Cover Story
Weddings 2025: Trendy ways to say I do
This year’s Weddings Issue celebrates the couples who say “I do” to current trends and their own sense of style as they prepare to say “I do” to each other. Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal gets the scoop on what’s old, new, borrowed, and pink in bridal fashion; Staff Writer Libbey Hanson talks with locals who…
Increasing costs push Atascadero to merge its public transit with the SLO Regional Transit Authority
The San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority can hit the road in Atascadero, now that the City Council unanimously approved merging its current public transit system with the Transit Authority. By the end of June, what’s currently a Dial-A-Ride route will be the SLO Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Route 9 through Atascadero, Public Works Analyst…
Grover Beach eyes sewer rate increase after Measure G-24 repealed the last one
With $15 million in needed sewer system upgrades, Grover Beach is inching toward another sewer rate increase despite Measure G-24’s passage, which recalled the city’s 2023 attempt. “Sewer rate revenue alone is insufficient to fund these improvements. Upgrades should be done soon to avoid impacts such as overflows,” Public Works Director Greg Ray told the…
Improv for Good supplies local laughs at workshops and fundraisers
Striking gold in the world of improv is more about being off-the-cuff than thinking on your feet, according to Pismo Beach resident Thia Anlo, who once feared that the reverse was true. “I was really nervous because I thought you’d have to be able to … think really fast and [find] something funny to say.…
Trump’s and Musk’s ends don’t justify the means
A local news reporter asked local GOP chairman Randall Jordan to react to the numerous Presidents’ Day protests held around SLO County. “I can’t understand or even believe that anyone would protest against finding government spending that is out of hand,” he responded. That comment proves what I’ve said for years about the two underpinnings…
So many questions about Nipomo’s new battery storage site
Upgrades better than Moss Landing is not good enough (“Despite enhanced safety features, Nipomo residents are concerned about Caballero battery facility,” Feb. 20). If the Nipomo battery energy storage facility needed upgrades, it was not perfect, and safety is still an issue. Can we do better? Can we even trust that the safety measures and…
How good are we supposed to feel about this national budget?
The House passed President Trump’s budget bill on Feb. 25. At a time when there is an outcry to deal with the national debt, instead of the fiscally responsible choice to raise taxes and lower spending, this bill includes a bloated tax cut that primarily benefits wealthy individuals and is partially paid for by significant…
Protest corporations on Feb. 28 by not spending
Fair or not, corporations make a decision by valuing profit over people. Groceries, housing, transportation, and health care are necessities for people’s survival in modern life. Most people are customers whose incomes do not keep up with rising costs. The corporations’ shareholders do not care about these rough realities, as the lust for profit supersedes…
We need to ferret out Musk’s arbitrary, capricious abuse of power
Two years ago, my 5-year-old grandson was rushed to the hospital, seriously ill. The diagnosis was Type 1 diabetes. For those of you, like me, who don’t know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 affects mainly children and adolescents, when their bodies just stop producing insulin. This means that in…
A fine mess
Hey! Can anybody give Grover Beach $15 million to fix up its sewer system? Anyone? No? Well, damn, because some of its lines are old and at or near capacity, and with future planned development, the lines will be over capacity. Sounds like a potentially shitty situation, amirite? According to Grover’s Public Works Director Greg…
SLO bridal designers notice a trend toward historical fashion
Historical elements are in vogue on wedding aisles and bridal runways. Mareh Couture Bridal owner Mariam Ohanyan observed the trend forming six months ahead of time when she attended New York Bridal Fashion Week in 2024. “A big thing that has been happening is this thing called Basque waist dresses,” Ohanyan said. “So this is…
The Monkey is a blood-splattered black comedy
THE MONKEY What’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10 Writer-director Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) adapts for the big screen Steven King’s 1980 short story about a supernatural murderous mechanical monkey inherited by twin brothers Bill and Hal (Christian Convery, young; Theo…
SLO County couples want more captured candid moments with wedding videography and content creation
Capture this Look into photographer MacKenzie Rana at mackenzieranaphotography.com, photographer and videographer Chris Tack at christackphotography.com, and Content Creator Adriana Wells at bestfriendofthebride.com. Put the video recorder down and hit the dance floor because the fields of wedding videography, photography, and content creation are booming. Hired to capture one of the biggest days of a…
Brix Wine Bar makes a splash in Shell Beach
For après-beach and beauty Brix Wine Bar & Bottle Shop, located next to Fringe by Jasi & Co. hair salon at 753 Shell Beach Road in Pismo Beach, is open Monday and Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m., Friday from 2 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 1 to 9 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 8…
Two local DJs offer song suggestions for your big day
“Here comes the bride, matching her stride, with her glad father who’s bursting with pride. She’s dressed in white, pure, clean, and bright, a lovely picture of all that is right.” So goes the English lyrics to “Here Comes the Bride,” a melody that has traditionally accompanied Western weddings since Victorian England. The tune is…
Apple Cider Vinegar is an infuriating tale of deception
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix I was familiar with Australian wellness guru Belle Gibson. Not because I’m a follower of alternative medicine influencers, but because of the wake of her scandal and the many podcasts that followed. Gibson claims to have survived brain cancer, claims to still be battling the…
Modern couples ditch roses and traditional arrangements, opting for more unique blooms and designs
Find inspiration To take a look at the florists’ past designs for weddings, parties, and more, visit @frugal_and_foraged and @flowercarriage on Instagram. Roses are red. Violets are blue. Florists must keep up with the wedding trends too. Right now, that includes bolder designs that are unique and new, with more natural flower choices shining through.…
Singer-songwriter Graybill backed with a full band plays Club Car Bar on Feb. 28
Award-winning singer-songwriter Graybill has a few messages for you on his new album, The Path Less Traveled. “It’s Alright,” “Don’t Quit,” and “Let That BS Go.” He’s in a decidedly introspective and reflective mood on the album’s 11 tracks, singing songs about learning to accept what is and to stay positive. Graybill—whose first name is…
Fine artist and muralist artist Colleen Gnos shows a collection of tiki-themed paintings in SLO’s The Bunker starting March 7
See the work See Idolatry, a collection of tiki-themed paintings by Colleen Gnos, at SLO’s The Bunker (810 Orcutt Road), with an opening on Friday, March 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. The hula dancers N Mele O Ke Kai-Hlau will perform from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. The Big Wave Sushi food truck will be…
Flow is a gorgeous and poignant animated story about cooperation
What’s it rated? PG When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Max Latvian Gints Zilbalodis (Away) directs this two-time Oscar-nominated animated feature he co-wrote with Matiss Kaza and Ron Dyens about a group of disparate animals trying to survive a flood. There’s no dialogue at all, just incredibly beautiful animation and visual storytelling about animals that would…
SLO County’s crisis stabilization unit closes after under-use
Updating the Mental Health Services Act by approving Proposition 1 last spring spelled closure for one crisis service resource in San Luis Obispo County. The SLO County Behavioral Health Department notified the public through Instagram and Facebook posts on Feb. 22 that the four-bed crisis stabilization unit on SLO’s Johnson Avenue shuttered. While the county’s…
Seattle-based installation artist Julie Alpert’s Strange Magic ends at SLOMA on March 2
Time is running out to see Seattle-based installation artist Julie Alpert’s Strange Magic in the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA, 1010 Broad St.). It’s like walking into a brightly colored, whimsical cartoon world. “As we step into Strange Magic, artist Julie Alpert’s first solo show in California, we know one thing for certain:…
Dignity Health plans SLO County’s first cancer treatment center
Dignity Health’s cancer resources will be under the same roof for the first time in San Luis Obispo County in a new facility on the corner of Tank Farm Road and Broad Street. The new facility will combine existing oncology resources at French Hospital Medical Center, Marian Regional Medical Center, and Pacific Central Coast Health…
Cal Poly’s Kennedy Library is calling for mural applications due March 20
After a long renovation, Cal Poly’s brutalist Robert E. Kennedy Library is scheduled to reopen in the fall of this year, and as part of the renovation, Cal Poly is seeking mural ideas. “The Main Entrance Mural Project seeks proposals from California-based artists to transform a concrete wall into a distinctive mural that will reflect…
