Cover Story
“Fighting” back: Bullying behavior can both cause and be the result of trauma, and researchers say fun activities can help kids manage
The reggae that had been bumping softly throughout the gym for nearly an hour suddenly stopped, and about a dozen barefoot children stood and lined up along the edge of a bright yellow mat. Each dressed in a different colored gi, the traditional uniform worn by Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors, the students waited to be handpicked…
Spotlight on: Pristine Physique – Gary Gorospe, owner
Pristine Physique’s owner Gary Gorospe knows fitness. The amatuer body builder used to compete throughout California, and the certified personal trainer says that staying in shape isn’t just a business for him; it’s a way of life. “You have to live that lifestyle; it’s something you have to adhere to. … It’s your breakfast, lunch,…
The Century Room at the Santa Maria Inn echoes the landmark hotel’s attention to vintage details
As Johnny Mathis cooly croons about forgotten lovers, a teenager behind me pipes up. “Who is this singer?” he asks. I shoot a glance to the table, wondering if I need to offer my input. Next to him is an elderly gentleman who cracks a smile and chuckles. He shakes his head and we exchange…
PCPA’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ gives audiences all the ABBA they want and then some
When it comes to the music of 1970s super act ABBA, people either fall in one of two camps. It’s either literal ear poison that makes you want to scream until the pain stops or it is the soul-swelling soundtrack to your life that can send you soaring into another dimension where all your dreams…
Artist Trish Campbell featured at Flying Goat Cellars through September
Trish Campbell misses the flower fields that used to cover the lands surrounding Lompoc. The artist, whose work is on display at Flying Goat Cellars’ tasting room in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto through Sept. 30, remembers them fondly. The lavish colors and perfectly color-blocked compositions of the fields sometimes even show up in her work,…
Reality check
Just about every time I bring up the president, I get the inevitable angry letter that tells me to “go get a job in a mine,” or something like that. Well, to really flesh out the metaphor I’m named after, in this week’s lesson, the “mine” is discourse in politics, and the dangerously noxious gas…
Santa Barbara County cities, nonprofits, take on homelessness and poverty with varying results
There’s no silver bullet for solving homelessness and poverty, especially in Santa Barbara County, where roughly 1 in 5 residents live at or near the U.S. federal poverty level. But in a city like Santa Maria, with more than 100,000 residents and high concentration of at-risk populations, the solutions sometimes have to come in the…
Santa Barbara supervisors hear plan for Santa Maria affordable housing project
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors heard a proposal on Aug. 14 for an affordable housing project in Santa Maria. In total, the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara, the developer of the Residences at Depot Street, is seeking a little more than $3 million in federal loans to be approved by the county. The…
Federal appeals court orders EPA to ban possibly harmful pesticide
In a 2-1 ruling on Aug. 9, a federal appeals court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the use of a pesticide that is widely used on California fruit and nut crops within the next 60 days. The order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit panel came as a…
Solvang to allow medical marijuana, for now
In a race against the clock to pass cannabis regulations before the Aug. 14 deadline, the Solvang City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that effectively allows medical marijuana operators to set up shop on the western side of the Santa Ynez Valley community. The 4-1 vote came about on Aug. 13 at…
Brandon Harper Foundation raises $2,000 for extra scholarship
Just two years into its existence, the Brandon Harper Foundation received 56 applications for its $2,000 college scholarship this school year. The Brandon L. Harper Memorial Scholarship, which is entirely paid for by donations and through fundraising, typically goes to one charismatic and resilient Santa Maria Joint Union High School District graduate each year. But…
Love for song: Gale McNeeley and Méami Maszewski present generation-spanning program of duets and solos
Gale McNeeley and Méami Maszewski are at polar opposite points in their acting careers, but the unlikely duo connect over one thing–the classic songs from the Broadway tradition. McNeeley’s acting career began more than 50 years ago on Broadway, but he’s lived in Santa Maria since the 1980s when PCPA, the Pacific Conservatory Theatre, brought…
Dana Adobe seeks original work from famed local painter
The DANA Adobe Cultural Center is looking for paintings from local artist Milford Zornes and is asking residents if they have any of his work to share for an upcoming exhibit. Zornes was an original member of a movement known as the California Scene Painters, which lasted from the 1930s to the 1960s. He lived…
Discovery Museum presents Day at the Ranch
On Aug. 26, the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum will host Day at the Ranch, a free event for children to commemorate the memory of museum benefactor R.H. Tesene. The event features opportunities for children to learn how to rope cattle, make their own custom brands, and participate in ranching-themed games. The day will also…
Dead wrong: Krider just can’t get it right
Marriage is all about communication, and for me living alongside my wife is like doing a 24-hour-a-day word problem in a foreign language that can only be solved with algebra. As we converse, I’m constantly trying to decode the messages coming to me and searching for the right answer, but unfortunately, like a lot of…
Too much Kool-Aid
The propensity of the Sun Opinion page to publish outlandish, anti-Trump letters is again displayed in the recent one entitled “Misdeeds in La-La Land” (Aug. 9) by the “reknowned expert on everything,” i.e., Ken McCalip. His recent throw-up on your page is an example of “Trump derangement syndrome,” common with liberals and Democrats. His comments…
To the Vandenberg protesters
Ladies and gentlemen, for the 30-plus years that I have lived here I’ve seen and read about your efforts to stop the nuclear arms race. I’ve never thought that these demonstrations are very effective, and sometimes they have been counterproductive, with ghastly events like splattering blood at the Vandenberg Air Force Base entrance. The airmen…
Carbajal is wrong on ICE
On July 18, the House voted on House Resolution 990, titled “Supporting the officers and personnel who carry out the important mission of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” My opponent, Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), voted “present,” siding with his boss, Nancy Pelosi. With this vote, and his tap dancing around a question regarding…
Bruce and Henry Newby
Up-and-coming taekwondo stars Bruce and Henry Newby are taking over the local martial arts scene. For these boys, taekwondo is more than just a sport–it’s a family affair. Their father, Cort Newby, has been practicing taekwondo since the ’90s, and the brothers train tirelessly with him at their family-owned gym, Santa Maria Taekwondo Academy. The…
Pioneer Valley teachers learn ways to increase resilience among students
Children who experience four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) before they’re 17 years old are more likely to experience unemployment and incarceration as adults, and often attain lower levels of education and low-wage jobs. That’s according to Santa Barbara County’s 2017 Children’s Scorecard, which defines an ACE as any traumatic or stressful event–ranging from…
Two injured in Lompoc during possible gang shooting
Two people were injured in Lompoc after what appears to be a gang-related shooting on Aug. 13, according to the Lompoc Police Department. After receiving multiple reports of fired gunshots just before 5 p.m. that day, Lompoc Police found two individuals who had been shot and injured on the 700 block of North D Street.…
