Cover Story
Unbroken: How a resilient Santa Barbara County winemaker is carrying on single-handedly three months after a horrific harvest mishap
The morning of Sept. 2, 2014, started out like any typical harvest day. Bins of newly picked pinot noir grapes had just arrived on the crush pad at Arcadian Winery’s facility east of Lompoc, where Chris Bratcher makes Bratcher Wines. This was his seventh wine harvest in Santa Barbara County, so the 48-year-old has experience…
Santa Maria offers a shoppers trolley for the holidays
The city of Santa Maria is unveiling the new Downtown Trolley during the holiday season, starting on Dec. 7 and offering a shuttle service between several major Santa Maria shopping centers. The 28-passenger trolley is being introduced to the city as the Holiday Shopping Shuttle, which locals can ride for 25 cents, or 10 cents…
If you were in a circus, what would you do or be?
Megan Christ digital marketer “I’d be a two-headed performer. As long as I got two heads I’d be happy.” Destinee Clark courtesy clerk “I’d be the hugging tiger. I’d give the best hugs.” JD Collier student “I’d be a stunt man to be able to do the stunts.” Heather Welsh advertising executive “I would do…
Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ comes to Solvang
Choristers across the centuries have lent their voices to various works of music, immortalizing the vocal lines for generations to enjoy. One such piece, Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria, is beloved by singers and instrumentalists alike for its intuitive, rhythmic nature, and energetic beauty. The Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale is endeavoring to perform the Baroque era…
Join Santa Maria for its tree lighting
The city of Santa Maria is inviting local families out to the third annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 5. The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department along with The People for Leisure and Youth Inc. (PLAY Inc.) will provide cocoa and cookies and even welcomes Christmas carolers to the event. Local cancer survivor…
Library offers holiday songfest
The Santa Maria Public Library is offering a live concert by Craig Newton, who will bring his stash of instruments for a Holiday Songfest. The concert will include sing-a-longs, audience participation, and holiday music from different cultures. The show is open to children ages 5 and above. Newton’s songfest happens Dec. 11 at 6 p.m.…
Lompoc Theatre Project holds a fundraiser
The Lompoc Theatre Project will hold a fundraiser event on Dec. 12 and present a preview of the future plans for the old theater. The event will include Montemar wines paired with fire-cooked pizzas by John Martinez to accompany a presentation by Mark Herrier, president of the nonprofit’s board of directors, who will speak about…
The Great American Melodrama offers family friendly holiday stagecraft
The bustling fun of the Great American Melodrama is always present from the moment the longtime theater’s doors open and the already costumed actors whisk you away to your seat. The magic of the Melodrama is amplified during the holiday season as the theater welcomes more actors to the stage and decks the humble hall…
The Poetic Justice Project explores incarceration with commedia dell’arte
Humor has always been a powerful tool against hardship. Even in the toughest of experiences, a well-timed joke can relieve the tension, ease the pain, make us think, and transform our feelings. The Poetic Justice Project (PJP) is a live theater group made up of formerly incarcerated individuals who collectively use stagecraft to transcend and…
Loose molars equals loose morals
I’ve always been afraid of the dentist, just like I’ve always been afraid of great white sharks, tarantulas, and Oprah Winfrey. However, unlike sharks, spiders, and Oprah, who in reality have never harmed me physically (just emotionally), the dentist has actually caused me specific bodily pain. When I was about 14 years old, I needed…
Spotlight on: Eddie’s Grill
After moving to Lompoc, Carlos Villa noticed a lack of what he considered good, high quality restaurants. So last January, Carlos and his brother Eddie decided to build one of their own in the shopping plaza on the corner of Central Avenue and H Street. Working by themselves, they completed construction in a few months…
Discovery Corner: Kwanzaa and Hanukkah come to the Discovery Museum!
This month at the Discovery Museum, in addition to Christmas, we’ll also be celebrating Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Celebrated annually Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, Kwanzaa is the world’s fastest growing holiday, with more than 20 million celebrants worldwide. Kwanzaa is meant to connect African American people with their African roots and give them time to…
Camp Fire floats into the holiday season
Before three hours of working the Dec. 6 Santa Maria holiday-parade crowd, Camp Fire is celebrating this season with a reception and open house at its newly refreshed cabin from 2 to 4 p.m. The Camp Fire cabin in Buena Vista Park was built in 1935 with funds provided by the Kiwanis club and the…
Hancock joins the state in pushing more students to four-year schools
More community college students statewide, and at Allan Hancock College, are taking advantage of a degree program that guarantees acceptance to a California State University school. In 2013-2014, 11,673 students statewide earned an associate degree through the California Community Colleges and CSU A Degree with a Guarantee transfer program. That was more than double the…
St. Mary’s students get creative with wreaths
St. Mary of the Assumption School’s parent/teacher organization brought families together recently to create Advent wreaths for the season of expectation. A press release from the school said that Advent started on Nov. 30, the fourth Sunday before Dec. 25, and represents the time spent waiting for the Messiah. “It was a wonderful atmosphere of…
Political Watch 12/4/14
• On Dec. 1, the White House released a review of federal funding and programs that provide equipment to local law enforcement agencies. President Barack Obama ordered the review in August, after the shooting of Michael Brown—an unarmed black teenager shot and killed by white police officer Darren Wilson—in Ferguson, Mo., and protests and unrest…
Community Notebook 12/4/14-12/11/14
MONDAY, DEC. 8 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. Agendas are available at…
Community Corner: Celebrate the Day of the Farm Worker
They harvest the fruit, pick the vegetables, and handle the countless dirty, repetitive, and wearying tasks necessary each day to feed the community, the state, and the world. They are farm workers, and they represent a major pillar of the U.S. economy. The Santa Barbara County Education Office’s Migrant Education Program is sponsoring a free…
Santa Maria tackles pedestrian safety
Leticia Hernandez-Sanchez was crossing the street with her 13-year-old brother, Lisandro, near the corner of Newlove and Miller on the night of June 29, 2013, when she was struck and killed by a car driven by Kelsi Sullivan. At the time, Hernandez-Sanchez was only 15 years old; Sullivan was 21. The accident occurred around 9:30…
Apio workers protest working conditions
Wearing yellow shirts and holding hand-written placards, several current and former workers at the Apio Inc. plant in Guadalupe gathered inside a nearby residence and stood before cameras to protest what they are calling substandard workplace conditions. Speaking to reporters in English and Spanish, former Apio worker Francisco Garcia alleged that he and his former…
Clarifications
The introduction to the article “Shifting sentences” in the Nov. 27 issue of the Sun had a couple of issues and should have read like this: A man walks into a 7- Eleven store with the intent to steal and walks out with a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, and a bar of…
More jurors summoned for U-Haul murder trial
Jury selection for one of the biggest trials to hit Santa Maria since the Michael Jackson trial started in mid-November, but it’s far from over. Another round of juror summonses were called the week of Thanksgiving for the so-called U-Haul murder trial. Officials from the Santa Barbara County Superior Court said they summoned 500 jurors…
High school district takes on social media in the wake of Righetti fights
The proper way to use social media is a hot topic in the Santa Maria Joint Union School District after the events of Nov. 21, when rumors about potential violence at Ernest Righetti High School caused enough of a distraction that administrators sent students home early for the Thanksgiving break. On Nov. 26, the district…
Santa Barbara County is projected to be overbudget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year
Just three months into the 2014-2015 fiscal year, Santa Barbara County is already expected to be $1.3 million overbudget. In a quarterly report presented to the county Board of Supervisors on Dec. 2, the county’s budget supervisor, Tom Alvarez, attributed the deviance largely to an unforeseen $2.2 million negative variance in the county Sheriff’s Office…
What’s on Deck? 12/4/14-12/11/14
Thursday, Dec. 4 Girls’ Water Polo SJHS vs. MBHS @ Paul Nelson, 3:15 p.m. Boys’ Soccer SJHS vs. LHS @ LHS, 5:30 p.m. CHS vs. AGHS @ CHS, 3 p.m. PVHS vs. Templeton @ THS, 3:30 p.m. Girls’ Soccer SJHS vs. LHS @ SJHS, 5:30 p.m. CHS vs. AGHS…
Hancock football players tackle All-Conference honors
Six defensive players and five offensive players from Allan Hancock College received All-Conference honors from coaches in the National Northern Conference. Linebackers Willie Iribarren and Jonathan General, and lineman Kevon Perry received the Bulldog’s First Team Defense selections. Iribarren ranked second in the state, averaging 10.9 tackles per game. Running back Lauina Futi, kicker Jose…
It’s batter-up time for Orcutt’s softball league
The Orcutt Youth Softball Association continues registration for its 2015 season on Dec. 6 at the Lakeview Junior High School gym from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration will also be held at Alice Shaw Elementary School on Dec. 11 and Jan. 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Players from Guadalupe will have a…
Ali Rodriguez
The Allan Hancock College women’s basketball team likes to have the last shot. Ali Rodriguez took the last shot before halftime on Nov. 19 and nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer. Nicole De La Guerra skipped a pass across court to Rodriguez. Rodriguez used her legs and followed through to sink the ball in the…
Masking stereotypes: Sports teams should abolish derogatory names and mascots
The Washington Redskins sends a toxic message by brandishing a derogatory racial slur as its team name, and in its shadow is the even worse message sent by the harmful stereotype that is the team’s mascot. The name is derogatory because it’s used to separate a group of people based on the color of their…
Rancho Bowl’s bold new menu melds old school diner feel with new school flavor
Fewer and fewer locals can remember Rancho Bowl when it first opened its doors in 1959, but the proud band of customers who swill black coffee at the coffee shop counter each week sure do. Much has changed since those early years—including the addition of DJ nights, 24 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, and ongoing remodeling throughout—but…
Of hooves and gavels
I usually don’t fly too far afield to find subjects for my columns, but today I wanted to let you know about an event that happened just a bit outside of our collective Northern Santa Barbara County backyard. On Nov. 20, a 24-year-old Paso Robles resident pleaded no contest—which is pretty much the equivalent of…
It’s all smoke
Ferguson, Immigration, ISIS, Kardashian’s next baby—all distractions from the world’s greatest dilemma: climate change. Big news stories are serious issues; so is carbon pollution. A news cycle that ignores a significant cause of human suffering harms the public. Climate change demands as much attention as celebrity baby bumps! We don’t need more babies consuming the…
Do we really need this devil?
Compliments to Mothers for Peace for getting a report about tsunami hazards at Diablo published—after 11 years of “cover up” (“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission releases a tsunami assessment of Diablo Canyon 11 years later,” Nov. 27). The events at Fukushima could happen at Diablo. I was arrested at the main gate to this plant in…
What lies ahead for Congress?
Given all the words and images devoted to the midterm elections over the past few weeks, you’d think the results had told us something vital about the future of the country. In reality, they were just a curtain-raiser. It’s the next few weeks and months that really matter. The big question, as the old Congress…
