Cover Story
Chasing the future: Wine grapes might soon be in short supply
Purely from the farming side of things, growing grapes can be a rough business—and then there’s the effort it takes to sell them. Managing that green-to-red-to-black-colored crop can be touchy, and those fruity clusters support an industry that is just as finicky. An unusually cool breeze that comes along on the wrong day could cause…
What Kids are Reading: Lulu and the Dog from the Sea
Lulu and Mellie are not merely cousins, they are also best friends. And the important thing to know about Lulu is that she loves animals and has a lot of pets. “The rule about pets in Lulu’s house was: The more the merrier! As long as Lulu cleans up after them!” Besides several goldfish, a…
Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Bureau launches window display contest
Businesses in the Lompoc Valley now have the chance to show their undying love for the City of Arts and Flowers by dressing up their windows. The Santa Barbara Foundation Lompoc affiliate and the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Bureau have launched a window display contest with the theme “I Love Lompoc.” Retailers…
More Central Coast farmers are growing bush berries to turn a profit
Tony Chavez doesn’t look like a farmer. With his gold chain necklace and his brightly colored Hawaiian shirt, Chavez looks like he should be sipping Mai Tais on a tropical beach somewhere. Instead, he’s standing in a field in Nipomo talking to the Sun about blackberry production. An experienced businessman, Chavez formerly owned a tortilla…
Politicians decry fracking in the Santa Barbara Channel
A recent offshore discovery in the Santa Barbara Channel might help salvage the failed drive to tighten California’s laws on hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Fracking involves the pumping of large amounts of water, sand, and chemicals into oil wells to loosen deposits segregated by walls of rock. The legislative session began with a…
If the city of Santa Maria put out an emergency water restriction, how would that affect you?
Santiago Florez farmer “I think it would affect everyone. The farming would take the biggest impact. There’s no way you can tell your plants how much water they can have, otherwise they’re not going to produce. People at home can control their water, but farmers cannot.” Reynaldo Cruz GTE office worker “That would be easy…
Life is passing us by
There’s this movie about all these animated cars that act like people—people with wheels, anyway—and how this quirky tribe of vehicle-men (and -women) lives on Route 66, watching their livelihoods slowly dry up for want of tourist dollars. Here’s the plot: The town operated for years as a waypoint for weary travelers, offering fuel, a…
I Spy: Olympians on the Central Coast
We’ve seen them battle it out in the sand to become four-time Olympians with three gold medals, and we’ve seen them splash it out in the pool to become some of the best players their sport has ever known. So what happens when the queen of beach volleyball and three masters of water polo come…
Lamont Brown
Airmen are talking explosives now more than ever—not the ammunition some would expect, but rather explosive hip combustion. CrossFit is a constantly varied, high-intensity workout sport that’s catching on like wildfire, and experts say it’s all in the hips. “I have had a life-changing experience due to CrossFit,” said Senior Airman Lamont Brown, a 30th…
Salvation Army sponsors school supply shopping spree
Santa Maria’s Target store was bombarded with 30 boys and girls on Aug. 6. They picked out clothing, backpacks, and the school supplies to fill them with as beneficiaries of the Salvation Army in Santa Maria. The organization provides families in need with social services that include youth programs, utilities assistance, food assistance, and more.…
Getting orientated to some new digs
Incoming Pioneer Valley High School freshmen had a chance to preview student life at the fifth annual Link Crew orientation event on Aug. 9. More than 600 freshmen were expected to attend. “It’s about making them comfortable,” Pioneer Valley adviser and business teacher Marcie Guerra said in a press release. “We want to establish a…
Young golfers tee up to raise funds
The inaugural Santa Maria Saints Golf Classic will help high school students pay for a season of swings. The golf classic will benefit the Santa Maria High School boys’ and girls’ golf teams. The fundraiser will start at noon on Aug. 24 at the Marshallia Ranch Golf Course near Vandenberg Air Force Base. Santa Maria…
Political Watch 8/15/13
• Looking for something to do on Labor Day? The San Luis Obispo County Democrats will be host to its 56th annual Labor Day picnic Sept. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Santa Rosa Park in San Luis Obispo. U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), State Board of Equalization candidate Fiona Ma, and…
Community Notebook 8/15-8/22
TUESDAY, AUG. 20 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. Agendas are available at http://santabarbara.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx#current. • The Guadalupe Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall,…
Furlough ends at Vandenberg–for now
Civilians working at Vandenberg Air Force Base received some good news earlier this month when U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced furlough days would be eliminated as of Aug. 11. The furlough, which began in July, was originally expected to last for 11 weeks. “The Sequestration induced fiscal year 2013 budget has created a…
Fallas gets the green light from the Santa Maria City Council
The Santa Maria City Council achieved what some people may have thought was impossible: After nearly three months of discussion, the council will allow Fallas to set up shop in the old Mervyn’s building downtown. On Aug. 6, City Council members voted 4 to 1, with Mayor Alice Patino voicing opposition, to grant the discount…
County re-circulates emissions portion of Santa Maria Energy oil project
Santa Barbara County planning staffers haven’t changed their original recommendation for the Santa Maria Energy’s proposed oil well expansion project in the Orcutt Hills, but they have released the latest changes to the project’s draft documents. The original recommendation to the Planning Commission was to approve the project—which sets out to increase the energy company’s…
Santa Maria police crack down on drunk drivers
Central Coast drivers should expect more stop-and-go traffic through Labor Day. The Santa Maria Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies across California in an effort to step up DUI enforcement at the end of the summer season, Police Chief Ralph Martin announced in an Aug. 11 press release. During the crackdown period, there…
Spotlight on: Filipino Community Center Food Truck
Santa Maria is known for its tri-tip. So much so that the city has its own official style. Most locals know what goes into that kind of tri-tip (red oak, rub, salsa), but what about Filipino barbecue? “We have a special marinade, but that’s a secret,” said Sonia Vea, a member of the Filipino Community…
Racism is still alive and well
In his opinion piece in the Aug. 1 issue of the Sun (“The economy is paramount”), Otis Page, the often times rather conservative opinion letter writer in various local publications, outlines a long litany of historical examples and anecdotes to make the labored point that people tend to develop or mimic prejudices against persons and…
Cambria road trip: Seafood, wine, spa treatments and an afternoon on The Enchanted Hill
Living on California’s Central Coast, we don’t have to travel far from home when we want a weekend “away” in paradise. One of my favorite getaways is the North Coast of San Luis Obispo County. This summer, my husband Michael and I met up with friends for two rejuvenating days of wining and dining along…
Shake it, Bell Street
The Los Alamos Merchant Society’s upcoming third Saturday “Evening Stroll” series invites locals to shake their moneymakers! The theme for the event is hoops, including traditional hula-hoops and any other kind of hoop. The various businesses in Los Alamos will be offering specials—as is the case for most of the restaurants—or will be participating in…
Fun for all ages
The Santa Maria Michaels presents arts and crafts events for kids, including a “Kids Club Bookmark Event” Aug. 17. A “Kids Club Duct Tape Book Cover Event” is Aug. 24. Each event runs from 10 a.m. to noon in half-hour sessions at Michaels, 1934 S. Broadway, Santa Maria. More info: 349-8801.
Make it quick
Santa Ynez Valley Arts is again playing host to the popular annual Quick Draw and Arts Festival, now in its 27th year. The event is a long-standing free event that showcases the talent of several skilled artists who must all complete an art piece within one hour. The event begins at 10 a.m. on Aug.…
Attention singers
The Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale, Youth Chorale, and Orchestra, and the St. Mary’s Choir welcome local singers to join the throng and lend their voices to the choir. The performance ensembles are preparing for the upcoming holiday season and next year’s concert season. The St. Mary’s Choir performs regularly as part of the St.…
Crazy about Cline
Country music has always been popular because it’s accessible to so many people. Never pretentious and always relating a feeling we can all identify with, a good country song perfectly captures a small part of the human experience in a direct way. Country starlet Patsy Cline was beloved for her no-frills style, earning her a…
Lee-Volker Cox breaks the ice
One must admit; it’s pretty easy living on the Central Coast. Take a look at the clothes and houses the ancient Chumash would make and you get the idea. The photography show of one local showcases not the Central Coast, but one of the most difficult places in the world for life to flourish: Greenland.…
Lezlie’s Showcase of Talent spotlights acts of all ages
Talent comes in many forms. I should know, having judged this year’s Santa Maria Has Talent competition. An upcoming event inspired by that model—but without the competition—will feature performers of all ages and abilities. Lezlie’s Showcase of Talent is gearing up for its first-ever talent show, which is set to continue as a quarterly event…
Hindsight is 20/20
I would like to take a quick poll here. How many people take a shower while wearing glasses? Absolutely no one? That’s what I thought. So why do hotels put two tiny identical bottles of shampoo and conditioner in the shower and then use impossible-to-read three-point micro font to label the bottles? I can’t be…
