Cover Story
A hero’s life after Katrina: Ten years later, an Air Force pararescueman recalls the people he helped during the hurricane’s aftermath
View a slideshow of scenes from Katrina’s aftermath. Mike Maroney isn’t the type of guy that seeks attention. As a seasoned Air Force pararescueman, his job entails secrecy. And as a member of the U.S. military, most of his jobs don’t happen in the States. But 10 years ago, when Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf…
Santa Maria Pararescuer Mike Maroney finds Katrina girl
U.S. Air Force Pararescueman and Santa Maria native, Mike Maroney, woke up to some really good news on the morning of Sept. 2. Maroney’s son told him that he found the identity of the little girl Maroney rescued from the floodwaters of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina 10 years ago. The Sun profiled Maroney for…
After a long fight, Olive Grove Charter School is almost ready to reopen its doors
Olive Grove Charter School, the small charter that’s fought tooth and nail to stay open over the course of the year, has new digs—a sunlit suite of offices in Orcutt. It’s been a little more than a month since the state Board of Education approved its charter petition, and stakeholders have been scrambling, all-the-king’s-horses-and-all-the-king’s-men style,…
Why is public art important for Santa Maria’s downtown?
Cindy Hoskins Santa Maria recreation supervisor “There’s so many reasons and more. Because public art will bring people downtown and the community together. All cultures love art.” Ruben Espinoza artist “Becuase it represents the city’s identity.” Minnie Anderson artist “It employs artists, and it stimulates art and creativity.” Michael Corob artist “It gives people a…
Political Watch 8/27/15
• On Aug. 25, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) was set to host her annual breakfast for veterans at the Lompoc Veterans Memorial Building. The breakfast is an opportunity to thank local veterans for their service, and to connect them with local organizations offering services they may need. It also gives veterans the opportunity…
Community Notebook 8/27/15 – 9/3/15
TUESDAY, Sept. 1 • 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…
High school students can get free lunch
Representatives from Santa Maria, Pioneer Valley, Righetti, and Delta high schools are encouraging families to apply for the school’s free and reduced lunch program to make sure students are well fed and ready to learn. The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s Free and Reduced Meal Program applications are available at all school sites,…
Issues of immigration, domestic violence surface in Oceano death
Last year in Santa Barbara County, the nonprofit Domestic Violence Solutions received 4,080 calls in the one-year period between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, according to Executive Director Charles Anderson. Yet, Anderson believes only 10 percent of cases of domestic violence are being reported. He said it could be due to any number…
Most of the Ashley Madison users in Santa Barbara County are men, according to website
Many things became apparent after hackers from a group calling itself “The Impact Team” unloaded a massive leak of 37 million users from adultery website AshleyMadison.com on Aug. 18. For one, more than 15,000 government workers—both state and federal—no doubt violated email terms of service when their official emails were linked to the website. So…
Pressure cooker box causes bomb scare at Allan Hancock College
Students and faculty at Allan Hancock College had a bit of a scare on Aug. 21 when the campus was evacuated due to an apparent bomb threat, according to the Santa Maria Police Department. According to initial press releases issued by the SMPD, a suspicious package was reported on the median in the 800 block…
Hannah-Beth Jackson drone bill passes Assembly
Last March, the Sun wrote about the ubiquity of drones (“Drone republic,” Mar. 19) in California and a bill written by a state senator from Santa Barbara County who intends to curb their use in some instances. Senate Bill 142, authored by Democratic Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, would create a “no fly” zone over private property…
Which Wich chain eyes Santa Maria
A national sandwich chain best known for its customizable sandwiches, creative ordering system, and personalized sandwich bags, has its sights set on opening stores in Santa Maria. Representatives of Which Wich sandwich stores said they are hoping to place between three and five stores in the city eventually, but for now they are still seeking…
Clean Air Express introduces Saturday and festival service
Getting to festivals and shopping within Santa Barbara County just got a bit more relaxing with the addition of the Clean Air Express Saturday Services and its “Ride Me to Festivals” service. The service features charter-style buses with free Wi-Fi, reclining seats, and internal bays for transporting bicycles, and serves the communities of Buellton, Solvang,…
State judge decides Central Coast wastewater rules are insufficient
A state Superior Court judge has ruled that the Central Coast’s Regional Water Quality Control Board is dragging its feet on curbing pollution in agricultural runoff. Judge Timothy A. Frawley found rules governing wastewater with fertilizer and pesticides produced by farms to be weak enough to violate state law. He overturned the wastewater regulations, directing…
Lois Capps promotes bill pushing for safety in youth sports
On Thursday, Aug. 20, Rep. Lois Capps (CA-24) visited Pioneer Valley High School’s football practice, to highlight the Supporting Athletes, Families and Educators to Protect the Lives of Athletic Youth (SAFE PLAY) Act, a bill she authored to promote safety in youth athletics. Capps watched the practice with Pioneer Valley High School Principal Shanda Herrera,…
City hosts free after-school child care
Parents in need of after-school child care have a free option with the Fun Recreation Education and Enrichment (F.R.E.E.) After School Program operated by the city of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department. The program offers a safe place for parents to leave their children after school. Children can get help with homework, participate in…
City announces mural plans at Santa Maria Arts Council meeting
The city of Santa Maria’s Community Development Department Director Lawrence Appel visited the Santa Maria Arts Council meeting on Aug. 19 to announce to the group of local art advocates that recent calls for more public art at two recent Downtown Specific Plan meetings was appreciated and acknowledged. Appel announced his renewed pursuit of a…
Growing Grounds Gallery and Gifts features work of local women
Growing Grounds Gallery and Gifts presents a two-day art show in Santa Maria titled Local Women of Art on Aug. 28 and 29. The work of Sarah Reed, Kim Boydstun, and Joan E. Powers hangs together from 4 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 28 and noon to 7 p.m. on Aug. 29. An artists’ reception…
Frame Gallery hosts Evening with Larry Kappen
The Frame Gallery in Orcutt is partnering with Merrill Gardens and the Gold Coast Senior Options to sponsor An Evening with Larry Kappen on Aug. 31. The event will include a talk by Kappen about his painting style, a showcase of his work, and a raffle of a new original painting created for the Alzheimer’s…
Daytripper: Rolling to the Solvang skatepark
Lately in our house there have been two different languages spoken. On one side of the age divide is talk about goals and touchdowns, passes and punts. But there is a lot more talk of ollies and verts, coping and rails on the younger side of that divide. In our house a truck isn’t the…
What Gaia would wear: Hancock’s Ann Foxworthy Gallery showcases Earth Gowns
What do you get when you amass 10 female artists, all who set out to create visually stunning gowns together? The outcome is not a runway fashion show, but a showcase of brilliant, earthy elegance that breaks beyond the realm of clothing. Earth Gowns—which currently shows at Allan Hancock College’s Ann Foxworthy Gallery through Sept.…
Spotlight on: Fast Pitch SB
As the entrepreneur movement increases, so have resources and training to help would-be business owners excel and thrive, but in Santa Barbara County there isn’t a lot of support for nonprofits wanting to tell their story. So a group of people organized one. It’s called Fast Pitch SB. Representatives of 20 Santa Barbara County nonprofits…
Songs of love: How two picky musicians decide the music for their wedding
As of this issue’s print date, I will have already enjoyed my wedding on Aug. 22 with my lovely wife Candice, our family, and closest friends. As musicians, one aspect of the wedding we were especially controlling of was the music; who would play what, and when. Was this just my wife and me being…
Behind door number 2
The concept was very simple, elementary, in fact. The basic plan was to train the dog to not crap inside the house. Unfortunately for me, the dog had other plans. It turns out that the dog’s plan was to crap in every single room in the house, twice a day. Obviously, the dog and I…
Old Orcutt gets a little sweeter with the addition of Heart & Sugar
Finding a tiny specialty shop among the more common strip mall scene is a treasure. Discovering it’s a candy shop is a dream. For a chocolate lover, actually walking into the Heart & Sugar shop is almost heavenly. Sunlight streams through the small shop, filling it with a golden tint as powder blue chalkboards hanging…
Firefighters bike from the Bay Area to Santa Monica to push back against their hidden threat: Cancer
The road from San Francisco to Santa Monica Pier threads some 500 miles of tarmac through the pastures, bluffs, and beaches of California’s Central Coast. Steve Winter, who worked with Ventura County Fire for three decades, biked that road through Guadalupe and Lompoc Aug. 20. “I’m just one of 31 guys riding,” he explained. “It’s…
Desiree Domingues
Three coaches in three years. Can Righetti Girls’ Basketball catch a break? Last year, as the Sun reported, there was an bizarre Facebook exchange where a high school student baited their coach into talking smack on Facebook. The coach faced disciplinary action and left the job shortly thereafter. The year before that, there was another coach-student dust…
Support the End of Life Option Act
I am very pleased to provide readers with an important legislative update regarding the subject of the recent Sun opinion piece written by Dr. Zaf Iqbal, “The Dignified Choice” (Aug. 13). On Aug. 18, the End of Life Option Act was reintroduced in the state Assembly Public Health Committee during the special session called by…
Digging deep holes
We would have almost nothing to talk about if it wasn’t for Ashley Madison. And if you don’t know what that is, you obviously live under a tree in the middle of nowhere without cell phone service or Internet connection. It’s everywhere. Facebook. OMG. We are consumed by infidelity. Ooh, scandalous. I will not jump…
Fireworks need to be done
I am a lifetime resident of this area and must comment strongly herein against the outrageous fireworks that plague the city of Santa Maria. I believe the nightmare has to stop. There was a time when fireworks were overlooked as they were thought of as all in good fun but no longer. Illegal fireworks explode…
New rhythm
August can be marked by a number of things: one last family vacation, perhaps; close-out deals on patio furniture; and Major League Baseball playoff races that are just beginning to heat up. For educators and families with school-aged children, August also means “back to school.” Indeed, by the time this hits the press, many of…
