The Tribune from San Luis Obispo, California • 26

C-6 Saturday September 2 1995 San Luis Obispo County Tetegam-Tribune Factory service hiring drops unemployment interest rates down The yield on 30-year bond fell to 661 percent from 665 percent Analysts said the mix of positive and negative data means the Federal' Reserve still has leeway to cut interest rates but will probably wait until later in the year After doubling the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans over a one-year span the central bank lowered the rate in July for the first time in nearly three years I think going to sit on! their hands and said economist Sung Won Sohn of Norwest Coni in Minneapolis i- Last month's unemployment rate was down from a seasonally adjusted 57 percent in July Indeed despite a second-quarter slump that slowed overall economic growth to an anemic 11 percent the jobless rate has shown little change since the start of the year fluctuating between 54 percent and 58 percent In August non-farm businesses added 249000 jobs to their payrolls nearly 100000 more than economists had predicted That followed scant growth of 6000 (revised from 550001 in July is good news for Labor said Labor Secretary Robert Reicif: "It's certainly not the extraordinary job growth of 1994 but it is solid job: Service industries in August were responsible for 144000 new jobs more than half the total growth Particular strength was registered in business supply services computer services and mortgage banking which is enjoying an employment spurt caused by lower interest rates Jobs increased by 12000 at factq-j ries after an 88000 drop the month before and smaller declines in April May and June WASHINGTON (AP) Just in time far Labor Day the nation's jobless rate dipped to 56 percent in August with factories reporting a modest employment rebound and many service industries showing sizable job gains However the chief forecasting gauge and a privately compiled economic index both 1 indicating bumps in the road to healthy growth A third government report showed construction up 2 percent in July the best increase in two years Taken together according to analysts Friday's reports portray an economy shaking off the sluggishness of the April-June quarter and returning to a solid albeit unspectacular rate of growth for the rest or the year economy looks like it's operating at just the right said economist Mark Zandi of Regional Financial Associates in West Chester Pa not too hot which would result in inflationary pressures developing and its not too cold which would result in rising Stock and bond markets faltered a bit after the Labor Department issued the unemployment report taking it as a sign the Federal Reserve will be less likely to stimulate the economy by cutting interest rates at its Sept 26 meeting However markets recovered after the National Association of Purchasing Management said its manufacturing index fell to 469 in August from 505 in July Also the Commerce Department said its Index of Leading Indicators declined 02 percent in July the fifth drop in six months and a reversal of an identical June in- The Dow Jones average of 30 industrial stocks closed at 464754 up 3698 Bond prices also rose pushing Jim WabsrTelegram-Tribune MUSIC BETWEEN THE RIBS: Bob Brittain right and his son Eric practice at Last Stage West this week The elder Brittain says The family will get up and play between serving ribs' Highway 41 restaurant now home to ribs music ribs and more ribs BUSINESS UPDATE between serving ribs" During the week music is played throughout the day and evening and the restaurant doses at 8 pm On Friday Saturday and Sunday dinner will be served until 8 every night and the music will flow from 8-10 pm "There's a large segment of the population that truly enjoys a nonrock roll said Carmon Brittain want to offer an Other musicians of all levels are welcome anytime to come sit in on the jam sessions she added Already Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons are popular sessions There are very few forums for acoustic music Eric Brittain noted The music and atmosphere will be family oriented promised Eric His own 7-year-old daughter Tasha helps out on the drums sometimes Dancing is encouraged if you can find an empty comer The restaurant is also open for poets or stand-up comedians who want to showcase their work The Brittains who have done catering work for years will also make die restaurant available for private parties of more than 20 Last Stage West will also have a Did Rick make a difference? Well sort of When longtime KSBY-TV anchor Rick Martel was hired at KCOY-TV he said he doubted he would have a hup impact on either rat-ings Looks like he was right At first the silver-haired baritone seemed to give a real boost to the station's 11 pm newscast as there was a tremendous improvement in the Nielsen ratinp for May At 6 pm it wasn't quite so marked but still promising The July ratinp showed continued strength at 11 pm while powerhouse KSBY slipped a little The stations finished in a tie each with an 18 percent share of die audience "It's a win for us" declared KCOY news director John Pilios a position we been in as far as I can Pilios who has been at KCOY for 10 years credited Martel with the difference why we hired he said no doubt in my On the other hand it wasn't as if KCOY improved It had the same 18 percent share it had in May KSBY simply dropped from a 25 percent share to an 18 percent share Incidentally KEYT the third station in the market pick up the difference Its ratinp stayed flat at 14 percent The difference is that fewer people watch news in the summer In fact fewer people in general watch television during the summer whether because of repeat shows vacations conflicting activities or my own personal favorite: People somehow pin intelligence Anyway KCOY did not enjoy the same results at 6 pm After dipping a bit in May KSBY stepped back up to the plate and hogged almost as many viewers as the other two stations combined The San Luis Obispo station took a 23 share compared to just 13 for KEYT and 12 for KCOY The numbers are almost the same as they were one year ago "We just kept our consistent said Sandra McKeller KSBY news director "I want to take anything away from Rick he's doing a fine job over she said the numbers show that from year to year there a big Both Pilios and McKeller have complicated explanations far all the numbers which sure have a lot of merit But both blame unstable summer viewing patterns for any number that doesn't go their way They also agreed that having a hit show to the newscast makes a big difference Judging from their comments about and both of which I must confess I've never actually seen it appears that this year a newscast will attract more viewers if it's preceded by a near-death experience Did you happen to catch this week's rankinp by Money Magazine of the top college values in the country? I may be biased being a Cal Poly alumnus but I just assumed the university would make the top 100 The only campus in the Cal State system that did was Humboldt which placed 82nd The California Institute of Technology came in 5th and UC Berkeley finished 45th difficult to tell why Cal Poly did not fare better because the magazine used 16 variables but did not provide a breakdown far each of the nation's 1049 four-year schools But having fewer than half its students 47 percent to be exact graduate within six frill years certainly have helped On the bright side the university did get a 1 for student academic level on a scale of 1 to 5 Poly's rating was also hurt by a relatively high student-to-faculty ratio of 20:1 But looking at the statistics made me suspicious as I've become of most such ratings Before coming to California I attended a well-regarded university on the East Coast Many classes were huge with lecture halls filled with hundreds of students It was a refreshing change to come to Cal Poly and actually get to know some of my professors Anyway that East Coast university got a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1 Hmmm My address at the Telegram-Tribune is PO Box 112 San Luis Obispo 93406 Phone: 761-7906 Fax: 781-790S e-maik telrtribslonetorg By Maggie Whits Telegram-Tribune HIGHWAY 41 Bring your appetite to Last Stage West but bother to bring earplugs The restaurant which features live acoustic bluegrass blues and jazz the whim of the promises great barbecued ribs and music you have to shout over to be heard Last Stage West is the newest venture to open up along Highway 41 between Atascadero and Morro Bay at the old Halfway Station building Richie's Market and Grill closed there in February after the Highway 41 Fire and winter flooding took their toll on the business But Last Stage West's owners Bob and Cannon Brittain along with their grown son Eric feel filling a niche in the county that will ensure heir business is successful "We're a speciality house music and said Eric Brittain "We're the only rib house with acoustic entertainment" Last Stage official grand opening was Friday They've been open since last week The restaurant has a simple menu ribs ribs and things that can be made with ribs ribs joked Carmon Brittain Actually Last Stage West serves barbecue beef and pork ribs shredded barbecue pork sandwiches and a Sunday champagne brunch with pork chops ham or sausage country fries eggs biscuits and sausage gravy The ribs and other meats are smoked on an oak smoker the Brittains had specially made The racks of ribs are marinated 4-6 hours before smoked The ribs are served with Bob secret recipe Texas-Louisiana barbecue sauce made with fresh peaches in place of sugar for sweetness His unofficial motto is the South in your Brittain said he doesn't have much respect for the "ketchup and cayenne barbecue sauces many restaurants serve The ribs and pork sandwich come with unique and spicy potato salad and chunky coleslaw both made without mayonnaise or eggs Everything Last Stage West serves is homemade said Carmon Brittain nothing comes from cans In addition to serving up old-fashioned breakfasts lunches and dinners the Brittains will dish out healthy portions of live music The family has been professional musicians far more than 25 years All three play five or six instruments including the fiddle mandolin guitar banjo piano and string bass They have five albums to their credit including a self-titled compact disc from last year But Carmon Brittain admits that the band has had 15 names in 25 years The family plays a little bit of everything but mostly bluegrass blues jazz and string music They play songs with titles like "Salty and Jambalaya" no microphones or electric instruments so everything is low-key no big act" said Eric Brittain trying to keep it The menus note that the music is free upon the whim of the owners and if there's at least a couple of diners you can bet the Brittains will pick up their instruments will be a little music every night" said Bob Brittain family will get up and play A 1994 and the gallery has recently beeV contacted by Martin Lawrence Galleri ies specialists in fine art limited-editions worldwide As a result of its success Vah Gogh's Ear is now able to offer a lease-! purchase or rotating rental plan on its original art and sculpture to approved professional businesses and corporate clientele Contact Jan Petersen erdirector at 9930934 for more infor-i mation Zi BBS -5 SAN LUIS OBISPO The Cellular-Source a locally owned and operated1 retail sales agent for -GTE Mobilnet' has opened a brand-new distribution-center for GTE Mobilnet at 76(f HigueraSt Margo Bourget will run the new store which is open seven days a week The Grand Opening Celebration is Sept 7-9 BBS LOMPOC Vandenberg Federal Credit Union recently qualified td insure member savings accounts up to $350000 The coverage Is provided through a combination of $100000 61 federal insurance from the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund-and an additional $250000 of private-insurance with American Share In- surance (ASI) the nation's largest private share deposit insurer ARROYO GRANDE The law firm of Haynes Wilkison Stone celebrated 25 years of legal services in August with a luncheon attended by employees and guests The law office opened in August 1970 by Donald Haynes a certified workers' compensation specialist has offices in Arroyo Grande and Santa Maria Ml SAN LUIS OBISPO Educational Diagnostics and Tutoring which has moved to a larger office at 1428 Philips Suite B-l in San Luis Obispo will hold workshops from September through November At noon on Saturday Sept 16 there will be a free workshop on note and test taking at the San Luis Obispo County Library call 544-1070 On Saturday Oct 14 a Learning Disabilities Conference will be held at Cuesta College call 5433952 At noon on Saturday Oct 28 there will be a free workshop on Skills for the Learning at the San Luis Obispo County Library call 544-1070 At noon on Saturday Nov 18 there will be another free workshop on note and test taking at the San Luis Obispo County Library call 544-1070 SB CAYUCOS Van fiscal sales for 1995 have far exceeded small general store in the front room with basic groceries and videos for rent The restaurant is open every day but Monday Most recently the Brittains owned and operated a summer charter fishing boat business at Friday Harbor Wash lived the past four winters in Cayucos Call' 461-1393 for information on Last Stage West Invest Tax-Free: San Luis Obispo Housing Authority FNMA Guaranteed Standard AAA 58 due 8-1-2018 8966 each atfUacpifr Acordia Lloyd Facciani Insurance Services 6004 Tax-Free We own and offer die above taa-eaenpt municipal aecuritiea aa available aubject to Aange Guaranteed by die Federal National Mortgage Aaeodation aa to timely payment of interest and principal not resale value: Current yield Yield to maturity equala Yield to call equals Fne from current federal and atate income taxes Offered in book-entry form only Callable 8-1-2003 11000 one of the largest independent insurance marketing firms in Central California and now merged our operations with Acordia Lloyd Insurance Services one of the largest full service insurance brokerage firms SupbtePMegm in the San Francisco Bay Area and a of association ana amnity group insurance programs throughout California Acordua Lloyd is a subsidiary of Acordia Inc the 7th largest insurance broker in the world Although are still the same group of dedicated insurance professionals committed to helping clients manage risk by providing group health and life products and services to businesses and individuals FUNDS BONDS BOC-244-41B3 Bantu Mania caufoohia VMM Lmk OSitft Hmamg Autbtrity i Phone STOCKS MUTUAL (805) 922-6901 won Baum naowMfr Bum XXJ CEpiad mail far moni Ynau i tnftrmmtmm afar tit fax Mttffmh mitm mtittimfmi Jrmmm Name Address ordia "All The Best" OFFICE FURNITURE NEW USED 7000 sq ft of USED DESKS v- CHAIRS FILE CABINETS ALL SIZES ALL PRICES FAX 543-0365 543-2596 or 1-800-675-7767 3285 HJguera SLO mIf 10:30 fiA Acordia Lloyd Facciani Insurance Services One of the Acordia Companies Centred California Office 7045 Fruit Avenue Fresno CA 93711 (209) 431-6400 1-800-750-0815 TURN unwanted items into quick cash with help from Classified -fr-.