Cover Story
Shifting sentences: Critics fear Proposition 47 will be a danger to public safety
Consider the following scenario: A man walks into a 7-eleven store with the intent to steal and walks out with a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, and a bar of soap that he didn’t pay for. He gets arrested and charged with second-degree burglary. It was what’s known as a “wobbler” crime; it…
Do you think Proposition 47 is a good idea?
Dennis “Catfish” Miller radio DJ for Mega 97.1 FM “No, because it contains too many things that I would have to vote yes on that I don’t agree with.” Rhonda Cannon student “I do, because I think the prisons are over-populated and these are not violent crimes.” Jan Dungan retired “Prison is a dreadful thing.…
Fighting students: Righetti has a bad day that sends echoes into the future
What happened at Ernest Righetti High School on Nov. 19 sucked. It wasn’t a good day for the district; the high school; its students, parents, or teachers; law enforcement agents; or the community. It was a mess, plain and simple. Shadows of the chaos that overwhelmed the tail end of the school’s Wednesday lunch period…
Christmas comes early to concert venues in Lompoc
The exalted sounds of the holidays are handed down year after year with generations worth of sacred Christmas music and favorite holiday songs all enjoying the limelight. From Handel’s Messiah to Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, the undeniably, holly jolly music permeates the season. Two celebrated Lompoc ensembles are putting on respective Christmas concerts at the…
Local youth win at Paderewski Festival
The annual Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles welcomed youth from across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey Counties to compete in a classical solo piano competition honoring the name of famous Paso Robles musician, landowner, and wine maker Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Several local youth from SLO and Santa Barbara counties left the competition with…
Transitioning with art
Transitions-Mental Health Association (TMHA) has launched a new enterprise, the Growing Grounds Gallery and Gifts, which is run in the same spirit as the association’s Growing Grounds Farm. The art gallery and gift store is run entirely by TMHA client/employees, and the artwork displayed and sold is made by members of Recovery Learning Communities, with…
Gifts of nature in Solvang
The Wildling Museum in Solvang is offering a Holiday Marketplace event for locals seeking naturally inspired artwork and gifts for the holiday season. The event happens Dec. 6 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Wildling Museum following Solvang’s annual Julefest Parade. The event will have a couple of family arts and crafts classes, including…
Kiwanis will serve up cocoa at Santa Maria Christmas Parade
The Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria Valley and the Kiwanis Sponsored Leadership Youth Clubs will be preparing and serving fresh hot cocoa at the Santa Maria Christmas Parade on Dec. 6 along with the parade as it proceeds down Broadway beginning at 4:30 p.m. Club members will be selling 12 ounce cups of hot cocoa…
Everybody Can Dance and Santa Maria Civic Ballet features local students and parents performing ‘The Nutcracker’
The Everybody Can Dance Studio has educated fantastically trained and skilled dancers thanks to longtime owner and teacher Diane Zink for more than 20 years. The school has always provided a couple of public performances every year, including the favorite holiday production of The Nutcracker, which is a tradition of ballet programs across the globe.…
The Santa Maria Civic Theatre offers hilarity in ‘The Foreigner’
The Santa Maria Civic Theatre began its 56th season strong with its production of the heartfelt play The Dixie Swim Club, but that was just a warm-up for the next and current production, The Foreigner by Larry Shue. The ensemble of actors and backstage crew members completely embrace and embody the hilarious romp, and the…
Things were different
Most Sundays, for as long as I can remember, my family has gathered to barbecue and eat. So it’s funny to me that my favorite holiday is one in which my family gathers to eat a feast only slightly larger than the one we prepare on most weekends. There’s something different about Thanksgiving though; for…
Figueroa Mountain Brewery sets up shop in Santa Maria and soon in Arroyo Grande
Beer lovers rejoice! Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company has expanded operations and production, much to the gratitude of the local craft beer crowd. The award-winning, Buellton-based craft brewery opened a taproom earlier this month in Santa Maria at 560 E. Betteravia Rd. in the College Square shopping center. “The demand was there. We had people coming…
Get tickets for the Holiday Shopping Spree Raffle
One lucky family’s wish will come true this December, thanks to the Discovery Museum’s $1,000 Holiday Shopping Spree Raffle! Will it be yours? The family that wins our raffle will get $1,000 to spend anywhere their hearts desire. The funds raised through the raffle will help support the musuem’s operational costs and provide affordable, accessible…
iThink encourages Santa Maria High students to dream
Two assemblies featuring the iThink organization on Nov. 20 focused on inspiring Santa Maria High School students to dream bigger and make the right choices in their lives. The organization describes itself as a “multi-racial team skilled in dance, hip-hop, life-changing testimonials, and crowd interaction.” Its goal is to get students to think “bigger” with…
St. Mark’s Episcopal hosts Gingerbread Wonderland
On Dec. 6 from 4 to 8 p.m., St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church and Preschool, located at 2901 Nojoqui Ave. in downtown Los Olivos, is inviting the public to attend the second annual Gingerbread Wonderland experience. The church’s Stacy Hall will be transformed into a gingerbread and icing dreamscape with dozens of delectable, handmade gingerbread houses…
Folk rock takes the stage at Righetti High
A professional folk rock band brought songwriting, life as touring musicians, and the recording and production process to life at Ernest Righetti High School on Nov. 17. Jared & the Mill, a band from Phoenix, stopped by the school on their way to a tour stop at the Soho House in Santa Barbara—where they played…
Spotlight on: Reflections Photography Studio
When Luis Escobar moved to Santa Maria from Atascadero in 1984, one of his first jobs was working at Reflections Photography Studio. At the time, Joe and Bella Jackson owned it. Escobar was a student at Hancock studying photography, and the Jacksons decided to sell the business. Escobar jumped on the opportunity to take over…
Political Watch 11/27/14
• The illegal immigrant population leveled off nationwide from 2009 to 2012 and decreased in California, according to new Pew Research Center estimates. California is one of 14 states—including Western states Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado—where populations fell, while populations increased in seven states. According to Pew’s website, the number of “unauthorized immigrants”…
What’s On Deck? 11/27/14-12/4/14
Wednesday, Nov. 26 Men’s Basketball AHC vs. Cerritos @ Cerritos, 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1 Girls’ Water Polo SJHS vs. CHS @ Paul Nelson, 4 p.m. Wrestling CHS vs. SJHS @ SJHS, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2 Boys’ Soccer CHS vs. SJHS @ SJHS, 3:30 p.m. PVHS vs. NHS @…
Community Notebook 11/27/14-12/4/14
MONDAY, DEC. 1 • The Solvang Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. TUESDAY, DEC. 2 • 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.…
Hobnobbing with Helen
Sister Janet Corcoran is to Santa Maria what Peyton Manning is to Denver: an icon. Like Manning, Sister Janet watches to see if the ball is dropped in important plays, which—in Sister Janet’s case—are any activities that serve humanity. To that end, she frequently calls countywide decision-makers to prod them to do the right thing.…
Community Corner: Scarecrow makers get their long-awaited due
Eco Wine Furniture owner Jose Pedro Meza Santos has plenty to brag about these days–at least in the scarecrow-building world. On Nov. 18, Santos accepted the 2014 Harvest Cup: Best in the Valley trophy for his entry into the Annual Santa Ynez Valley Scarecrow Fest and Contest that began Oct. 10. He’ll hold the victor’s…
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission releases a tsunami assessment of Diablo Canyon 11 years later
After more than 11 years, a 63-page report focused on the tsunami hazard at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant has been made public. On Nov. 6, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission released Dr. Robert Sewell’s report, “A Preliminary Numerical Study of the Hazard from Local Landslide Tsunami Scenarios at the Diablo Canyon Site in Central…
Clarification
In the Nov. 20 article “An epic holiday adventure,” the Sun misidentified the familial relationship of Robert, Marco, and Rocco Zappia, who are credited with the original music, lyrics, and teleplay of Christmas is Here Again. Robert is the son of Marco, and Marco is the son of Rocco. Robert Zappia is the producer, writer,…
Capps’ weighs in on Obama’s executive action on immigration reform
The back-and-forth, extremely elongated debate over what the United States should do to tackle immigration reform hasn’t come to a close yet, but President Barack Obama did take some steps to push the discussion into an even higher gear on Nov. 19. That night, he announced executive actions that could potentially give millions of illegal…
Lompoc denies appeal to halt cell tower installation
The Lompoc City Council on Nov. 18 denied a resident’s appeal against Verizon installing a 50-foot tall cell tower in a northwestern residential neighborhood, opting instead to move forward with the city’s plan to expand cell phone coverage. City resident Phillip Gallanders filed an appeal after the planning commission approved the cell tower project on…
Police make gang arrests through enforcement sweeps
Police in Santa Maria conducted DUI and gang enforcement sweeps on Nov. 21 and 22, resulting in the arrest of several people, according to press releases from the Santa Maria Police Department. Officers with local gang suppression units teamed up with the Santa Barbara County Probation Office, fanning out across portions of Santa Maria and…
Water rate hike approved in Nipomo
After a lengthy study and discussion process, the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD) Board of Directors approved a substantial rate increase at its Nov. 21 meeting in order to pay for the NCSD’s Supplemental Water Project. According to NCSD calculations, “average” residential water ratepayers using 36 units per month will see their overall water rate…
Get serious
The rumor was that there was going to be a shooting at Righetti High School. That’s what made it to my ears, anyway. And if it made it to my ears, it made it to other people’s ears, too. As far as I know, it was a totally bogus rumor, but that didn’t stop it…
Thank you for moving Guadalupe forward
The voters of Guadalupe sent a very strong message during the recent election; they want their local government to remain intact even if it cost them more. In fact, all three of the tax initiatives passed with margin of 80 percent, which is simply an amazing feat. On behalf of the police officers, firefighters, and…
I’m appalled at Capps’ deceptive moves
Lie: an untrue statement intended to deceive. Liar: one who tells lies. The Capps campaign ran a TV ad in which they edited a statement by Chris Mitchum to make it sound as if he would not go to Washington to represent the 24th District. They intentionally omitted the remainder of his statements and ran…
Friends stick together: Two Hancock softball players sign to CSU Northridge
Two Allan Hancock College softball players signed letters of intent to play at CSU Northridge, according to a press release sent out Nov. 19. Katie Chenault and Jessica Rothanzl will continue to grow together as they move up to the Division I level after being teammates for years. When they were both seniors at Ernest…
Celebrate the spirit of Christmas and Old Orcutt
No one better exemplifies the pioneer spirit of Old Town Orcutt than this year’s Christmas Parade Grand Marshal, Berto VanVeen. The histories of Old Orcutt and La Graciosa, its predecessor, are colorful mosaics of our country’s westward migration and settlement that should strike a note of pride in the Santa Maria Valley’s collective memory. Early…
Sports and science come together in a free youth program
The Santa Maria Police Activities League is looking for young people between grades nine and 12 to join its robotics team. The team will compete in the 2015 robotics competition season, which starts in January and can run through May, depending on the team’s ability to continue competing. The team will build a robot consistent…
Allan Hancock College soccer coach to step down
Head coach for the Allan Hancock College women’s soccer program, Rod Garcia, is retiring after seven years of leadership. Garcia hopes to take this time to focus more on his family. Garcia moved to Orange County with his family before this season and drove back and forth for practices and games. He drove nearly 5,000…
Mateo Becerra
The St. Joseph High School varsity football team won its first round of CIF Southern Section playoffs against Eastside High School on Nov. 14. The Knights tamed the Lions 24-9 on their home field thanks to their defensive stronghold that crippled the Lions’ running game. The Knights’ defense, known as “the Shield,” was almost impenetrable.…
Road ready: Santa Maria High School’s drag racing team competes against the pros
Learning to drive is a rite of passage for high school students. Driver’s education classes and age requirements are the only roadblocks standing in the way. For students on Santa Maria High School’s drag racing team, however, learning to drive is only the beginning. The team’s classroom is a big, concrete auto shop situated on…
