Cover Story
Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide: Santa Maria library makerspaces let you create a personalized gift
MAKE TO GIVE Makerspace programs at the Santa Maria library can help you create a last-minute holiday gift By Joe Payne • Photos by Jayson Mellom It was Saturday morning and things were already getting messy. But that’s OK at the Santa Maria Public Library’s weekly makerspace sessions, where kids and parents assembled cards and…
Kick it root down: Chef Crystal ‘Pink’ DeLongpré quietly re-enters Solvang’s culinary scene with an intriguing new menu
At the top of the new fall menu at Root 246 is a famous quote from beloved chef and television personality Julia Child. “People who love to eat are always the best people.” The quote is a fitting kickoff not just for the menu but for the chef behind its execution. Chef Crystal “Pink” DeLongpré,…
Melting pop: Complicated Animals bring their indie pop and Brazilian bossa nova fusion to Naughty Oak in Orcutt
It’s been a nonstop year-and-a-half for Complicated Animals, ever since the indie pop fusion duo moved to California to pursue music together. Monica da Silva and Chad Alger have played at venues up and down and across the state, da Silva told the Sun on the way to a gig in Pismo Beach in late…
Flying Goat Winery hosts Katie Marie solo show
Patrons of Flying Goat Cellars tasting room in Lompoc might spot a familiar name behind the new artwork that’s currently featured on the walls. Katie Marie, artist and surfer, works part time in the winery, which is known as a forum for local artists to display their artwork. Marie’s work will be highlighted in a…
Artwork at the Santa Maria Public Airport District shows a diverse group of visionary artists
The holiday season has brought with it a new series of artwork at the Santa Maria Public Airport, with a lot of new pieces from local artists. The show is curated by the Valley Art Gallery in Orcutt and features many of the nonprofit’s members. One of the first things I was immediately impressed by…
District officials discuss battle over proposed changes to teacher transfer policy
Santa Maria’s high school district and its Faculty Association have been debating their 2018-19 school year contracts since last fall, but unlike in years past, salaries are only playing a small role in the dispute. Instead, much of this year’s debate surrounds proposed changes to the district’s teacher transfer and reassignment policy, and with the…
Spotlight on: Grid Alternatives
Power tools whirred atop the roof of a modest Santa Maria home as a work crew of 10 volunteers mounted a set of solar panels on a sunny November afternoon. Once installed, the new solar grid would reduce the family’s electric bill by as much as 80 percent, the workers said. Their efforts, like the…
Local olive oil producers grapple with state’s worst harvest in decades
Last year, California’s olive groves produced roughly 4 million gallons of olive oil. But because of this year’s strange weather patterns–an unusually hot winter followed by a bout of cold–the California Olive Oil Council estimates that only about 2.8 million gallons will have been produced by the end of this year’s harvest. It’s a 25…
Central Coast super region touted by local politicians and business leaders
The idea is a simple one: Stop competing with your neighbors, share information, work collaboratively, and in turn foster growth. This is the sales pitch from a newly unveiled organization backed by 13 Central Coast chambers of commerce that aims “to tackle the region’s systemic economic challenges” by creating a “super region” from Lompoc to…
County taking public comment on proposed Cat Canyon oil field
After four years of waiting, Aera Energy’s environmental impact report (EIR) for its East Cat Canyon Oil Field redevelopment project is available for public inspection. The Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department released the draft document on Nov. 30. Aera, which is owned by the Exxon Mobil Corporation and the Shell Energy Company, is…
SpaceX helps complete historic launch at Vandenberg
Hundreds of people lined West Ocean Avenue just outside of Lompoc and Vandenberg Air Force Base on Dec. 3 to witness a historic SpaceX rocket launch. Viewers were greeted with clear skies as the Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket carried 64 different spacecraft from 34 separate organizations as part of the Spaceflight Industries SSO-A: SmallSat Express…
El Monte paralegal fights allegations of unauthorized practice in Santa Maria
The State Bar of California is working to shut down a Los Angeles County paralegal office that allegedly provided unauthorized immigration services to migrant farmworkers in the Santa Maria area, “fraudulently” charging some of them more than $12,000. In a Nov. 30 press release, the State Bar announced that it had obtained an interim order…
Santa Ynez hosts Mongol Derby rider
The Santa Ynez Historical Museum presents a firsthand account of the annual Mongol Derby, presented by Michael Turner on Dec. 14. Turner was the ninth place winner of the annual derby, which features riders from around the world racing across the steppe of Mongolia. The race is the longest and considered the most grueling in…
Cypress Gallery features His and Hers show
The Lompoc Valley Art Association presents a show by local artists Tom and Joellen Chrones called His and Hers, which runs through Dec. 30. Tom Chrones is a photographer and retired Lompoc Fire Department member who spent several years photographing fire investigations for his career. In his current work, he documents landscapes, architecture, and local…
Melodrama unveils new season lineup
Oceano’s Great American Melodrama announced its 2019 season lineup, which includes seven productions across the year. Starting on Jan. 24, the Melodrama will kick off the new year with a production of Steel Magnolias, the classic play that depicts the lives of a group of closely bonded Southern women. Plays also include comedies such as…
Word to the bird
The “settled science” of the ’70s predicted a coming Ice Age. Of course the lazy press went with the sensational without examination. Time magazine used the same cover with a penguin perched on an iceberg to sell the coming ice age in 1977 and then global warming in 2007. I guess they got a three-for…
State Parks is a fox in charge of the chicken pen
I am a resident of Oceano. Lately, I have been attending the meetings of the Nipomo/Oceano local area board for the San Luis Obispo County Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID). I was shocked to learn that State Parks is represented on such a board. Campgrounds or RV parks are not considered lodging businesses as it…
Working together
I’ve griped before, asking local officials, representatives, and organizations to “do your damn jobs,” (“Do your job,” Oct. 18), so when they band together and actually do something, I can’t complain. What about an effort spearheaded by the Santa Maria Police Department on Dec. 1, which included 25 parole compliance searches targeting known gang members…
Charolette Ionata
Before this school year, Pioneer Valley High School student Charolette Ionata had never played a game of soccer in her life. Now she’s the varsity team’s starting goalie, and she’s making huge strides. Ionata, a senior, is an athlete by nature, according to coach Bilena Brafman, who said Ionata has long played volleyball and water…
Political Watch 12/6/18
• Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the State Capitol flag flown at half-staff in honor of President George H.W. Bush after news of his passing on Dec. 1. “Our thoughts are with the Bush family tonight,” Brown stated. “America has lost a true public servant.” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) issued a statement as well, saying that…
