It sounds like a parent’s nightmare: More than a dozen young children grabbing each other, trying to throw each other to the floor and either pin them there, choke them, or cause them so much pain they tap out. And yet, no one is crying. Tucked behind the State Farm office in the Tefft Center […]
MICHAEL McCONE
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
JACE PERERO
Intense athletes get this look in their eyes. Winning is their business, and they mean business. You may not expect to see this kind of look on a 9-year-old’s face, but Jace Perero has it. In the world of gymnastics, Perero is a relative newcomer. Where most competitors have been tumbling pretty much since they […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Kai Brown
On a rainy Thursday afternoon, when most young teens would be inside texting, facebooking, and watching whatever passes for entertainment these days on TV, one young lady was outside. Kai Brown has been jumping horses since she was 9 years old. Her grandfather was a horse jumper. Her mother was a horse jumper. It’s not […]
Posted inNews
Illuminate the problem, illuminate hope
There are times when it takes a little light to show us how deep the darkness is around us. On Oct. 24, a memorial march will be held in the memory of people who have lost their lives to domestic violence. The candlelight march will be accompanied by several speeches and artistic tributes to the […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: Sheltering Oak Sanctuary
With one whistle, Cody Rackley silences 26 barking dogs. And they aren’t just any dogs. They’re the stereotypically aggressive pit bulls everyone seems to be afraid of—except Rackley’s whistle isn’t angry, and neither are the barks. They’re more like 26 voices saying, “Me! Me! Pay attention to me!” Rackley and Jill Anderson, along with Jill’s […]
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Lavagnino says it’s time to give up the seat
On Oct. 3, Santa Maria Mayor Larry Lavagnino announced he won’t be seeking another term as mayor. Lavagnino has held the city’s top political position since 1996. Born in Santa Maria in 1935, Lavagnino has seen the city grow to 10 times the size it was during his childhood. When asked about his decision to […]
Posted inNews
A little chance, a lot of love
Dealing with the grief and emptiness left behind when a loved one dies is a difficult enough mountain to climb on its own. Add to that the hardship of medical bills and the mountain can feel insurmountable. The Quarales family knows this only too well. On Oct. 17, Santa Maria High School will hold a […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: Panera Bread
Now before you get all up in arms about the Sun spotlighting a large corporation over a local mom-and-pop shop, read a little further. Ten years ago, Sue Stees was on the hunt for a way to help women fighting breast cancer. She herself was a survivor and co-owner of several Panera Bread franchises. What […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Pablo Nicasio
Here’s an idea for a sport (to crib from Robin Williams’ comical breakdown of the origins of golf): Get a huge pack of guys and girls together. Send them running mind-boggling distances, over hills and around trees and through God knows what, with no referees or umpires anywhere to bear witness to any fouls, where […]
Posted inNews
Help bail out a Sun reporter
Going weak in the knees because of that perfect first kiss is a dream. Going weak in the knees as a result of muscular dystrophy is a nightmare—but it doesn’t have to end a child’s dreams. On Oct. 6, Central Coast volunteers, including Sun Managing Editor Amy Asman, will be arrested and taken to jail—in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Prof. Wagner and the fight against brain drain
A game developer wants technology to flourish in Santa Maria
A wintergreen cursor blinked against the black void of the Apple IIE’s monitor, casting a faint glow onto the face of a young Michael Wagner. In the years to follow, those pixels would arrange into homework and games—and would generate a love of computer programming in the boy staring at them. Twenty-three years after getting […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Gerardo Alvarez
It’s hard enough to get up at 6 in the morning. It’s even harder when you know that you’re going to be running for the next hour. Gerardo Alvarez starts his day—every day, seven days a week—just like this. He wants to be able to breathe while his opponents are trying to clean his clock. […]
