Thursday, September 2, 2010     Volume: 11, Issue: 25
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The world outside

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Measure S
33rd Assembly District
Santa Maria City Council
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The rest of the field

Cover Story

The rest of the field

BY JEREMY THOMAS

The economy, increasing crime, illegal immigration, and growing pains—the city of Santa Maria faces a host of challenges for the balance of 2010 and beyond, and a crowded field of candidates will be looking for the chance to make the tough decisions as city councilmembers come November. Two seats on the council are up for grabs. Demo... [ Read More ]

Top 5 Articles

News: Political Watch 09.02
News: No sign language, please
Cover Story: The rest of the field
News: Construction begins on new court clerk's building
News: Candidates for the 33rd District State Assembly Seat get ready for November
 

News

Top gun

BY JEREMY THOMAS

An F/A-18 Super Hornet jet taxied at Santa Maria Public Airport on Aug. 27, in preparatio...

Judge orders suspension of Cold Spring Canyon Bridge barrier project

BY JEREMY THOMAS

Construction of a suicide barrier on Cold Spring Canyon Bridge halted again Aug. 24 after a county judge denied a motion filed by Caltrans to conti...

Construction begins on new court clerk's building

BY JEREMY THOMAS

Dilapidated modular trailers currently housing records and staff at Santa Maria Superior Court will be history by late 2011, as construction was sc...

Candidates for the 33rd District State Assembly Seat get ready for November

BY SARAH SCHWAB

Now that this area’s string of special elections has ended, it’s time to start thinking about November. When local voters went to the ...

Correction

A local dermatologist and Santa Maria City Council candidate’s first name was incorrect in the Aug. 26 cover story, “Council contenders...

Welcome Labor Day with your veins

BY RYAN MILLER

It seems to happen just before every major holiday, but its frequency doesn’t make it trivial: United Blood Services is looking for donors to...

No sign language, please

BY HENRY HOUSTON

On July 3, a sunset clause that had allowed the use of “sandwich board” signs in Santa Maria finally faded to black, ending a two-year ...

Community Notebook 09.02

TUESDAY, SEPT. 7 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, ...

Political Watch 09.02

• On Aug. 27, Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) announced that the Department of Education approved California’s application for $1.2 billion t...

Letters

We should get used to silence on illegal alien issues

Glen Zenda

I noticed the glaring absence of any questions regarding the illegal alien problems in Santa Maria (“Council contenders,” Aug. 26), fro...

Where there is smoke, there may be freedom

Kim Watson

If safety is the biggest community concern in Nipomo, then the eradication of Mexican cartel marijuana should be on the top of the list. Regulating...

Wake up, people, to these GOP drunken pirates

Scott Jenkins

Sam Blakeslee, the local boy, wants to cut services to the needy in California. Sam and the rest of his republican ilk across the country represent...

Don't infringe on Muslim American rights

Roy Berger

Fundamentalist, hate-filled Christians are rabble-rousing Americans against all Muslims. I hope no one will fall for this abominable un-American ga...

Sports

Coaches weigh in on bat standards

BY JEREMY THOMAS

High school baseball players who recently bought pricey, high-performance bats might want to consider getting refunds, as tougher safety regul...

Jack Avrit

BY HENRY HOUSTON

Becoming a golfer is almost like becoming a Jedi Knight: Start early, for you must be enthralled with the discipline. Today, Jack Avrit may ...

School Scene

Santa Barbara City College students celebrate graduation

BY HENRY HOUSTON

Aug. 27 was a big day for close to 100 students from Santa Barbara City College’s Santa Maria campus. Scholars from several different fi...

Experience 'The Spirit of the Mission'

BY HENRY HOUSTON

Charity, responsibility, caring—the values of the Boy Scouts of America will be on display on Sept. 25 at the “Spirit of the Mission,&r...

Canary

The mad merry-go-round has stopped

It was like watching a line of dominoes fall, one by one. Or it was like watching a group of kids playing musical chairs. Or maybe it was like some...

Street Talk

What are you having for dinner tonight?

George Schovic Debbie Driggs Katie Graham Steff Caral

Arts

Shakespearean winter comes to Spanish California

BY SHELLY CONE

Playwright José Cruz González realizes the capabilities of human emotion in a way not all playwrights do. He can present jealous...

From cabaret to cantor

BY SHELLY CONE

The Jewish High Holy Days—a 10-day celebration that begins Sept. 8 with Rosh Hashanah and ends with Yom Kippur—are filled with mus...

Spend an evening with a guitar

BY SHELLY CONE

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Santa Maria Public Library will present “An Evening of Classical Guitar with Manny Mestas&rdqu...

PCPA's season is about to begin

BY SHELLY CONE

Single tickets for PCPA’s 2010-2011 season go on sale Oct. 6 at 12:30 p.m. The season will feature Peter Pan Nov. 4 through Dec. 23 at the Ma...

Find classes for big kids

BY SHELLY CONE

The Big Kids class is looking for 5-, 6-, and 7-year-olds to learn and have fun with music. The Big Kids class blends elements of the Music Togethe...

Arts

An anniversary not forgotten

BY ROB KRIDER

I’ve been writing the Man Overboard column at the Santa Maria Sun for 10 years now, which, for a guy who doesn’t finish many proje...

Film

McPhee charms

Poor Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal); with her husband off fighting in World War II, she must...

Eats

Toss a new festival on the table

BY K. REKA BADGER

The fertile land in and around the Santa Maria Valley supports an incredible variety of fruits, vegetables, and row crops. Although wine grape...

Hot Dates

The guild is good

The Lompoc Photographer's Guild presents its newest exhibit, “Slice of Life,” which highlights moments of humanity we all share, whethe...

Music forever!

Music Together has been uniting parents and kids through the language of music for years, and its new “Big Kids” program is designed for 5- to 7-year-old children ...

Live well

Health problems have been tied to stress, the invisible anchor that pulls us down. But one local massage therapist has been inspired to create a blend of massage, meditation, ...