his Capuchin monkey, Ampersand, as they traverse a USA where they appear to be the…
Grover Beach plans to attract more businesses with reduced cannabis tax
Producing and distributing pot in Grover Beach is about to be more pocket-friendly thanks to a new drop in commercial cannabis tax. The Grover Beach City Council unanimously greenlit the plan at its Oct. 25 meeting to attract businesses in the cannabis industry to the beach city. Grover Beach’s cannabis industry has been expanding ever…
Mystery Loves Company Tours provides one-of-a-kind haunted walks for SLO’s residents and tourists
Research and horror buff Katy Nicholson wants city of San Luis Obispo residents to scratch beneath its “happiest place in America” veneer. “I come from a law enforcement family. While most kids growing up may have gotten bedtime stories about Peter Rabbit, I got true crime,” SLO native Nicholson said. “That was my dad coming…
Self-ownership
I can never make sense of Al Fonzi. His isn’t a measured point of view from the right, nor is he a concerned citizen addressing issues of local import. It’s one man spreading lies and anti-fact, anti-science, white supremacist-infused ideals parroted from the likes of Fox News, OANN, and Breitbart and spreading it around like…
Cal Poly employees deserve a reasonable raise
Why is it that universities brag about being engines of social mobility for their students, but not for their employees? It is, in fact, faculty and staff who make educational opportunities possible. Yet, according to salary data, the average faculty member earns less than one-quarter of Cal Poly President Jeffery Armstrong’s $430,000 annual salary (that…
Cannabis could be the answer
I believe cannabis is the answer to reducing homelessness, not just in San Luis Obispo but on a global scale. I picture cannabis ranches that house and employ homeless people exclusively. They have a private room, get paid to work, and learn a life-long applicable trade, while getting to use all the cannabis they want.…
Alternative energy is a necessity
Where do we begin to begin? The devastating oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach in October? Or the 3.6 million pounds of high-level radioactive waste sitting in thin-walled canisters at San Onofre Nuclear Plant, 100 feet from the same warming and rising ocean? Nine million people live in neighboring communities 50 miles from…
American women
I have gone about a lot of my life at the same speed. My feet touched the ground, and it’s been one speed ever since—full speed. I am not an anomaly, as a female in American culture we have assumed this role. Especially as moms, women in the workforce, female identified domestic partners. The roles…
