Cover Story
Come on baby, light my fiber
When Google announced in February 2010 that it was launching a competitive experiment to bring ultra high-speed broadband networks to a small number of trial locations throughout the United States via fiber-optic lines, its intention wasn’t to break into the service-provider business. The Internet-search giant was attempting to promote awareness of high-speed fiber, test new…
I’m very conflicted
I hope you all survived Labor Day. I didn’t. I’m dead right now. Or were we celebrating Memorial Day? I always get the two days confused. Does this one mean I can’t wear white anymore? If not, it’s going to seriously curb my ghost wardrobe options. Or maybe I’m still alive, in which case it…
What would you do if you won $133 million?
Amy Matakvich bartender “I would make sure all my friends and family were set and then take everyone on a trip. I would keep my same job, though.” Susan Piel retired “I’d like to think I’d share it with the people I care about.” Jesse Norris businessman “I would pay off my debts and go…
Hot, hot, hot!
Known as “the Latin Beatles of the 21st century,” Los Pinguos has a catchy, enthusiastic style that appeals to much more than a Spanish-speaking audience. These acclaimed musicians from Buenos Aires, Argentina, take their name from a slang word for penguins, but there’s nothing cold about their sound. It’s a festive Latin smorgasbord of salsa,…
Clubs
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music on the patio at 5:30pm. 9/10: Dr. Danger. CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. ELMO’S…
The house of next Tuesday
Imagine a house that’s impervious to termites and mold; that requires virtually no power to light and heat; that’s weatherproof, soundproof, and fire resistant; and that costs about the same as a traditional wood construct. Then ask architect Laura Joines and contractor Duane Heil to start building it today. Joines is a professor of architecture…
Bid battles
What do Los Osos, Morro Bay, and Cayucos have in common? Is it the bucolic views of the Pacific? Nope. How about foggy nights? Not even close. For those who guessed Montgomery Watson Harza—or MWH, a household name for anyone familiar with local sewer projects—you get a gold star. Under the current estimate, a joint…
Foster care legislation awaits governor’s signature
Despite two years of back and forth and several last-minute amendments, a bill to extend benefits for former foster youths passed through the California Assembly and the Senate and now sits on the governor’s desk. The response to Assembly Bill 12 was largely bipartisan in both houses, passing through the Assembly 73-2 and the Senate…
New Frontiers expands its horizons
After years of searching for a larger location, San Luis Obispo’s New Frontiers is moving and expanding. Currently located on East Foothill Boulevard, the natural foods and products store takes up less than 15,000 square feet. Moving into Circuit City’s old location at 1531 Froom Ranch Way, the shop will expand into 32,800 square feet.…
SLO council loans $2.4 million to developer
Developer Hamish Marshall walked out of the Sept. 7 San Luis Obispo City Council meeting with a little something special: $2.4 million of city funds to help build his Garden Street Terraces, a retail-residential development. The SLO City Council voted unanimously to loan Marshall’s development company, Garden Street SLO Partners, L.P., $2.4 million in return…
Conoco-Phillips agrees to clean up Nipomo oil spill
More than seven years after a spill was first discovered, oil giant Conoco-Phillips has agreed to excavate and clean up the 300-foot oil spill from the Nipomo Creek Pipeline near the Dana Adobe. The spill was discovered in the subsurface of the creek in May 2003, the result of a leak in a crude oil…
SLO will spend $440,000 on a single public bathroom
The city of San Luis Obispo is going to spend $440,000 to replace a single bathroom in Santa Rosa Park. The City Council voted unanimously and with no discussion to swap out a bathroom that doesn’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and install a new one. The cost of construction is $285,000. The…
County supervisors pass on grass
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to oppose the upcoming proposition that would legalize marijuana for recreational use in the state. At their Sept. 7 meeting, supervisors said Proposition 19, formally titled the Regulation, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, was badly written and in violation of federal law. By…
Blakeslee votes against Republican budget
During the frantic last days of the 2010 legislative session, State Senator Sam Blakeslee did something unusual for a freshman Republican: He voted against his party’s spending plan. To be fair, he also voted against the Democratic budget proposal. Blakeslee sent this explanation in an e-mail statement to New Times: “Neither of today’s budget proposals…
Los Osos gets $87 million
Congresswoman Lois Capps and California senator Sam Blakeslee fumbled to arrange pieces of a large foam puzzle. When they and a handful of other San Luis Obispo County representatives eventually figured out which piece was supposed to go where, it all came together and spelled out “Partners Investing in San Luis Obispo County Infrastructure.” A…
Expand your vocabulary
The Oxford English Dictionary recently released a new edition, with an estimated 2,000 new words. Many of the additions reflect the influence of new technologies and social networking sites. Among the new words are: • Tweetup: A combination of “tweet” and “meet up,” the term refers to meetings arranged via Twitter. • De-friend:…
Taylor made
It’s Friday, Sept. 3, and I’m walking into Frameworks for Tracy Taylor’s art reception. I immediately spy Chad Brooks of Brooks Woodcraft. How could I miss him? He’s, like, seven feet tall with a noble bald head and a lopsided grin. “What are you doing here?” I ask. “Tracy made me come,” says he. “She…
Shakespeare playing a banjo while dancing with a violin?
In June, Cal Poly Arts announced its 2010/2011 season, chock full of all manner of artists and entertainers. These tickets are now on sale through the Performing Arts Ticket Office: 756-2787. The office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. For a complete…
When life hands you clams …
If you’ve been looking for a copy of Luther Whiteman’s Central Coast classic The Face of the Clam, you should know you could expect to shell out at least $148. The book, originally published by Random House in 1947, enjoyed a second printing after its initial release: an edition printed by the military during the…
Randy Dettmer, I Madonnari public relations
NEW TIMES: How did I Madonnari get its start in San Luis Obispo? DETTMER: The first I Madonnari that took place was in 1992; however, the I Madonnari didn’t get its start on the West Coast until it spread its popularity from Santa Barbara. The first I Madonnari took place in Santa Barbara in 1987,…
Keep the left lanes on freeways for passing only
It’s not unusual to see drivers speed onto the freeway, then immediately steer to the outermost left lane and remain there, refusing to relinquish it when a faster car closes, even though no one occupies the lane to the right. No one in power seems to care about this dangerous behavior. If you could do…
Pass the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act
Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and their colleagues in the U.S. Senate should take immediate action to pass the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act (S. 3663) when they return to Washington, D.C., this month. This critical legislation will address much-needed drilling reforms and safeguard our wildlife and wild places. The act would…
This is how Republicans take responsibility
Remember: Trickle Down Economy? Shock and Awe? Mission Accomplished? Drill, Baby, Drill? Too Big to Fail? No Regulations? Iraq War? Iraq War priority over the Afghan War? If you don’t remember, I would like to remind you. They were courtesy of the Republican Party and the George W. Bush Administration. Americans are fearful of the…
Sorry Glenn Beck, we can’t go back
Glenn Beck and other reactionaries claim they want to turn the clock back. But only on certain issues. It is an impossible dream. The only way we could turn the clock back to the times these dreamers think were so great would be to turn everything backward. You can’t just take one element of change…
Americans are stressed, but shouldn’t turn to marijuana
I keep seeing all these passionate letters about legalizing marijuana. People are saying that people just don’t understand how marijuana has helped their pain management. The truth is that there are a lot of drugs out there that help people escape pain and stress. Alcohol is one among many others. Just like alcohol, marijuana has…
The time is now to clean up our human mess
We all know it is way past time to right the wrongs we have done to the rest of the species and the planet itself. Still we dither, shuffle our feet, and refuse to move into the proper role of stewards of all around us, rather than destroyers. There is no better time than now…
Raw power doesn’t mix well with raw, organic vegetables
The Cal Poly Crop Science Department’s decision to kill the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program may have been cruel and ill advised, but it did provide an effective display of raw power (“Harvest of disappointment,” Aug. 25). Its execution with blitzkrieg haste at a time of year when the university is deserted was well timed…
Don’t forget this tennis court!
I picked up a New Times recently and read the commentary on our local tennis courts (“Swing those racquets,” Sept. 2). I wanted to write because you missed one! The Jewish Community Center of SLO has one of two clay tennis courts on its grounds. Admittedly, it hasn’t been used much or publicized much, but…
Now I’m willing to pay more for fruit
I’d like to thank you for the beautiful piece you printed about Domingo Atilano (“Portrait of a picker,” Sept. 2). The photos were stunning, and the content enlightening. Most of us take for granted the work that goes into the food we eat, especially when it comes to what we’re willing to pay for it.…
Knitter’s paradise
Nordic Mart’s store manager Felicia Gurley is a hardcore knitter. To dispel any doubt, she had the words “knit” and “purl” tattooed behind her ears. These two fundamental stitches are the yin and yang of knitting: Purl is a backward knit stitch and vice versa. Whether you’re a yarn aficionado or knitting virgin, Nordic Mart…
Savor the Central Coast with Sunset
Sunset magazine has discovered the bounty of the Central Coast, and it is enamored. So much so, in fact, that magazine staffers will be host to a four-day extravaganza—Sept. 30 through Oct. 3—called Savor the Central Coast. Held at various venues, the event was designed to promote our artisan food producers, farmers, chefs, and winemakers.…
Babcock 2008 Merlot “Under the Radar” Santa Barbara County
I thoroughly enjoyed this tasty Merlot, which has 2 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s grown at Estelle Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley, which winemaker Brian Babcock said is their source for premium Bordeaux varieties. While it didn’t make the cut for his reserve wines, it’s a very good value for the quality. Deeply colored and fruit…
Ancient Peaks 2007 Oyster Ridge
A Bordeaux-style blend of 46 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 percent Petite Sirah, 15 percent Merlot, and 15 percent Petit Verdot, this wine expresses the essence of Margarita Vineyard. I’ve seen the white oyster fossils that erupt through the soils, and it’s impressive. Winemaker Mike Sinor said he fermented and aged each variety separately in French…
