This is a bit early in the year for me to be making one of my semi-regular pushes to get people to not just read, but to read consciously and intentionally, since I usually reserve making such a case for Banned Books Week in the fall. The American Library Association, however, just released its list […]
RYAN MILLER
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Larry Wiemers
What makes an athlete? Is it skill, dedication, perseverance? All of the above? No matter which of those criteria you pick, it’s clear that Larry Wiemers meets the standard. At the time of his retirement, the Lucia Mar School District administrator could lay claim to a whole closetful of hats, the first of which he […]
Posted inNews
Area students get real-life adventure books from a local writer
Central Coast author Jennifer Best recently donated cases of her book, Best Family Adventures: Santa Barbara County, to northern Santa Barbara County schools for use in school libraries and resource rooms, as well as by students and their families. “The guides are intended to help families get out and about and enjoy the resources available […]
Posted inNews
Authors and illustrators visit Santa Barbara County students
Santa Barbara County upper elementary and junior high school students from the Santa Maria-Bonita to Carpinteria districts are gearing up to meet writers and illustrators at the 45th annual Author-Go-Round. Each year, the Santa Barbara County Education Office sponsors this event with a focus on books for young people, at which attendees will get the […]
Posted inNews
The Sun makes some changes
Starting this week, the Sun is freeing up space to make room for more local news. We’re retiring some longtime features that, while informative, fun to write, and—hopefully—fun to read, aren’t necessarily serving our readers in the way more news will. You’ll no longer find Discovery Corner or What Kids Are Reading in our school […]
Posted inNews
Community Corner: Join local gift-givers on a mission
It’s never a good time to be struggling in life–looking for work, wondering where the next meal is coming from, wrestling with addiction–but the staff at Central Coast Rescue Mission in Santa Maria recently noted that the Christmas season can be a “particularly painful time” for people in such a precarious position. Considering the local […]
Posted inNews
Rainstorms bring some relief from forest fire worries to Santa Barbara County
A few days of light to heavy rainfall have more than doubled the year-to-date records at monitoring sites around Santa Barbara County and resulted in looser fire restrictions in the Los Padres National Forest. Santa Maria’s Public Works station recorded 3.24 inches in the seven days prior to Dec. 16. The county’s high in that […]
Posted inNews
Community Corner: Celebrate the Day of the Farm Worker
They harvest the fruit, pick the vegetables, and handle the countless dirty, repetitive, and wearying tasks necessary each day to feed the community, the state, and the world. They are farm workers, and they represent a major pillar of the U.S. economy. The Santa Barbara County Education Office’s Migrant Education Program is sponsoring a free […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Lens flair: Check out the results of Winning Images 2014
Winning Images began at our sister paper, New Times, in 1994, and the contest has been inviting local photographers to participate for 19 years now. It eventually expanded to include this paper, the Sun—and this batch of images should remind everyone involved of why this annual competition has been such an enduring and growing presence […]
Posted inNews
Lens flair: Check out the results of Winning Images 2014
Winning Images began at our sister paper, New Times, in 1994, and the contest has been inviting local photographers to participate for 19 years now. It eventually expanded to include this paper, the Sun—and this batch of images should remind everyone involved of why this annual competition has been such an enduring and […]
Posted inNews
Capps narrowly holds her seat
California’s secretary of state reported that, as of 4:43 a.m. on Nov. 5, incumbent Democrat Lois Capps had edged out her Republican opponent Chris Mitchum 51.6 to 48.4 percent to keep her U.S. House of Representatives District 24 seat. This year’s election resulted in the narrowest margin of victory yet for the longtime congresswoman, who […]