Cover Story
Navigating education
Some people pursue diplomas to help them succeed. Others pursue them so their children can succeed. With that goal in mind—success—a class of parents committed nine weeks to learning how to navigate the educational system. They aimed to learn how to help their children graduate and pursue college educations of their own. After completing their…
Leeds is competent to stand trial
A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge ruled on April 19 that Lee Leeds, the man who allegedly shot and killed four people in a Santa Maria auto salvage yard in 2008, is officially competent to stand trial. This was the third and final time the court examined Leeds’ mental competency. He suffers from paranoid…
RAISED BY WOLVES
Bryn really was raised by wolves—werewolves, that is! Rescued by alpha wolf Callum and his pack after her parents were killed by a rabid werewolf, Bryn and her foster mother, Ali, are the only two humans in the pack. When the rabid werewolf strikes again and creates a new young “were,” Chase, Bryn finds herself…
Why does my kite fly?
How long has it been since you looked up into a breezy springtime sky and watched a brightly colored kite skating along in front of some puffy white clouds? Have you ever considered the reasons that kites are able to fly? It may surprise you, but kites are governed by exactly the same set of…
Are you a sunshine or a rain type of person?
Irma Valdez hair stylist “Sunshine. I don’t like when it’s cold. I don’t like wearing sweaters.” [image-2] Anthony Ibarra student “Sunshine for sure. It’s warm, and you get to be outside and do active stuff.” [image-3] Hugo Lopez student “Sunshine, because it’s not depressing.” [image-4] Jim Newell manager “Rain. [I] grew up in Las Vegas…
Sharing the gift
True musical knowledge is a difficult commodity to come by, and unbeknownst to many, Santa Maria has played host to a mastermind in the musical arts for nearly a quarter century. Students uncountable have been helped by the priceless knowledge dispensed tirelessly by Dr. Marcus Engelmann, Fine Arts Department chair and music instructor at Allan…
Supporters of an Orcutt veterans’ monument make a stand against Caltrans
Cars honked and curious passersby lent support to an Orcutt Vietnam veteran who recently took his fight against Caltrans over a proposed memorial onto an embankment near Highway 101’s Clark Avenue exit. Steve LeBard, president of the Old Town Orcutt Revitalization Association (OTORA), wants to build a monument honoring veterans near the site, comprised of…
Cameron Jones
Break out those peanuts and Cracker Jacks, it’s springtime again, and with it brings another season of baseball. Locally, one player you may want to keep an eye on is Righetti High centerfielder Cameron Jones. Jones has been playing baseball for the past 10 years, and while he’s only a sophomore, he has a strong…
What’s on Deck
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On the roster
Guadalupe Youth Football: Registrations take place April 16 at the Guadalupe Boys and Girls Club from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Prospective players need to bring a birth certificate, photo, and a report card. The fee is $150, with a $10 sibling discount. For more information, e-mail league president Enrique Ortiz at enriqueortiz92@yahoo.com or visit…
Express takes softball tournament
The Central Coast Express 14U fastpitch softball team, coached by Tom Cline, came home with the championship for the USSSA Queen of the Diamonds Tournament in Fremont, held April 2 and 3. The Express finished the weekend 5-0-1, led by Katie Barbarick and Bailey Killough, who allowed only four runs in three games. Along with…
Take a hike at Los Flores
Do you enjoy long walks in the park? Los Flores Ranch Park docents will be leading nature walks on the second Saturday of each month until August. Hikers will experience the beauty of Los Flores Ranch and learn about the oak trees and other plant life, as well as birds and the many other animals…
Fish tales and derby divas
Dawn broke through the fog at Lake Cachuma on April 9, a signal flare fired, and hundreds of anglers braved the balmy morning air and got to work—if you call trout fishing work. It was the start of the fifth Trout Derby for Santa Maria resident Craig Gerfen, who trolled the lake near Bradbury Dam…
Try the EPIC approach to education
The article by Amy Asman concerning the Lucia Mar TAP education program (“TAP into the future,” March 30) was excellent. Undoubtedly, California cutbacks in school funding resulting from the recent severe decline in state revenue will compound problems in the education of our children. Ultimately, our local community must find ways to improve the education…
Use the Internet to send a message to our crummy leaders
Ask the old-schooler like me the following: What’s causing all the unrest in the Middle East and South Korea? Those people there see how the rest of the world lives on the Internet and demand equal freedom and rights. Why did we go into Afghanistan and Iraq? It was to reset the U.S. dollar versus…
Stand up and say it could happen to us
In the wake of the ongoing nuclear disaster in Fukushima, our attention in this community, understandably, turns to our “own” nuclear power plant in Diablo Canyon. We were once able to tuck away our fears of a Diablo disaster and carry on. But now the threat is raw and tangible. It could happen here–to us.…
Boy, does Santa Maria have talent!
As connected to the local arts scene as I have been for the last 30 years—working with musicians, dancers, singer-songwriters, painters, sculptors, and actors, having worked in radio, for the theater, and as the arts editor for the Sun—I should be one of the last people surprised by the depth and strength of the local…
Discover hidden gems
No matter what the field of endeavor, from oil painting to cooking to carpentry, it seems the professionals get all the glory. Amateurs—whose very title derives from the Latin amare, meaning “to love”—pursue their pastimes for the sheer pleasure of the doing. Home winemakers, like most other amateur do-it-yourselfers, cherish their hobby. All year long,…
Urinal on wheels
Sometimes, when I really want something, I will foolishly try to convince my wife that she wants it more than I do. The theory here is that she will like the idea so much that we will actually go through with the crack-head plan, and in the end, I will get my way. I recently…
Baby, you’ll love Becky’s New Car
Forget braving some of the highest gas prices in the state. Forget the wear and tear on your vehicle. Forget hours spent on various highways. Every once in a while, you should hop in your car and get out of the area to see something new. And what better excuse to do so than a…
Santa Maria Has Talent announces winners
Opera singer Candice Meras of Santa Maria took home the winner’s trophy and a $1,000 check Saturday night in the second annual Santa Maria Has Talent competition at Santa Maria Veteran’s Hall. Ballerina Chaye Jackson won second place, and 9-year-old singer Sydney Sugars won third place. In the people’s choice award, “Santa Maria’s Favorite,” singing…
Picture the Dunes
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center is seeking an artist with work focusing on the local dunes ecosystem (beaches, dunes, plants, animals) in the medium of his or her choice. Selected artists will have their work featured at the Dunes Center Gallery. If you’re interested, mail or drop off an artist summary and samples of work at…
Buellton resident inspires tea drinkers
Mary Jane Nirenberg of Buellton was one of the winners in the Good Earth Tea “Tag You’re It” Tea Tag contest. Her winning quote, “The only way to fail at something is to fail to learn from the experience,” will be featured on Good Earth Tea tags later this year, as will inspirational quotes from…
Stone on a wire
Sharon Duncan loves what she does. You could say that, as a jewelry maker, she gets wrapped up in her work when inspiration hits. Duncan creates elaborate, wire-wrapped jewelry using gems, stones, and glass. She sculpts each piece into an elaborate work of art. Duncan began sculpting wire nearly 10 years ago as a way…
Get courses while they’re hot!
There’s nothing like summer in the classroom, especially if it’s your last chance to enjoy cheaper community college enrollment fees. So, if you’re trying to avoid that $10 enrollment cost increase–from $26 to $36 per credit–coming to Allan Hancock College in the fall semester, now’s the time to act. The summer catalog will offer a…
Students paint their school purple to end cancer
On April 5, 11-year-old DJ Claborne turned Tunnell School, where he attends, purple for the day. After giving a presentation to the school’s principal and faculty about Relay For Life, he recruited students to help put up banners, balloons, and ribbons around the school to raise awareness about the life-saving fundraiser. “He’s awesome,” Senior Relay…
Spotlight on: Tom’s Toys
In keeping with today’s economy, Tom’s Toys in the Santa Maria Town Center is going discount. Hoping for a sales boost—like his San Luis Obispo store experienced after a similar change in 2008—owner Ted Frankel is offering major markdowns on Barbies, Liv Dolls, board games, and Hot Wheels, to name a few popular items. Frankel…
Advocating for April
With only a handful of attorneys and sometimes few social workers to serve them, many local abused, neglected, or abandoned children need extra support. This is where Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children steps in. A CASA worker is a specially trained volunteer who advocates on behalf of an assigned child in order to…
The missing
After almost 10 years without any clear leads to explain the disappearance of Lompoc resident Dana McPeek, police announced last month they’d finally found some answers. In December 2010, a local civilian found what appeared to be a human jawbone while hiking in a remote area outside Lompoc city limits near Miguelito Canyon. He turned…
Judge to determine whether Leeds is competent to stand trial–
Courtroom arguments began April 8 in the third hearing to determine whether Lee Leed–the man who in 2008 allegedly shot and killed four people at a salvage yard in Santa Maria–is competent enough to stand trial. Leeds, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, has spent the last few years in custody, shuffling back and forth between…
Corrections
• In its March 22 news article “Times are tough for community colleges,” the Sun misreported information about Allan Hancock College’s budget. Employee salaries and benefits account for more than 80 percent of the school’s budget. • The lead sports article on April 7, titled “Red Dawn,” incorrectly reported the coaching background of Santa Maria…
Child endangerment charge dropped
Nearly five months after an extensive San Luis Obispo County Narcotics Task Force investigation led to the arrests of 15 members of medical marijuana collectives and a host of criminal accusations, one defendant has learned he won’t be facing child endangerment charges. Steven Gordon, a former firefighter—who, as operator of the Pismo Beach mobile dispensary…
PG&E to NRC: Don’t relicense Diablo yet!
A year and a half after Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) announced it was seeking federal relicensing of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant—and just more than a month after an earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan created an unprecedented nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant and renewed local concern over seismic safety—PG&E has…
