Cover Story
Lend me a stage: PCPA’s Brad Carroll directs the play he co-wrote and premiered in London’s West End, ‘Lend Me a Tenor the Musical,’ for its Central Coast debut
You don’t need much help to find the rehearsal space where Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) actors and students prepare for their productions. I followed a loose list of directions, turning down the small asphalt road behind Costco’s tire service center, convinced for a brief moment I was lost. A small group of people was gathered…
A Muslim speaks
Clarification: A previous version of this letter to the editor identified Adam Khan with the Islamic Center of Santa Maria, which has been changed at the request of the Islamic Center of Santa Maria, which claims no knowledge of or affiliation with Khan. I have been reading some irresponsible “opinions” in this publication regarding Muslims.…
If you had to perform in a play or musical, which one would it be?
Mel Petten retired “I would pick a musical over a play. I’m going to go with Cats.” Justine Garcia Rite-Aid employee “I don’t really know many plays or musicals, so probably Wicked.” Manuel Vargas retired teacher “Hamilton! Way before the play came out I read the story on Alexander Hamilton and was really impressed by…
A special place in SLO
Sometimes you find a hidden gem just around the corner, and this is the case at 1060 Palm St., San Luis Obispo. The GALA Center is a nonprofit organization offering support and meeting space for many progressive organizations and people including the local LGBTQ population. The GALA Center Art Gallery offers unique shows, currently featuring…
Supervisors discuss cuts to Behavioral Wellness and Social Services in light of budget shortfall
Santa Barbara County’s Social Services and Behavioral Wellness departments will likely take the brunt of county budget slashes for the 2017-2018 fiscal year, according to deliberations from the Board of Supervisors at last week’s budget workshops. Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, who represents the 5th District, told the Sun he expects the county will decide at its…
The Bear and Star restaurant opening in Los Olivos
On a warm Tuesday night in April, Chef John Cox nervously moved from room to room as crowds of well-dressed diners, well-wishers, and food critics flooded into the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn in Los Olivos. The crowd who filled the space was there to welcome The Bear and Star, Eli and Ashley Parker’s new…
SipMusic Club pairs wine with local albums in Lompoc
There are literally hundreds of wine clubs available up and down the Central Coast, but only one comes with a new album from a local band. SipMusic Club came about when local singer/songwriter Randall Sena, owner of Certain Sparks Music in Lompoc, decided to slap the artwork for his debut solo album, A Form of…
Stilt walker entertains kids of all ages at Santa Maria’s Strawberry Festival
The moment Karen Quest talks about kids, her voice lights up. “Everything is beautiful when I’m talking to family and kids,” she said. “I’m in the moment. Some of my favorite conversations of all time were with kids, who were sitting up on their parents’ shoulders.” Those kids need to get up on their parents’…
Bringing the laughs: Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood bring their comedy tour to the Chumash
Even when they aren’t onstage with each other or even in the same room, Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood can’t stop joking around about one another. “I feel like I’m one of the few people who can figure out how to make that guy funny,” Sherwood said in an interview with the Sun. “He’s so…
Spotlight on: Mobile Phone Investigations
Hypothetical scenario: You drop your smartphone into the toilet, damaging the screen and other electronic aspects of the device. Beside the obvious monetary loss, you’ve also lost thousands of megabytes’ worth of important photos, videos, contacts, and more. What do you do? Well, you can either kiss your data goodbye, or reach out to a…
Fisherman loses appeal in civil rights cases involving panga boat
A fisherman who was cited by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies after refusing to turn over a panga boat he discovered off El Capitan Beach lost an appeal on April 24 to have his civil rights lawsuit reconsidered. Eric Bjorklund sued Santa Barbara County Senior Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter, the Sheriff’s Office, and…
Boldly old
Last month I had a birthday, and I am now 63 years old. At this stage of my life, I have grown in many ways, leaving me with just one question. What the hell happened? Whoever said growing old is not for sissies wasn’t kidding. Only four autumns ago I would hop over to my…
Santa Maria Arts Council announces arts competition winners
The Santa Maria Arts Council (SMAC) plans to honor the winners of the Individual Grants in the Arts Competition at a dinner and awards ceremony on May 15. Winning artists’ displays and performances in music, dance, and drama will be showcased. First and second place winners in each medium will receive $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.…
Local artists beautify Santa Maria utility boxes
The city of Santa Maria chose four local artists—Matthew Betancourt, Edward Chavarria, Melissa Johnson-Barash, and Ruben Espinoza—to beautify traffic signal utility boxes along Main Street and Cook Street. The artists went to work on the weekend of April 15 and 16. The artists were chosen by a panel of 13 judges to hand-paint murals with…
Driven to disc: The Santa Maria Showdown welcomes disc golfers of all ages to compete at Waller Park
A plastic disc zips through the air and clinks into the metal chains of a disc golf basket at Waller Park. Score! People play disc golf there daily, but on April 29, the second annual Santa Maria Showdown will take over the park. The tournament, sponsored by Legacy Discs, is part of the CenCal series…
Bree Foerster
Nineteen-year-old Bree Foerster made the transition from dance student to dance teacher when she started working at the Coastal Dance and Music Academy (CDMA) in Arroyo Grande. Foerster got the job almost immediately after graduating from Nipomo High School in 2016, where she spent freshman to senior year dancing with the Nipomo High School Dance…
What a headache
Ugh, here it is again, that hellish thing we’ve all been dreading. No, I’m not talking about the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ budget hearings—I’m talking about allergy season! Am I the only one who feels like they’ve got their beak in a vice? It sure seems the supervisors are allergic to social and…
Have your say on Nipomo’s water rates
The mission of the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD) is to provide its customers with reliable, quality, and cost-effective services now and in the future. The increasing cost of water can be difficult for all of us water consumers, but this resource is vital to life and essential to our way of living. Most of…
Support the Bob Jones trail
Dear supervisors and fellow citizens of SLO county, I support the Bob Jones Trail Expansion Project and I encourage you to keep supporting it as you have done in the past. It is an enchanting walk through spectacular countryside, which is our duty to protect, enhance, and make available for everyone’s enjoyment. My sister visited…
The cost of the new gas tax
I read that the California tax on gasoline and diesel fuel is going to be raised by $0.12 per gallon in the motor vehicle fuel (gasoline) tax imposed by bill SB 1. There will be 50 percent of a $0.20 per gallon increase in the diesel excise tax, with an inflation adjustment, and a portion…
County is wasting money on helicopters
Santa Barbara County Supervisors Janet Wolf and Steve Lavagnino refused to meet with me regarding Santa Barbara County’s Air Support Unit. I thought I would inform you, the public, as to what is actually going on. Some of the information below is from my 20 years assigned to this unit (I’m now retired from the…
Political Watch 4/27/17
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) got heckled at a town hall meeting she hosted on April 17 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in San Francisco. The town hall was organized by liberal grassroots group Indivisible, and came during the two-week recess taken by members of Congress, which gives them a chance to meet with…
Hobnobbing with Helen
Murder in Morocco, staged at the Vocational Training Center’s (VTC) A Street Café, was an off, off, off Broadway play. This one-act drama, a lot of fun to watch, had a very limited run. We are talking one night. Diane Balay wrote it for a Noontime Rotary fundraiser. A production of the play, along with…
Three maps chosen for prospective Santa Maria districts
Santa Maria got a taste of what political jurisdictions could look like on April 20, when three proposed district maps approved by the city were presented during a special City Council meeting at the Edwards Community Center. It was the third in a series of meetings about how to transition from at-large to district elections.…
Suspected Easter shooter charged with murder
A Lompoc man who allegedly shot and killed his ex-girlfriend in Santa Maria early on Easter Sunday was arrested by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies on April 19 and charged with murder on April 21. Jorge Tovar Fernandez, 26, is facing murder charges with special allegations of lying in wait and intentionally discharging a firearm…
Local Assembly member backs higher standards for oil drilling, farmer equity
Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) is backing initiatives that support chemical reporting transparency for oil and gas extractions and equality for farmers of color, through Assembly bills 1328 and 1348, respectively. AB 1328 will require oil and gas companies to report chemicals used for non-fracking oil and gas operations, according to Denise Tugade, communications and…
American GI Forum Education Foundation awards scholarships
The American GI Forum Education Foundation of Santa Maria awarded a total of $25,000 in scholarships to 35 students on April 21, according to foundation treasurer Helen Galvan. At its 38th annual scholarship awards ceremony, the foundation rewarded students who showed perseverance in their education. Scholarship applicants provided information on their grades and financial need,…
Chumash aim focus on education
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is taking on a couple of educational initiatives, including the fight to implement Native American studies into middle and high school curriculums and the improvement of classroom technology. Tribal Chairman Kenneth Kahn testified earlier this month on behalf of an educational instruction bill designed to establish model curriculum…
