Cover Story
Spring Arts Annual 2023
I know it doesn’t feel like spring yet, especially because it’s still raining here on the Central Coast. But it’s coming, and New Times has a special calendar ready for you to take advantage of all the sunny days ahead. Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood put together a set of listings to highlight all the music,…
March storms deliver almost 9 inches of rain to Cambria
Rain, heavy winds, and mudslides took Cambria by storm after the coastal town got inundated by 8.4 inches of rain between March 9 and 14, according to the SLO County rainfall data. Although parts of Cambria flooded on March 10, when a rain gauge on Main Street measured 4.6 inches of rain, Fire Chief Justin…
Carey Lynch blends improvisation and sustainability in his abstract art
See for yourself Head to BarrelHouse Brewing at 1033 Chorro St., San Luis Obispo, on March 19 from 12 to 3 p.m. and see Lynch’s variety of art on display as part of a featured artist pop-up. For more information on his work, visit careylynchart.com or follow him on Instagram @careylynchart. Los Osos resident Carey…
Great American Melodrama stages new Sherlock Holmes production in Oceano
On Thursday, March 30, the Great American Melodrama will premiere its production of Sherlock Holmes and The Final Problem, which is scheduled to run through Saturday, May 20. According to press materials, the plot of the show follows Holmes as he goes head-to-head with criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty. Holmes and Dr. Watson attempt to thwart…
Anderson Barber Shop hits 100 years, prepares to change locations
Barber Ray Shearer was destined to cut hair. Take it from his last name. The owner of Anderson Barber Shop starting in the 1970s, Shearer has been styling and snipping at the 100-year-old institution in downtown San Luis Obispo since he was a teenager. At 18, he went to barber school in Oakland and found…
SLOFunny Comedy brings multiple comedians to Morro Bay for its March showcase
SLOFunny Comedy hosts its next stand-up showcase event at the Morro Bay Veterans Hall on Friday, March 25, with two performances for attendees to choose from. The early show starts at 6:30 p.m. and is described as “rated light R” with strong language and adult content, while the later “Dirty Show,” scheduled for 9 p.m.,…
65 is shlocky B-movie gold
65 What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Stream it Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10 Writers-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place, Haunt) helm this sci-fi story about an alien English-speaking astronaut who looks exactly like the human being Adam Driver, who…
The Reluctant Traveler
What’s it rated? TV-PG When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus Eugene Levy isn’t the type of guy who seems like he’s interested in spending any time outside of his comfort zone, so what could be more fun than putting him in some of the most beautiful and most uncomfortable places in the world?…
The Big Brunch
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2022 Where’s it showing? HBO Max I know, I know—what new can a cooking competition show really offer? But hear me out. This one focuses on the best meal there is—the one you’ll wait in line for an hour outside the new pop-up eatery to enjoy, the one where Champagne…
South County hit hard by new round of rainstorms
Residents and government officials were on high alert for the round of storms that hit the Central Coast from March 10 through 14, eager to avoid a repeat of damages done by the atmospheric rivers in January. Oceano local Courtney Cain, whose flooded property left her stranded at the beginning of the year, is better…
Christian drag queen Flamy Grant plays The Siren on March 20
Head to YouTube and search Flamy Grant and the song “What Did You Drag Me Into?” Make it play, baby. Make it play! It starts inside a church with sermon about the evils of wokeness: aka “Satan’s whispers.” Suddenly, the church doors bust open and in struts a certain drag queen whose name rhymes with…
Housing Authority acquires Anderson Hotel thanks to state grant, local partnerships
It took a community-wide push and nearly $20 million in state and federal funds, but the Anderson Hotel in downtown San Luis Obispo is set to continue providing affordable housing for the long haul. The Housing Authority of SLO (HASLO) is closing a sale this month to take ownership of the five-story apartment complex on…
Unaddressed danger
“Someone is going to be killed right here,” my husband said, pointing to a pole on the Cal Poly stretch of Highland Drive. Puzzled, I looked at him, but he explained that the superelevation of the curve had been reversed, and therefore drew vehicles toward the pole instead of steering them away from it. Three…
In the wake of a police chase through Hearst Castle grounds, park employees want more security measures
Confusion, fear, and panic engulfed Hearst Castle when a suspect stole a car and led law enforcement on a chase through the state park that ended with the suspect barricading himself in one of the cottages on the hill. Although the suspect, identified as Jarrod Michael Crockrom, was eventually apprehended by officers with the San…
Weaponizing children for political warfare should be out of bounds
The new stunt of staging “family friendly” drag queen reviews and readings for children illustrates the apparent weakening of one of the few remaining points of consensus in the increasingly bitter culture wars: “Kids are off limits.” For example, one small positive point in our political warfare is that, while first ladies have been fair…
Stefono’s Sapori D’ Italia brings sandwiches, hot dogs, pizzas, and more straight from Chicago to Nipomo
Taste Chicago Visit Stefono’s Sapori D’ Italia on 330 W. Tefft St. in Nipomo from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Grab Chicago-style offerings in the store, place advance orders at orderstefonossaporiditalia.com, or call (805) 723-2903. Hungry for Chicago-style food? Head to Nipomo. Yellow flags on Tefft Street let passersby know that authentic…
Prepped and primed
Why does it take emergency situations for the faults in our systems to shine so bright? Whale Rock Reservoir had water flowing out of it for the first time in years, much to the jubilation of most of SLO County—and the chagrin of a select few lucky residents in Cayucos. On March 13, as the…
Advance prep, vigilance helped stave off catastrophic storm impacts, officials say
With soils saturated and waterways still flushing out the rainwater from the March 10 storm on March 14, city of SLO Public Works Director Matt Horn said he had crews working around the clock, across the city, to try to avoid the kind of catastrophic flooding the city saw two months ago. “That’s what we…
Morro Bay floods again with March storms
Fallen trees, portions of a deck, and even refrigerators floated down Morro Creek in the wake of two atmospheric rivers that dumped more than 4 inches near Morro Bay between March 10 and 14. The SLO County Public Works rainfall tracker near Canet Cemetery off Highway 1 outside of Morro Bay recorded almost 2 inches…
Arroyo Grande City Council questions draft safe parking site ordinance
The Arroyo Grande City Council’s study session on an ordinance about a local safe parking program site met with a polite warning against being too hasty. “What is that proposed plan that would come before you?” asked Janna Nichols, executive director of the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, at the March 14 meeting. “I caution between…
