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Best of Northern Santa Barbara County
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If Santa Maria had a mascot, what would it be?
Tami Majewski teacher “Sammy the Saint—it’s the original.” Angela Tobin full-time student “A wall with a hole in it. It’s a hole-in-the-wall kind of place.” Lynne homemaker/retired “A cow—for the tri-tip barbecue.” Tom Walker musician “A Chihuahua. Little dogs have big personalities. So does Santa Maria.”
Fire tax is on the burner
A California bill that would impose an annual wildland firefighting fee on rural homeowners could end up backfiring on legislators, according to the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Earlier this month, the board—along with several other groups representing the interests of rural communities—expressed concerns over the effectiveness of ABx1 29. Authored by Assemblyman…
Chad De La Guerra
Moving from being a panther to a cougar, graduating senior Chad De La Guerra has a bright future ahead of him. The Pioneer Valley High School graduate will be playing for College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, where he hopes to make the starting lineup for the Canyon Cougars. This achievement is due to…
On the roster
• Joe White Memorial Auction: Rare and one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia will be up for bid at Allan Hancock College’s 10th annual Joe White Memorial Dinner and Auction on Aug. 20. Items include a basketball signed by the 2011 Los Angeles Lakers, a vacation to Newport Beach, private lessons with former major-league pitcher Bryn Smith, and…
Golf tournaments to benefit the blind
Members of the public will be able to team up with blind golfers for charity at the 12h annual Lou Benetti Memorial Golf Tournament, to be held at the Village Country Club on Sept. 17. The Santa Maria Noontimers Lions Club will be host to the event, and proceeds will go to benefit blind and…
County golf championship needs entrants
The 2011 Santa Barbara County Golf Championship is currently accepting entries for its 36-hole tournament to be held at the La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc Oct. 22 to 23. The tournament is open to amateur golfers 18 years of age and older and approved by the competition committee. The cost is $150 and includes…
Golf tourney to benefit Lompoc youth
The Lompoc Valley Community Youth Center will be host to the 2011 YAOI Golf Challenge at the Village Country Club on Aug. 19, a benefit for the organization. Participants in the four-man scramble tournament will earn pledges for the event, similar to walk relays, and will be challenged to send sponsorship letters or e-mails to…
The Bleacher Bum Chronicles Vol. XVII
I was sitting in a greasy spoon in downtown San Francisco last weekend, digging into my order of fish and chips, when I noticed a Dallas Cowboys-Denver Broncos game on the diner’s flat screen television. As Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo jogged onto the field to take a few requisite snaps, my brain did a somersault.…
Experience the tastes of Mexico
People for Leisure and Youth, Inc. (P.L.A.Y., Inc.) and the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department will hold the annual Tastes of Mexico fundraiser on Sept. 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Veterans’ Memorial Community Center, 313 W. Tunnell St., Santa Maria. The Righetti High School Marimba Band and Folklorico dancers, along with…
Spell your heart out
Attention Central Coast word enthusiasts: On Sept. 17, the Central Coast Literacy Council will present its annual fundraising spelling bee at 1 p.m. at the Santa Maria Town Center. The council is currently recruiting 40 teams of two people to compete in this year’s competition, as well as team sponsors and event volunteers. Proceeds from…
Hancock students have something to smile about
Allan Hancock College’s dental-assisting graduates now have an official place to practice. The Dental Board of California recently declared the college one of only three Registered Dental Assistant-practical exam sites in the state. According to a press release from the college, Hancock’s dental-assisting students have already proven they’re among the best in the state, with…
Camp with the family at Circle V
The Circle V Ranch family camp will run Aug. 26 to 28 across from Cachuma Lake in the Santa Ynez Valley. Circle V Ranch Camp Director Ray Lopez announced that cabins and tent spaces are still available for this all-ages camping experience. Circle V Ranch traditional summer camp sessions are for children ages 7 to…
Celebrate the opening night of My Fairytale in Solvang
PCPA Theaterfest and the Solvang Centennial Committee will be host to the Opening Night Celebration benefit reception for the American premiere of My Fairytale, offering guests the exclusive opportunity to meet the show’s creative team, including Stephen Schwartz (composer), Philip LaZebnik (book), Flemming Enevold (creator), Scott Schwartz (director), and Mark Booher (PCPA artistic director), while…
Making scents
Sarah Horowitz-Thran remembers the first moment she fell in love with perfuming. She walked into an offbeat apothecary-style perfumery called Essence in Boston on famed Newbury Street in the late 1980s. “I remember all the rows of bottles and the colors,” she said. “It was very spiritual, and Enya was playing in the background, and…
Destination: Figueroa Mountain
I am not a hiker. I’ll admit that. When I was a child, hiking was seen as the glue that holds every good family together, and my family believed in serious amounts of Elmers, because every Sunday my dad would pile us in the car and drive us to some new nature walk, hiking trail,…
The doctor is in
A good friend of mine was seriously injured. There had been some blunt trauma to the head, and she was unable to communicate with me. I knew she would recover completely, however, with help from a specialist, a local by the name of Gene Betts. I should admit that my friend is a mandolin, and…
The gravity of winning
My son races in the All-American Soap Box Derby. “The Derby,” as it is known, is a competitive event where kids drive down a steep hill in engineless cars they build at home. The only thing powering these little racecars is gravity. The kid who can drive the car the straightest and avoid aerodynamic drag…
Cool off and refresh
When heat-dulled palates crave something refreshing, dense red wines just don’t fit the bill. To brighten the sultry days of summer, uncork a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and cool off with a quaff guaranteed to cut the dust. Light, refreshing, and a generous partner to a wide variety of dishes, Sauvignon Blanc may not…
Officials, follow Arnold’s example–for one thing, anyway
Regarding balancing the government’s budget: With all the talk of cutbacks and who is going to shoulder the burden of balancing the budget, it seems once again it is the middle- and lower-class families that are asked to give again. I live on Social Security, and my only medical benefit is Medicare. If money is…
Keep the blood circle complete
Here’s a big IF: If you are well, if you can sit still and relax for about an hour during the week (a few times a year would help), if you can get to a blood bank or bloodmobile, if you want to help others (here’s the kicker: you must weigh more than 110 pounds),…
Bring our troops home now
We have been at war in the Middle East for 10 years, longer than World War II, at a cost of billions of dollars and many lives from the United States and other countries. Regardless of the military point of view, we have not weakened terrorism materially. The Middle East governments and many of their…
Worst. Bill. Ever.
The Interior Appropriations budget bill (H.R. 2584)—known formally as the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2012—will, if ratified, essentially eliminate even the idea of the conservation of our natural resources and the protection of human health from environmental hazards. The bill passed the Appropriations Committee on July 25 and…
If you don’t have it, you need it
Three day weekend checklist: Ice? Check. Burgers? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Blood? Uh … that one’s not so easy to check off the list. You would think that since someone needs blood every three seconds, and the majority of people are sources of this renewable resource, we’d have an ample supply. But that’s just not the…
Soothing Touch Infant Massage
If someone on the street walked up to you and said there’s such a thing as massage therapy for infants, you’d probably be skeptical. But seriously, there is such a thing. Infant massage, though not often talked about, is a medically proven practice that delivers numerous benefits to infants. Silly parents—babies can get massages, too!…
Medicinal cannabis club proposed for Oceano
For the third time in four years, a medical marijuana facility has been proposed in San Luis Obispo County. But whether it will make it past the county planning commission is anyone’s guess. On May 25, Grover Beach resident Tammy Murray applied with the county’s Department of Planning and Building to open a facility in…
Former Lompoc police chief and mayor dies
Jimmy Dean “J.D.” Smith, a former police chief and mayor for the city of Lompoc, passed away on the morning of Aug. 12 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital following heart surgery. He was 80 years old. Smith spent more than 27 years serving the city in a variety of roles in law enforcement and city…
County supes move forward with plans to develop a sports complex at Waller Park
Santa Maria’s Waller Park could look very different after the next few years, thanks to a recent decision by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to conceptually approve construction of a sports complex in the 163-acre county park. The board voted unanimously on Aug. 9 to allocate $125,000 for an environmental review of the…
Santa Barbara County DA drops misdemeanor charges against Jeff Lind
On Aug. 11, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office dropped misdemeanor charges of threatening a witness against Orcutt resident Jeff Lind. The charges stemmed from a 2010 courthouse encounter between Lind and a Guadalupe police officer. Deputy District Attorney Brian Cota said he motioned for Superior Court Judge Jean Dandona to dismiss the case…
