No, it doesn’t snow here. While the East Coast welcomes the winter with wide blankets of white, we Central Coast residents note some rainy days and cooler temperatures, but that’s about all. Don’t let our local lack of snow stop you from exploring the weather, however. Changing seasons mark a fine time to talk about […]
RYAN MILLER
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Socket to me
Skulls feature large in the latest Sammy Keyes book, out just in time for Halloween
Local author Wendelin Van Draanen collects the world around her. She picks up pieces, facts, and interesting tidbits—a photo from a Yahoo News article here, something glimpsed in an Arizona airport there—and stores them away like puzzle pieces to be assembled later. Her problem (if you can really call it a problem) is that she […]
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Trials and tribulations
A local man takes on the judicial system in his fight against two arrests
This is how Jeff Lind sees it: He’s innocent, and he can prove his innocence—has proved his innocence, in fact—so there doesn’t have to be a trial. Lind, an Orcutt resident who works in San Luis Obispo as general manager of an advertising agency, was pulled into his current legal situation when attending a hearing […]
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The fin issue
A proposed ban on shark fin sales in California aims to stave off the extinction of the ocean predators by prohibiting a traditional Asian delicacy
The shark silenced the room. Hundreds of people had been talking, laughing, shouting, trying to spot the unmistakable predatory shape amid the other fish endlessly circling in the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Outer Bay exhibit. Children on class field trips pressed as close as they could to the transparent wall, yelping whenever one of the tank’s […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
It had to be Coastal Voices
The local singing group takes listeners back to the 1920s
World War I had ended, the Great Depression hadn’t started yet, and the United States was enjoying a general burst of prosperity and happiness. That national feeling poured out in song—hundreds of songs, in fact. They’re some of the most memorable and timeless tunes around, and they’re the inspiration behind Coastal Voices’ upcoming concert, “Roaring […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A decade of musical beauty
The Santa Maria Philharmonic caps off its 10th anniversary season with a concert that plays off the past
In Europe, or Australia, or Asia, conductors typically conduct. That’s about the extent of their responsibilities, and it’s how they get the title. In the United States, however, conductors are often called music directors. In addition to leading the group in rehearsals and concerts, the folks at the front of the orchestra have final say […]
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A little Austen will do you good
PCPA can rightly take pride in Prejudice
It is a truth universally acknowledged that no matter how many adaptations of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice exist, there will always be more. If the BBC’s epic standard isn’t to your liking, perhaps you’ll enjoy the Bridget Jones Diary twist on the tale. If you’re looking to avoid Colin Firth altogether, you could rent […]
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Stars and stripes forever/never
A proposed Orcutt monument sits at the heart of a local free speech debate
The ice plant was crushed. Just crushed. Yellow and purple flowers stood up here and there amid the pulpy sea of green, trampled by three or four dozen veterans and their friends sweating under one of the first sunny days to heat the coast after a series of early spring storms. What had started life […]
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Santa Maria loses a pillar
Harrell Fletcher, a longtime public servant who held seats on bodies ranging from Santa Maria’s fledgling Code Compliance Board up to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, died the evening of Jan. 3. The 91-year-old passed peacefully from pneumonia complications at Marian Medical Center, according to a press release from the city of Santa […]
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Fire departments honor 9/11
This Sept. 11 marks the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In remembrance of the tragedy, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department will hold a ceremony on Sept. 11 at its headquarters at 4410 Cathedral Oaks Road in Santa Barbara. The event starts at 9 a.m. Fire Chief Michael W. Dyer will give a brief […]
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Welcome Labor Day with your veins
It seems to happen just before every major holiday, but its frequency doesn’t make it trivial: United Blood Services is looking for donors to ensure an ample blood supply. This time around, the organization is particularly seeking people with Type O coursing through their veins to help fill needs over the Labor Day weekend and […]
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Hollywood gets Flipped
Local author Wendelin Van Draanen’s 2001 book transitions to the big screen
This is the story of how a book becomes a movie. Actually, it’s the story of how a book became a movie, because it doesn’t always happen this way. Obviously, director Rob Reiner doesn’t often call the author of the source material out of the blue on Halloween to chat about his enthusiasm for the […]