Each year, the Santa Maria Sun joins New Times in staging the celebration of brevity that is 55 Fiction. The papers’ founder, Steve Moss, invented the pointedly devilish contest years ago, inviting writers from around the Central Coast—and world!—to pen tidy little tales that wrap up in less than 56 words. Four staff judges rated […]
RYAN MILLER
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Signing of the times
B. Dalton in Santa Maria is closing its doors, but there’s still time for a visit with the creator of Sammy Keyes
Local author Wendelin Van Draanen has sent a skateboarding young sleuth into gritty cityscapes and wild forests. She’s put a fifth grader on the trail of a string of ne’er-do-wells, from a school bully all the way up to an enemy spy. And she’s paired a kid with a talking gecko and some superpower producing […]
Posted inNews
Sound off
One of the last live music venues in Northern Santa Barbara County has to keep it quiet from now on
On a recent weekday afternoon, the loudest sounds echoing across and around South Broadway in Orcutt were the repeated pneumatic blasts of a nail gun from a construction site. Engines rumbled as trucks roared along. The occasional small, droning plane motored overhead. Otherwise, there was silence, barely broken by twitters and chirps from small birds. […]
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The short and the short of it
Short may not always make good fashion sense, but it does make for great reads
Each year, hundreds of writers from around the Central Coast, state, country, and world roll up their sleeves and start writing. They click on keyboards. They scratch pens on paper. They hammer away at typewriters. Then, they submit their tiny literary endeavors to the annual 55 Fiction contest, started years ago by founder Steve Moss […]
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Still shining after all these years
The Santa Maria Sun: News, arts, sports, calendar, and a mouthwash substitute
A new millennium had dawned. The world was still easing itself into 2000, inching down slowly like the new year was a steaming hot tub, grateful that the warnings of a global technological meltdown were just the rantings of conspiracy theorists. You know, crazy people. And just as citizens everywhere were finally allowing their lives […]
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Stop that drip-drip-dripping
March 16 through 20 is national “Fix a Leak Week,” and Santa Barbara County is on board to celebrate it to the fullest. A press release from the county announced that sbwater.org is linking directly to the Environmental Protection Agency’s “WaterSense” program’s campaign to encourage people to repair “dripping faucets, running toilets, leaky showerheads, and […]
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Santa Marians can discuss proposed water rate increases
Water. Everybody uses it. It flows from faucets and down drains—all of which costs money. But how much money? That depends. The City of Santa Maria Utilities Department will be host to a March 23 public workshop to discuss proposed water and sewer rate increases. Residents received notices in their utility bills throughout February. According […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Hit the links with your PAL
The Lompoc Valley Police Activities League (PAL) joined up with Village Country Club to offer a free program for young golfers in Lompoc Valley. The course starts in March, is open to 10- to 17-year-olds, and covers everything about the game, from etiquette to putting, at Village Country Club Golf Course. Transportation will be provided. […]
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Isn’t it grand to be a year old?
The Central Coast Women’s Network is celebrating its first anniversary with a business expo and grand reception on March 20. Attendees will participate in educational breakout sessions, hear motivational keynote speaker Starr Hall (founder of 2 Point Media), and see businesses showcasing their products and services at an expo from noon to 4 p.m. Learn […]
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Recession? What recession?
Take a long, hard look at today’s economic climate, and then mark your calendars for an upcoming chance to join an effort to “not participate in the recession.” Local businesses are banding together to offer a one-day intensive “marketing bootcamp,” set for May 16 at the Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo. The conference—scheduled to […]
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Don’t let this one get away
Been There, Caught That has grown. The fishing supply shop that sells everything from rods and reels to boat accessories, camping gear, and water toys recently expanded into a neighboring office. Now, shoppers can wander through more than 2,800 square feet of lures and lines. “We wanted to make this the greatest tackle shop possible, […]
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Help stop the cycle of abuse
The Santa Barbara County Human Services Commission is currently accepting grant applications for batterers’ treatment starting April 1 and running through July 30, 2010. Funds available for the period total $20,182.50, subject to the Board of Supervisors’ final budget decisions. Grant applicants must be nonprofit 501(c) organizations and comply with county nondiscrimination policies. The grants […]
