Cover Story
The trash baron of Templeton
The first thing you need to know about Mid State Solid Waste & Recycling is why its magnanimous, Joe-every-guy owner hasn’t been welcomed into the San Luis Obispo Garbagemens’ Association. Scratch that. The first thing you need to know is what the Garbagemens’ Association is. Comprised of seven of the major solid waste haulers and…
Sheriff’s Department nabs another panga boat full of pot
Ocean-faring drug smugglers have been spotted on the Central Coast again, this time resulting in at least 14 arrests. On Sept. 6, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department received an early-morning report that a panga boat, often used for drug and human trafficking, was spotted on the sand near the Piedras Blancas lighthouse.…
Drum roll, please!
Could it be the abundance of local musical talent that makes our little spot on the globe so happy? The New Times Music Awards celebrate the best of what local musicians have to offer—and offer they sure do, with nearly 300 original songs entered in the contest. Three hundred! After many ear-pleasing hours and plenty…
Lots of soup for me
I don’t often use my radioactive journalism powers for evil, selfish ends. I know that objectivity is important, that the truth matters, and that reporters shouldn’t let city council candidates buy them so much as a cup of coffee, even if it’s the high end, freshly ground stuff and you’ve got that 2:30 feeling. No,…
Pushing those bookish boundaries
The book was always something of a divided concept, a creature dwelling with one foot in the physical realm and the other in the world of endless thoughts and possibilities. Is it not strange to pick up a book, to feel it’s solid weight in your hands, and know you’re holding an idea? That ink…
Anatomy of a painting
Be careful of words,” warns poet Anne Sexton, “even the miraculous ones.” Sexton’s imagery-laden poem “Words” was the inspiration behind local painter Lena Rushing’s The Holy Oranges, one of many new works in the Steynberg Gallery exhibit “Brushstrokes 2012,” organized by the SLOMA Painter’s Group. In keeping with this year’s theme, “Painting is the Silent…
Not-so-grand Manner
The people onstage at Cambria’s Pewter Plough Playhouse are doing this thing I’ve heard of, where you pretend to be someone else. I might be wrong, but think it’s called “acting.” Whatever it is, it involves a lot of exaggerated voices, stale pauses, and ill-timed gestures. The four actors in The Grand Manner, written by…
Clubs 9/6
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:00 p.m. 9/7: 5 Cities 5 at 5:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande.…
Whale: the other, other, other white meat
Some mornings you probably wake up and say to yourself, “Let’s go harpoon the shit out of some sea life for fun.” Actually, that probably never happens unless you’re a total sociopath. Normal folks like you and me don’t think such terrible thoughts about our blubbery little coastal friends. They’re cute, sometimes furry, and the…
Talley Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir Edna Valley Stone Corral Vineyard
Grown in a very special site in Edna Valley, these grapes live in a vineyard adjacent to Kynsi Winery, which also makes a vintage Stone Corral Pinot Noir. This beautiful, deeply-hued, complex Pinot Noir is impressive and a must for marking a special occasion. Lovely aromas and flavors of ripe blackberries, plums, cranberries, and black…
Zocker 2011 Gruner Veltliner Paragon Vineyard
This pretty white wine showcases mineral and citrus aromas with green apple notes that make it full-bodied and lush on the palate. Winemaker Christian Roguenant described it as bone dry and having flavors of ripe melon and fruit cocktail—much improved over the canned variety. It is quite intriguing. It’s a good choice for white fish…
Passionate about Pinot Noir
The first time I interviewed Swiss-born winemaker Matthias Gubler at Vina Robles, I’m certain I never imagined that more than a decade later I would visit him at his winery in Maienfeld, Switzerland. Yet after a speedy one-hour train ride from Zurich, my husband Dan and I were climbing into Matthias’ car and headed toward…
Questions for: Danny Saucedo
NEW TIMES How old were you when you first played guitar? SAUCEDO I started taking lessons in sixth grade at the Kirk Community Center in Willow Glen. After that, I took private lessons from the guy who taught that class. Of course, I had played the guitar a few times before I took that class. My…
Be their voice
Reading the Environmental Impact Report for the seismic testing proposed off our beautiful, so-called “protected” coast, I do so with a box of tissues at my side and the tune of “Twelve Days of Christmas” dancing in my mind. Not necessarily because the testing will take place at holiday time, but because the surveys, from…
Liberals, socialists, and other mean-spirited folks
Jesus said it best: “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). Once again, our local Walmart haters show their true colors. These angry malcontents remind me of a stubborn skin rash that refuses to go away. Going against the majority of the good people of Atascadero and their elected representatives, they now bring…
Science is science
A new term is popping up in Tea Party literature: “conservative science.” Science is, of course, neither liberal nor conservative. It is a method aimed at getting the best answer from the facts. There might be disagreement over the answers, but they are not based on being conservative or liberal. Conservative science, however, is merely…
Let’s keep it clean
Now that the filing period for candidates of local elected offices has closed, we’ll begin a very robust campaign season right up until voters go to the polls on Nov. 6. As a candidate to retain my seat on City Council, I’m committed to and encourage my opponents to keep the discussions and debates focused…
Dear Shredder,
I don’t know but believe you commented on the letter from Leela (“Homeless in downtown SLO,” Aug. 23) in Pismo. I like your insights. We need to help the homeless and not fear those that have obvious mental issues. Governments need to be accountable. Society must help! Don’t judge. Learn and educate!
Homelessness is complicated
In response to the letter from Leela Sherbon (“Homeless in downtown SLO,” Aug. 23): The city already has some laws in place, but laws can only do so much. What the situation really calls for is the upper middle class, who feels unduly threatened by people in need, to show empathy. You could cut down…
PG&E is for-profit
This letter is in reference to John Zinkes’ letter in the Aug. 16 issue (“An alternative to Diablo”). I’m not even going to try to verify his findings about all his facts regarding other ways to fuel the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant and to store the spent fuel. If he or anyone else believes…
Your cartoonist got the point
Russ Hodin’s cartoon in the Aug. 23 New Times harpooned it. It seems he got the same impression that I did at the National Science Foundation meeting Aug. 8, a public meeting regarding high-decibel air-gun seismic testing scheduled to commence off our coast. These scientists state there would be short-term, localized changes in behavior—no long-term…
Death by cowardice
I live where you vacation. Wait—scratch that—I live where you used to vacation, before idyllic beaches became graveyards littered with dead seals with fractured eardrums. But before you pack up your belongings and return to Bakersfield in disgust, don’t worry. We did it on purpose. We knew exactly what we were doing. Sort of. Actually,…
A night in their shoes
I reflect on the legality of our options. If we, like the family at Prado, had been denied shelter access and couldn’t afford a motel, where could we go? I recall my phone conversation this morning with an officer at the SLO Police Department. “If somebody’s asleep on the sidewalk downtown,” I asked him, “can…
Cougars and Mustangs
As an editorial intern who loves his job, it is probably in my best interest not to tick off the higher-ups too often. Normally, that’s not too much of a problem, as I like my coworkers and think they are very good at what they do. However, I’m going to go out on a limb…
Ale aspirations
They say Paso is the next Napa. Who’s this “they,” you ask? I don’t know. It’s whoever says things like that. There are grapes and wineries aplenty ’round these parts, which is great—assuming you enjoy drinking wine. I don’t. That isn’t to say I don’t recognize the art of viticulture or the craftsmanship of winemaking.…
Off the rails?
It’s mid-day in sunny San Luis Obispo. You want desperately to be in the stands when the San Francisco Giants sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park tonight—but you have no car. And it’s a Friday, so given traffic and parking, it’s unlikely you’d make the game in time anyway. Once you’re through cursing…
What is the stupidest thing that couples fight about?
Patrick Carroll Retired “Money, with the economy these days you have to watch every penny. ” Sandy Carroll Retired “Not wanting to do the same things: movies, restaurants, that kind of thing.” Karen Harley Retired “Where to hang the wet kitchen towel.” Ken Harley Retired “I’ll ask for directions, but she won’t.”
Rocky road compromise
With a smattering of potholes, odd bumps, and cracks, Tide Street had never been particularly beautiful. Still, it was mostly smooth, and the flat stretch of residential road on the north end of Morro Bay was the only place kids could learn to ride their bikes or skateboards without dive-bombing steep hills in the family-filled…
School bullies no longer safe online
Officials at San Luis Coastal Unified School District can now suspend or expel students who bully their peers, whether the harassment takes place on campus, around town, or online. The school board adopted the new policy after its first reading at their Sept. 4 meeting. The policy gives the school authority to punish any bullying…
Police: Arroyo Grande burn victim was a suicide
Law enforcement officials have announced that a man who seems to have set himself ablaze on Sept. 3 has died from his injuries. According to an Arroyo Grande Police Department press release, police and fire authorities were dispatched at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 to the Swinging Bridge in the city’s Village district following reports…
SLO to hold parking ordinance workshop
Facing a looming deadline to create a new city parking ordinance after a previous law was abandoned in the face of litigation, the city of San Luis Obispo is asking for public input before drafting new regulations. On Sept. 5, city officials announced they’ll hold a public workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday,…
Bureaucratic magic moves millions in Paso Robles
With the reading of a single sentence, the four men sitting on the Paso Robles City Council (Fred Strong was absent) were transformed into a completely different governing body on Sept. 4. They wore the same clothes and bore the same features as their city council alter egos, but Nick Gilman, Ed Steinbeck, John Hammon,…
SLO City council ‘talks’ to tree
After meeting a controversial local pine tree firsthand, then “talking” to it—you know, getting to know it a little—the San Luis Obispo City Council majority decided they just couldn’t see it go to the chipper. On Sept. 4, the council sided with its own city arborist and tree committee over a prominent investment and development…
Sewage spill ‘a series of unfortunate events’?
Arguments over a sewage spill in the South County—a spill that caused raw sewage to back up into people’s homes and reportedly made them sick—will be weighed by water quality officials on Sept. 7. Members of the Regional Water Quality Control Board will consider imposing a $1.4 million fine on the South SLO County Sanitation…
A whale of a protest
Sparked by the amazing display of humpback whales in Avila Beach only a week prior, environmental activists gathered at Port San Luis on Sept. 1 to voice their appreciation of whales and to decry Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to conduct offshore testing that’s bound to adversely affect marine life. The group, Stop the Diablo…
