Cover Story
Farming’s dark side?
Fields of leafy green vegetables and ripening strawberries in the Santa Maria Valley look innocent enough as the food crops get ready for dining tables around the country, their growth spurred by farmers’ addition of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. But deep below the root zone lurks an unappetizing problem. A new study by UC Davis scientists…
Cipolla is the new sheriff PIO
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department just got a lot handsomer. Central Coast anchorman Tony Cipolla has been selected as the new public information officer. According to a department news release, Cipolla was formally offered the position on June 14 after completing a lengthy vetting process. He will replace former PIO Rob…
Athlete of the Week: Josh Miltimore
Josh Miltimore discovered his passion for BMX racing at an early age. By high school, he was competing in races across the country. But as quickly as his success began, his run ended when he was diagnosed with an intestinal disease. He went from riding bikes all day to being bedridden for nearly 10 years.…
On the roster
• Santa Maria Youth Football League: The league is taking registrations for the 2012 football and cheerleading seasons. Football fees are $200, including a jersey, gear rental, a trophy, and a basic picture package. Players must be between the ages of 8 and 14 during the season to participate. Cheerleaders must be in kindergarten to…
Sharpen your basketball skills over summer
Young basketball fans and future NBA stars will be able to keep in shape and learn a few new moves at the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s annual basketball camp, held June 12 to 21 at Edwards Community Center. The camp, under the direction of Coach Josef Holicky, is for boys and girls ages…
Get ready for summer camp!
Most local schools are wrapping up for break, and that can only mean one thing: Summer camp is just around the corner. The city of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s Summer Day Camp will be held this year at the Minami Community Center from June 18 to Aug. 10. The program is offered to…
Born to race
Since 1976, Russell Drake has managed River Edge Farm in Buellton, at one time the No. 1 breeding farm for thoroughbred racehorses in California. In his plush office, photos of horses and their proud owners standing in the winner’s circle fill nearly all the space on his walls. Most of the champions—about 90 percent—were bred…
Music in the oaks
Anyone who’s been to KCBX Public Radio’s three-day Live Oak Music Festival can attest to the quality of music, passion, and fun to be had. Happening under the peaceful oaks of Live Oak Camp, right next to Cachuma Lake off of Highway 154, the festival is a relaxing weekend of camping, cooking, jamming, dancing, and…
Stupid Californians
Californians are very smart people. Don’t think so? Just ask one. We think we are awesome because everyone else in the world wants to live here. We know that movies are filmed here, the stars live here, and we invented the iPhone. We Californians don’t sweat the little details, like the fact that the iPhone…
Scholarship salad
Righetti High School student Adriana Zamudio is the first-ever recipient of the Salad Bowl Festival Scholarship Award, receiving money to be applied to the college of her choice. The scholarship was presented at the Kermit McKenzie Jr. High Awards Ceremony in Guadalupe on Thursday, May 31. The award was coordinated by the Salad Bowl Festival…
Seeking mural artists with quick skills
The Lompoc Mural Society is seeking artists to paint an approximately 18-by-50-foot mural in one day during the 18th annual Mural in a Day event. Artists are required to be on site from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. the day of the event—Saturday, Sept. 15—in Old Town Lompoc. A dedication ceremony and certificate presentation will…
Arts at the Adobe
The Nipomo Arts Commission and the Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos will be hosts to the third annual “Arts at the Adobe” on Saturday, Sept. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rancho Nipomo Dana Adobe. The free event will feature a juried art exhibition, refreshments, and art vendors, and “celebrate the beauty of…
NYC or bust
When the Sun caught up with theater student Maxwel Corpuz, he was busy prepping for a cabaret to raise money to pay for his NY Theatre Intensives, a six-week educational experience. He was chosen as one of 10 students from the United States to join this summer’s training roster. While there, he’ll train in acting,…
Pieces of sculpture
Colorful metal bent and coaxed into whimsical shapes, wood trimmed and sanded into sinewy silhouettes, and clay pulled and twisted into beautiful objects: Despite their differences, they’re all forms of sculpture—and they’re all on display this summer at the Lompoc Museum. From twisted metal to massaged clay, 30 very unique pieces of sculpture will be…
Come to ‘life’
If you subscribe to the notion that variety is the spice of life, you will be enamored, like I am—and like so many others are—with Full of Life Foods. The increasingly popular restaurant in Los Alamos embraces the farm-to-table philosophy, basing its ever-changing specials menu almost entirely on what local produce is in season. This…
This Social Security time bomb will hurt
As a conservative Republican and Christian, and also a disabled middle-aged man, I am concerned about Social Security being cut under Mitt Romney’s plan to reduce the budget deficit. The percentage of disabled people in percentage is, I believe, a large number like 30 percent to 40 percent approximately or “guesstimation.” If we have earned…
Why get mad about marijuana, and not alcohol?
My neighbor just found out he has stage four cancer. How is he going to get through his treatments? The pills the doctors give don’t do squat. My wife found this out when she had cancer. Seventy-five percent of the population of this country wants access to medical marijuana if they need it. What is…
To close Diablo, or not to close Diablo
Did you know that our nuclear power plants have a fund of more than $20 billion? However, our government doesn’t want that money touched until we have a permanent solution for nuclear waste. While they are trying to come up with a permanent solution, the nuclear power plants are piling up nuclear waste with nowhere…
Preserving post offices in rural America
The United States Postal Service has announced a plan to preserve post offices in small towns and rural communities across the country while the organization aims to achieve cost savings to return to financial stability. After listening to our customers and communities across the country who expressed a strong desire to keep their local post…
What is your favorite thing to barbecue?
Dave Pankratz janitor “Beef ribs!” April Right Trading Post manager “Pork loin; we had it last weekend.” Nick Nolan kitchen manager, Central City Market “I like to barbecue turkey.” Kenneth John Gugy III store owner, Leisure Time Games “Santa Maria style tri-tip and St. Louis-style beef ribs, because they’re awesome.”
Hancock switches to its summer schedule
Beginning this month, Allan Hancock College is transitioning to a summertime four-day workweek to reduce utility costs. The four-day schedule will run for 10 weeks starting the week of June 4. The college and all its centers will be closed the following Fridays: June 8, 15, 22, and 29; July 13, 20, and 27; and…
Mini Rodeo packs the same fun punch for local students
The sound of thunderous applause and stomping feet reverberated from the Santa Maria Elks Unocal Event Center on May 31, as nearly 6,000 Central Coast children came together to watch the annual Santa Maria Elks/Minetti Mini Rodeo. Students from school districts from the Five Cities area to Gaviota filled the stands at the rodeo grounds…
A gift of warmth
During this spring semester, members of the Astra Club of Pioneer Valley High School dedicated hours of their lunch periods in the school’s library—not reading, but making blankets for cancer patients. “The students gave up their lunch to work on these blankets. They would eat really fast so they would have more time to work…
Spotlight on: The Historic Santa Maria Inn
For 95 years, the Historic Santa Maria Inn has been an oasis along Broadway, with a storied history of playing host to the likes of Rudolph Valentino and Clark Gable. One of Santa Maria’s most beloved and important landmarks is about to unveil something sure to tempt the taste buds of locals and travelers alike—and…
Growing opportunity
Tucked away in the tawny-colored hillsides off Figueroa Mountain Road, just a quick jaunt from Michael Jackson’s old Neverland Ranch, rows of elephant garlic, tomatoes, and orchard peaches thrive in the near-summer heat. This plot of fertile land isn’t your typical garden. But, then again, the Midland School in Los Olivos isn’t your typical school.…
Have goats, will travel
Standing beneath a woody canopy of oak and olive trees in northern Montecito, Ian Newsam surveys the progress of his brush-clearing crewmembers as they systematically demolish shrubs, tall grasses, and leaves. His crew works quickly and quietly, but they’ve still attracted the attention of some residents at the nearby retirement community and surrounding homes. “Look…
Clarification
The Sun would like to clarify some information written in the May 31 cover story, “Journey to otter space,” about U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly’s Military Readiness and Southern Sea Otter Conservation Act. According to Gallegly’s spokesman Tom Pfeifer, the bill requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain its current species management plan until…
Bike safety bill heads to Assembly
Bicyclists in Santa Maria who’ve had brushes with motorists might get some breathing room if a bike safety bill making its rounds passes into law. The state bill intended to increase the safety of bicyclists and motorists alike will head to the Assembly after getting Senate approval. S.B. 1464 defines the distance a motorist must…
Top-secret space plane to land at Vandenberg
The unmanned X-37B military space plane, engaged in a top-secret Air Force mission for the past 15 months, is expected to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base by mid-June, base officials said. According to a statement issued by Vandenberg, preparations are underway for a landing at the base, though the exact date and time will…
Lompoc clarifies sex offender residency laws
A new city ordinance took effect in Lompoc on June 1, intended to reinforce Jessica’s Law requirements and keep registered sex offenders from living near places where children congregate. The Lompoc City Council passed the ordinance on April 17, in response to a similar clarification of sex offender residency laws taken up by the Santa…
Measure U passes
Santa Maria voters overwhelmingly approved Measure U, the city’s quarter-cent sales tax to fund public safety in the June 5 primary. The measure needed 50 percent plus one to pass. The tax will go into effect Oct. 1, but the city won’t start receiving revenue until Jan. 1, 2013. The money will go toward construction…
Gray and Adam move to runoff for 4th District supervisor
The race between Santa Barbara County 4th District Supervisor Joni Gray and challenger Peter Adam was too close to call on June 5, so the candidates will head to a runoff in November. According to the Santa Barbara County registrar of voters, Gray and Adam came within less than two percentage points of each other,…
Shadow on the sun
Vince Tobin, an Allan Hancock College adjunct faculty member teaching astronomy and physics, set up two telescopes the afternoon of June 5 so locals could see Venus pass in front of the sun from our vantage point. The next time such an event will happen is in 2117.
Congressional candidates Capps and Maldonado move on to a November runoff
The anticipated showdown between two Central Coast political heavyweights for the 24th U.S. Congressional District became reality when polls closed June 5, as Rep. Lois Capps and Abel Maldonado finished first and second, respectively, in primary voting. In a closely watched race, the incumbent Capps, who has represented the district since 2003, fared well in…
