Avila Beach

At Port San Luis in Avila Beach, fishermen and women are now able to sell their fresh catch directly off the pier in a new "Fishermen's Market" pilot program.

Despite the pandemic, tourists are flocking to Central Coast beaches to escape the hot inland weather. But the increase of people is also leading to an increase in trash left behind throughout the coastal communities.

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Christine Johnson, executive director of the Central Coast Aquarium, to learn more about the future of that facility, as well as plans for a new incarnation of the Morro Bay Aquarium.

A San Luis Obispo city employee convicted of brutally knocking out a woman and repeatedly punching her companion in a bar will be allowed to serve his 60-day-sentence in a 'pay-to-stay' jail in Orange County. A San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge Thursday granted Christopher Olcott a request to stay in an upgraded city-run jail. Olcott previously made a plea deal that resulted in felony charges being reduced to  misdemeanor battery with great bodily injury.

Traipsing through an orchard of overburdened fruit trees, Father Ian sees the apricots in See Canyon are ripe for the pickin’. What are the ingredients needed to produce the best crop ever? What is a new way to use apricots? Find out on the latest edition of “Playing With Food."

KCBX News' Central Coast Curious is an ongoing series for which we invite listeners to ask questions and the newsroom reports back with answers. Since we launched the series last year, we've received several questions asking, "when will the Avila Pier reopen?" The pier is currently now open about a third of the way, but it's uncertain when the entire pier will be accessible to visitors. 

Chevron is moving forward with plans to clean up a piece of prime real estate that overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Avila Beach. 

As many as 1,500 homes could be built at Wild Cherry Canyon near Avila Beach if a new, controversial proposal gets approval. Avila Beach residents and supporters of the Wild Cherry Canyon conservation effort are upset over the potential housing development that could triple the size of the small beach town's population.

Kara Woodruff spearheaded the Wild Cherry Canyon protection effort and says she has concerns about issues surrounding water availability, sensitive habitat, and traffic.

When you first step on to the Cal Poly Research Pier in Avila Beach, you can barely see the university's facility a half-mile away.

“It is unique, I don’t think that there’s another structure like it along the entire west coast of the United States," said Dean Wendt, Director of the Cal Poly Center for Coastal Marine Sciences. "Things that people need to do on a ship sometimes can be done right from the end of our pier, last year about 1200 students took coursework out at the pier.”

This week's topics:

• Proposed camping facilities for Port San Luis and Avila Beach
• Montecito's Miramar hotel in line for an upgrade
• Amazon SLO continues to expand 

This summer, KCBX News is interviewing the people who run farmers markets throughout the Central Coast to learn what challenges and issues they're facing, including the ongoing drought.

We are also interested in new state laws that effect direct marketing events, like farmers markets.

Finally, it gives us all a chance to learn what's fresh and in season at the various markets from Soledad to Carpinteria.

Plan are in the works to give the Morro Bay Aquarium a whole new look as the current owners do not plan to renew their lease, which expires in four years.

About six months ago, the City of Morro Bay put out a “request for proposal” or RFP to anyone interested in taking over the aquarium's lease site and redeveloping it as a marine education center. So far, only one party has expressed interest.