Cover Story
Shark season: Surf Beach has been the scene of several shark attacks in recent years–could one shark link them all?
It was hot, sunny, and the water was relatively calm when Ryan Howell and his friends took their kayaks out for a little rock fishing about 5 miles south of Surf Beach on Oct. 3, 2014. The fishing was good that day. An avid kayak fisherman, Howell has fished the waters off the coast of…
What local wildlife are you most fearful to encounter?
Jennifer Hitt medical assistant “A bear—we have bears in this area. If I was at Lopez and I saw a bear, I would run away.” Monique West community support specialist “It’s the spiders—the black widow and the brown recluse. But for me, it’s the brown ones more than the black ones.” Armando Cardenas farmer “Sharks,…
Political Watch 10/29/15
• Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) recently questioned representatives of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers and the National Automobile Dealers Association about their organizations’ opposition to bipartisan legislation she introduced to prohibit rental car companies from renting or selling any cars that have been recalled and not yet fixed. She also questioned the administrator of…
Santa Ynez Valley Art Association features Suzanne Huska’s landscapes
The Santa Ynez Valley Art Association—formerly known as the Artists Guild of the Santa Ynez Valley—showcases the oil paintings of Suzanne Huska in the exhibit Valley Visions, showing Nov. 5 through Jan. 7 at Los Olivos Café. The exhibit reflects Huska’s passion for local landmarks, landscapes, and scenery. The exhibit shows at the Los Olivos…
DANA Cultural Center awarded Spokes Medal of Merit
The DANA Cultural Center, home of the historic Dana Adobe, was awarded the Spokes Medal of Merit Award for 2015 in recognition of the board of directors and staff’s accomplishments and bold new goals set out for long-term growth. The Medal of Merit awards are presented annually at the Spokes Salutes celebration and thank-you event…
Los Alamos Foundation holds bluesy benefit
The Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club and the Los Alamos Foundation will hold a special fundraiser event, the Los Alamos Halloween Dance and Costume Party, which will support the cost of the foundation’s Summer in the Park Youth Recreation Program. The fundraiser event includes a full bar and refreshments available to purchase, a costume contest,…
Celebration of life: Loved ones come together at Dana Adobe for Dia de los Muertos celebration
I’ve never made a Day of the Dead altar before, but if I were to make one for my dear family friend Susan Mina, I know exactly what the “ofrenda”—or offering—would feature. Among the traditional fragrant marigolds, there’d be a figurine of Buzz Lightyear (while in hospice care, she assured us that she was headed…
Poetic Justice Project presents an original play in its new micro theater
Having a place to call your own is a luxury many don’t fully appreciate until they are without it. Members of the Poetic Justice Project—a local nonprofit theater arts group made up of former inmates—know this firsthand, when the only semi-personal space they enjoyed during incarceration was a bunk in a shared cell. The Poetic…
A fan of superstition
Since I was a little kid, superstition, urban legends, myths, and old wives’ tales have fascinated me. Mostly because I tend to believe that most are born from some tiny kernel of truth. Take for instance the Latin American urban legend of the chupacabra. A chupa-what-a? Exactly. This creature of the night even has a…
Riptide Big Band relives Broadway and silver screen in Santa Maria
Before Elvis Presley told us not to step on his blue suede shoes, before The Beatles wanted to hold our hand, and before the Beegees told us to stay alive, American popular music wasn’t dominated by electric guitars, but by swinging brass sections, intricate drumming, and bouncing bass lines. This was the era of big…
Journey to Jaffa: Jaffa Cafe in Santa Maria dishes out shawarma, falafel, kabobs, and gyros with a smile
Ali Saleh had good reason to be confident when he opened his new restaurant in Santa Maria—he had a built-in following. For years, he noticed that many of his Mediterranean cuisine-seeking customers at Jaffa Café in the Village of Arroyo Grande, were making the trip from the Santa Maria Valley, particularly at lunchtime. “Santa Maria…
Taking it to the floor: Special Olympics athletes compete in annual regional floor hockey competition at Santa Maria High
Hours of practice, dedication, and teamwork culminated in the game of the year for a group of Central Coast athletes recently. The annual Special Olympics Southern California Regional Floor Hockey competition took place Saturday, Oct. 24, in the Santa Maria High School gymnasium. And while it was a competition, it was more about fun and…
Seeking middle ground
Recent letters to the editor by Martin Akel (“Quit personal attacks on those who don’t agree about oil trains”) and Laurance Shinderman (“In response to ‘Fear vs. Fact’”) published by the Sun on Oct. 1 got me to thinking: Who really knows facts about this project and who doesn’t? The recent article “Trouble on the…
Nicholas ‘Niko’ Amescua
While some students struggle to balance school, sports, and perhaps a job, Cabrillo High School senior Nicholas “Niko” Amescua works on a different balancing act. The pole vaulter excels at balancing—and then propelling his entire body—up and over a 14-foot bar. Of all the track and field events he participates in, Niko said pole vaulting…
Just a slice of life
So did you miss me? In case you were curious about my sabbatical last week, I’ll be frank. My finely tuned birdy sense felt a storm brewing. No, not one of those weird “pop up” thunderstorms we’ve been enjoying between oppressive heat waves, a different kind of storm. You see, the week before last, our…
Reason to fear
The Sun cover story, Oct. 22, “We have to live with the fear” would be comical if you didn’t think it was serious. Anyone who illegally enters a country must live in fear because authorities are fearful of people who illicitly enter their countries. Spies, terrorists, or simply workers who want a better life, are…
Annexation concerns are not anti-tribal rhetoric
A recent write-up in a local paper about the Chumash tribe titled “The rich get richer” was excellent. Most Santa Ynez Valley residents who follow the Chumash’s push to annex Camp 4 into their reservation understand that “it’s all about money.” The Chumash are not being kept from building additional housing for their tribe. They…
Mary Buren Elementary School in Guadalupe holds Food Day to teach students about food diversity
Food diversity was the main course at Mary Buren Elementary School in Guadalupe on Friday, Oct. 23. More than 800 students participated in the school’s Food Day, which is part of a nationwide celebration designed to inspire Americans to change their diets and enjoy real, healthy food. The day started about 11:30 a.m. with several…
Santa Maria High School students attend National FFA Convention and Expo
The slogan “Got Milk” means something special to four Santa Maria High School FFA students as they head to a national competition. The school’s State Champion Milk Quality and Foods Team was set to attend the national contest to be held at the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky., from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1.…
Hobnobbing with Helen
Wow! What a cool thing to do. I’m not talking about the mermaid with a purple whatever, perched on a platform, or the medley of exquisite mini-desserts and the made-onsite beignets from Chef Rick. (Well, to be fair, these were all cool, too.) I’m talking about the science exhibits at the Discovery Museum’s fundraiser, A…
Spotlight on: A Street Cafe
Within one of Santa Maria’s industrial business parks hides a little known secret for breakfast lovers. The A Street Café, which is actually a part of nonprofit VTC Enterprises, opened on June 15, serving lunch and all-day breakfast. As is the case with VTC Enterprises, A Street Café employs adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.…
Community Notebook 10/29/15 – 11/5/15
MONDAY, NOV. 2 • The Solvang Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. TUESDAY, NOV. 3 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. •…
Nipomo CSD accused of violating Brown Act
If plans for development at Nipomo’s Blacklake Golf Resort weren’t already controversial enough, one local man is taking the small South County town’s Community Services District to court over it. Nipomo resident Noel Heal filed a petition in SLO County Superior Court claiming that the CSD violated the state’s public meeting laws during a discussion…
Santa Barbara County homeless shelters secure funding, brace for tough winter
It’s no secret now that an El Niño is expected to hit the Central Coast—and the preparation work has begun. Counties, cities, and residents are taking steps to protect roads, homes, and businesses from the anticipated storms and flooding. But who is taking action to protect the people who will be most impacted by devastating…
SMFD Chief Dan Orr leaving Santa Maria after 15 years
After serving the Santa Maria Fire Department as several ranks of chief for nearly 15 years, Fire Chief Dan Orr gave the city his resignation after accepting a post with the Clallam County Fire District in Washington state, Orr told the Sun via email. “My wife and I started having these discussions several months ago,”…
Santa Maria Police Department investigates shooting on S. Bradley Road
The Santa Maria Police Department is investigating a shooting in the city that left one person injured in the early morning hours of Oct. 24. According to SMPD Sgt. Woody Vega, police were notified around 2:26 a.m. of a 29-year-old man who was admitted to Marian Regional Medical Center with a single gunshot wound to…
Santa Maria Police nab suspected Habitat for Humanity truck thief
On Oct. 22, officers from the Santa Maria Police Department arrested a suspect tied to a theft of a work truck that was stolen from the Goleta Habitat for Humanity more than a week ago. Kelly Hoover, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, said 44-year-old Matt Crandall of Santa Maria is…
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation settles steelhead lawsuit
A settlement was reached in a federal lawsuit that accused the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation of violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing endangered steelhead trout to die in Hilton Creek. Specifically, nonprofit California Trout said the bureau was liable for the deaths of at least 393 juvenile steelheads in 2013 and 2014 when the…
