Cover Story
Winning Images 2017
An image can stop a moment forever, giving one split second of life a place in history. And the way in which that story is told has everything to do with the person behind the camera. How each photographer watches life unfold in front of them—what they notice, what they find interesting—is revealed…
What do you like to take photos of?
Yesenia Nava student “I like to take photos of flowers because they’re very pretty.” Jose Nava dad “I like taking photos of nature, mountains. Especially mountains. I like hiking, backpacking, when I’m out there trying to get away from everything.” Kevin Murdock dad/husband “My kids, mainly. I like closeups of animals and insects and things…
Humor: Rebecca Rose fondly looks back at her career
There’s a lot of talk about journalism these days, what it is, what it isn’t, how it’s all totally fake, and how we’re paid by billionaires to write phony stories, etc., etc. So I thought I would dedicate some time to shedding a light on what it’s really like to work in a newsroom, by…
LOCAL NOTES: John Moreland brings his signature music to Standing Sun Wines in Buellton
It’s not quite country, not quite blues, and not quite rock. That’s the essence of the genre termed “Americana,” and John Moreland epitomizes the sound. The opening riff of Moreland’s newest album, Big Bad Luv, is just a lone acoustic guitar picked by the singer/songwriter himself. The sound is dissonant and dirty, like a blues…
The Buckeye Trail will kick your ass. But it’s totally worth it.
As Highway 1 bends around Salmon Creek in northern SLO County, there it is, off the road on the right, past the horrendous mess that is people parking to gawk at Salmon Creek Falls and to the left of the old Salmon Creek ranger station. Just park, squeeze through the wooden gate, and start climbing…
Barbershop chorus to hold fundraiser for youth event
The Central Coast Chordsmen barbershop chorus holds a fundraiser barbecue event on Oct. 28 to help pay for the annual Youth-in-Harmony Event. The barbecue runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge parking lot, 700 E. Lakeview Blvd., Orcutt. A suggested donation of $10 includes a barbecue chicken meal. The Youth-in-Harmony Event…
PCPA’s new season includes musicals, comedy, and more
Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) 54th season launches on Nov. 9 with its production of Freaky Friday. The musical, based on a hit Disney film, runs through Dec. 23 at the Marian Theatre. Other productions featured in the new seasons include The Crucible, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Vanya…
Wildling Museum hosts talk with Bill Dewey
The Wildling Museum in Solvang presents the final installation of its current Artist Talk Series on Oct. 29, featuring aerial photographer Bill Dewey. Dewey’s photographs have been featured in several of the Wildling’s past exhibitions and will be the subject of the upcoming exhibit, Overview: The Aerial Photography of Bill Dewey, which opens on Oct.…
Lompoc’s Cypress Gallery features artist Mikki Alhart’s work in October
When Mikki Alhart speaks, you can feel her smiling through the phone. She is given to exuberant kindness and easy eagerness to share her life’s work. Alhart, the featured artist of the month for October at the Cypress Gallery in Lompoc, holds nothing back as she wildly describes her latest exhibit. “I hung 45 pieces…
Rebeccamendations
• Chef Drew Terp (who is set to host another cooking class on Oct. 28) at PICO unveiled a truly epic burger at a recent burger night at the Los Alamos eatery. The breakfast burger features two 6 ounce patties, white cheddar, grilled bacon, avocado, English muffin, and an egg along with a side of…
Sides Hardware and Shoes is a playful mix of history and contemporary dining
Until the early 1970s, Sides Hardware and Shoes delivered what its name promised. In 1901 the original building was put up by an aspiring businessman named Milburn Sides. He started M. Sides Hardware and Shoes, supplying the slowly growing ranch town as a fixture in the small community. But in 1970s, when American tastes leaned…
Speak out
People just want to be heard, I’ve come to learn. It explains so much about us on so many levels. It’s why social media is a nearly universal addiction among people in the younger generations. It’s why protesters take to the street, sometimes fighting with each other. It’s why people voted for Donald Trump and…
Santa Maria City Council, a major disappointment
I couldn’t be more disheartened by the inaction of our City Council at the Oct. 3 meeting regarding the Arts Master Plan and Ordinance. Early on, Councilmembers Jack Boyson and Etta Watterfield were clearly prepared to pronounce the Art Plan DOA with Councilwoman Watterfield at one point, among other ludicrous notions, suggesting all the city’s…
Condor in recovery?
Recent newspaper releases have brought up the “recovery” of the California condor to the wild. The question I have to ponder: When does an animal survive in the wild? Is a creature believed to be “wild” that required man’s help to survive? How much of the sustenance of the condor is wild sources or given…
Condor in recovery?
Recent newspaper releases have brought up the “recovery” of the California condor to the wild. The question I have to ponder: When does an animal survive in the wild? Is a creature believed to be “wild” that required man’s help to survive? How much of the sustenance of the condor is wild sources or given…
Where is the Republican Party leadership?
During the term of President Barack Obama, the Republican-controlled House and Seante spared no efforts to nullify any attempts he made to enact legislation for the betterment of the country and its citizens. Now, with President Donald Trump, they are strangely quiet or seem afraid to challenge his erratic behavior. From all appearances, Mr. Trump…
Why won’t Carbajal take a stand on sanctuary cities?
Gov. Jerry Brown and the Democratic Legislature recently signed legislation to make California a sanctuary state. We have all heard the horror stories of illegal felons committing horrible acts, and one even happened a little too close to home. Kate Steinle was a Cal Poly graduate who was shot by an illegal immigrant in San…
Missing the mark
The Sun’s Opinion page allowed the latest ravings of Ken McCalip (“The time to act is now,” Oct. 12) to attack again our Second Amendment right to own and carry guns, as the reason for the sad, crazy attack in Las Vegas, instead of the person and reason for the attack. Without guns, the deranged…
Domestic violence is a dangerous trap
Editor’s note: Denise F. was a source for the cover story, “Break the silence,” which ran Oct. 5. Her full last name has been omitted to protect her privacy. She submitted her story as a contribution in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It still doesn’t seem possible, sometimes I think to myself, “This can’t…
Political Watch
• Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed two bills penned by Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) into state law. AB 1328 gives California water agencies access to information on potentially hazardous chemicals used in oil and as operations, and AB 1197 will ensure that oil spill management teams are adequately trained in the event of a…
Former patients and families invited to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit celebration
Marian Regional Medical Center will host the fourth annual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Graduation Celebration on Nov. 4. The event will include an opportunity for toddlers who were born premature to reunite with the caregivers who nurtured them to health immediately after birth. Former patients and their families are invited to the celebration at the…
Allan Hancock College eligible for $1 million prize
Allan Hancock College announced Oct. 11 that it was named, for the fourth time, one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges by the Aspen Institute, which began ranking community colleges in 2011. Hancock’s rank makes the school eligible for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, which includes a $1 million reward. The…
Spotlight On: Women’s Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County
For Amy Curti, and her fellow members at the collective volunteer donor group, the Women’s Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County, the power of the purse should not be underestimated. “With my median income, I would never be able to write a check for $25,000 to an organization, but when I write my $125 check…
County chasing millions in grants for stormwater resource projects
Santa Barbara County officials are scrambling to receive public input on a stormwater resources plan as the window for grants to fund the program threatens to slam shut. “We anticipate the next round of grant implementation grant funding to come out next fall,” the county’s Water Resources Program Manager Matt Young told the Sun, “so…
Youth Matters
“Drugs and gangs, violence, oppression, child abuse, neglect, homophobia,” read one banner taped to a wall of the Veterans’ Memorial Center on Oct. 12, where dozens of young Santa Marians gathered for a Youth Town Hall to share their views on community violence. The banner, filled with negative words written in bright colors, was a…
Pet advocates laud ban on commercially bred animals in pet stores
In an effort to prevent the animal cruelty that is often affiliated with commercial breeders, also known as puppy mills, California plans to ban pet stores from selling commercially bred dogs, cats, and rabbits. Assembly Bill 485, approved by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 13, will require pet stores to obtain all dogs, cats, and…
DA charges Camarillo man for allegedly defrauding elders
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office warned the public to protect its elderly population from potential fraudsters in light of a case currently in court. On Oct. 13, the office issued a news release stating authorities arrested Brett Lovett, 46, of Camarillo, and Robert Burlison, 64, of La Canada, following a 17-month investigation by…
Santa Maria to require vendor permits in parks
Vendors hoping to make some extra cash in Santa Maria’s parks are now required to apply for permits through the city and, in some cases, pay annual fees of up to $273. All food and beverage trucks or bicycle vendors, fitness and training programs, educational classes, and merchandise sellers are no longer allowed in parks…
Supervisors argue over revenue, cuts, deficit in budget hearings
Budget talks in Santa Barbara County heated up as the Board of Supervisors grappled with the prospect of a deficit numbering in the tens of millions of dollars. Documents detailing the county’s five-year budget forecast—first made public in January—reveal that although the county is increasing in revenues on an annual basis, the earnings are offset…
Cesar Ayuso
When Santa Maria High School senior Cesar Ayuso started running cross country for the first time his sophomore year, neither he nor his Saints teammates knew what winning meant or felt like. But over the past three years, Ayuso has witnessed himself and his team grow from the ground up. With unwavering hard work and…
Route to equality
Sports and politics have not been able to play nicely together in the sandbox lately. I find it strange that citizens act mystified or indignant when political issues taint sports and vice versa. It makes complete sense, at least to me, on a sociological level. Sports is a reflection of society, a thermometer for the…
