On this week’s Issues & Ideas: 50 years ago, during the Woodstock music festival, Central Coast resident Jim Mills was serving in Vietnam. He shares memories of how he and the other troops stationed there stayed connected through music to their lives at home. Also, we have a discussion with local poet and founder of the Poetic Justice Project, Deborah Tobola, about teaching the arts to incarcerated people.

The landscape of vacation rentals in Paso Robles is changing as the city establishes new rules, after a few years of vocal complaints from some homeowners who find themselves surrounded by short-term rentals (STR).

If you’re someone who enjoys museums and aquariums, you may be interested in a new program from San Luis Obispo County public libraries. It offers free and low cost admission to 40 cultural institutions on the Central Coast and in Northern California.

The Santa Ynez Valley community gathered in Solvang this week to discuss traffic issues in the area. Concerns were voiced that various throughways in the area are becoming more congested, and in some cases, unsafe. Santa Barbara County officials have launched a study aimed at improving local roadways.

The bodies of  34 victims have now been recovered, after a Santa Barbara dive boat caught fire early Labor Day morning near Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands. The 75-foot vessel, the 'Conception,' was a commercial diving boat with 39 people aboard. Five crew members survived. The cause of the fire is currently being investigated.  

Music is therapy for the listener but it can be even more profound for the performer. Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Sunny War uses her musical gifts as a lyrical diary and as a window into the depths of her soul for those who find themselves drawn to her uniquely haunting sound. Tune in for a conversation with the Reluctant Therapist, Elizabeth Barrett, and artist Sunny War about life, music and mental health.