Pets 2026
Cats, dogs, rats, birds, donkeys, and more will make you forget the stress of election season. They’re cute, cuddly, and funny. This week’s issue brings you the winners of our annual Pet photo contest, and they’ll bring a smile to your face. Alongside those, we’ve got stories about the hundreds of peacocks that call See…
Atascadero High School principal’s leave prompts retaliation allegations
Atascadero High School Principal Nikki Baca’s sudden placement on administrative leave prompted allegations that district leaders retaliated against her, with students, teachers, and staff demanding answers during an Oct. 20 school board meeting. The Atascadero Unified School District placed Baca on leave Oct. 15. ACE Academy Principal Libby Madding was appointed interim principal effective Oct.…
SLO County attempts rebound after PG&E’s power shutoff
Had it not been for a neighbor’s goodwill, a Nipomo resident believes her mother-in-law would have passed away during the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) recently experienced in San Luis Obispo County. The resident, who wished to be anonymous, said she was out of town for a medical appointment, while her mother-in-law was home alone…
Paso Robles voters to decide on $205 million school bond
When Paso Robles High School opened in 1980, it was built for 800 students. Today, more than 2,000 attend classes on a campus that has struggled to keep up with its growing enrollment. There’s no indoor cafeteria. The gymnasium can’t accommodate the entire student body, and some career training programs lack the specialized classrooms and…
Court appoints lawyer for Gaea Powell, postpones sentencing
Gaea Powell, the former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate found guilty of election fraud, won’t be sentenced for her crimes just yet. The lead-up to Powell’s trial drew attention because she chose to not accept Public Defender Andrew Jennings, who was assigned to represent her, and defended herself against nine charges filed by the San Luis…
Generations of peacocks have made Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards their home
Keith Kelsey never intended to become the caretaker of 300 peacocks. He just wanted to bring a few birds home. About 45 years ago, Kelsey and his brother rounded up seven peacocks from a ranch near Highway 101 south of Pismo Beach and transported them to their family’s property in See Canyon. The birds settled…
Pismo Beach police dog Kylo is South County’s go-to furry apprehender
When law enforcement officers in southern San Luis Obispo County need heightened senses to help with missions, they turn to the 4-year-old German shepherd who works for the Pismo Beach Police Department. Born in Central Europe, police dog Kylo is one half of the beach town’s K-9 unit. Sniffing out and apprehending culprits is his…
Nipomo native’s Army tour ends with adopting the stray dog he befriended overseas
Despite having a soft spot for animals, U.S. Army service member Matthew Petersen said he rarely approached the stray dogs he observed while recently deployed in Kuwait. But something about the dog he’d eventually name Turkey stood out to him as a invitation to make an exception. “Dogs on the base, and even around the…
Free-dumb rings
There’s a new parody site around, and its sarcastic brand of satirical criticism is pointed directly at a certain segment of the Paso Robles community: Those in and around Chris Bausch, who’s running for City Council after attempting not to comply with Public Records Act requests that he was legally required to respond to, getting…
A settlement isn’t a verdict, just don’t tell The Tribune that
I’ll explain this mess, so you don’t have to suffer through it. The SLO Tribune’s Sept. 27 editorial tells Paso Robles’ 2nd District voters that Chris Bausch is “disgraced,” “reckless” and “unfit” for office. It says he put Paso Robles “through hell” and “went rogue.” By the end, you half expect Bausch to be tying…
Oregon school shooting renews predictable gun debate
Well, there has just been another school shooting, this time in Bend, Oregon, where a 16-year-old shot and killed three children and an adult teacher before he was shot and killed by an armed private citizen. Predictably, all the partisans have retreated to their battlements to lob their usual talking points at each other. Here,…
How do you stop a masked and armed ICE agent? With a ballot.
Right now, in California, New York, Texas, and everywhere in between, ICE agents are ramping up to meet Stephen Miller’s hate-fueled quota of 3,000 people per day. Three thousand families ripped apart. A father dropping off a student at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria was kidnapped in early October. A father in New York…
We Are Atascadero Pride calls on artists to submit designs for Pride in the Park 2027
Next year, Pride in the Park in Atascadero is bound to be decked out in artwork from community members. It’s all thanks to We Are Atascadero Pride, which, so far, has relied on designs created by founder Thom Waldman. “The beautiful thing about being in a rural community like Atascadero and North County is that…
Elysian Moon headlines Jungle Masquerade at Kreuzberg Oct. 30
Are you ready to feel the love? Lovestories presents Jungle Masquerade with Elysian Moon and Friends at Kreuzberg on Friday, Oct. 30 (8 p.m. to midnight; 21-and-older; $25 presale at posh.vip/e/lovestories-presents-jungle-masquarade or $30 at the door). The friends include Jüngle Haus, Juan Travolta, Jose Madre, EV b2b WLCX, Devin From Heaven, and Okay AJ spinning…
Juan Pablo Luzuriaga hosts a book launch party on Oct. 25
We all have an origin story we could tell, but for most of us, our stories go untold. Examining and confronting our past and putting into words the experiences that shaped us is challenging. Often, it’s easiest to bury memories. In Juan Pablo Luzuriaga’s new poetry collection, Cotopaxi Whispers, he takes an unflinching look at…
SLO Museum of Art displays its permanent collection
As the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) continues its expansion to Higuera Street, opening in summer of 2027, its current location at 1010 Broad St. will transition to an Education Center to expand SLOMA’s space for youth and adult classes. But before that, the building will enjoy one last hurrah as an exhibition…
SLO novelist Terry Sanville releases another mystery
San Luis Obispo author and musician Terry Sanville recently release a new novel, Deep Water Secrets, the second in his Paul Saldano mysteries series “set on Santa Catalina Island and in the deep clear waters off the island’s leeward coast and the town of Avalon,” Sanville explained via email. The story, which follows The Long…
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a stylish crime thriller
Mahershala Ali stars as Latif, an ex-military, devoutly Muslim hitman, in writer-director Bassam Tariq’s (These Birds Walk, Mogul Mowgli) new film. After his wife dies unexpectedly, Latif returns home to Huston to care for his children—daughter Fatiha (Adia), son Qadir (Jahleel Kamara), and infant daughter Aziza (twins Brooklyn and Jaxon Hughes)—but must embark on a…
Monty Python and the Holy Grail screens in Bay Theatre Oct. 26
Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones direct this 1975 British comedy by the Monty Python comedy group. Written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Eric Idle, the story is a gag-filled absurdist take on the Arthurian legend. Chapman stars as Arthur, Cleese is Sir Lancelot the Brave, Gilliam is Arthur’s servant Patsy, Idle is Sir Robin…
Code 3 is a black comedy skewering our healthcare system
Christopher Leone (Parallels) directs this script co-written with Patrick Pianezza about Randy (Rainn Wilson), a burnt-out paramedic who’s completely frazzled. He and his co-worker, Mike (Lil Rel Howery), are directed by their supervisor, Shanice (Yvette Nicole Brown), to take on a new trainee, Jessica (Aimee Carrero), and they embark on a harrowing 24-hour shift, frequently…
Bread and Born Sandwiches opens in the SLO Public Market
Ismael Rios believes a business owner should only begin a new project if it’s truly a passion. He keeps a list in his head of things he loves with that exact potential: Mexican food, pizza, coffee, and sandwiches. The entrepreneur already oversees Mexican dining spots, so when an opportunity arose, Rios decided to branch out.…
