Cover Story
Yankee warrior: Righetti High School graduate Matt Sauer was drafted by the New York Yankees, setting him on the path to the majors
Matt Sauer seems to be adjusting well to his new life in Florida. The Ernest Righetti High School graduate sounded content and sure of his path during a recent interview with the Sun, and despite his teammates in the background making him laugh throughout the phone call, Sauer exudes a maturity that belies his age.…
What is your favorite baseball team?
Ruby Esparza self-employed “The Angels. My family has been following them for a while.” Guillermo Esparza works at Baskin-Robbins “Angels, because it was the first team I played on for T-ball when I was little.” Brian Esparza student “Angels, because they are closer to us.” Cherie Santana mom “Los Angeles Dodgers because I’ve always been…
Money matters
Money, money, money. Everything costs something, and some things cost a helluva lot. Take the Alamo and Whittier fires, which have already racked up tens of millions of dollars in costs. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County to help address the crises, funneling emergency personnel and truckloads of state…
Political Watch 7/27/17
• After President Donald Trump pressured Senate Republicans to push forward with their promise to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act on July 24, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) issued a statement condemning the vote then planned for July 25. “Make no mistake, a yes vote tomorrow is an endorsement of the most indefensible process…
Rep. Salud Carbajal works to improve the Affordable Care Act in the face of Republican repeal efforts
After an unusually sickly childhood filled with doctor appointments, chronic ear infections, and seemingly untreatable allergies, Baylee Gregory of Lompoc finally discovered why she, unlike her five siblings, was always so unhealthy. Baylee was 14 when she was diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency, a disease that severely weakens the immune system. Baylee’s mother, Annette, explains…
Spotlight on: Charlotte’s Vintage Silver & Western Treasures
Having a business is no new experience for Charlotte Becerra. She began working in retail when she was 8 years old, helping her mom in the family’s houseware stores. She started up her own business in her mother’s store when she was 12, where she sold toys and called it Charlotte’s Christmas Corner. Now, she’s…
The great eBay war of 2015
They say “war is hell.” I understand that intimately, for I am an eBay shopper. Here is my harrowing tale of survival. The year was 2015. Some young upstart named Kenny G released an album called Brazilian Nights, which shook American pop culture to its core, skyrocketing all the way to No. 86 on the…
Addressing mental health for the sake of our youth
When it comes to mental health, speaking up can be an act of courage. Several prominent individuals have taken that public step and have helped young and old alike by sharing their personal challenges. It has helped catalyze a conversation about the very real mental health issues many in our community face every day. Our…
Soul’d Out celebrates singer’s birthday with show at Santa Maria Inn
Working isn’t how most like to spend their birthday each year, but there are a few exceptions. Like lead singer for local band Soul’d Out, Lisa Duran, who will perform with the band on her birthday, Aug. 5, at the Santa Maria Inn’s Olde English Tap Room. It’s a good thing the members of the…
The story of Bun: Santa Maria couple craft the second installment of graphic novel series
“A boy. A girl. A rabbit. An unspeakable evil.” The epigrammatic descriptor of Brian Silveira and Lisa Nguyen’s graphic novel barely scratches the surface of the provocative and stirring work that is Bun. Based in Santa Maria, the comic book creators have penned a unique work published and distributed almost entirely on their own. They…
Great American Melodrama’s ‘The Tavern’ brings comedy, mystery to Oceano
The history of George M. Cohan’s play The Tavern provides an illuminating insight into the mechanics of playwriting and Broadway politics in the 1920s. Originally penned by Cora Dick Gantt as a serious and twisty melodrama, Cohan’s version turned the piece into a satire, serving an edgy, before-its-time meta spoof of popular stage genres of…
Winemaker Marc Piro quietly makes a name for himself in Santa Maria
You won’t find Piro Wine Company among the sprawling properties that line Foxen Canyon where tourists flock to gather up logo-stamped merchandise and Instagram themselves lounging on luxurious patio furniture. And for now, Marc Piro is happy with that. Inside Au Bon Climat, a short turnoff from Santa Maria Mesa Road, wine barrels are stacked…
Wildling Museum exhibits animal art at Santa Barbara Zoo
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature and the Santa Barbara Zoo have collaborated for a special exhibit showing at the zoo, featuring art by students from Solvang School and the Montessori Center School. The show features art inspired by animals, showing at the zoo’s Volentine Family Gallery through Oct. 9. Students from Solvang School…
Adam Miranda
Ernest Righetti High School graduate Adam Miranda used to be a Warrior, until he became a Spartan. Miranda competed in the 2015 and the 2016 Reebok Spartan Race—one of the most popular obstacle course tournaments in the country. Miranda will compete again at the 2017 race this August in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. “I…
One Way Water Polo Club team heads to the National Junior Olympics for the first time
Thirteenth place might sound humbling elsewhere, but not for the Santa Maria 12-and-under One Way Water Polo Club team. For the first time in team history, One Way qualified for the Water Polo National Junior Olympics (NJO)—the largest age group water polo tournament in the country. One Way earned its spot by finishing 13th at…
Islam in the U.S.
The coverage by Brenna Swanston, “Humans of Islam” (March 30), is a nice piece and it portrays Muslims as peaceful and good citizens, and no doubt many are. But I wonder if you just played into the hands of Islam in their goal of replacing Western morays with the “one and true ideology/religion of Islam.”…
We can do more for environment
The Santa Maria Times July 13 editorial, “Our View: Facing sketchy future,” is a good start on educating readers on the extremely destructive and rapid path that we humans are on regarding our planet’s ability to sustain the lives of its creatures, including humans! Let’s point everyone to very powerful breakthrough education in the July…
Salud Carbajal’s no vote on Kate’s Law
“Help me Dad.” These were Kate Steinle’s last words as she died in her father’s arms after being shot by an illegal alien who had been deported five times, had a record of seven felony convictions, but still found refuge in the sanctuary city of San Francisco. As a result of this travesty, Kate’s Law…
Chumash annexation
In the Feb. 16 Sun article, “A slow fight for tribal land,” Chumash Tribal Chairman Kenneth Kahn reportedly said, “the federal government would closely regulate construction on Camp 4 should the land become part of the tribe’s reservation.” What does the federal government know about the Santa Ynez Valley’s general plan? One must only see…
Lompoc elementary students receive free bikes and helmets
The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition gave refurbished bicycles and new helmets to 30 elementary students from La Canada and La Honda elementary schools as part of the first Open Streets Lompoc, an event that provided a mile of motor-vehicle-free space in downtown Lompoc for play and exercise. Open Streets Lompoc ran from 4 to 8…
County supes move to separate fire/EMS from Sheriff’s Office dispatch center
One thing that Santa Barbara County’s Board of Supervisors can agree on is that the dispatch center run by the Sheriff’s Office is due for major change. “The problems that exist at this thing are eerily similar to the problems that exist at the sheriff’s department. I think this thing just needs new management,” 4th…
Guadalupe woman killed by passenger train
A Guadalupe woman was killed on July 24 after her Saturn SUV was hit by an Amtrak passenger train on the 4500 block of West Main Street in Guadalupe. The car was on the tracks at about 3 p.m. when the train collided with it, causing the vehicle to spin off the tracks and flip…
Whittier Fire mostly contained, evacuation orders lifted
The Whittier Fire was 87 percent contained as of July 25, according to a “final update” from the U.S. Forest Service. At that time, the fire had burned 18,430 acres and destroyed 16 residences and 30 outbuildings; 511 personnel responded to the fire. The cause of the blaze was still under investigation. The update explained…
Sheriff’s Office uncovers black market for stolen agricultural equipment
A lengthy investigation by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office uncovered thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen property, resulting in several arrests. The arrests also resulted in a major decline in reports of agricultural thefts in the Santa Maria Valley, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The investigation, driven by the Sheriff’s Office’s Rural Crimes Unit,…
Cypress Gallery features Neil Andersson
The Lompoc Valley Art Association features Neil Andersson at the Cypress Gallery in downtown Lompoc for the month of August. An artist’s reception is scheduled for Aug. 5 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the gallery. Andersson is known for his landscape paintings, and said in a statement from the association that a landscape is…
Allan Hancock College to relocate Solvang Center to Santa Ynez
Allan Hancock College recently announced plans to relocate its Solvang Center from Alisal Road in the Solvang Village Center to Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in an effort to increase its presence and offer more classes and services to residents in the Santa Ynez Valley. The relocated and thusly retitled Santa Ynez Valley Center…
