Cover Story
Fit to print? Defamation trial highlights the complicated legacy of CalCoastNews
“We work in the public interest.” Karen Velie repeated a credo that many journalists live by from her seat on the witness stand in SLO County Superior Court. As she answered another pointed question from an opposing attorney, Velie—a reporter, owner, and cofounder of CalCoastNews—was flanked by the massive display of a 2012 article she…
Los Alamos chefs take the reigns at Plenty on Bell
Inside Plenty on Bell on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, chef and new co-owner Alec Roehl makes small talk with a pair of customers. They tell him how much they love the food and ask him questions about his family. They’re more like visiting relatives than fussy diners, which is the norm inside the Los Alamos…
What’s your level of confidence in local news media?
Dale Kreiter author/artist “I view all news, local and national, as a biased form of entertainment. You can only trust that it will be presented through their partisan perspective.” Kathy Lambert works at Santa Maria Public Library “I have very little confidence in them anymore. But this is a trick question, because I’m talking to…
Political Watch 4/13/17
• Federal Judge Neil Gorsuch was confirmed as an associate justice to the Supreme Court on April 7. Gorsuch was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace Antonin Scalia, who died in 2016. Among those in the Democratic minority who voted “no” was California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was troubled by Gorsuch’s judicial history and…
Enough to make you gag
It gets tiresome sitting in the proverbial coalmine. I get to hear what sources say off the record, the arguments in the halls following public meetings, and the incompetence that runs throughout local government, business, and even media. I don’t need to beat CalCoastNews and its owners Karen Velie and Daniel Blackburn into the ground…
Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen harmonize for Orthodox Church fundraiser
The sound of two or more voices blending together with different notes was something that attracted Chris Hillman since he began playing music. That harmony singing style was a huge part of The Byrds’ sound, of which Hillman was an original member. Many decades—and just as many bands—later, Hillman is still chasing that dragon with…
Santa Maria Arts Council Student Art Show features powerful work
Walking through the halls of consumerism at the mall, it might be easy to miss something truly unique. In the second floor, sandwiched between the escalator and a cookie store near Macy’s, dozens of works of beautiful artwork hang on the walls of a makeshift gallery. The artistic geniuses behind this work aren’t famous photographers…
Santa Maria’s public arts plan splits artists, developers
A mural on a wall at 420 S. McClelland St. depicts a couple holding up a glass of wine between a young girl clasping a giant strawberry and a chef cooking vegetables in a pot. Spilling out from them are rows of a field complete with a tractor. All the images represent the many facets…
Spotlight on: Deasee’s Boutique
Surrounded by stacks of colorful spring dresses and dangling metal jewelry, Randy and Terri Deasee manage every aspect of their growing business, Deasee’s Boutique, out of the back office of their store. The shop offers a variety of clothing, intimates, accessories, and home decor, but its roots are in jewelry. After successfully starting a small…
Operation Matador defense attorney wants gag order against the local press
Journalists and the rest of the public waited more than two hours outside a second story courtroom on April 7 at the Santa Maria Courthouse to see the arraignment of 12 alleged gang members accused of committing multiple gang-related homicides in the city. Much to the frustration of journalists, the public portion of the hearing…
District Attorney report finds police justified in Gaona shooting
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office released its official report on April 3 regarding the investigation of the officer-involved shooting of Javier Gaona, finding that Santa Maria Police Department officers were justified in using lethal force. Gaona, who was 31 years old at the time, died shortly after being shot multiple times on the…
Hancock ramps up for annual Friday Night Science event
Allan Hancock College will present Friday Night Science on May 5, featuring music created from bone conduction, an infrared light lounge, and smoke ring target practice, according to a press release from the college. The free annual event draws more than 1,500 people each year, aiming to get children more interested in science, technology, engineering,…
Robotics team heads to world championships
The Orcutt Academy Robotics Team scored an invitation to the FIRST World Championship robotics competition in Houston, Texas, scheduled for April 19 through 22. The robotics team comprises nearly 40 members and about a dozen volunteer mentors, according to a press release. Participants are responsible for everything from promoting the team to building the robots,…
Head Start teacher sues Community Action Commission for racial discrimination
A former teacher for the Head Start program—which provides math and early reading assistance to children from low-income families, as part of Santa Barbara County’s Community Action Commission—is suing the commission for racial harassment and discrimination, according to court documents. Tandeka McCann, a 44-year-old black woman and Santa Barbara County resident, was hired by the…
Hobnobbing with Helen: Oasis Center holds fantastic fundraiser
Orcutt is waiting for something big to happen. No, it’s more than big. It’s huge. How huge? you ask. How about 15,900 square feet? That is the projected size of the new Luis Oasis Senior Center that is planned for a super-convenient location on West Clark Avenue near the Orcutt Expressway. The Oasis Center is…
Blaming immigrants much?
WOW! You must believe that illegal immigrants have enormous powers, Sally Rodriguez (“Illegal immigration comes with a cost,” March 30)! According to Sally, 11 million illegal immigrants are responsible for bankrupt hospitals, crowded classrooms, declining water supplies, polluted air, and half a dozen other big problems that our country faces. You forgot to blame them…
Out of context
The article in your last issue entitled “Meet a Muslim” (March 30) by Brenna Swanston presents a snippet of Islam totally out of context with the real world. It is a touchy-feely article that overlooks the real Islam. Islam means submission of the brain and body to a political philosophy, not a religion. Islam is…
Tie that cash cow to the whipping post!
There are three reasons why California is always ranked as the worst state in the union for doing business. The first is the politicians and activists who abuse and demonize business. Second is the businesses who enable the abusers by buying favors, and alternatively, those who refuse to fight back. The third reason is the…
Serving animals better: Santa Barbara County Animal Services works to comply with national standards
Santa Barbara County Animal Services has stepped up its game over the past two years, since the American Humane Association conducted a comprehensive assessment of Animal Services in June 2015, concluding with 464 recommendations. In the month following the assessment, Animal Services created an oversight team to help implement the Humane Association’s recommendations. Nearly two…
Clarification
In the April 13 story, “Panga boat linked to Sinaloa Cartel operative,” the Sun misstated a few aspects of the story: Fisherman Travis Lobo acquired the boat after a legal battle in 2013, the last panga boat found in Santa Barbara County was discovered in October of 2016 along Gaviota Beach, and the San Onofre…
County to petition state for water project funding
At its April 11 meeting, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to send a project proposal to the governor’s Drought Task Force, seeking state funding for a list of projects intended to both create new water supplies for the county and protect existing resources. “With the cycle of drought more prevalent, and…
Santa Maria Police Department installs more crime cameras
Ever feel like you’re being watched? It’s probable that you are, at least if you’re standing somewhere near one of Santa Maria’s crime cameras. The Santa Maria Police Department announced on April 9 that it recently acquired 11 new camera pods, according to Sgt. Russ Mengel. The cameras—metal boxes with multiple cameras attached, which the…
Santa Ynez High School student charged with assault for campus fight
A Santa Ynez High School freshman girl, 15, was charged in juvenile court on April 7 with one felony count of assault, following an April 4 fight on the high school campus, according to a press release from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office. The fight in question was “particularly brutal,” according to an…
The guest
The day our son left for college, we felt very proud that he had moved on to the next stage in his existence. His whole life was ahead of him. He could accomplish anything. We were excited for him, and we were also excited to have a new empty room in the house. Five seconds…
Mobile murals hit Lompoc
The city of Lompoc’s Mobile Mural Contest gives artists in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County a chance to have their work displayed on the city’s new refuse trucks. Submit original artwork in the theme of “Public Works Connects Us” in media including acrylics, crayons, oils, pencils, and watercolors. Entrants can submit group…
Santa Ynez Valley Arts Association offers art scholarships
The Santa Ynez Valley Arts Association (SYVAA) is offering art scholarships to graduating seniors from Santa Ynez Valley high schools. Graduating seniors from accredited home schooling programs are also eligible for SYVAA scholarships. The deadline for students to apply is May 4. The SYVAA will also give individual merit awards to students who will attend…
Lompoc Public Library runs Food for Fines program
In celebration of National Library Week, the Lompoc Public Library System is accepting food donations as a part of its Food for Fines program, which runs April 10 through 15. The Lompoc Public Library and the Village Library will accept food donations to help those in need as payment for overdue fines. Participants will get…
Righetti High’s boys baseball team show what it means to be a Warrior
Coming back from a season that saw the Ernest Righetti High School Warriors boys’ baseball team make it to CIF State Playoff quarterfinals, this year’s squad is out to prove that last season was no fluke. Although the team finished the 2016 regular season at 16-16, Righetti went on to win three straight playoff games…
Dominic Nevarez
Eight-year-old Dominic Nevarez’s life-long dream is to play baseball at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the home of his favorite team. Even though this dream might be a few years away, Dominic experienced the next best thing last summer when he played at the Dodger Stadium replica in Las Vegas, NV. “The 805 Baseball Club…
