Cover Stories
Devastation: Residents are grappling with the aftermath of the deluge that battered SLO County Jan. 9 and 10
A historic, powerful winter storm slammed San Luis Obispo County on Jan. 9, causing at least one fatality, widespread flooding and property damage, road closures, and infrastructural damage across the county. The atmospheric river that had the Central Coast at its center arrived overnight on Jan. 9 and rapidly drenched the region with several inches…
Communities across SLO County band together amid evacuations
Lifelong Oceano resident Courtney Cain is water-locked. The historic rainstorm that hit San Luis Obispo County caused Arroyo Grande Creek to rise and subsequently break the levee on the south side. Cain’s house is on a hill with a road that runs down along the creek. “The road is probably under 10 feet of water,…
North SLO County scrambles to warn residents, provide shelter amid deluge
SLO County’s protective instincts roared to life to combat the life-threatening weather. The El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) said they had well-prepared teams catering to homeless community members seeking refuge in emergency shelters in Paso Robles and Atascadero. ECHO President Wendy Lewis told New Times that while there was a lot of widespread communication about…
SLO County residents face mud and flood damage after storms
Tire tracks in the mud on Pecho Valley Road in Los Osos headed left onto Montana Way, where a roll-away container brimmed with ruined furniture, rugs, and other household items. On the next street up—Vista Court—residents and volunteers from the community used shovels and wheelbarrows to move mud out of houses and backyards into a…
Levee systems, dozens of roads and bridges damaged across SLO County
Levee breaches in Arroyo Grande and Los Osos might have been the most significant infrastructural failures of the Jan. 9 storm, but they certainly weren’t the only ones. Dozens of SLO County roads and bridges were also damaged in the drenching, and as of Jan. 11, about 50 roads countywide remained closed. A map of…
All wet
“Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.” You know, like in a month or so. I mean seriously, we’re good for a while. Unfortunately, a nursery rhyme isn’t going to stop the two storms heading toward the already soggy Golden State, and more rain means swollen creeks and rivers, more flooding, and inevitable damage…
Jazz Jubilee returns to the Central Coast Jan. 12-15
Every year around this time, hot jazz advocates the Basin Street Regulars hosts the biggest, best traditional, Dixieland, and New Orleans jazz festival to come to the Central Coast, Jazz Jubilee. Featuring four days of incredible music from a host of performers from all over the U.S. and as far away as Australia, the event…
SLO-based designer redefines smaller living spaces with Rööm
Get your own For more info on getting a Rööm for your property, visit hutdesignbuild.com. Timon Phillips aims to potentially change the future of housing with Rööm, a 9-by-9-foot modern, stand-alone dwelling designed as a portable modular kit that can be expanded over time. The residential designer describes Rööm as an escape from his former…
Volunteers 2023
For our annual Volunteers issue, Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey visits with volunteers and dogs at Meade Canine Rescue & Sanctuary in Creston, and Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal learns about the volunteer needs of a local donkey sanctuary.
From redistricting to water policy, new SLO County Supervisor Jimmy Paulding shares his priorities
Jimmy Paulding used a political cliché on his first day in office as 4th District county supervisor—”I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work”—but the 36-year-old buzzed with genuine excitement as he spoke one-on-one with New Times about his year ahead. Paulding’s victory in last year’s election helped overturn the conservative…
Brown Butter Cookie Company celebrates 15 years with expansion, new flavors, and club options
Sample the selection Visit brownbuttercookies.com for product information, online purchases, retail locations—in Cayucos, Paso, and SLO—hours, and club subscriptions. Follow the business on Instagram and Facebook @brownbuttercookiecompany. They’re crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth, guilty pleasures shipped nationwide but available fresh right here on the Central Coast, and customers can’t seem to get enough. Founded in 2008 by sisters…
The volunteers of Meade Canine Rescue & Sanctuary chip away at an insurmountable problem
Giving old dogs new lives Meade Canine Rescue & Sanctuary provides medical care, nutrition, exercise, shelter, and (hopefully) new homes for special-needs and senior dogs at its facility near Creston. Operated by Charlotte Meade and a team of volunteers, the organization has recently rescued three litters of puppies. For adoptions and/or donations, contact Meade at…
Rancho Burro Donkey Sanctuary in Arroyo Grande seeks helping hands for donkey care
Equine inquiry Apply to be a volunteer at the Rancho Burro Donkey Sanctuary by visiting ranchoburrodonkeysanctuary.org/volunteer or call (805) 570-6815. In a county where horses rule ranches, longtime Arroyo Grande residents Carlen and Jim Eckford have dedicated their lives to the welfare of donkeys. Starting with two pet donkeys in the early 2000s, the couple…
The Whale is a story of regret and atonement
THE WHALE What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Mother!) directs playwright Samuel D. Hunter’s screenplay about morbidly obese Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a reclusive online college English teacher who desperately…
Pablo Acosta and Sadie Curdts are handcrafting new connections through Conozco Crafts
Get in the Know Check out all that Conozco Crafts has to offer on Instagram @conozco.crafts. For more information on Make Shift Muse events, visit their Instagram @themakeshiftmuse to see what events are scheduled for 2023 and how you can become involved with the art community in San Luis Obispo. As sun rays bounce off…
Central Coast Film Society screens Jake Burton documentary, hosts filmmaker Q-and-A
On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Central Coast Film Society is partnering with Red Bull Media House to host a screening of the HBO documentary, Dear Rider, at the Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo. The screening starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a Q-and-A with some of the filmmakers behind the documentary,…
Willow
What’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Disney Plus OK, ’80s kids—we have reason to rejoice! I fell in love with the movie Willow as a kid, and now there’s a series out to continue the magic. Warwick Davis is back as the titular character, and baby Elora Danan (Ellie Bamber) is now…
For the Birds exhibition highlights glass artist George Jercich
Art Center Morro Bay presents its annual group exhibition, For the Birds, which is scheduled to premiere on Thursday, Jan. 19, and remain on display through Monday, Feb. 20. The showcase includes a wide variety of bird-themed paintings, photographs, pottery, and other media. This year’s special featured artist during the exhibit’s run is glass artist…
Three Pines
What’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Created by Emilia di Girolamo based on the Inspector Gamache mystery novel series by Louise Penny, this Canadian TV show follows Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (Alfred Molina) and his colleagues Sgt. Jean-Guy Beauvoir (Rossif Sutherland), Sgt. Isabelle Lacoste (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), and rookie cop Yvette…
Location, location
As an artist, teacher, former gallery director, and arts administrator in SLO County, I’ve been following the trajectory of public art in SLO County for a long time. Ten or so years ago, ARTS Obispo had a lively public art committee led by Ann Ream, a smart, vibrant woman who dedicated herself to establishing a…
Our government is crumbling to insurrectionists
Two years ago, insurrectionists invaded the Capitol to overthrow the government. Hours later, a majority of one party in the House of Representatives voted in concert with them to overturn the recent election and invited more to join them, as they have. Now, an anarchy/chaos faction in that party is turning its destructive impulse inward…
Wind and solar can’t give us the energy we need
No wind, no solar, no power. Can’t argue with that. What about backup batteries ? Here’s what: When in use, the batteries only last four hours. Then what? The batteries need to be recharged. Can you imagine how many batteries it might take to fill the gap left by the the loss of wind and…
Biden’s not a political ‘Humpty Dumpty’
Just as Republican Kevin McCarthy was losing yet another vote for speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were doing a victory lap in Kentucky touting a new bridge across the Ohio River that was made possible by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The…
The spell cast by opinions
I’ve been an environmental activist for a while, which means I’ve had occasion to be interviewed a time or two. I’ve also read a lot of environmental reporting. And I’ve seen All the President’s Men, as did just about everyone in my generation who went on to major in journalism and become a reporter. I…
