Winning Images 2026: The best entries in our annual photography contest
For decades, New Times Media Group has asked local photographers to send their best shots our way as part of the annual Winning Images contest. Covering categories from Animals and Landscape/Seascape to In Motion and People, the images capture the beauty and strangeness across the Central Coast and beyond. This year, our judges sifted through…
San Miguel CSD vote means no fireworks this Fourth of July
Residents of San Miguel will not be able to purchase, possess, or discharge “safe and sane” fireworks within the San Miguel Community Services District (CSD) this Independence Day after the district board failed to approve a resolution establishing fireworks sales and use dates. The issue came before the San Miguel CSD board on May 28…
Candidates prepare to become Pismo Beach’s first new mayor in 10 years
Competition emerged in the race to replace Pismo Beach Mayor Ed Waage, who’s retiring after five terms—a decade—in office. Three months after Pismo Beach City Councilmember Scott Newton announced his intention to run for mayor, local attorney Cynthia Replogle declared her candidacy on May 29. “I wanted to make sure that the voters have a…
CAPSLO to take over operation of Paso Robles Senior Center
The Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO) will take over management and operations of the Paso Robles Senior Center later this summer after the Paso Robles City Council approved an agreement during its June 16 meeting. “We’re super excited about this opportunity,” CAPSLO Community Services Program Director Lawren Ramos told New Times. “Our…
Grover Beach building height initiative makes way to November ballot
Future building heights in Grover Beach will be shaped by local voters in November despite city staff warning the City Council that passing the ballot measure could put the city out of compliance with California housing laws. “If HCD [California Department of Housing and Community Development] is telling our staff, ‘You’re going to be in…
Law slaw
San Miguel might appear to be a sleepy little hamlet tucked between Highway 101 and the Salinas River, but bubbling below its rustic surface is a cauldron of dysfunction, acrimony, and division. Look no further than the town’s Community Services District. Some board members appear to loath one another, they can’t agree on anything, and…
Local communities defend Los Padres National Forest against federal attacks
It’s rare that 95 percent of people support anything, especially when it comes to environmental laws, but the Roadless Rule is a special case. After 600 public meetings and 1.6 million people submitting comments, 95 percent of commenters supported this landmark environmental law to protect areas of our national forests from logging. This public democratic…
Should hikers and bikers share trails in SLO’s greenbelt?
With only a fast-approaching rattling noise from behind to warn me, I leapt off the trail to my right to avoid being struck by the mountain biker sailing by me. He was first in a group of what would be eight young adult riders who would go by in quick succession, none with warning bells.…
The local Democratic Party forgot about what’s important
I’ve lived on the Central Coast since 2005. Long enough to watch housing prices double, then double again. Long enough to watch the San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party mistake loudness for leadership. I am a former Democrat, now a no party preference. I say that without apology and without the breathless qualifier that has…
Estero Bay Art and Craft opens new location in Morro Bay
Shelves of watercolor paints, wool roving, leather journals, fountain pens, and weaving supplies line the walls of Estero Bay Art and Craft’s new Morro Bay home. Around every corner is an invitation to make something—whether that’s a watercolor painting, a hand-bound journal, a felted sculpture, or a woven basket. For owner Hilary Soldati, that’s exactly…
The Wrecking Crew! screens at Bay Theatre for an Infinite Music™ fundraiser
Denny Tedesco (Immediate Family) directs this incredible 2008 music documentary about a group of seasoned Los Angeles session musicians called The Wrecking Crew who worked with a who’s who of the music world and appeared on a stack of famous recordings such as “California Dreamin’,” “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’,” “Be My Baby,” “The…
Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a comedy-drama about a new mom in need of money
Margo’s a college freshman who wants to be a writer. Cue crush on her professor, a totally not cool affair, and an unplanned pregnancy. Her professor, Mark Gable (Michael Angarano), wants nothing to do with her or the baby, and her mom, Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer), isn’t exactly the best role model or mentor. Margo doesn’t…
Disclosure Day is epic summer popcorn movie fun
Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raider of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan) directs his story scripted by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Carlito’s Way, Mission: Impossible) about the moment the public finally see evidence proving we are not alone in the universe. (145 min.) DISCLOSURE DAYWhat’s…
Nine Cal Poly art and design students show work at 750 Higuera
Nine Cal Poly art and design students present This is Not a Couch, a group show at 750 Higuera St., SLO, the former Gaia’s Gallery. But if you want to see it, you better hurry. Its nine-day run closes on Sunday, June 21. The artists call themselves Big Artist Corp. The artists—Maya Benham, Owen Isachsen,…
Alicia Adamerovich’s Conundrums show at SLOMA
In her debut museum solo exhibition, Conundrums, NYC artist Alicia Adamerovich presents paintings, sculptures, and works on paper “that reveal a futuristic natural world” according to the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA), which will display her work through Oct. 20. “Growing up near the forests of Pennsylvania with a carpenter father and biologist…
Live Oak has tons of family activities for Father’s Day weekend
If you’re looking for ways to keep your kids active and entertained this Father’s Day weekend, look no further than the Live Oak Music Festival’s Children’s Area, which is filled with activities for the whole family at El Chorro Regional Park. Join the funThe Live Oak Music Festival runs Friday, June 19, to Sunday, June…
OperaSLO celebrates veterans with a pops concert
In case you weren’t invited to the UFC cage match on the White House lawn, there’s another way to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary. OperaSLO presents America Turns 250: Patriotic Pops and Veterans Tribute at the Clark Center on Sunday, June 28 (3 p.m.; all ages; $40 to $50 at clarkcenter.org with student and…
West Coast schools shined at Allan Hancock College’s annual wine festival
Frank Perez’s favorite memory from his first year studying winemaking was when he and his classmates bottled their 2025 vintage. The April day was a master class. It illustrated how big of a team it takes to make a bottle of wine. Student-poweredVisit the tasting room at Allan Hancock College (Room 211 in Building O)…
