Cover Story
Sammy Keyes and the Grateful Author: The long-running series set on the Central Coast comes to an end
It starts with a wave. The Sammy Keyes book series opens with a girl assuring the reader she wasn’t trying to get in trouble. This about-to-be-junior-higher is merely bored on account of being trapped in the seniors-only apartment where she’s illegally living with her grandma while her mother tries to succeed in Hollywood. Due to…
Second defendant charged in rape case
On the afternoon of Sept. 4, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office charged Richard Scott Brooks, 38, of San Francisco with 15 felonies associated with his alleged rape, sodomy, human trafficking, and prostitution of a 17-year-old “Jane Doe.” SLO County Sheriff’s deputies originally arrested Brooks in Fremont on Sept. 2, in connection with…
Sean Croce, former Enzo’s owner, has affinity for Mafioso YouTube pizza videos and history of bad business dealings
A man sits behind the wheel, a cigar clenched between his front teeth, smoke leaking out of his mouth and whipping through the wind of an open driver-side window as the song “Woke up this Morning” plays in the background. If it seems familiar, that’s because the video is a spot-on re-creation of the opening…
Hobos and dry humor
I write this from a dank, smallish jail cell where I have been sitting for more than 12 hours, biding my time by scratching notches on the wall to count the passing minutes and plotting my revenge against the people who illegally detained me for exercising my civil rights. I know I’m in good company.…
What animal do you hate that most people love?
Jane Kim county planner “Squirrels, because they move really fast.” Tammy Nguyen optometrist “Snakes. They’re creepy.” Tin Huynh software developer “The honey badger because they are too many videos and it don’t give a shit.” Adrian Flores restaurant worker “Cats, because they aren’t dogs.”
Holding water: The Cambria Community Services District is moving toward construction of an Emergency Water Supply
Cambria may be facing a severe water shortage, but there’s no shortage of public ire as the community grapples with strict conservation measures and creates contingency plans to cope with a worsening drought. Officials with the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) may be used to their unpopularity by now. The district has held a series…
Cayucos firefighter arrested, charged with 33 felonies
After a “prioritized” investigation by San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Oscar Higueros Jr., 38, of Cayucos, was arrested on suspicion of rape on Aug. 28. Late on Sept. 2, Higueros was officially charged with 33 felonies by the SLO County District Attorney’s Office. The 23-page criminal complaint charges Higueros with 12 counts of…
Compton campaign receives an FPPC warning letter
After more than three months of investigation, the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) issued a formal warning letter on Sept. 2 to the campaign of Lynn Compton, a candidate for San Luis Obispo County’s 4th supervisorial district. The letter was based on a May 20 complaint filed by Nipomo resident Ed Eby, who alleged…
Cafe Musique teams with Broadway and opera performer Sarah Kleeman for one special night on Sept. 5
The bright lights of Broadway seem pretty far removed from bucolic SLO County, but some of that glitz and glamour is coming our way when famed mezzo-soprano Sarah Kleeman, of Broadway and opera fame, will team with Gypsy jazz, classical, tango, and folk ensemble Café Musique this Friday, Sept. 5, at SLO’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship…
SLOMA presents ARTalk with Carol Sauvion of PBS series Craft in America
Craftwork You say “craft,” and I think, “Ah yes, the macaroni and cheese.” Or, given a little more time, I’ll muster, “Ah yes, the macaroni and cheese that you can also make necklaces out of.” This is not the kind of craft that will be on display at San Luis Obispo Museum of Art’s…
Proxima Parada wins Best Live Performance at the Sixth Annual New Times Music Awards!
It’s Thursday, Aug. 28, at SLO Brew, and the sixth annual New Times Music Awards opens with Best Songwriter winners Dulcie Taylor (first place) performing “Cherokee,” followed by Reese Galido (second) playing “Sing You to Me,” and then The Simple Parade (third) delivering “Confetti.” It’s the start of a great evening of local music. Famous…
SLO’s famous street painting festival debuts new name, Via dei Colori
When Shelley Triggs first moved to the Central Coast, she spent an entire day with her young son painting a 2-foot by 2-foot square in the parking lot of the SLO Historical Center. It’s a scene that many families and individuals, both local and visiting, have come to expect from downtown SLO. Every year, for…
Clubs 9/4/14-9/11/14
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…
The Jocko’s Fizz Cocktail and SLO Brew’s Skankin Pickle
The Jocko’s Fizz Cocktail I love everything about Jockos Steakhouse in Nipomo. I love the dim lighting of the bar. I love the relish tray filled with olives, sweet pickles, and peppers. I love their medium rare Spencer steak grilled over oak-coals followed by Spimoni ice cream. I especially love watching my meal as…
Shake it up
Talk about good vibrations! We all know that Sunset SAVOR the Central Coast is coming up quick, but did you know the weekend of epicurean bliss is also slated to feature an intimate concert by Beach Boys icon Brian Wilson? It’s all going down at Vina Robles Amphitheater on Sept. 27, so get your seats…
‘Grape Encounters’ host David Wilson is your gregarious guide to fearless wine tasting freedom
Disclaimer: This story is about fine wine. It includes frank talk about acidity, texture, and mouthfeel. Please promptly remove the stick from inside your rear, pop open whatever you like to drink (no judgments here) and—for the sake of your own health—try to lighten up. I am now going to attempt to blow your mind…
The SLO Rugby Club hosts their annual West Coast tournament this September
Rugby—what some might deem as the European version of American football—is starting to gain some popularity here in the good ol’ US of A. Rugby is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing sports in college, and is returning to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The United States won Olympic gold for…
Cougars & Mustangs
We live in a digital age in which the wealth of a library can be attained with a browser, and criminal evidence can be obtained with technology nearly every random pedestrian is bound to have immediate access to. However, this same new world allows scandal, rumors, and deception to spread even faster than ever before,…
San Luis Obispo city officials are preparing to ban foam products in the city
San Luis Obispo leaders are on their way toward banning the sale and use of certain types of polystyrene products in the city. With a specific focus on expanded polystyrene–most commonly associated with products such as the brand-name Styrofoam—a majority of SLO city councilmembers said during a Sept. 2 study session that they’d like to…
The San Luis Obispo tank farm cleanup is almost underway
Through the combined efforts of San Luis Obispo, Chevron, and developers, the city has taken another major step toward one of the largest land development and remediation projects in its history. “This is probably the most complicated project I’ve worked on in 25 years,” said Tim Bochum, deputy director of the city’s Public Works Department.…
Simply put: Diablo is unsafe
Marty Wright (“That wave was needlessly exaggerated,” Aug. 21) is tired of the “what ifs” of those opposed to nuclear power. Here are a few facts that are real facts and have nothing to do with “what if”: • It takes billions of gallons of water and massive amounts of electricity to make the nuclear…
But look at the Koran
This letter was written before the printing of the second half of Dr. Cader’s letter (“Reawaken Muhammed’s words,” Aug. 28). I agree with the doctor that the Muslims should adopt the peaceful teachings found in the Achtiname. However, it seems obvious that the Achtiname is not well known enough, or no prominent Muslim leaders care…
‘Unrequited’ is real and beautiful
Usually, when a reviewer interviews someone about a novel, you can assume he or she will have read the book. Who would have thought, right? Well, I am pretty confident that Jessica Peña did not read Unrequited by Christy Heron before she wrote the recent New Times article, “Bad romance” (Aug. 23). Peña writes, “There…
Outdated technology
Some good news for all who delight in our area’s splendid scenery, and for those who recognize its benefit to our tourism economic base. Intrusion by billboards along Highway 101 was recently reduced between Avila and San Luis Obispo. Although 10 billboards remain in this scenic stretch, this number pales in contrast with 30 along…
