Cover Story
Portrait of a community: Holli Harmon’s exhibit at the Elverhoj Museum in Solvang captures the human landscape of the Central Coast
Natural light poured through the large, windowed doors of the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art’s gallery space, illuminating the large, carefully cut paper quilt that hung against the panes. Artist Holli Harmon stood in the soft glow, explaining the various images she had shaped throughout the three-panel tapestry. The intricate paper cutting was created…
Santa Ynez Valley students receive scholarships from SYVCH Auxiliary
Each year, the Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital (SYVCH) Auxiliary offers scholarships to area high school graduates or continuing college students pursuing a career in a medical or health-related field. This year, the Auxiliary named six recipients who each received $3,000 for a grand total of $18,000. The 2016 SYVCH Auxiliary scholarship selection committee consists…
What have you learned from your time as Allan Hancock College faculty?
Glenn Owen accounting instructor “I would say I’ve learned a lot about the wealth of talent we have here in administration and faculty. That sort of rich environment is great for the students as well.” Shirley Rorabaugh retired AHC scholarship veteran’s affairs technician “That every person that you come in contact with is on an…
DIY wine: From backyard to bottle with Fred Carbone
Obsessed with wine? Maybe you should make some. Because as it turns out, that’s actually a thing normal people do. They realize they’ve got nothing to put in that ol’ drainage basin that’s just sitting on their property, so they decide to grow a bunch of grapes in it. And then they use those grapes…
Man vs. car
I don’t know why I still play with cars. Car projects are oftentimes immensely frustrating. Bolts get stripped, knuckles get busted, and my wife hates it when I smell like grease. Grease stench means the grease monkey sleeps alone. The only reason I continue to keep thrashing on my own car and destroying my fingers…
Allan Hancock College music instructor Dr. Marcus Engelmann retires after 30 years at the college
Former students of Allan Hancock College’s longtime music department instructor Marcus Engelmann, wherever they are encountered, always remember the soft-spoken instructor in reverent tones—this writer included. Generations of musicians have learned music theory, electronic music, or sound recording under the tutelage of Engelmann. He’s been at Allan Hancock College 30 years now, but alas, all…
Santa Ynez Valley Arts Association awards student scholarships
The Santa Ynez Valley Arts Association announced its student scholarship winners for the academic year of 2016 in a May 9 release. The scholarship committee began in 1990 in order to fund awards for high school students continuing an arts education in college. The first place scholarship was awarded to Santa Ynez Valley Union High…
Santa Maria Utilities Department awards students for water conservation posters
The Santa Maria Utilities Department announced the winners of the 2016 Water Awareness Poster contest at the May 3 City Council meeting, where students were given awards, trophies, and prizes for their creative efforts in spreading awareness of water conservation. The competition took place among third graders in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, who submitted…
Friends of Santa Maria Public Library sponsors Houdini show
The Friends of the Santa Maria Public Library presents a one-man show with actor Duffy Hudson, who will portray the famous magician Harry Houdini on May 24 at the library’s Shepard Hall. The hour-long program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Hudson will talk about Houdini’s life and work during the performance, which…
Central Coast artist Pat Roberts captures beauty of horses through sculpture
The white walls were overwhelming. At age 30, Pat Roberts, along with her husband and three children, moved into what would be her forever home on a sprawling horse ranch property off Highway 246 in between Lompoc and Solvang, and was confronted with the problem of bare, white walls. “I looked at all these white…
Local poet Michael McLaughlin releases new book of poetry, ‘Countless Cinemas’
Listen to an interview with Michael McLaughlin, including readings of two poems from ‘Countless Cinemas.’ The words flow in simple, neat little packets on the pages of local poet Michael McLaughlin’s new book, Countless Cinemas, released through Hell Press. The stanzas appear simple, but the content is far from so, and each line’s place on…
Alexandra Stewart
Righetti High School senior Alexandra Stewart simply couldn’t envision her soccer career coming to an end after graduation. So, she decided to extend it another four years. Stewart, a standout center midfielder for Righetti, signed a letter of intent on May 12 to play soccer for Cal Lutheran University next fall. Stewart said the decision…
Cultivating inclusion: Lompoc and Cabrillo high schools pilot unified basketball teams welcoming disabled students
Lompoc High School special education teacher Marjorie Ledgerwood immediately felt the impact and recognized the possibilities. Ledgerwood was in the San Francisco Bay Area, immersing herself in the “unified” sports programs at Freedom High School. Unified athletics are school sports teams that are inclusive to students with intellectual disabilities. The idea is to create teams…
Somebody always loses when the other side wins
Once again Santa Maria, you’re demonstrating why we can’t have nice things. Sometime over the weekend of May 14 and 15 someone stole artificial turf from the Jimenez Elementary School playground. The turf provided an area for kids to sit and read, work on projects, and have lunch, but someone thought they needed it more.…
Knowing Joan Hartmann
Many letters have supported Joan Hartmann, candidate for 3rd District supervisor. As her husband, it’s my turn. Joan’s life has been marked by hard work, selfless service, and innovation. Professionally, she helped found the Public Policy Institute at Claremont Graduate School and established Oberlin College’s Environmental Studies Program. While an editor her law school journal, she…
Achadjian is a man of integrity
I want to vote for someone who is for the people, not your typical politician. I want an honest person. I want someone who puts the people first and above all else. I want Katcho Achadjian to represent me in Congress. He is a man of integrity who tells the truth and keeps his word.…
Porter doesn’t have time to be supervisor
Bruce Porter, 3rd District Supervisor candidate, has told the public that he would keep his full-time job as a broker with the investment company Edward Jones if he became a county supervisor. In response to criticism that it is impossible to effectively work two full-time jobs, Mr. Porter said he would hire an MBA to…
The Elks mirrors the city in makeup, good works
I would like to clarify an article that was published in the Sun (“Santa Maria Elks: More than ‘an old men’s drinking society,’” April 7, 2016). Some statements, I believe, were erroneous and offended not only myself but the citizens of Santa Maria and the members of our lodge, and I have a duty and…
Katcho: Listening ear, man of action
My name is Nikolai and I want to share why I am supporting Katcho Achadjian for Congress. In 2012, during the election cycle, I approached Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) about getting assistance for dental work I needed that would precede a heart surgery. Her office told me there is nothing that can be done.…
End the discussion and begin work on a new jail
I recently joined the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office as the chief of custody operations. My career in corrections began in 1982 when I joined the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office in Syracuse, N.Y., as a custody deputy. Over the last several years, I became active in the New York State Sheriff’s Association and the American…
Santa Barbara County students achieve academic excellence
Twenty six students from throughout Santa Barbara County were selected for the Santa Barbara Foundation’s 2016 Fleischmann and Spaulding awards, honoring academic excellence and dedication to community service. The awards were presented at a reception for students and their families on May 12. “These extraordinary young leaders present a compelling case for hope for the…
Spotlight on: Glopak Wine and Spirits
Local wineries will soon be able to order bottles locally. David Addamo is opening Glopak Wine and Spirits, a new 20,000-square-foot wine bottle distribution center in Santa Maria. It’s Addamo’s latest venture in the local wine industry. Out of the past 16 years he’s spent in Santa Maria, 12 of them were spent making wine.…
Political Watch 5/19/16
• On May 12 the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on Rep. Lois Capps’ (D-Santa Barbara) California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act (H.R. 3565), which would expand the California Coastal National Monument by adding several locations along the coast to the monument, including the Piedras Blancas Light Station near San Simeon. During the hearing, Capps, who is…
Community Notebook 5/19/16 – 5/26/16
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 • The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Planning Commission Hearing Room, 123 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. The agenda is available at www.sbcountyplanning.org. • The Santa Maria Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall,…
Santa Maria searches for another company to convert wastewater biogases into electricity
Besides treating the city’s wastewater to make it reusable, Santa Maria’s Wastewater Treatment Plant also has a secondary function, part of which is collecting methane gas from the biosolids and converting it into useful electricity. It’s called cogeneration and it helps the city maintain its role in contributing to a healthy environment. Or at least…
Democratic presidential candidates go head-to-head in California’s June 7 primary
It’s not over until it’s over. That’s what we keep learning from the Democratic presidential primary. Bernie Sanders—the democratic socialist, millennial favorite, and underdog—takes on Hillary Clinton, the “establishment candidate,” superdelegate magnet, and consistent frontrunner. With the Republican primary all but decided, the spotlight is on the Democratic camp. At first glance, the primary polls…
Santa Maria rolls out new fireworks rules
Memorial Day is fast approaching, ready to kick off the season of daytime barbecues and nighttime fireworks. And while barbecuing remains encouraged in Santa Maria (always), residents will need to slow their roll with the fireworks plans—the city is implementing its new “safe and sane” rules. The City Council voted in favor of the tighter…
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s custody deputies injured in jail fracas
On May 11, two custody deputies from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office were injured at a court holding facility on Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara, according to Todd Johnson, vice president of the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Johnson said the incident occurred when the two deputies were transporting an inmate for a…
Santa Maria Joint Union High School District educators on verge of strike
Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) teachers will likely move forward with extreme measures after rejecting the district’s final offer to address educators’ grievances on May 11, effectively ending five months of negotiations between the district and its Faculty Association. Faculty Association President Mark Goodman said those extreme measures could include a strike,…
Plains All American Pipeline indicted in Refugio oil spill
A California grand jury indicted Plains All American Pipeline and one of its employees for alleged violations of state law in connection with the Refugio oil spill. The charges came on May 16, just three days before the spill’s first anniversary and narrowly within the one-year statute of limitations for criminal filing. The indictment comprises…
