Cover Story
Paper shelter
In 10 years, long-term homelessness in SLO County will be a thing of the past. At least that’s the plan. It’s on paper, a 254-page document aptly named the San Luis Obispo Countywide 10-year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. The first step toward creating that document was awkward. To free the money for the effort,…
Five pointed star
How does Downtown Brew love thee? Let me count the ways! The SLO Town nightspot has been rolling out the shows like mad for the last couple of weeks, and this week shows no sign of abating. The weekend kicks off early this Thursday, Oct. 9, when reggae favorites Iration lights a big fat roll…
A house rolling down the sidewalk
New Times Describe One Winter Story in one word. Pepin Inspiring. Instead of one word, the central theme of the film, that Sarah sums up at the end,Üis that everyone has limitations, but the way to have an amazing life is to choose to ignore those limitations and follow your dreams. New Times How and…
Dance like you’re trapped in a photograph
Ten years ago, Arts Obispo began a tradition of opening the homes and studios of artists across the county. Each year the exhibition expands, and this October nearly 300 artists are opening their doors, proclaiming “mi casa es su casa,” and hoping to push some art. In grand Open Studios tradition, the event has been…
Journey to the Southern Land
Looking at the images in Sebastian Copeland’s book Antarctica: The Global Warning—released internationally in the fall of 2007—the immediate response is not an exclamation or declaration, but a question: Who knew that ice had such character and depth and dimension, that it could twine and weave in so many directions and adorn itself in so…
Mohammed has the goat
“Don’t eat Kochi cheese. Don’t eat cheese made by the nomads,” photographer Gloriann Liu concludes one of the countless tales she acquired in Afghanistan. It’s one of her more humorous narratives, perhaps because in a country that has seen more than three decades of brutal, relentless war the enemy in this story is unpasteurized coagulated…
Seresin 2007 Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand
One sniff of this wonderful white and I was hooked. Elegant, beautifully balanced, and layered with flavors, this is my idea of classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It offers tangy notes of fresh grapefruit, kiwi, and lime, yet it’s restrained and nicely balanced. It’s delicious on its own, but meant for the table where it…
Ancient Peaks 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles
This is the best Cab I’ve tasted in the value-priced category in a long while. Grown mostly in their estate Margarita Vineyard, it follows the eastside ridge of the Cuesta Grade. A blend of 87 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 percent Malbec, 3 percent Petit Verdot, and 3 percent Petite Sirah, it offers big but not…
You can almost taste the fresh juice
Travel along any of the Central Coast’s many wine trails and you’ll find the heady, sweet aroma of freshly crushed grapes wafting through the air. It’s the busy harvest season, when winemakers don’t have much time to think of anything other than the next load of grapes arriving at their crush pads. Yet there’s always…
Must everything taste sweet?
Today one can hardly find bread that doesn’t taste like cake. Even so-called diet bread is sweet. Recently I bought pork links when I cooked them they were sweet. I discovered that Farmer John now has links with maple syrup in them. If I wanted maple syrup on my sausages, I would pour some over…
Left out
I was hoping to see An American Carol this weekend, but the only theater showing it in all of the Central Coast is in Santa Maria, an hour away from where I live. Atascadero, Paso Robles, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande: None of these cities are playing it. Why? Why is it we…
Blame the Federal Reserve
As a dedicated Libertarian voter, I have watched with amusement the pontifications and hyperbole offered by both dominant parties regarding the relevant qualifications of their candidates and platforms, and the current situation on Wall Street. One glaring omission in the polemics is the acknowledgement that, of all the recent presidential candidates, only Dr. Ron Paul…
Extend a hand, not a fist
While driving down the 101 Highway the other day, I saw a car with a Vietnam Service Ribbon bumper sticker and a “McCain/Palin” sticker. As a fellow Vietnam veteran, I have some feeling for this shared sense of duty. However, I am firmly convinced that we should stop invading countries based on the word of…
My recommendation
Since the recall, the Los Osos Community Services District promises of a “better, faster, cheaper” sewer from the new board evaporated. Lawsuits were filed by contractors and lenders. Bankruptcy ensued. Through it all, this board has remained consistently shortsighted and irresponsible. Now, at last, two of those board members are not running for re-election and…
Welcome Wal-Mart
Well we are coming up on the vote of a couple of crucial bills—Measure D and the Shield Initiative nonsense. Given the current economic crises on federal, state, and local levels, are people really going try to chase Wal-Mart out of Atascadero? It’s on the north end of town. Is Wal-Mart going to obstruct the…
A good man
I wish to response to Robert Jones’ letter (“Get a job,” Letters, Aug. 21, 2008). I have seen Mr. Robert Smith and his children on the bus several times. His children are all well behaved and clean. It is unfortunate that the mother is in jail—why she is, I don’t know. But he has been…
It could happen to you
Your paper ran an article on “Homework without a home” (Aug. 14, 2008), and in the following issue you published a letter to the editor by Robert Jones (“Get a job,” Letters, Aug. 21, 2008) responding to that article. Seeing that my name was included in that article, and dishonored by the letter writer, I…
Let them vent
I’ve often wondered why editors of newspapers and magazines choose to print some utterly stupid letters from very stupid people who have nothing of value to share whatsoever. Providing a forum for free expression on a variety of topics while honoring many different points of view is commendable, but what purpose is served by publishing…
Good riddance
Here’s the background story to “SLO City Giveaway #487” (“The Shredder,” Sept. 25, 2008). In giving away the 8,000-square-foot strip of land at Depot Square to Hamish Marshall, the city was getting rid of potential liability for cleanup of the site. The underlying land used to be crossed by railroad tracks—at least one set of…
Mike Mosier – Owner of Old Vienna Restaurant in Shell Beach
NEW TIMES: What’s your favorite way to say cheers during Oktoberfest? MOSIER: Just a traditional German “Prost!” with a nice Stein full of Spaten. NEW TIMES: What do you feel Oktoberfest brings to your family and your business? MOSIER: For my family, Oktoberfest brings a good opportunity to remember our heritage from the old country…
Vote no on Proposition 4
Proposition 4—the so-called parental notification initiative—is a third attempt by right-wing extremists to amend the California Constitution. Unfortunately, Proposition 4 is even more dangerous than the preceding two initiatives because it damages families, as well as teens. Proposition 4 is perhaps the most deceptive issue on the ballot this fall and, unless we defeat it,…
What kind of soup would you find most comforting to be served at your local soup kitchen?
Ali Espinoza professional salesman “I’d like to see some clam chowder in a bread bowl, because not only is it good, but it supports the local clam economy.” Dave Young Costco wholesale employee “I’d like some potato corn chowder, because it’s filling and cheap to make, and it’s good for you too.” Andy Shine mortgage…
Bum rush
The bad times must really be getting to the folks over at the Tribune. Some of them are becoming unhinged. Case in point: Check out Bill Morem’s column about the bounced checks by the newish owner of the San Luis Obispo Blues, Stevie Mac. In months of reporting, the Tribune has revealed that: 1. The…
Fast facts
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center will host a free flu vaccine clinic on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 8 to 11 a.m. It will be held in the center’s auditorium at 1010 Murray Ave., SLO. High-risk individuals will be given vaccinations first; the remainder will be given on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. High-risk…
TAPPed for success
Maria Hernandez does not fit the teenage-mother stereotype. As her four-year-old daughter played nearby, Hernandez talked about being married at 14, having a baby at 15, and at 16 returning to school and completing all of her high-school credits in two years. Adorning a bookshelf in the living room is evidence of Hernandez’s feat—a large…
Pirates Cove plan revealed, but visitors wouldn’t be
County supervisors moved forward with a plan to acquire 64 acres of land between Avila and Pismo Beach, including the infamous Pirates Cove beach. The resolution would protect the land, which is privately owned, from any significant development, and it would likely result in better trails, access, and increased public safety, but there is a…
Fraud alert doesn’t deter Reclamator proponents
Tom Murphy has always been outspoken about his invention—the Reclamator—but the Central Coast Water Board claims Murphy’s latest business-outreach effort is fraudulent. The Reclamator is an onsite system that purportedly converts raw sewage to near drinking-water standards. On Sept. 1, residents in the Los Osos septic prohibition zone received an ominous 25-page letter from Advanced…
Charles Lynch supporters rally
Supporters of Charles Lynch, the Arroyo Grande man convicted in August of selling marijuana from his medical marijuana dispensary, recently gathered in front of the federal courthouse where he was tried to support Lynch and call for a retrial. Lynch is facing 20 or more years in federal prison for operating Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers,…
No more medical marijuana on the Central Coast
Several medical marijuana dispensaries in Santa Barbara closed their doors Sept. 19 in response to pressure by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Dispensaries are allowed in certain circumstances under California law to provide marijuana to patients with a doctor’s recommendation, but the federal government considers them to be in conflict with federal laws restricting drug…
Cayucos motel project hits a nerve
In the small ocean town of Cayucos there’s a fear that a planned new building could degrade the lifestyle residents there revere. It’s to be called the Cayucos Del Mar, a mixed-use project with 18 motel units and four condos. But the building would dwarf surrounding structures and block neighbors’ ocean views, members of the…
Missing the bus
Noemi Garcia could only talk for a moment. The Route 10, southbound, was due, and the Cal Poly student knew that if she didn’t board early for her commute to Nipomo, there might not be a seat. “It seems like every time I board, there are more people,” she said. It’s an experience Shannon Tell…
