Cover Story
Little L.A.: Famous faces find a haven in historic Los Alamos
The 1880 Union Hotel in Los Alamos is the kind of place Old West gunslinger Wyatt Earp might have moseyed into back in the day for a cool drink on a hot, dusty afternoon. It seems fitting that a certain Hollywood star, one who famously portrayed Earp on the big screen, can occasionally be seen…
Santa Maria High School student diagnosed with active TB
A Santa Maria High School student has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB), the school district and Santa Barbara County Public Health Department announced this morning. Officials from both organizations are working with the family to make sure the ill student receives treatment and that others are screened to rule out TB infection. The Public…
Citrus pest found in San Luis Obispo County
The wait is finally over for citrus growers in San Luis Obispo County steeling for the inevitable: The Asian citrus psyllid has crossed over the quarantined Santa Barbara County line and into new territory. The pest has been on a steady northward march since it was first detected in San Diego County in 2008. In…
Local weight-loss institute receives accreditation
Dignity Health’s Weight Loss Surgery Institute of the Central Coast has been granted “level two” accreditation by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons. Dignity Health of the Central Coast includes Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, and Marian Regional Medical Center in…
DA files for judicial review of the Anthony Murillo case
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley just confirmed to the Sun that her office has filed a request for judicial review of Judge Patricia Kelly’s decision to drop felony charges against Orcutt rapper Anthony Murillo for allegedly naming and threatening the victims of the Shane Villalpando sex-crime case.
What do you know about Los Olivos and do you ever visit there?
Rachel Lopez beauty advisor “Didn’t Michael Jackson live there? The only time I ever go to Los Olivos is to get to Chumash Casino. I never stop there. I don’t think there’s anything to see.” Amy Conley server “It’s a little town with a lot of wineries. I’ve never actually been there, so I don’t…
‘Band-a-Rama’ to feature concert bands from local schools
The squeeze-box sound of a rhythmic brass and woodwind accompaniment, supported the soaring notes of flutes, trumpets, and clarinets, moved in time to the swish of a small white baton, held aloft by the all-important director. The Orcutt Academy High School band students brought their reverberations to a halt as their director and instructor Brenda…
Nice Duds
The Brit and I just celebrated eight years of connubial teamwork, along with Britween, our 12-year-old grandson who came as part of the package. And, oh, what a package! As our young man has grown, he and his grandfather have become more like those two old-men Muppets who sit in a theater balcony griping about…
Get whimsical at Michaels
The Santa Maria Michaels presents arts and crafts events, including a “Kids’ Club Whimsical Works of Art” event on April 5 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. “Kids’ Club Crafty Easter Fun” is April 12 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Michaels, 1934 S. Broadway, in Santa Maria. More info: 349-8801.
Standing Sun Wines announces a full concert series lineup
After a successful and lauded opening show by country artist Carlene Carter on March 22, Standing Sun Wines has announced the lineup for the rest of its “Live in the Winery” concert series. The winery will house intimate performances by artists including Steven Roth on April 4, Ivory DeVille on April 19, The Howlin Brothers…
Santa Maria Philharmonic offers chamber concert
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society offers another installment in the chamber music “Rendezvous” concert series on April 13 at 3 p.m. at the home of Bodil Cud in Santa Maria. Seating is limited, and reservations are required for the event, with a recommended donation of $40 for adults and $15 for students. The performing ensemble…
Boys and Girls Club holds ‘An Affair to Remember’
The Boys and Girls Club of Santa Maria Valley presents “An Affair to Remember 34th annual Auction and Gala” event on April 11 at the Veteran’s Memorial Cultural Center in Santa Maria. The special event will feature live and silent auctions of vacation getaways and special promotions. A raffle for a “Wall of Wine” includes…
County commission offers grants for local arts projects
The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission is kicking off its new Community Arts Enrichment (CAE) Grant Program, intended to support artists along with arts and cultural organizations by funding projects and activities that enrich communities throughout the county. The funds go toward supporting new or innovative projects and collaborative efforts that leverage community resources, provide…
Madame Aline shares stories and her book ‘I Became a Vagabond Traveler’ at The Bookworm
Madame Aline’s memoir “I Became a Vagabond Traveler” is now available on Amazon.com. Living is a variable endeavor. Depending on where you land on this planet, your life can be vastly different from others, but you wouldn’t know it unless you had the hankering to wander. Self-published author Eileen Carpenter, who writes under the nom…
The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission offers ‘Impoverished Vision: Abstraction to the Rescue’ at the Betteravia Galleries
Abstraction is a style that offers each viewer an invitation to the creative process. An artist may know what went through his or her heart and mind when creating a piece, but he or she must ultimately let the art go so it can flow through the hearts and minds those who take the work…
Artful cuisine: Enjoy some eye candy with your meal at Cafe Quackenbush in Los Alamos
Come for the food and stay for the art. Or vice versa. Café Quackenbush at The General Store is the kind of place you would expect to find in sophisticated urban areas like San Francisco or Paris. But the café opened for business in the small rustic town of Los Alamos in 1999. It has…
Spotlight on: Old Town Market
“Stellar service” and a trip down memory lane is what Mark Steller, the owner of Old Town Market in Orcutt, promises each customer who frequents his neighborhood grocery store. “Coming in here is kind of like stepping back in time,” he said. “It’ll remind you of going to the store with grandma when you were…
Earth Day comes early at St. Louis de Montfort
Although Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, students at Saint Louis de Montfort School are participating in hands-on lessons about loving and caring for the Earth on April 4. Students will gather in school families and follow an eighth-grade leader through nine stations. Some of those stations include hiking in the nature area behind…
Lucia Mar breaks ground on energy project
The Arroyo Grande High School jazz band serenaded attendees of the Lucia Mar Unified School District’s March 31 indoor groundbreaking ceremony for its energy efficiency and solar power project. Jim Hogeboom, district superintendent, headlined the kickoff event—which took place at the high school—and said the project has been in the works for quite some time,…
Hobnobbing With Helen
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay! My, oh my, what a wonderful day!” These lyrics (from Disney’s Song of the South) perfectly describe the ninth annual “Fashion in Aktion” fashion show fundraiser held on Sunday afternoon, March 23, at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Santa Maria. This popular event was a roaring success, with sponsors galore, all tables full,…
Political Watch 4/3/14
• U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) and U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Florida) introduced a bill to the House of Representatives on March 27, called the Truth in Advertising Act. The bill would direct the Federal Trade Commission to study the use of images that have been altered to change the physical characteristics of the…
Community Notebook 4/3-4/10
MONDAY, APRIL 7 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. Agendas are available at…
Santa Maria City Council approves a building permit for ICE, despite emotional protests from the community
Attendees were in for a long and emotional night at the Santa Maria Fairpark on March 27, as more than 1,200 locals turned up to protest the construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility (ICE) in town. The Santa Maria City Council’s special meeting to discuss four appeals against the Planning Commission’s February decision…
NCSD proposes drought-specific water rates
At its March 26 meeting Nipomo Community Services District Board of Directors reviewed a proposed “Water Shortage Response Plan” to address the depletion of local groundwater due to decades of over pumping and the current record drought, officials announced in a recent press release. “Over pumping and the continuing drought have made our current groundwater…
Chumash inform county of their casino improvement plans
Although plans are still in the extremely early phases, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians recently informed Santa Barbara County officials of their desire to expand the Chumash Casino Resort Hotel. In a March 21 letter sent to Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Chair Steve Lavagnino, Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta said when the…
Ocean search at Guadalupe Dunes
On March 30, three people were swept into the Pacific Ocean during a baptismal ceremony at Guadalupe Dunes County Park. Two of the people were able rescue themselves, but the third is still unaccounted for as of press time. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department launched a second search effort for the missing person on…
Keep me off the ballot, thanks
Boy, am I glad I’m not a local elected official. Every once in a while I get an itch to consider public service, but then something happens—something like the March 27 Santa Maria City Council meeting—that scratches that itch away. That meeting scratched my itch so hard, I feel like, with God as my witness,…
Learn even more about history
Learn even more about history There is, indeed, quite a bit more to the story that Andrea Rooks wrote about in her visit to Pearl Harbor (“There’s always more to the story,” March 27). There’s another place you need to check out if you visit Honolulu/Waikiki, called the Army Museum. That’s a very nondescript title,…
Second-class land rights
I wrote recently in local media about a Board of Supervisors decision concerning an old farmhouse in Los Olivos. Its continued use had been “grandfathered in” as a “legal nonconforming use.” But “legal nonconforming” structures have a kind of second-class citizenship. Various provisions in the Land Use Code allow these structures to be “abated.” It’s…
What’s on Deck? 4/3 – 4/10
Thursday, April 3 Baseball Allan Hancock vs. Santa Barbara @ AHC, 2:30 p.m. Santa Ynez vs. Orcutt Academy @ OAHS, 4 p.m. Santa Maria vs. Morro Bay @ MBHS, 4 p.m. Softball Allan Hancock vs. Moorpark @ Hagerman, 1 p.m. Boys’ Tennis St. Joseph vs. Paso Robles @ SJHS, 3…
Hancock launches youth basketball club
If all goes according to plan, men’s basketball coach Tyson Aye will be spearheading the new youth basketball club at Allan Hancock College. According to a press release from the school, the club would serve as an extension of Aye’s clinics. “A lot of parents and coaches are asking us to do more for the…
Lady Squires are champions three times over
St. Mary of the Assumption school was pleased to announce in a press release the success of their Lady Squires basketball team, which recently charged ahead to win its third championship. The Squires finished with a near perfect season at 14-1 and defeated Pacific Christian 40-27 for a third-straight league tournament championship. “St. Mary’s is…
Support Titan youth football
The Nipomo Titans Youth Football League is gearing up for another season with a fundraising barbecue and registration event scheduled for April 6. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Nipomo Miners Ace Hardware shopping center, the league will be offering meal deals for $8, that includes a tri-tip sandwich, chips, and drink. Future…
Alexis Topas
Junior Alexis Topas has been swinging her bat for the Santa Maria Saints’ varsity softball team all three years of her high school career. As a freshman, she beat out several seniors for the position of shortstop—even though she’d been playing third base prior to tryouts. “We weren’t sure what we were going to do…
Spartans making waves: Orcutt Academy swims down the competition
For most people, learning to swim is a rite of passage—a fun activity that reminds us of endless summers and underwater adventures. But for some kids, swimming didn’t stop at the end of summer. Swept up by an immense passion for the activity, these kids made it their sport of choice and a source of…
