Cover Story
Best of Nothern Santa Barbara County 2015
Picture the best. No, it’s not you. Well, maybe it is, actually. But only if you’ve captured the hearts and minds of the community you serve: your customers or radio audience, the residents you protect, kids who participate in the after-school program you run or play on the grass at your park, people who eat…
Murder charges announced in July 24 Santa Maria slaying
Marilyn Pharis wasn’t immediately killed on July 24 when Victor Aureliano Martinez Ramirez and Jose Villagomez allegedly broke into her home, raped, strangled, and struck her repeatedly in the head with a hammer. The 64-year-old military contractor and Air Force veteran died several days later in a hospital. The coroner determined that Pharis died as…
Pilot in Los Padres crash had history of FAA violations
The pilot in a crash that left two dead after leaving Lompoc is reported to have had a history of aircraft Federal Aviation Administration violations, including low-altitude acrobatics and an in-flight helicopter sex act with a Swedish porn star. David Keith Martz, a helicopter and fixed-wing pilot from San Diego, was flying from Lompoc to…
BJ Barham of American Aquarium talks about latest album ‘Wolves’ and success in today’s music industry
Listen to the full interview with BJ Barham. North Carolina country rockers American Aquarium, headed by singer/songwriter BJ Barham, have been tearing through the nation playing packed shows since the release of the band’s newest record Wolves in February of this year. Their next stop—and the group’s Santa Barbara County debut—is at Standing Sun Wines…
Papa Jay’s Cajun and Creole Quezine serves Louisiana fare in Guadalupe
Louisiana is 2,000 miles from the Central Coast, but somehow Jerome Stevens brought a little slice of the Pelican State to Guadalupe. Inspired by his roots in Lafayette, La., Stevens opened a small joint in Guadalupe dishing out both types of popular Louisiana food: Cajun and Creole cuisine. Calling it Papa Jay’s Cajun and Creole…
In the doghouse
I’m proud to announce that I’ve been clean for 10 years now. Thank you, yes, it was a difficult accomplishment, one that I think deserves a toast with a cold alcoholic beverage. You see, up until last weekend, my household has been animal free, which means I have been clean; clean from animal byproducts. That…
Wrong and right
Did you know that the Lompoc City Council officially lists invocation (also known as prayer) on its meeting agendas? So does the city of Santa Maria, by the way. It happens right before the Pledge of Allegiance. I feel a little weird about that. You know, the whole separation of church and state thing. As…
The dignified choice
State Sens. Bill Monning (D-Carmel, whose district includes San Luis Obispo County), and Lois Wolk (D-Solano) introduced Senate Bill 128, the End of Life Option Act, in January 2015. Popularly known as “death with dignity,” the bill sailed through the state Senate. However, the lack of support from a majority of the Assembly Health Committee…
Political Watch 8/13/15
• On Aug. 10, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) was joined by other local leaders during a press conference in Santa Barbara, where she urged legislators to get behind a ban on new offshore drilling in the Tranquillon Ridge area of the Santa Barbara Channel. Jackson is giving the ban another try this year…
Community Notebook 8/13/15 – 8/20/15
TUESDAY, AUG. 18 • 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 Plaza,…
Correction
In the Aug. 6 story published in the Sun, “Santa Mara homicides double from 2014,” 11 homicides occurred in Santa Barbara County as a whole in 2014.
Del Valle medical clinic now open in Santa Maria
The doors are open at the Del Valle medical clinic on Blosser Road. Community Health Centers of the Central Coast’s new facility, which replaces CHC clinics on Miller and Mill streets, is a “super center” with 13,000 square feet, 10 providers, and 28 exam rooms. It’s open as of Aug. 9, with services from 8…
Lompoc establishes formal ties with Santa Ynez Chumash
In what appears to be the narrowing of a rift between local government and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, the Lompoc City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 4 to formally establish ties with the tribe. Steve Pepe, a member of the city’s economic development committee, brought a recommendation before the council during the…
