Cover Story
Masters of the mat: Nipomo, Santa Ynez, and Santa Maria are the three wrestling teams to beat in the Los Padres League
View more wrestling photos by Steve E. Miller. It could be said that wrestling is a sport of the gods. Greek mythology has it that Zeus outwrestled Cronus for possession of the universe, thus wrestling was a large part of Greek culture and literature. Wrestling is one of the purest forms of competition—it’s man-on-man, there’s…
Celebrate Nat Fast Day at the Discovery Museum
The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum invites the community to come celebrate the fourth annual Nat Fast Day on Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. As of press time, the schedule of events included sculpting with Laura Moll and watercolor paintings with the Orcutt…
A Guadalupe case triggers five arrests in a multi-county fraud case
In mid-January, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced the arrest of five people suspected of running a fraudulent housing scheme that spanned nine counties throughout the state, including Santa Barbara County, where the allegations first came to light. According to a complaint filed Jan. 14—one that lists 288 counts spread among the five suspects—the first…
Santa Barbara Supervisors say no to oil tax–for now
Though members of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors alluded to the fact that they would likely vote against a proposed oil-tax ordinance for June’s ballot, county residents still felt the need to speak out against it during the public comment period of the Jan. 21 meeting. “I don’t believe the majority of the…
What’s the most important thing you do to maintain your health?
Yeira Gonzalez gas station cashier “I walk around a lot for work all day.” Chris Andberg pizza restaurant manager “I take jiu-jitsu classes.” Arlene Hennagan caregiver and housekeeper “Trust in God.” Adam Johnson Paradise Trading Post manager “Drink a lot of water. I drink over a gallon of water a day and it keeps me…
Santa Barbara County declares a drought emergency
Santa Barbara County supervisors followed Gov. Jerry Brown’s Jan.17 declaration of a California drought emergency by unanimously ratifying the county’s own drought emergency proclamation at their Jan. 21 meeting. During the declaration hearing, Tom Fayram, the county’s deputy director of water resources, told supervisors that the county has only had 15 percent of average rainfall…
St. Patrick School opens doors to community
St. Patrick Catholic School in Arroyo Grande will be host to an open house for prospective families on Sunday, Jan. 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The school celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. The open house is part of Catholic Schools Week, and families will have the chance to take school tours led…
Capps speaks at Santa Maria graduation
On Jan. 18, Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) spoke at the graduation ceremony for Educational Center United Nations, where students were recognized for completing elementary and middle school education certifications. The Mexican Department of Education works jointly with the center to help students of all ages receive a basic education. It helps pave the way…
Students donned ties for success in Guadalupe
Fourth-grade students at Mary Buren Elementary School in Guadalupe took fashion and professionalism a step further than usual on Jan. 16 for Dress for Success Day. Both boys and girls sported ties and blazers in the classroom and on the playground. Most of the professional-ware was donated, according to a press release, although students wore…
Spotlight on: Mr. Backflow
It’s a little after 9 a.m. on a Monday, and Matt Graef is looking for the Sun’s backflow prevention system. “This is what I spend about half of my time doing,” Graef says with a smile. Graef also goes by the name Mr. Backflow and owns a backflow-testing and installation company by the same name.…
Political Watch 1/23/14
• In response to the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Omnibus Budget Deal for 2014 and 2015, Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) released a statement that said while the funding package isn’t perfect, it’s a compromise that represents both sides coming together and working in a bipartisan fashion to keep the government functioning.…
Community Notebook 1/23-1/30
MONDAY, JAN. 20 • The South County Advisory Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Nipomo Community Services District Headquarters, 148 S. Wilson St., Nipomo • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at cityofsolvang.com. TUESDAY,…
Hobnobbing With Helen
What better way to start the New Year than to get the skinny on what’s coming up in the wonderful world of the arts in Santa Maria? With that thought in mind, on Wed., Jan. 15, I trundled off to the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, which apparently is not in danger of being renamed…
Community Corner: Eat well and exercise
Marian Regional Medical Center and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, both operating under the Dignity Health umbrella, recently announced that they’d received a $34,285 grant to put toward the Healthy for Life Wellness Program, which teaches families about the importance of healthy eating and exercise. The money came from Kohl’s Cares, a program that, in this…
Twin Cal Poly studies aim to change the fitness status quo of pregnancies
Read more about the Healthy Beginnings study (.pdf). Cori Meichtry is a mother of two and a longtime middle school teacher for the Lucia Mar Unified School District. You can imagine that when it comes to managing kids, she’s pretty confident. When Meichtry became pregnant with her third child, her doctor asked her and her…
A Santa Barbara County public health official talks about H1N1, this season’s dominant flu strain
Read a county report about the impact of H1N1 on Santa Barbara in 2009 (.pdf). As of mid-January, Santa Barbara County had three confirmed cases of the H1N1 strain of influenza, also known as “Swine Flu.” “Of course, that number only represents the number of confirmed cases based on a small number of laboratory tests…
Santa Barbara County receives funding for an inmate transition and re-entry complex
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department recently announced that the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) awarded the county full funding—almost $38.98 million—for construction of the Sheriff’s Transition and Re-entry (S.T.A.R.) complex. The county submitted an application to the board in October 2013 for money under Senate Bill 1022, the Construction of Criminal…
Abel Maldonado isn’t running for governor anymore
Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado announced Jan. 16 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…
Santa Maria Joint Union High School District teachers picket over stalled contract negotiations
Babies, children, teachers, parents, and other community members joined forces on Jan. 15 to walk the block in front of Santa Maria High School holding up signs of dissatisfaction for all of Broadway Street’s evening commuters to see. “We got some good signs up here for you guys,” Pioneer Valley High School science teacher Riccardo…
Santa Maria High School’s Marching Band needs physical fitness and musical expertise to bring home the gold
Music has always been an art form of utility. Whether heralding the entrance of the king or singing the sacred scripture, music can serve many functions. Santa Maria High School Director of Bands Ulises Valdivia makes sure that one of his ensembles, the marching band, is rooted firmly in the tradition of the genre. “We…
Get ready for Valentine’s at Michaels
Michaels offers crafting events for kids ages 3 and up. A “Crafty Valentine’s Day Bags” event is scheduled for Feb. 1 for 30-minute sessions from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the store. Cost is $2. The store is located at 1934 S. Broadway, Santa Maria. More information is available at 349-8801 or michaels.com.
Art From Scrap calls for artists
Art From Scrap has announced the return of its popular assemblage art event, “What Will They Create?”, and is calling for artists to submit their assemblage art under the theme of “Mischief!” The show is open to artists ages 18 and older. Each piece must include at least one abandoned or discarded item, and artwork…
Welcome back the Frame Gallery
The Frame Gallery has reopened in the Oak Knolls North shopping center and is issuing a call for artists. The Frame Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 1157 E. Clark Ave., Suite J, in Orcutt. More information is available at 287-9402.
Hopedance and Khashyan Darvich share sneak-peek of documentary ‘Dalai Lama Renaissance’ in SLO and Santa Barbara
The power of focus is an important, yet underappreciated, tool for living a fulfilling, healthy life. Likewise, the mind is a workhorse many people underestimate. Before he ever conceived of directing his documentary film, Dalai Lama Renaissance, Wakan Foundation for the Arts president, producer, and founder Khashyan Darvich began focusing his mind. “I first started…
The Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation offers educational art programs to young artists
Health begins in childhood, and positive habits made when young can have a lasting outcome on life. The school curriculum commonly excludes arts from the daily educational diet due to budget constraints, but some local organizations help pick up the slack by supplementing schools with much-needed programs. The Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation (OCAF) has been…
What dreams are made of
At bedtime when my kids were young, they would excitedly jump into bed and ask us to quickly tuck them in before the “Sand Crab” came. The Sand Crab, or Sandman, as most people know him, wasn’t scary or mean; he brought sweet sleep and visions of sugarplums, much like “Sana Kwaus” brings presents. They’d…
Dinner with the Chefs: A deliciously different experience debuts at Lido restaurant in Pismo Beach
From a culinary point of view, the rest of 2014 has the nearly impossible task of living up to the dinner I enjoyed on the first day of the year—an incredible three-and-a-half hour, 13-course feast. The fine folks at the dazzling Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa in Pismo Beach invited me and my husband, and…
The body politic
On Jan. 9, Abel Maldonado sent out this message as part of his ongoing campaign for California governorship: “As Governor, I will work to reform and simplify California’s complex tax system. I’ll reduce the burden on the small businesses we need to grow in order to create jobs. I’ll cancel this high-speed rail boondoggle. And…
Spay and neuter now
Speaking from the trenches as one who traps community cats in our beautiful county, I am outraged that so many people still don’t get it that you must spay and neuter your pets! Curbing overpopulation of cats is a community responsibility, made clear by the mandatory spay/neuter ordinances in place everywhere in Santa Barbara County…
So if we’re all like Hill, all will be well?
I recently read Supervisor Adam Hill’s 333-word letter to the editor (“Who is susceptible to conspiracy-theory thinking?” Jan. 16). It’s astonishing that an elected representative would write such a condescending, demeaning, ill-informed, and extremely biased screed disguised as an indictment on “conspiracy theorists” (read conservatives). The letter was nothing more than an implement with which…
Pull up the gangplank; I’m aboard
Matt Kokkonen’s letter in the Jan. 16 New Times (“Why change our laws to reward illegality?”) expresses disagreement with the California Supreme Court’s recent decision to grant a law license to an undocumented immigrant. He calls the decision “the peak of irrationality … pure idiocy … an insult … a slap in the face” and…
Do your own research
Radio host Andy Caldwell’s recent paid advertisement in your paper is rife with presumptuousness, falsified claims, and outright lies about Katie Davis, 350.org, and the group’s intentions. It is markedly inappropriate that your staffers let this borderline libel slide. Instead of doing due diligence to the issues, Mr. Caldwell exploits the rapport he’s built with…
What’s on Deck? 1/23 – 1/30
Thursday, Jan.23 Girls’ Soccer Santa Maria vs. Nipomo @ NHS, 5:30 p.m. Santa Ynez vs. Dos Pueblos @ SYHS, 3:15 p.m. Girls’ Water Polo Nipomo vs. Atascaderp @ AHS, 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24 Girls’ Soccer Pioneer Valley vs. Atascadero @ AHS, 3 p.m. St. Joseph vs. Paso Robles @…
Hancock seeks alumni 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…
Hoops for Hope with the Titans
The Lady Titans are preparing to hold their fourth annual Hoops for Hope Tournament Jan. 31 at Nipomo High School, where they’ll take on the Santa Maria Saints. All proceeds from the event will benefit Dignity Health Centers of the Central Coast, the Jacqualyn Palchak Foundation, and the American Cancer Society. The event will include…
Osvaldo Aquino
When Santa Maria High School soccer coach Jose Navarro was asked to describe senior sweeper Osvaldo Aquino, he responded with one word: “heart.” A captain of the team, Aquino leads the Saints’ defense with an energy that affects the whole team. “He loves coming to play, he never gives up,” Navarro said. Aquino’s teammates chimed…
Hancock’s athletic director makes academics a priority for student athletes
Athletes on the golf, swimming, track, and softball teams sat in classroom N10 in the Allan Hancock College physical education building the week before the 2014 spring semester started. Spiral-bound packets of information and worksheets were open on the desks in front of each student. Hancock Athletic Director Kim Ensing spoke to them about GPA…
