Cover Story
Wish fulfillment: Nonprofits throughout the county reveal what they need to continue providing their valuable services
Watching the fluffy, feather-like puffs of a dandelion cloud wander over grass is like releasing your wishes into the wind behind the power of belief—and probably some crossed fingers—followed by thoughts of “Please, please, please!” Every year we give our local charity organizations a chance to release their wish lists into the world in their…
Delicious decisions: The Buffet at Chumash Casino reopens with a modern look and a bevy of cuisine choices
Originally published December 17, 2015 Decisions, decisions, decisions. That’s the situation that faces diners at the Chumash Casino’s recently renovated, recently reopened, and much-changed casual dining spot, The Buffet. The Buffet has always been a popular destination for those who want variety and the ability to pile plates high. With the new restaurant, the casino…
What is the most memorable moment of 2015?
Honey Hampton retail sales manager “The one that’s sticking with me is the Paris attacks. I knew a military wife in Germany who was affected by travel restrictions.” Candy Millett retired “My grandson; just having a grandson. He was born in 2014, but he is my first grandson.” Diane Boyer retired teacher “My two friends…
The haircut experience
I know that I should be thankful that I have a full head of hair. Genetically, I’ve been quite lucky in the hair department. Well, let me be more specific, lucky for the hair on the top of my head. Now the hair on my back, which is growing in patches that indicate at some…
Meet Jerry Stickel, Lompoc’s resident singer/guitarist
It’s been quite some time since Jerry Stickel left the Army, but even in the 1970s while he was still in the service, he was picking and strumming his guitar. Stickel settled in Lompoc in 1989 to raise his kids, he told the Sun, and hasn’t stopped playing since. He’s now known throughout Lompoc, Buellton,…
St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley offers Blue Christmas service
The public is invited to celebrate the Christmas season at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church for a Blue Christmas service on Dec. 31 at 4:30 p.m. The service is specifically for anyone experiencing grief or loss, and acknowledges the pain and loneliness that can prevail around the holidays. The church also holds Christmas Eve services, including…
Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale presents Festival of Carols
The Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale, Youth Ensemble, and Orchestra presents a huge holiday concert titled A Festival of Carols, with two performances: on Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. The program boasts three settings of “Ave Maria,” eight classic carols, and three Christmas motets. There’s also a world premiere…
Solvang Library holds journal-making workshop
The Solvang Branch Library will hold a special handmade journal workshop on Dec. 22 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The class will demonstrate how to make a journal with repurposed book covers, using sewing and folding to transform an old hardback book into a fantastic journal. The class is open to adults, teens, and children…
Santa Maria Public Library Foundation wants to start Homework Help Center
The Santa Maria Public Library Foundation is spearheading a fundraising campaign to help bridge the gap caused by shrinking budgets that aren’t meeting the growing need of the Santa Maria Library system’s diverse communities. The foundation is working to develop a Homework Help Center that will assist local students, but the goals of such a…
Noteworthy travels: Artist Nadya Brown takes journaling to a whole new realm at Flying Goat Cellars in Lompoc
If you’re like me, you have a huge plastic storage bin full of spiral-bound notebooks gathering dust in the closet. Some are scrawled with “keep out,” while others are covered in old funny pages ripped from the newspaper. The difference between me and artist Nadya Brown—among other things—is this: One, she never stopped journaling; and…
Home for the wild: The natural world takes center stage at the Wildling Museum in Solvang
Nature itself may have served as humanity’s first artistic muse, having existed as art’s most fertile wellspring of inspiration. Art has changed though, along with the landscape, as the Wildling Museum’s current main gallery exhibition highlights. The show, Legacy and Loss: Landscapes of the Santa Barbara Region, commands the large, fantastically lit space of the…
Students from Santa Maria-Bonita schools pledge to be drug free
Approximately 700 sixth grade students from six Santa Maria-Bonita schools graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance program (D.A.R.E.) on Dec. 11 at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, according to the district’s public information officer, Maggie White. The students were taught by Al Torres, a retired Santa Maria Police Department officer. When the students completed the…
Santa Maria Schools share the spirit of giving
Santa Maria-Bonita School District schools are in the giving spirit this year embarking on a variety of charity drives and collections, according to district Public Information Officer Maggie White. Miller School students and staff are collecting canned and dry food for Catholic Charities, while Liberty School is collecting for the Santa Barbara County Foodbank, and…
Sanchez students learn from moon rocks
Sanchez School sixth grade teacher Doug Anderson has some very valuable lessons to incorporate into his class’ Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education these days. Anderson has small samples of moon rocks and other space matter on loan from NASA. NASA sent Anderson moon rocks from the Apollo program, along with sample meteorites. NASA…
Tognazzini retires from Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Education
Longtime Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Education member Victor Tognazzini will be retiring from his position on the board Dec. 31. Tognazzini, who was elected in 2004, plans to move to Wyoming to spend more time with his wife and his family. Tognazzini said he is grateful to the voters who…
Spotlight on: Fitness Evolution
In less than a month, the holiday season will be over and many of us will be standing on the scale (once again) with our heads hung low in disgust. And of course the immediate reaction is to make a mental declaration to lose weight and begin the search for a gym membership near you. …
Political Watch 12/17/2015
• Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) took action to force a vote on a straightforward, bipartisan bill to keep guns out of the hands of terrorist suspects. Because House Republicans continue to block the House from debating H.R. 1076, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act, Capps signed a discharge petition that would immediately…
Community Notebook 12/17/15 – 12/24/15
TUESDAY, DEC. 22 • The Guadalupe City Council has its regular meeting at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 918 Obispo St., Guadalupe.
Correction
The Dec. 10 article, “No grow for you?” erroneously referred to the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws (NORML) as the National Reformation of Marijuana Laws.
A home for the holidays: Santa Barbara County nonprofits strive to house homeless veterans
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that there are more than 47,000 homeless veterans on the streets of America on any given night. In Santa Barbara County, 208 of the homeless are veterans according to a local study. It’s a staggering statistic, but not easy to explain. Virtually all of America’s military…
Lompoc to consider new medical marijuana ordinance
Following in the footsteps of other cities in the county, the city of Lompoc was set to consider a new ordinance banning dispensaries and commercial cultivation of medical marijuana at its Dec. 15 meeting The result of the vote didn’t come before press time, although the city staff report written by City Attorney Joseph Pannone…
Six injured after car drives into lunch line at Alice Shaw Elementary
A student who became pinned underneath a car after a midday accident at Alice Shaw Elementary School in Orcutt on Dec. 8 suffered only minor scrapes and bruises, according to California Highway Patrol officer David Medina. According to Medina, the chaotic scene unfolded as students were lining up for lunch at approximately 11:45 a.m. when…
Holiday season includes opportunistic thievery, warns Santa Barbara County law enforcement
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office was prompted to release a warning to local residents on Dec. 11, after a number of unlicensed solicitors were reprimanded and cited for violating a county ordinance. The solicitors went door to door, asking for “sponsorships” for care packages to send to military servicemen and women overseas. But the…
Former inmate’s daughter sues Corizon Health, Sheriff’s office
Corizon Health and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office are facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the daughter of Raymond Herrera, a former inmate who died while in custody at the Main Jail on June 15. Sharayah Herrera initially filed the lawsuit in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Oct. 15, however the case…
Emmy De La Pena
Water polo player Emmy De La Pena said that the smell of chlorine is her favorite perfume. A senior goalie for Pioneer Valley High School, De La Pena is embarking on her fourth season of Panther water polo. “I started playing my freshman year because my sister told me to try it out—even though I…
Tell the truth: The Benchwarmer wants fewer athlete concussions and a safer NFL
The human brain is a beautiful thing, and continues to fascinate scientists and researchers around the globe. The brain is so magnificent that it produces enough electricity to power a small light bulb, and can produce 70,000 thoughts a day (on average). By 2023, computers may operate as fast as the human brain. Unfortunately, it…
Something to talk about
I can hardly watch any political shenanigans these days without molting. My feathers just start falling off, and then I fly into a crazy tizzy and have to leave the room. It’s hard being me. I know. But rhetoric kills me. No—not literally. Figuratively, I die a little inside when I hear people speak passionately…
Santa Maria Valley Humane Society deserves support
I was at my veterinarian’s office in Nipomo when I overheard a client talking about the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society (SMVHS) and saying it was, “wasting tax dollars in their big new building.” I knew this wasn’t true, and I hope to correct any public misunderstandings. The Santa Maria Valley Humane Society is a…
The antidote
The recent opinion piece by Matt Kokkonen on terrorists from Syria (“To protect the U.S., vet immigrants,” Dec. 2) contains some sensible parts and a touching history of his and his family’s commitment to helping immigrants, and they themselves being helped by others when they were displaced years ago. Matt’s demands that would-be immigrants from…
