Cover Story
Thrills and chills: Dashed hopes, political fights, and COVID-19
At the end of 2021, it’s hard to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is still here, ever-changing and continuing to test communities, their governing bodies, businesses, schools, and residents. But while it was an ever-present part of the past year, instead of simply struggling to keep up with the pandemic, we were challenged to adjust…
Forget 2021: Let’s move on with a wiggle and a shake
Here we are. It’s the end of 2021, and I, for one, am not interested in glancing over my shoulder at anything behind me. It’s a mess! But I can put on my dancing shoes and maybe a hula skirt to start the year off right in Morro Bay at The Siren for a one-…
This year’s SLO Jewish Film Festival aims to unite people through storytelling
Celebrate diversity In addition to the virtual films, events, and filmmaker Q-and-As that attendees can find at slojff.com from Jan. 9 through 30, the SLO Jewish Film Festival will hold a handful of in-person events in 2022. The Kibbitz Connection will open the festival on Jan. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Temple Ner…
Art Center Morro Bay holds annual For the Birds exhibition
For the Birds, a special group exhibition in conjunction with the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, debuts at Art Center Morro Bay on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. This annual exhibit, which showcases a diverse collection of various media, including painting and photography, is scheduled to remain on display at the gallery through Monday, Feb. 21.…
PCPA to visit schools across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) announced the return of its Education and Outreach Tour, which will kick off on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022. Schools throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties are now able to reserve a slot on the tour, scheduled to run through March 11. This program marks PCPA’s first multi-school tour…
Spider-Man: No Way Home makes second chances cool again
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Bulbul? Full price What’s it worth, Caleb? Full price Where’s it showing? Downtown Center in SLO, Regal Arroyo Grande, Galaxy, Park, Sunset Drive-In Editor’s note: Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood and Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal are filling in while the Starkeys are on vacation. With…
Castlevania
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2017-2021 Where’s it showing? Netflix Castlevania is a poignant work of art, considering its source material is an 8-bit Japanese video game from the 1980s. Set in a Middle Ages-esque eastern Europe ravaged by vampires at the command of none other than Dracula himself, this animated Netflix series is bingeable…
Cowboy Bebop
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 1998 Where’s it showing? Netflix If you were ever planning on giving Netflix’s new live-action iteration of Cowboy Bebop a whirl, why not rewatch or, if it’s your first time, dip your toes into the original anime beforehand? Conveniently, both shows are currently available through the streaming service, which reportedly…
Natural Healing Center sues SLO in bid to win back dispensary permit
As promised, Natural Healing Center sued the city of San Luis Obispo on Dec. 23, alleging that the city overstepped its authority when it terminated the company’s cannabis dispensary permit in October following news that its founder and former CEO, Helios Dayspring, committed felony bribery and tax fraud. According to the company’s complaint filed in…
Dream on wheels: Nipomo Skate Shop rolls toward completion
Former Santa Cruz locals Laura and Jameson Lucero want to build a local skate shop for their Nipomo community, but the last thing they want to do is be like a dancing Kevin Bacon. “Brick-and-mortar skate shops serve as more than places to grab products. They’re organic cultural epicenters for youth and artists,” Laura said.…
Sequel Cold Brew Tea brings new elements to a tried and true sweet drink
Boba up Find Sequel Cold Brew Tea on Thursdays at the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market, and on Saturdays at Benny’s Kitchen, located at 977 Foothill Blvd., unit 109. Check sequeltea.com to learn more about when the next pop-up is. Before he came to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly, Justin Chan was used to…
Creating our legacy
The California Central Coast is a vast region made up of rolling hills, lush Pacific terraces, and rugged coastal canyons, which all dramatically meet the majestic Pacific Ocean. It is a place of amazingdiversity and ecosystems, rich in marine and terrestrialwildlife. The unique geology along the coast creates some of the most beautiful coastal vistas…
Winter COVID-19 surge could still be coming, health officials say
Last year’s holiday season ushered in one of the worst COVID-19 surges we’ve seen to date, with cases peaking for the Central Coast in mid-January 2021. But this year, with the advent of vaccines and the uncertainty of the Omicron variant, it’s unclear what the next big surge will look like. Comparing this year’s COVID-19…
Stores should enforce the mask mandate
I was at a large store in Nipomo on Dec. 24. One man witha long and pointed ZZ Top beard was in line with two young girls, all of them unmasked. Another guy was yelling across the store at his friends, he, too, unmasked. His friends were in another line, drinking from a tall cup…
Coastal Commission fights Pismo Beach over private seawalls
A conflict between the California Coastal Commission and Pismo Beach could mean that having a beachfront property is more trouble than it’s worth for some homeowners. The state agency appealed the Pismo Beach Planning Commission’s approval of coastal development permits that allowed seawalls to be built in front of two separate private residential homes. “The…
Scripps dunes study is biased
UC San Diego’s Scripps Institute of Oceanography claims that “the dune-derived mineral dust [in the plume over the Nipomo Mesa] is … caused by natural forces (i.e., wind) rather than human activities.” Its author publicly stated that ” … it’s hard to justify reducing vehicle usage.” This is the real agenda of the Scripps study:…
Unemployment rate continues to drop, labor force falls short
SLO County’s unemployment rate dipped below 4 percent for the first time since the pandemic started, a milestone for economic recovery. But experts say the labor force may be forever changed by the events of the last nearly two years. According to data released on Dec. 17, SLO County’s unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in…
New Times’ film section needs a makeover
I enjoy reading your movie page, but must complain about the almost too-small-to-read print on the New Flicks and Bingeable sections. Then add thecolored backgroundand it’s nearly illegible, even with a magnifying glass. Actually, the combination of small print and colored background is a common problem on several pages.Please don’t do that anymore! Janice Peters…
Creek bed homicide trial delayed
New and unusual delays plague a homicide case that took place in San Luis Obispo’s Bianchi Open Space. The suspect, Marco Cota Jr., allegedly murdered a homeless man on Nov. 20 after getting into a fight with him. The SLO County District Attorney’s Office accused him of first-degree murder and mutilation and sexual contact with…
To common sense
Editor’s note: Al Fonzi recently relocated to Tennessee, and New Times is looking for a new SLO County-based Rhetoric and Reason contributor who sees things from a moderate to conservative political perspective. Interested? Reach out to the editor at clanham@newtimesslo.com. This may be my last column, or not, so I will summarize my comments over…
Repeat offenders
Is it a badge of honor or an anger-inducing snub to get included in the Shredder? Whatever feeling it instills in the names that make my witty, yet politically astute column (What? Somebody has to sing my praises!) or in the people who read it, certain governing bodies can’t help but make the cut over…
