Cover Story
Carnival of Best: Sun Best Of Northern Santa Barbara County 2016
You’ve visited their establishments, patronized their businesses, and bragged about their services, and now you’ve voted your favorite Northern Santa Barbara County companies the best in their industries. Inside this week’s issue you’ll find our annual Best Of feature that applauds the businesses that go above and beyond to please their customers.
What do you look for in a restaurant experience?
Mariah Alvarez student, Santa Maria High School “People who have good attitudes, and the taste of the food.” Donna Alvarado student, Santa Maria High School “It all has to do with customer service and how they attend to people, their attitude toward them.” Aldo De Los Santos student, Tommie Kunst Junior High “Atmosphere. Not a…
Applications needed for Santa Maria-Bonita School District students receiving school meals
School begins on Tuesday, Aug. 16, in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) and, as they have for more than a decade, all students can receive breakfast and lunch at no charge. Schools in SMBSD provide nutritious student meals under the federal Universal Free Meals Program, which allows students to eat both breakfast and lunch…
Tickets available for the 15th annual Joe White Memorial Dinner and Auction
Tickets are on sale for the biggest and most important fundraiser of the year for the Allan Hancock College athletics department. The 15th annual Joe White Memorial Dinner and Auction will take place Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Elks Lodge, 1309 N. Bradley Road, in Santa Maria. Guests will be able to bid on hundreds…
Spotlight on: Naughty Oak Brewing Company
It all started in the early 1990s in Colorado when Stephen Kitts’ parents were home brewing their own beer. That’s when he caught the bug. Being in an Air Force family, Kitts eventually moved to the Santa Maria area as teenager and attended Righetti High School. Even after earning his pilot’s license and a commission…
Guadalupe hires interim city manager
As Guadalupe begins its search for a new city administrator, the City Council voted on Aug. 1 to appoint J. Edward Tewes to fill the spot temporarily until a permanent replacement is found. Tewes replaces former administrator Andrew Carter, whose last day was July 29. According to the employment agreement with the city, Tewes is…
Political Watch 8/11/16
• Gov. Jerry Brown announced on Aug. 6 that he has signed tribal-state gaming compacts between the state of California and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Jamul Indian Village, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, as well as an amendment to the current tribal-state gaming compact…
Community Notebook 8/11/16 – 8/18/16
TUESDAY, AUG. 16 • The Santa Maria City Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. Agendas are available at www.cityofsantamaria.org. • The Lompoc City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center…
Police arrest armed robbery suspect inside Orcutt restaurant
Diners at Jack’s in Old Orcutt were witness to an unusual breakfast on the morning of Aug. 7 when police officers systematically filed into the restaurant to arrest an armed robbery suspect. According to Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) Lt. Marc Schneider, his department received a tip that wanted suspect Joseph Castillo Ramos, 30, was…
Santa Maria approves bus fare increases, schedule change
On Aug. 2, the Santa Maria City Council approved fare increases and schedule changes to the city’s bus service. The fare increases take effect Feb. 13, 2017. Regular Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) rider fare will rise from $1.25 to $1.50. Students will start paying $1.25 and disabled riders will pay $0.75. Riders who utilize…
Tacos, tapas, terrific: Los Alamos’ Valle Fresh packs a punch
Tapas.” The word evokes several memories. Tapas were the only meal option I could stomach on the red-eye from San Francisco to London—even though plane tapas, truth be told, totally suck. Tapas were the precursor to my nights out in Barcelona last winter, and the key to my recovery from those nights the next day.…
Erika Robles
The fall cross-country season hasn’t kicked off just yet, but don’t bother telling Righetti High School senior Erika Robles that. To Robles, and many of her Warrior teammates, the cross-country season began months ago with regular summer team training sessions at Orcutt Community Park. “We had a running log,” Robles explained. “We gathered each morning…
Keeping history alive: Former Santa Maria Indians players to share their stories at Valley Speaks on Aug. 13
Rodger Brown, 78, still remembers the signs. Sitting across from me at the Santa Maria Historical Society Museum, Brown re-enacts them with his hands, just like his third-base coach did to him 60 years ago. Brown shows bunt. Then he shows steal. He goes through the signs without hesitation, like they are engrained in his…
Under one flag
Indulge me while I display a bit of patriotism here. As I sit pecking away at this column, Santa Maria has two athletes participating in the Olympics, and I couldn’t be prouder of the Central Coast right now. Karlos Balderas, won his first two Olympic boxing matches, and as of press time was set for…
Gov. Brown has it all wrong
It’s a hot summer day. July 22, to be exact. My grandkids are here for the day with a couple of friends. In fact they’ve spent most of the summer recess here because I’m retired, so when their parents are at work they have a safe place to be. I’ve got a small above-ground pool…
A new school year: off to a good start
Some children are excited about a new school year beginning, while others seem to dread the end of summer vacation. Either way, parents have an important role in preparing their children for a smooth start of the school routine. For students of all ages there are certain basic areas where parents can play a role…
My first 5k
If you attended the Run to Know More 5K in Orcutt on Saturday, Aug. 6, you may have noticed among the crowd of jovial participants a woman desperately trying to hold on to last place, crying her eyes out and begging for the mercy of a quick death. That woman was me, and on that…
Gale McNeeley and Betty Faas get nostalgic with Songs Our Mothers Sang concert
The relationship between singer and accompanist is an important one. Singers need to be able to trust their accompanist—usually pianists—completely, and only sometimes does the relationship become elevated to that of true collaborators. Two locals have enjoyed just such a rare relationship for more than a decade now. Gale McNeeley is an actor and singer…
Santa Maria Philharmonic Society announces upcoming season
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society announced the lineup of concerts for the 2016-2017 season, which is the debut season with Michael Nowak as music director. According to a press release from the board of directors, the organization has strived over the past three years to establish financial stability while expanding programs and the season. The…
Celebrate the bees of Lompoc Valley on National Honeybee Day
The Western Apicultural Society and the Lompoc Valley Beekeepers Association will celebrate National Honeybee Day on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Flying Goat Cellars, 1520 East Chestnut Court, unit A, in Lompoc. The event is free and the public is invited to attend. The theme for this year’s National Honeybee…
PCPA to hold auditions for young performers
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) is seeking young performers for the next season’s holiday performance of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. A boy at least 8 years old and less than 5 feet tall is needed to play the part of Chip. Girls and boys at least 8 years old and less than 5 feet…
VIVA and Lynn Andrews present a fundraiser photography show featuring felines
Going all the way back to ancient Egypt, artists have been fascinated by felines. Modern day iterations include websites like LOLCATZ, the rise in fame of Grumpy Cat, and a pervasive presence of whiskered faces on the internet. But before Felis domesticus dominated cyberspace, an organization in Lompoc dedicated itself to helping animals in the…
Live from the CORE features local poet David Ochs
Local poet Michael McLaughlin began the Live from the CORE poetry series in order to get a regular poetry event going in the Santa Maria Valley, but also to welcome poets from far and wide to come read. The upcoming event is no different. The series also puts the spotlight on local poets, and featured…
