Monthly Archives: July 2015

Gareth Kelly

Hiding in Plain Sight

gareth 4By Gareth Kelly

Today I made the decision to come out. Out of the shadows and into the light. I have lived in America for the past 12 years of my life and consider this great nation my home. I live in a fantastic community and have felt blessed by the life I have been able to live in San Luis Obispo, named “Happiest Town in America” on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
However, for approximately the past 6 years I have lived with a secret few knew.  I, along with 11.5 million others, am considered an ‘undocumented immigrant’. Trapped in a quasi paradise of this great land without the ability to leave its borders for fear of not being able to return and every day living with the stress of potentially being picked up and deported. Continue reading Hiding in Plain Sight →

Judy Salamacha

Writer’s Conference a Treat and a Bargain

JudySalamacha300DPIThen & Now
By Judy Salamacha

While traveling to workshops, author and education consultant, Sandra Mittelsteadt, meets people who are impressed that she has published three books. Publishing is their “dream” they tell her. To which she answers, “The only difference between me and you is I wrote the first word.”
Tolosa Press columnist, Teri Bayus, is the newest director for the 31st production of the Central Coast Writers Conference at Cuesta College, set for Sept. 18-20. She advises, “If you are even thinking of picking up a pen to start to write or want to jumpstart your current project, you need to come to the conference.”
Offered through Cuesta College Community Programs, registration and youth scholarship applications can be found at: www.cuesta.edu/communityprograms. Continue reading Writer’s Conference a Treat and a Bargain →

Nightwriters

Nightwriters: Liberation

David BrandinBy David Brandin

My earliest memory of World War II is riding my bike, shouting, “The war is over!” At six-years-old, I wasn’t sure what war meant. And of course, I had no idea how wars began, or ended.
Later, I’d meet many people who’d fought in the conflict. I worked with an American whose B-29 airplane (Bock’s Car) dropped the bomb on Nagasaki and a Japanese who’d served as a Naval Air Cadet. There were other coincidences, some strange, and one that was most extraordinary. It happened in 1985. Continue reading Nightwriters: Liberation →

King Harris, Opinion

Debby Davidson – A Real Pro and A Class Act

king_harris cover bubbleGood to be King
By King Harris

It was May of 1990. At the time, I was the news director and anchor at KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara and I was looking for a co-anchor to replace Paula Lopez, who had left for Hollywood, when the phone rang.
“Hello, this is King,” I said.
“Mr. Harris, this is Deborah Davidson calling from Tuscon. I understand you have an opening for an anchor?”
“We sure do,” I replied. “Send me a tape and resumé and I’ll get back to you.”
“Will do. Thanks, bye.”
It took me less than a minute before I realized who it was that called me. Holy smokes! I had just talked with Debby Davidson, whom I had seen over the years as an anchor at KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles.
Could I acquire a major market TV news personality for small-market KEYT? Continue reading Debby Davidson – A Real Pro and A Class Act →

Community Events

Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market: The Heart of Downtown, The Community and The Week

IMG_1763If you stroll along Higuera Street on any given Thursday night in Downtown San Luis Obispo, you will see it; you will feel it and you can’t help but to fall in love with our Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market.  Whether your heart gravitates to the fresh produce or the old fashioned BBQ or the lively entertainment, it’s all part of the “experience” of the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market.
For some that “experience” can mean something even bigger.  Just ask City of San Luis Obispo Fire Chief Garret Olson.  When he was offered his position with the City three years ago, he and his wife, Susan, were uncertain about moving here.  So before making the decision, they came to visit and stumbled upon our Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market.  He recalls, “Susan and I turned the corner at Morro & Higuera at about 7 PM on Thursday, July 26, 2012. Susan started pumping my hand like she was milking a cow. When our eyes met she said, ‘we need to figure out how to make this work. This is amazing.’ The Market was our tipping point.” Garret and Susan saw their future in San Luis Obispo as they walked down the five blocks of Higuera Street. Continue reading Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market: The Heart of Downtown, The Community and The Week →