Happy Birthday Tom!

We had about 200 people turn out for this week's KVEC Open House/Birthday Party for Tom. The joint was really hopping and it was wonderful to see such a great mix of old friends and new faces gather. We had everyone from Esther to Sara Young to Matt Kokkonen show up and I can tell you that Tom was truly touched by the affection on display. The cake from Madonna Inn went pretty quick.

Special thanks to event coordinator Pastor Doug who arranged for all the food to be donated and worked long hours in preparing everything. Kudos also to Mae, Marilyn, Fred, Chris and PG&E John who made up the rest of the volunteer committee. This was clearly an effort above and beyond.

Go back to the web site to see photos from the party.

Predictions for '06

Ok, here we are in the New Year. What can we expect in the next twelve months? My crystal ball certainly isn't any clearer than yours, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and predict what might happen in '06. Here's my short list:

Both The Tribune and New Times will have new owners by the end of the year.

Former San Luis Obispo police chief Jim Gardiner is currently mulling a race against incumbent sheriff Pat Hedges. Don't do it, Jim. If you run, you'll lose.

Dave Romero will seek re-election as mayor of San Luis Obispo and will seek stiff opposition from John Ewan who terms out on city council. BUT things could get very complicated -- and very ugly -- if Christine Mulholland also jumps into the race.

The proposed $310 million bond issue being proposed by Cuesta College is going to be defeated by voters in June. I love Cuesta, but voters are in no mood for a wave of new bond issues.

By January '07, the number of American troops killed in Iraq will top 3000 and the situation will be worse than it is today.

"Brokeback Mountain" will win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The Return of Conservative Bob

Conservative Bob, one of the more controversial guests on The Big Broadcast, returns Tuesday night at 6:05. Be sure to tune in and call in as Bob stirs the talk show pot squarely to the right.

A word about the "tags" we give some of our guests, like "Conservative Bob" or "Santa Maria Bill." This is a small town and hard-working people are sometimes reluctant to appear on talk radio, mouthing off about controversial stuff and risk getting fired or alienating customers or clients. So if you hear only the first name of a guest, there's a reason. Stop being a butthead and pestering me to find out who this person "really is." A talk show like this thrives on people willing to come in and hold forth on the issues of the day. By the way, I'm always looking for good guests. Feel free to drop me a line anytime at davecongalton@clearchannel.com. We welcome perspectives from both the Left and the Right, one of the few talk shows in the country to make such an effort.

We're still getting ready to start streaming the show on the Internet. It will happen sometime in January. Be patient, please. Thanks for listening and we'll see you on the radio!