Posted inFood & Drink

Central Coast wine pioneer John Alban is the San Francisco Wine Auction’s 2026 Winemaker of the Year

Taste it yourselfTo connect with Alban Vineyards or learn more about its educational tastings and seminars, visit albanvineyards.com or rakedranch.com. The only way to taste is to attend one of the winery’s Private Tasting Series dates, which are scheduled for April 10 and 17 and May 1, 2027. Check the website for updates. Visit Alban […]

Posted inOpinion

Future local tax measures should put roads first

What if we could fix more roads, bring home more state and federal transportation dollars, and do it without raising the overall tax burden? The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) board and the county Board of Supervisors voted to remove Measure H from the November ballot after consultants concluded it did not have […]

Posted inOpinion

Why are we tipping more?

What happened to the good old days when a restaurant employee who served you promptly and accurately was happy to get a 10 percent tip? I’m not sure those days were any better, but I am sure it is not the fault of the minimum-wage worker in front of you who is offering a tip […]

Posted inOpinion

Slash our addiction to plastic

If you’re not concerned about plastics, you should be. Plastic doesn’t return harmlessly to nature. It breaks into ever smaller microplastics and nanoplastics that now appear in our food, water, air, blood, and even human brain tissue. In one major study, people whose carotid-artery plaque contained plastic particles were more likely to suffer a heart […]

Posted inOpinion

Cal Poly’s research helps ensure a healthy future for California strawberries

When people bring home a carton of California strawberries, they probably aren’t thinking about plant diseases, soil health, or the students spending long days collecting samples in a field.  As a plant pathologist, I do.  Because behind every strawberry is years of research, countless hours of fieldwork, and a shared commitment to finding better ways […]

Posted inOpinion

Vote for change: democratic socialists, progressives, independents, prairie populists

Was Dwight Eisenhower a communist? As a Republican president in 1956, he ran on a platform of expansion of Social Security; federal assistance for construction of hospitals; increased federal aid for medical care of the needy; and the creation of a Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. And an immigration policy that provided a haven […]

Posted inOpinion

Loss of USAID affects higher education programs in California

At a Senate hearing in June, Marco Rubio claimed that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) operated as “an independent State Department,” working contrary to U.S. interests. Despite Rubio’s previously claiming “no kids were dying under [his] watch,” former leading USAID administrator Atul Gawande told The New Yorker that according to recent studies, approximately […]

Posted inNews

Long legacy: Central Coast tribes push to reclaim their ancestors’ remains and belongings

Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series. The first, “Native return,” ran June 25. Whiteboards crowded with titles and case numbers loom behind Jonathan Malindine’s desk at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The museum’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) officer has underlined some in red and circled […]

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