Cover Story
Legs for days–or longer
This year’s headline makers were the kinds of stories that just keep on giving—the kinds we in the journalism world like to call stories with legs. Their words continued to walk across the Sun’s pages, week after week. Let’s take Santa Maria Energy’s oil expansion project as an example. News of the project broke in…
What’s your New Year’s resolution?
Gloria Henneberger retired “To not procrastinate and get everything done I wanted to get done in 2013.” Hector Henneberger retired “Lose a little weight; not to eat like a teenager.” Brittany Kennedy veterinary technician “To spend wiser and save money.” Jackie Moran assistant manager “Probably just to be more positive and healthy.”
Tasty times
This year was a great year for Santa Barbara County’s dining public with about a dozen new restaurants opening for business. Trying to visit as many of them as possible has been my pleasure: S.Y. Kitchen in Santa Ynez, Caliterranean Café at Global Gardens in Los Alamos, Omakase in Old Orcutt, Cugini’s in Santa Maria,…
Remember the music
The past year served as an example of the rabid appetite locals have for quality music, and how dedicated they are to keeping it around. A historical bequest to the Allan Hancock College Music Department by the late piano teacher Patricia Boyd served as a benchmark of what music means to the community. Totaling more…
Time immortalized
Time flies when you are creating things! The vast number and variety of artists in Northern Santa Barbara County certainly kept this writer pounding the keyboard every week. From the amazing stage productions by local theater companies to the stunning visual art of local painters, sculptors, and sketchers alike, the coast was alive with crackling,…
The human element
Coaches and athletes are often defined by the roles they play in their sports. Their worth comes from the records they put up, the statistics behind them, and the patches on their letterman’s jackets. As sports fans, we often get lost in the excitement of the physical feats these athletes accomplish, and the coaches and…
A year of discovery
This year, local students were educated and supported by a caring community. They celebrated a 75th anniversary, and got a boost from Walmart grants and more space to grow and learn with the building of a new school. Laps for Boston Almost 800 Miller Elementary School students ran laps around a course set up for…
Hobnobbing with Helen
The invitation, usually a cause for joy and gladness, was ominous: “This is the last one!” The end-of-November e-mail sounded out the message loud and clear. “The last one” e-mail decreed that the very last-ever holiday wingding to be given by Rick Sweet and Nancy Jo Ward would take place on Dec. 6. For the…
Political Watch 12/26/13
• Agricultural Under Secretary Michael Scuse held a press conference on Dec. 18 with Food Export-Midwest and Northeast Executive Director Tim Hamilton and Export Sales Director of the Ohio-based Trophy Nut Dave Ramirez to highlight the need for a new food, farm, and jobs bill that would promote U.S. agricultural exports. Food Export-Midwest and Northeast…
County submits amended comments on Chumash fee-to-trust application
Santa Barbara County recently added more paperwork to the stack of comments piling up at the Bureau of Indian Affairs over the Santa Ynez Band of Indians fee-to-trust application. The additional letters were submitted at the tail end of a public comment period for the tribe’s revised fee-to-trust application on its nearly 1,400-acre Camp 4…
Convicted Santa Maria child molester sentenced
Santa Maria resident Felix Nicolas, 39, was sentenced on Dec. 18 to serve 206 years to life in prison after being convicted of 16 felony counts. Those counts include solicitation to commit murder, aggravated sexual assault, oral copulation, rape of a minor, and attempted sodomy of a minor under the age of 14. According to…
Phillips 66 rail spur critics speak out at workshop
As oil giant Phillips 66 barrels forward with a fast-tracked proposal to ship oil by train through San Luis Obispo County, local citizens had their first formal opportunity to criticize the plan at a Dec. 12 workshop. At a cafeteria-cum-auditorium in Arroyo Grande’s Mesa Middle School—with a glittering disco ball and prominent “Tom Sawyer” banner…
Holiday wishes
Dear readers, Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Feliz Navidad! Mele Kalikimaka! Happy Kwanza! And Happy New Year! Love, The Canary
A list of failed traditions
Christmastime has never been my favorite time of year. I love the joy of the season and all the extra time spent with my family, but it just never seems to live up to my expectations. I’m not talking about gifts received either, but just the expectations I put on what the season should be…
