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Year in Review 2024: Contentious elections, public meeting upheaval, fights over development, and more
Don’t be afraid to check out what we’re leaving behind in 2024. It was a little rough, especially with the controversial presidential election full of surprises and a contentious partisan atmosphere that trickled down from the national to local level. Several cities and at least one community services district devolved into divisive politics that impacted…
Our Little Secret is a cookie cutter Christmas rom com
OUR LITTLE SECRET What’s it rated? TV-14What’s it worth, Anna? Stream itWhat’s it worth, Glen? Stream itWhere’s it showing? Netflix Stephen Herek (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Mr. Holland’s Opus) directs Hailey DeDominicis’ script about old flames Avery (Lindsay Lohan) and Logan (Ian Harding) whose relationship ended a decade ago but who coincidentally wind up…
Tracker
What’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Hulu, Paramount Plus Created by Ben H. Winters, this series debuted on CBS earlier this year and is now streaming. It follows the exploits of Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley), a “rewardist” who uses his tracking skills to find missing people and collect the reward. It’s exactly…
Boy Kills World
What’s it rated? R When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Hulu Moritz Mohr, in his feature-length debut, directs this script he co-wrote with Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers about “Boy” (Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti when young, Bill Skarsgård as an adult), whose mother and sister are murdered during “The Culling,” an annual event where Hilda…
SLO County doesn’t give a WHPP
If San Luis Obispo County genuinely cared about the natural habitat of the Arroyo Grande Creek, it would oppose the Wildlife Habitat Protection Plan (WHPP) recently released by State Parks’ Off-Highway Vehicle Division. Vehicle crossings of the creek on Oceano Beach cause significant environmental harm, and the WHPP does nothing to mitigate these ongoing issues.…
Paulding needs to prioritize the environment before it’s too late
Jimmy Paulding is a legacy politician with legacy ideas about the environment. Stuck in the past, oblivious to the world around him. It would be interesting to know the last time he left his desk and took a walk outside to feel an actual breeze on his face or smelled the earth after a rain.…
Biden should shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline
With just one month left before Donald Trump returns to the White House, we are running out of time to lock in protections for our climate and communities. One critical action President Biden can take right now is to permanently shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The pipeline is currently operating illegally, even as…
Hodin paid proper tribute to Collins for sanctuary
The Hodin cartoon in the Dec. 19 issue is extraordinary. The image of Fred Collins posed off Point Conception carries many layers of information. I worked with Fred and dozens of volunteers to get the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary designated. Fred was vital in this effort. He took Karl Kempton’s 1990 idea and moved…
Port San Luis should prioritize a small sailboat hoist launch
Economic growth at Port San Luis can happen with year-round sailboat regattas like the success of Morro Bay’s SLO CAL Open surfing events, which generated $110 million in local tax revenue in 2023, according to a KSBY news report from Dec. 6, 2024. This success stemmed from increased travel spending Installing a safe, ADA-accessible small…
The year that was
What fresh new heck awaits us in 2025? Who knows, but looking back on this past year suggests they’ll be no shortage of cluster f-bombs exploding around the county. Come along, friends. Let’s revisit a few of our county’s kerfuffles. It feels like I’ve been waxing spasmatic about Grover Beach all year long. Back in…
Dignity Health Central Coast tackles opioid addiction through SUN program
California emergency rooms saw more than 21,000 visits related to opioid overdoses within the past year, according to the California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard. On the Central Coast, Dignity Health’s Substance Use Navigator (SUN) program is attempting to combat the issue. At Marian Regional Medical Center, Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, and French Hospital Medical Center, 29…
Local coffee bean roaster Joebella Coffee opens a new shop in Downtown SLO
Grab a cupJoebella’s new location at 311 Higuera St. in SLO is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Snagging a bag of local coffee is easier now that Joebella Coffee Roasters opened a new location in Downtown San Luis Obispo. On Dec. 1,…
Central Coast native cum Nashville songwriter Amalia Fleming returns home for a local show on Dec. 27, at Morro Bay’s The Savory Palette
“Can I tell you a story? Would you want me to? ‘Bout a girl in a humble house with one pair of shoes. It was a hard life made easy, or an easy life made hard. Either way she grew up freely, friends with the dog, and she learned to find the flip side of…
Residents find community through art at Sunrise Terrace Mobile Home Park
The inner child Find out more about Sunrise Terrace by visiting sunriseterracemhp.org. A social connection and a mental stimulus; two things art offers and two things that can help lead to a prolonged, healthy life. This is what Ethel “Tink” Landers found out once she took over as the arts coordinator for fellow residents at…
Gallery at Marina Square showcases nine artists during January
Between three upcoming exhibitions at Morro Bay’s Gallery at Marina Square, the venue will showcase nine different artists as part of its January programming. These exhibits—two solo shows, and one group show—mark the gallery’s first displays of the new year. Each will open on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, and remain on view through Thursday, Jan.…
