Cover Story
When you wish upon a coin …
Water sustains life and wears down mountains. It falls from the sky and bubbles up from the ground. From space, our planet mostly reveals its beautiful blue, and we, ourselves, are made almost entirely of it. Perhaps because of its mysterious and powerful nature, some cultures ascribed magical properties to water. In Europe, certain pools…
Rocking in the New Year
The New Year is always a special celebration where, despite the conflicts of the past, we celebrate renewal and look to the future with a positive energy. A perfect complement to the merrymaking has to be music—music that makes you smile, dance, and welcome the midnight hour. While the New Year will be celebrated all…
The Benchwarmer
Pinch me, I must be having a nightmare. In my nightmare, sports journalism for females is an ongoing joke, men reign over the sports booths, and women are objectified for their looks. Oh wait. The nightmare is real. Watching football this last season has made it abundantly clear to me that there’s a serious underrepresentation…
Basketball champions
On Wednesday, Dec. 12, the Lakeview Junior High seventh grade boys’ basketball team beat Orcutt 58-34 to win the championship and finish the season with an impressive 15-0 record. Players include Kalin Corrai, Jalen Atkinson (little brother to this week’s Athlete of the Week), Zach Trevino, Zachary Morris, Kobe Holford, Dominic Partida, Austin Olsen, Ian…
Athlete of the Week: Zane Atkinson
Zane Atkinson isn’t your typical Athlete of the Week; he isn’t a starter, and his name isn’t usually splashed across local newspaper headlines. But watch Atkinson at practice, talk with him, and you’ll see he’s probably one of the coolest athletes you’ll ever meet—and he proves you don’t have to be a starter to make…
This is the true price
Are dead children the acceptable price we pay for the Constitutional right to bear arms? In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, which involved legal firearms owned and registered by a responsible adult, and the firm belief that such a right is irrefutable, one can only assume that such freedom shall be gladly paid…
Automatic weapons
As a lifetime gun owner, former hunter, and Army veteran, it is my opinion there is absolutely no reason that any U.S. private citizen should be allowed to have, own, or use any weapon that has the capability of a magazine exceeding eight shells and with automatic firing capacity. The only personnel who should be…
Where’s the courage when it comes to gun control?
Last week’s tragedy at Newtown, Conn., is yet another wakeup call to Americans that gun violence is out of control and needs to be controlled with any and all means necessary. As someone who spent almost 30 years in municipal and federal law enforcement, I’ve seen more shootings and gun-caused murders than I had ever…
Violent games can hurt
Our country remains at war, the world remains unstable, and children continue to hear about violence in our own communities. Add these realities to cyber-bullying issues, and the constant talk of terrorism, and you find that news coverage and casual conversations about current events often include allusions to violence. When buying gifts for children this…
Christmas chocolates
If you prefer to shop local and subscribe to the notion that fresh is best, then look no further than Ingeborg’s Danish Chocolate Factory to finish your Christmas shopping this year. The colorful and cheery chocolate shop, in the heart of delightfully decorated Solvang, is not just a feast for the eyes; it’s filled with…
Bad ideas
I’m sure you’ve heard of this thing they call a conscience: that little voice inside your head telling you something is a bad idea. It drops little warnings or hints to keep you out of trouble. I don’t have that. There’s no little voice trying to keep me from doing something stupid. I’m married; I…
Author to sign new books in Lompoc
Author Brenda Wilder will be signing copies of her new book The Grand Adventures of Sadie Mae Fuller on Dec. 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at South Side Coffee Company, 105 S. H St., Lompoc. Wilder, a resident of Pekin, Ill., will also talk about her book, which follows the adventures of Sadie,…
Being peace
Local nonprofit and peace advocacy group WonHeart is joining with a worldwide movement of peace organizations on Dec. 21 to try to create a more peaceful world. The event, scheduled for noon at Simas park in Santa Maria on Dec. 21, is open to everyone who wants to contribute. The event will feature 12 minutes…
Exploring with oil
The Santa Maria Public Library boasts the spacious Shepard Hall, which the city uses to display art year round in exhibits that rotate every month. The library can afford lots of room for art, which helps give its current exhibit, a focus on large works, a comfortable home. “Churning Myths into Mountains: Large Scale Oil…
Automania
Since its inception in 1907, the LA Auto Show has welcomed millions of car nuts into its metal-and-rubber-filled halls. The show acts as the perfect opportunity for manufacturers to present their products to consumers in a glitzy environment, while potential buyers can see, sit in, and even drive a large number of cars on a…
Altrusa’s holiday trees raise money for schools
More than two-dozen twinkling Christmas trees and other holiday décor currently deck the halls of the Santa Maria Town Center mall, thanks to Altrusa International of the Golden Valley. The club auctioned off the trees the evening of Dec. 15 to raise money for the Santa Maria Bonita School District. According to the club, 90…
Students learn how to succeed in business
Local high school students got some words of wisdom from business leaders earlier this month at the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce’s “Take a Future Business Leader to Lunch” event at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center. More than 60 students talked to the professional mentors about their future career goals. The district’s assistant…
Hilda Zacarías takes herAllan Hancock College board of trustees seat
Hilda Zacarías—a former Santa Maria City Councilwoman and Allan Hancock College alumna—is now the newest member of the Allan Hancock College Board of Trustees. “I remember back to 1985 when I first returned to Allan Hancock as a young mother. Those 10 years between 1985 and 1995 were built on the foundation I received from…
Whales on the move
People and animals have engaged in the act of changing locations, either temporarily or permanently, since the beginning of time. With the addition of new learning stations to the Discovery Museum’s “Belly of the Whale” exhibit, coupled with the spectacular recent visit of the gray whale to the waters of Avila and Pismo, what better…
Students for science
Earlier this month, the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) presented Allan Hancock College’s SACNAS chapter with its prestigious Role Model Chapter for Outstanding Community Service award at its annual conference in Seattle. The organization promotes networking and mentoring among successful working professionals and students. “We are one of…
Spotlight on: Pasión Comida Mexicana
Viva Texas! That could be the slogan of the new Texas-style Mexican restaurant, Pasión Comida Mexicana, in Orcutt’s Old Town. From the rolling green hills in the background to the historic cowboy-town style of its architecture to the restaurant’s décor of carved wooden chairs and tables complete with horse motifs, patrons couldn’t be blamed if…
Charity: Tales of a survivor
Sometimes there are unprecedented acts of cruelty in the world that can’t be understood or explained. Such is the case for neglected dog rescued last month in Santa Maria. Left for dead on the steps of the county animal shelter in Santa Maria on Nov. 4, the dog named Charity was skin and bones, hairless,…
Dummy grenade spurs evacuation of Santa Maria High School and other nearby buildings
Although a “dummy” hand grenade found the morning of Dec. 12 in Buena Vista Park was considered not to be a threat by police, its proximity to Santa Maria High School across the street brings into question emergency evacuation procedures in light of the recent shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. “Whether or not it…
District attorney says two officer-related shootings were justified
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley released two reports on Dec. 12 that found law enforcement used justifiable force in the unrelated shooting deaths of Jose Ortega on June 28 and Matthew Berg on July 2. According to the DA’s office, the morning of June 28, Santa Maria police officers, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s…
Lockheed Martin buys SLO drone company
A San Luis Obispo manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles—known as drones—has been purchased by a major military contractor, Lockheed Martin, for an undisclosed amount. AME Unmanned Air Systems designs and manufactures a small drone aircraft known as the Fury UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), used to conduct intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare missions for the…
What is your greatest wish this holiday season?
Summer Cisneros mommy “To have my house paid off and live debt free.” Ashley Machgan stay-at-home mom “That my kids stay healthy.” Bristol Machgan princess “I would wish for a princess bicycle. I like princesses.” Bruni Stadnick retired licensed vocational nurse “What I wish for is, honestly, peace in the world, and good health for…
