Cover Story
Wishes DO come true: Local nonprofits share the donations they need most
There are only a few days left in the year, all the precious hours that remain to give one last tax-deductible gift to your favorite local nonprofit. Organizations are in need this year, they told us. In the hopes of connecting benevolent readers and some of Northern Santa Barbara County’s nonprofits in need, the Sun’s…
Solvang’s Good Seed Coffee delivers on fresh small batch coffee and organic eats
The first thing I learn about Leyla Williams is that she is full of non-stop energy. I was told this before I spoke to her, but nothing could have prepared me for her endless supply of joy and fervor, especially when it comes to talking about her and her husband Brad’s coffee shop, Good Seed…
Cellar songs: The Good Life in Solvang welcomes local artists and audiences for live music in the cellar
When local musician Nataly Lola first started playing at The Good Life in Solvang around six years ago, the venue stood out to her immediately. The small craft wine and beer spot, located in a brick-floored cellar in downtown Solvang, wasn’t what she was used to. “It’s down inside an actual cellar, so it’s actually…
Arroyo Grande author pens novel featuring Walt Disney
He ran and ran, but Mickey just couldn’t keep up with the speeding ambulance carrying away his creator’s body to a cryonics clinic. Fast forward 50 years, after that fateful Dec. 16, 1966, and Walt Disney has a crucial choice to make: To thaw or not to thaw? Bored curmudgeon Samuel Clemens (also known as…
Elverhoj Museum of History and Art hosts Danish artist Hanne Stovring
As Esther Jacobsen Bates walks through the main gallery of the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art, it’s clear that something feels very different about this latest exhibit. “You can see that big influence of [New York City],” she said, pointing to a large canvas marked by swoops of bright whirling colors, making out the…
Ask our supervisors: Oil or people?
Three oil companies (Aera, ERG, and PetroRock) have proposed to drill 768 new oil wells in Cat Canyon, through the Santa Maria groundwater basin, which provides drinking water to 200,000 people in 12 cities. The chemical-filled wastewater will be injected back into the ground, compromising the safety and health of the aquifer. Meanwhile, Shell/ExxonMobil (who…
New year brings new rule for junior livestock competitors
Kids who show animals will have more than just resolutions to fill out this new year. The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced in a letter on Nov. 30 that it would soon require all kids participating in junior livestock competitions at California fairs to first complete the Youth for the Quality Care of…
Hobnobbing with Helen: December doings
It has been, as expected, a frantic and frenetic month of shopping and socializing. Of course, there were holiday parties galore all over town. My December, by chance, was highlighted by hobnobbing opportunities with les femmes (this means “the ladies” in French–some words just sound better en francais). But I digress. Women’s Network Extravaganza Notable…
Farm Bill approved by Congress, addresses issues faced by Central Coast farmers
After months of negotiations, failed drafts, and a prolonged stalemate, Congress finally passed a farm bill this month, one that will almost certainly be signed into law by President Trump before the new year. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the $867 billion bill with a 386-47 vote on Dec. 11, a day after it…
E. coli found in Adam Brothers reservoir prompts recall
An E. coli outbreak present in romaine lettuce that has caused 59 reported cases of illness and 23 hospitalizations in 15 states was linked back to Adam Brothers Farming Inc. The Santa Maria farm is voluntarily recalling all red and green leaf lettuce and cauliflower that was harvested from Nov. 27 to 30 in cooperation…
Santa Maria city attorney Gilbert Trujillo to retire
The city of Santa Maria announced that longtime City Attorney Gilbert “Gil” Trujillo is set to retire from his position, effective Dec. 28. Trujillo served 16 years as Santa Maria’s city attorney. His tenure includes work on the recent transition to district elections in Santa Maria, as well a 2012 measure for a citizens’ oversight…
SLO County’s federal workers will get a pay increase
While San Luis Obispo County government employees are fresh off a strike for higher pay, local federal employees recently received a long sought after increase to their pay. An increase in locality pay for SLO County federal workers, proposed by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management earlier this year, was approved through the federal government’s…
Coalition asks for donations for homeless at vigil
A coalition of organizations that serve the local homeless population is asking for donations to help with its Dec. 21 candlelight vigil at Santa Maria City Hall. The vigil, titled The Longest Night, happens on the shortest day of the year, explained lead coordinator Denise Manriquez, to serve as a reminder of the elements that…
Wildling Museum hosts nature-themed workshop
On Jan. 5, the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature will host Nature Abstracted, a three-hour workshop for teens and adults. The workshop features an explanation and demonstration of how to create abstract acrylic paintings from natural settings. Participants are asked to bring a photograph (by themselves or someone else) taken in nature. The…
Gallery Los Olivos introduces new artists
Gallery Los Olivos is holding its annual New Perspectives show to introduce its newest artists to the community. Artists include pencil artist Alice Joy Murphy (work pictured), mosaic artist Michele Knecht, photographer George Rose, oil painter Renee Kelleher, and pastel artists Jo-Neal Boic and Carrie Givens. The show will run from Feb. 1 through Feb.…
Discovery Museum seeks artists for Nat Fast Day
The Discovery Museum in Santa Maria is seeking artists for Nat Fast Free Children’s Art Day on Jan. 27. The museum is looking for creative, patient people to teach children hands-on art projects throughout the day. A materials and time stipend of $100 is offered to participating artists. The day is split into two shifts…
Spotlight on: Abilities For Kids Inc.
Abilities For Kids Inc., a nonprofit that originated as KindredCare Therapeutics in 2010, came to fruition under founder and current CEO Connie Chan, who sought to fill a need in the community she found was severely lacking. “We started the program because we were frustrated with the paucity of pediatric services in our area,” Chan…
Response to Joe Armendariz
“Man-made disaster” more appropriately refers to the mess we have made of the air, water, and oceans of planet Earth (“Man-made disaster and unforced error,” Dec. 13). Global climate change is unambiguously the result of human activities, primarily the use of fossil fuels. “Disaster” does not refer to “losing” the purported value of the oil…
Mystery below ground
Water is necessary for life. We all drink it. In addition, it makes this agricultural economy strong, providing more than 25,000 jobs in Santa Barbara County. And the quality of our water is as important as its quantity. Water that is contaminated with toxic and cancer-causing chemicals causes illness and makes land unproductive. Our health…
Farewell to Evergreen
In 2007, Evergreen Video was situated along the back parking lot of Spencer’s Market, in a lineup of local businesses that were often in chilly shadows, with the smell of the nearby deli’s fried chicken and steak fries wafting through the air. I know several people whose earliest memories of Evergreen were as children; the…
Helping hands
The holiday season puts us all in a more giving mood, celebrating the season with gifts shared among family and friends in warm settings. But we’re also reminded this time of year that there are those who don’t get any gifts, don’t have a tree, and may not even have a home, let alone a…
Political Watch 12/20/18
• Acting as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) requested that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan “provide a detailed explanation” regarding the circumstances around the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died after being taken into Border Protection custody. “I am disappointed…
Tommie Kunst seventh grade boys’ basketball
It was quite the season for Tommie Kunst Junior High School’s seventh grade boys’ basketball team, which won the school its first ever boys league championship title on Dec. 13. It had been a long time coming, according to coach Kevin Smith, who said the girls’ basketball teams have won a few championships since the…
