Cover Story
Thinking lovely thoughts
Ask almost any child—or adult, for that matter—to explain what the beloved literary classic Peter Pan is about, and you’ll probably get several different answers, each depending on what the explainer fancies. “A boy who can fly,” says the matter-of-fact adult. “Pirates, arrr! And Indians!” shouts the hyperactive little boy. “A girl named Wendy, and…
If you could stay any age for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Miles Hack salesman “Age 21. It’s old enough to do everything without being old.” Marrissia Watkins student “Age 6. You get to play all day with no responsibilities.” Ariel Stich student “Age 27. You’ll have your career already on track with no worries about school.” Natalie Hoffman Student “Age 25. You’re still young and active,…
Pacific Capital Bank Corp is all split up
On Dec. 28, shares of Pacific Capital Bancorp—parent company of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust—are expected to increase 100-fold. No, this isn’t some insider tip or indication that the bank is about to have a fiscal explosion. Though the bank’s share price will likely skyrocket, its overall value will remain unchanged. Here’s how it works:…
Political Watch – 12.02
On Nov. 29, President Barack Obama proposed a two-year civilian pay freeze for federal employees. It’s expected to take effect on Jan. 1, 2011. In a fact sheet posted on the White House website, the Obama administration estimates the pay freeze will save approximately $2 billion for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011, $28 billion…
Community Notebook – 12.02
TUESDAY, DEC.7 • 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 santabarbara.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx#current. • The Vandenberg Village Community Services District has its regular board meeting at 7 p.m. in the District Office Conference…
Hobnobbing With Helen
Altrusa’s Diane Alleman-Stevens had the hottest tickets in town—to nighttime Altrusa’s 20th Annual Holiday Extravaganza. Last March 1, 672 $45 tickets to this super popular event went on sale. On March 2, the tickets had all been spoken for. “It was an immediate sell-out,” said treasurer Alleman-Stevens. “We never had this happen before.” On the…
A bazaar Christmas
Shopping is usually a must when it comes to preparing for the holiday season. Fighting crowds at stores, the numberless card swipes, and the seemingly infinite drives—it’s all so exhausting. Wouldn’t it make more sense to put a bunch of local businesses together in an area, and, since it’s the holidays, put a portion of…
Meet Santa Maria’s Orthodox
No, it’s not a mosque. Beginning Dec. 5, the edifice on which the cupola sits will be the new home for the congregation of the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, the only Orthodox Christian parish in Santa Maria. Church members say the sanctuary is literally a godsend. “It’s beautiful,” said parishioner Helen Manolas. “I didn’t…
California Supreme Court upholds AB 540, but plaintiffs vow to appeal
A group of out-of-state students and parents opposed to a California law granting undocumented individuals access to in-state tuition has announced it will appeal its case to the United States Supreme Court. In November, the California Supreme Court unanimously voted to uphold AB 540. The bill, which was signed into law in 2001, qualifies undocumented…
Warming centers open in Northern Santa Barbara County
November’s heavy rainfall and drop in temperature, combined with a prolonged bitter economic climate, prompted a couple of local homeless shelters to open their doors early to provide a place for the Central Coast’s homeless population to come in from the cold. Two shelters in the North County—the Bridge House in Lompoc and the Good…
Listen to the Valley
The December Valley Speaks presentation, sponsored by both the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society and the Santa Maria Public Library, will feature Victor Tognazzini as its guest speaker. Tognazzini, a native Santa Marian, will talk about his memories of a small town. The Valley Speaks, a free event, is scheduled to take place on Dec. 11…
Off to Paris
The UCSB Chamber Choir really has something to sing about this season. Founded in 1995 by current conductor Michel Marc Gervais, the group is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and members have a chance to celebrate in a unique way. The ensemble was invited to travel to France for a major collaboration with the famous choir…
Life on film
Like many others, John Larson went to Vietnam in the 1960s. He didn’t spend his months on the front lines, however. As a photographer for several military news outlets, he wasn’t bound to one place. Larson often snapped the usual “grip and grin” shots—posed officials and leaders shaking hands and smiling—but he also had opportunities…
City organizations offer holiday fun for children home from school
The holiday season is fast approaching. School-aged children will soon be on vacation. To help families with working parents, some local organizations are offering Winter Break camps. The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is inviting children ages 5 to 12 to “explore their dramatic side” in weeklong drama workshops held at the museum Dec. 27…
Help repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
After years of talking about how the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy must end, it has finally come down to the next couple of weeks. If the Senate is going to act to repeal this law, they must act now, before a more conservative Congress takes over in 2011. A recent Pentagon…
Pick the most loving path
Our founders wrote in the Preamble of the Constitution “in order to form a more perfect union.” What did the mean by that? Did they mean a union with more control, more fear, more manipulation, more war, more dropouts, more poverty, more pollution, more genetically modified food, more global warming, more drug use, more corporate…
Sophisticated defense doesn’t come cheap
Regarding the commentary, “See that 500-pound gorilla?” (Nov. 18): The ending by James M. Duenow was the most appropriate statement in it. “We probably don’t know what we’re talking about.” It is disappointing that the Sun would allow such naivety on such an important subject as this commentary displays. Yes, the Defense Department has a…
Don’t forget to blame corrupt corporations
“See that 500-pound gorilla?”—the opinion piece by Jim Duenow in the Nov. 18 Sun—is a timely reminder of a major reason for our national deficit … as far as it goes. I’d like to add an “800-pound gorilla,” and that is the rapacious corporate sector with its unending appetite for megabucks with its gazillions in…
Don’t just focus on the military
What a poorly written commentary (“See that 500-pound gorilla?” Nov. 18)! When the writer starts out by denigrating a particular section of the public, he loses his credibility. He starts out by calling them “teabaggers,” which shows his complete lack of respect and cloudy judgment. I am not a “tea partier,” but like it or…
They’ve got a PAL
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Sadie DeQuattro
“There’s no crying in baseball” may be a sports rule, but a more applicable (and broad) one is “There’s no rest for the athlete.” And that certainly applies to Allan Hancock College sophomore Sadie DeQuattro. She’s only just finished volleyball season, and now she’s starting on softball. This season may be her last on the…
Polar Express chugsinto the mall
The Santa Maria Town Center mall is getting into the Christmas spirit as part of its regular “Movies at the Mall” series, showing the animated children’s favorite The Polar Express on Dec. 11. The movie will show for free near the Red Robin restaurant, with seating beginning at 4 p.m. and the showing starting…
Glad tidings at chamber luncheon
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is kicking off the holidays with festive music, a visit from Santa Claus, and more at its annual Christmas Luncheon, scheduled for Dec. 8 at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, beginning at noon. The 81-student choir of Orcutt Academy’s K-8 campus will be returning for an encore…
Angels come to Orcutt
Angels Foster Care, a private, nonprofit foster family agency serving infants and toddlers entering foster care for the first time, recently opened a new office in Orcutt. The Angels’ mission is to match each foster child with a local selected family who agrees to keep the child as long as he or she is…
Hancock’s holiday baseball clinic is back
Baseball players ages 6 through 18 are invited to sharpen their diamond skills at the annual Allan Hancock College Holiday Baseball Clinic, held Dec. 20 to 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This year’s instructors include the entire Allan Hancock College coaching staff; former major league pitcher Bryn Smith; Scott Nickason, head coach of…
Bulldog volleyball takes year-end awards
Despite his struggling through a 9-14 season, Western State Conference coaches chose Allan Hancock College volleyball coach Julio Molina as the conference’s volleyball coach of the year. Though the award typically goes to the coach with the most wins, coaches recognized the progress Molina made with the program, Hancock athletic director Kim Ensing said in…
Clubs & Meetings
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Spiritual
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Farmers Markets
@font-face { font-family: “New York”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-BoldCond”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-LighCond”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-BlacExte”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }span.Absatz-Standardschriftart { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } SANTA MARIA 100 S. Broadway at Main, Wednesdays, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Features local beekeepers’ honey…
Barbecues
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Health
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Art
@font-face { font-family: “New York”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-BoldCond”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-LighCond”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-LighCondItal”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }span.Absatz-Standardschriftart { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } THE LOMPOC MUSEUM presents “All Aboard: America’s Romance with Railroading,” featuring historic photographs, railroad memorabilia, vintage model…
Learning
@font-face { font-family: “New York”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-BoldCond”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-LighCond”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }span.Absatz-Standardschriftart { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } THE SANTA MARIA PUBLIC LIBRARY presents the Valley Speaks with Victor Tognazzini and his program “Scene Around Santa Maria” Dec. 11,…
Recreation
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Kids & Family
@font-face { font-family: “New York”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-BoldCond”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-LighCond”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }span.Absatz-Standardschriftart { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } THE COMMUNITY ACTION COMMISSION and the Boys and Girls Club present a healthy snack program for kids from 2:30 to 3:30…
Dance Lessons
@font-face { font-family: “New York”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-BoldCond”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-LighCond”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }span.Absatz-Standardschriftart { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } ONGOING BLUE MOON HAVEN BELLY DANCE currently teaches American Tribal Style dance classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in Lompoc and…
Stage
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Night Life
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Concerts
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Special Events
@font-face { font-family: “New York”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-BoldCond”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-LighCond”; }@font-face { font-family: “NimbusSanD-LighCondItal”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }span.Absatz-Standardschriftart { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } THE CITY OF SANTA MARIA presents the 14th annual Lights, Sights, and Holiday Nights Holiday Decoration Contest…
A wine shop made new
Central Coast Wines on Higuera in San Luis Obispo has been dedicated to promoting the Central Coast’s fine wines for more than a decade. Vaughn and Sasha Taus founded the shop; two years ago, they sold it to Bob and Dianna Ritchie, formerly of Arizona. Interestingly, the Ritchies were vacationing here when they bought the…
