Cover Story
The Discovery Museum is undergoing a renaissance, thanks mostly to volunteers
Watching a child move around in the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is like trying to keep track of the silver ball as it bounces off bumpers in a pinball machine. The children are easily distracted and constantly moving, and the museum floor is alive with running footsteps on Jan. 4. In no particular order,…
Abel Maldonado isn’t running for governor anymore
Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado announced this morning at a press conference in his hometown of Santa Maria that he is no longer running for governor of California. Flanked by his wife and children on one side and his political mentors on the other, Maldonado told reporters outside City Hall, “now is the time for…
SMPD arrests three juveniles for purse snatches
Santa Maria Police Commander Phil Hansen just confirmed to the Sun that officers have arrested three juveniles suspected in multiple strong-arm robberies that happened this week in Santa Maria. Hansen said the boys allegedly snatched purses from elderly women in the Santa Maria area earlier today, and on Monday and Tuesday. Officers are in the…
What’s a great organization to volunteer for?
Scott Black team leader “Woods is a good one. Our family loves animals very much and we rescue animals.” Mackenzie Black student “The Soup Kitchen is a great place because you get to help people who don’t have food.” Brett Bigger teacher “Catholic Charities is a good one.” Kana Bigger student “The Toy Drive, because…
What’s on Deck? 1/9 – 1/16
Thursday, Jan. 9 Girls’ Basketball Santa Ynez vs. Valley Christian @ VCA, 5 p.m. Boys’ Basketball Santa Ynez vs. Valley Christian @ VCA, 6:30 p.m. Girls’ Soccer Santa Maria vs. Santa Ynez @ SYHS, 5:30 p.m. Nipomo vs. Lompoc @ NHS, 3:30 p.m. Boys’ Soccer Santa Maria vs. Santa Ynez…
Allan Hancock Alumni needed for track opening
The Allan Hancock College Athletics Department is looking for Bulldog alumni to help introduce the new track to the community. The college is scheduled reveal the new track on Jan. 25 from 11 a.m. to noon. Events will include a barbecue, a kids’ race, and a relay race with six alumni. After more than a…
Veronica Sua
After going 10-5 in pre-season play, the Lady Bulldog basketball team opened conference play last night against Moorpark. A driving force for the ’Dogs comes from sophomore Veronica Sua. The center has scored back-to-back career high points for Hancock; she averages 8.3 points and six rebounds per game. Head coach Cary Narelli has known Sua…
Game of give and take: The Benchwarmer reflects on the volunteers who helped shape her as an athlete and a person
The Soto Sports Complex in Arroyo Grande looks the same now as it did 15 years ago when I used to play softball there. Yes, sports fans, the Benchwarmer was a Little League All-Star before taking up residence on the pine. Every time I drive past the sports complex, a flood of childhood memories comes…
No uniform
There’s news this week about another—another!—cockfighting ring busted by local officials, this one near the Santa Maria airport. Writers have spilled a lot of ink on this subject, but that still doesn’t seem to staunch the blood that the birds themselves are spilling for sport, so gamblers can get a sadistic thrill while watching two…
A blizzard of bills–again!
Our state elected representatives are at it again, producing a blizzard of new bills—2,255 for the 2013-2014 session. In the 2011-2012 two-year legislative period, lawmakers sent the governor 2,107 bills; he signed 1,906 into law. So in 2013 Governor Brown just signed 800 new laws into action. It is a reduction, but still overwhelming. Just…
Empire of the dumb
What is one to make of the current efforts in Morro Bay and Grover Beach to advance a political agenda based on a lie? The majority of the Morro Bay City Council is trying to do the right thing. It has decided that it will not attempt to build a sewer plant in a flood…
Children Now report finds that California kids’ well-being isn’t where it should be
California did not get a single A on the 2014 California Children’s Report Card, which lists grades for 27 factors that contribute to the well-being of children. “In a recent national ranking of children’s well-being, California ranked 41st out of the 50 states,” the report states. “California has more impact on national measures of children’s…
Pioneer Valley High School students raise their voices about campus life
Although the first summit designed to get student thoughts and opinions about what could make Pioneer Valley High School better isn’t until later in January, trainings have already started to glean information from students. The Raising Student Voice and Participation program encourages students to participate in democratic exercises by getting them to suggest ideas and…
Spotlight on: Central Coast Panera Bread
If you need help keeping your New Year’s resolution of eating healthier—and, let’s face it, most of us probably do—there’s a local restaurant chain that’s got your back. While Panera is typically a place people associate with fresh-out-of-the-oven bread and mouth-watering pastries, the franchise’s Southern California cafés have started offering some additional low-fat, high-protein items.…
Political Watch 1/9/14
• Jan. 3 was the last day the city of Santa Maria accepted applications from those wanting to serve on the Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens, Area Agency on Aging; the All-America City Committee; the Landmark Committee, or the Santa Maria Community Television Committee. Appointments will be made by Santa Maria City Council on…
Community Notebook 1/9-1/16
MONDAY, JAN. 13 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. Agendas are available at…
Hobnobbing With Helen
One of the highlights of the year 2013 was the Nov. 23 appearance of children’s book author Wendelin Van Draanen at the Santa Maria Public Library’s Shepard Hall. Starting at 11 a.m., the personable, perky Van Draanen played to a packed house that was clearly delighted and mesmerized by her story. For close to an…
Community Corner: Bid a final, flaming farewell to the holidays
It served you well for the days leading up to Dec. 25. It perfumed your house with a clean, foresty smell. On Christmas itself, it presided over a celebration months in the making. And now it’s drying into kindling, turning brown and sprinkling poky needles all over the carpet. It’s time to burn that thing.…
Northern Santa Barbara County locals serve the global community through the Peace Corps
If you ask a Peace Corps volunteer about their experience with the organization, they’ll most likely answer: “It’s the toughest job you’ll ever love.” Well, at least that’s what former Vandenberg Middle School teacher Tricia Kolp said about her service. Despite the hardships she faced while serving in South Africa, Kolp always tells people she’d…
A Child Hunger Corps member helps fill the ranks at the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
In the fall of 2011, Emory University student Emily Altman travelled to Chile to do some independent research on the country’s school food program. “I grew up loving food, and I had started to get interested in nutrition and the issue of food insecurity,” Altman told the Sun in a recent interview. Food insecurity has…
A temporary boat quarantine comes to Cachuma Lake
The Santa Barbara County Parks Department put a temporary boat quarantine in place on Cachuma Lake—starting Dec. 27, 2013—to prevent infection by quagga or zebra mussels after the invasive species was discovered in Ventura County’s Lake Piru. The 14-day quarantine was a stopgap measure put into place until the department can decide on the best…
Santa Maria woman arrested on suspicion of choking and stabbing a cat
Santa Maria resident Nellie Marie Palacios, 43, was arrested for allegedly stabbing and choking a cat to death on Jan. 2 at her ex-boyfriend’s home in Orcutt. Palacios was scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Jan. 7, but the case hadn’t yet been called when the Sun went to press. According to a press release…
Sheriff’s deputies bust cockfight near Santa Maria airport
While many average citizens went to church on Sunday, Jan. 5, or spent time working around the house, several dozen people fled from law enforcement during a mid-day cockfighting bust in Santa Maria. Rural crimes investigator Deputy John McCarthy with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said this is the first bust of a cockfight…
Industrial Eats: Buellton’s newest combines a craft butcher shop and fine food in a chic, utilitarian setting
Locals and tourists-in-the-know looking for craft beer, fine wine, and small-batch bourbon and vodka, head down Industrial Way in Buellton to the industrial park that is home to Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, Avant Tapas and Wine, and Ascendant Spirits. In mid-December, a new neighbor opened shop, bringing excellent food and a chic space that fits…
Hike the Sedgwick Reserve
The UCSB Sedgwick Reserve offers the public a chance for an informative hike through the beautiful and rugged terrain of the Santa Ynez Valley. The hike, scheduled for Jan. 11, features three separate hikes with varying degrees of intensity: easy, moderate, and strenuous. Each hike will include a theme or themes including geology, landforms, Sedgwick…
Live from the Bookworm
The Bookworm offers an open mic night for acoustic musicians, poets, and writers on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at the bookstore, 230 E. Betteravia Road, Suite K, Santa Maria. More info: 922-4282, quest@thebookwormcali.com, or facebook.com/thebookwormcali.
Finding focus for parents
The Ralph Dunlap School PTA is holding a special “Parent Ed Night” with storyteller and mindfulness expert Michael Katz on Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Ralph Dunlap Elementary, 1220 Oak Knoll Road, in Orcutt. Katz will share his expertise and experiences in helping children and parents find and discern what is important in a…
Weaving with rubber
The Toy Zoo is holding a “Rubber Band Loom Contest” for all ages with first through third place being awarded in the “Longest Chain” and “Best Creation” categories. The contest is open through Jan. 18 by noon at the Toy Zoo, 1930 S. Broadway, Santa Maria. More information is available at 352-0123.
Lompoc Civic Theatre needs actors
The Lompoc Civic Theatre is holding auditions on Jan. 13 and 16 at 7 p.m. for its next production. Roles are available for men and women. The auditions take place at the Lompoc Chamber of Commerce, 111 South I St., Lompoc. More information is available at 735-4321 or lompoccivictheatre.com.
Join the music: The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society needs help
Your violin lessons as a child might not have resulted in Itzhak Perlman-level musical skills, but there are still plenty of ways you can help support the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society and Orchestra. The society recently endured a near-dissolution and subsequent recommitment to youth outreach and live concert seasons. However, it’s still a nonprofit organization…
CASA gives kids a voice in the court system
Anyone who has been involved in the court system can attest to how overwhelming it can be. Imagine, though, that while going through the courts, you could not speak, and if you did, no one would listen to you. Unfortunately, for anyone under the age of 18, that’s exactly what they must deal with while…
Pulling out all the stops: Head to Santa Barbara to hear UCSB’s historic organ played by a master
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dubbed the organ the “King of Instruments,” but even Mozart knew that the King of the Organ was none other than Johann Sebastian Bach. In Bach’s day, the organ was a piece of engineering expertise that required thousands of moving parts to send air through a series of pipes, each with its…
In the days of auld lang syne
Can you believe it? Another year has come and gone. Our grandson is a bit taller and the new-car smell on our new car has faded away. My husband, The Brit, wondered how long that fragrance would last. I told him, “Only until one of you farts.” My money was on the Brit, but we…
