Cover Story
Armed to sell: Local women real estate agents are taking protection into their own hands
White and pink crystals glued to the gun’s grip shimmered in the morning light as she pulled the .45-caliber pistol from her purse. Two sparkling hearts positioned precisely where this young woman clutches an undeniably lethal weapon create a curious paradox. “It can kill somebody. This is not a toy,” she said about her Springfield…
‘Sideways’ to China: Santa Barbara County wines travel to the Far East
Morgen McLaughlin, the executive director of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association, had the country described to her by an importer as “the Wild West of wine.” McLaughlin traveled to Shanghai in mid-November to see first-hand how the Chinese wine market operates. China, with a population topping 1.3 billion, is the fifth largest market for…
What was your favorite sports film growing up?
David Amenta computer lab technician “I had a favorite sports television show called The American Adventure.” Debra Garcia health assistant “My favorite was The Bad News Bears or A League of their Own.” Jay Craddock student “Rudy was definitely my favorite!” Amanda Smith behavior aide “I would have to go with Bring it On.”
Bringing the glory: Lompoc Valley Master Chorale presents Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’
The holiday season is one of cherished rituals and traditions. A long-held tradition in classical music is that of the oratorio, which features an orchestra, choir, and vocal soloists. Usually relating a biblical story or text, these religious concert pieces were wonderful platforms for composers to explore their creativity in a sacred realm. The Lompoc…
Holiday crafting at Michaels
Michaels offers several arts and crafts events for kids including a “Melted Snowman Ornament” event on Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. with half-hour sessions for $2 each for kids ages 3 and up. A “Kids Club Crayola Wintery Work of Art” class is Dec. 14 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. with half-hour…
Get ready for eagle season
The Central Coast provides a perfect climate and ecosystem for bald eagles. The Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake is preparing to share the wonder of these seasonal, iconic inhabitants with the community. The regularly scheduled wildlife cruises that the nature center offers become eagle cruises during eagle season, which starts in November. As…
The Santa Maria Public Library makes research easier
The Santa Maria Public Library announced that a number of resources can now be accessed from home via a computer. The vast number of resources can be reached via cityofsantamaria.org where the library tab will lead to “Search the databases.” A library card is required. Biography in Context is a database available through the site,…
Generations of volunteers put on ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ at the Lompoc Civic Theatre
The Lompoc Civic Theatre has been providing the small town with live community theater for 40 years now. Four decades of experience is a lot to bank on, but a steady stock of fresh new faces makes the volunteer theater group a dynamic entity that is always presenting plays in new and interesting ways. In…
Two generations visit Betteravia Gallery South
There is nothing like viewing art with the eyes of children because they are so honest about what they see. With this in mind, I took my 11-year-old grandson Samuel with me to view the works of several local artists showing at the Betteravia Gallery South in Santa Maria. First we gazed at works by…
Tears of a clown
I have a teenage daughter in high school. Yes, thank you for your condolences. With a teenage girl around there are a lot of crazy emotions bouncing off the walls of my house at all times. Having a young lady as a resident of the household has made being a parent suddenly quite difficult. Not…
Winter day camp offered by Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department
The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department will run four weeks of Winter Break Day Camp for children ages 6 to 12 years old who are out of school in December and January. Camp begins Dec. 23 and ends on Jan. 17, 2014. It costs $75 per week and the camp is open Monday through…
Adam Elementary wants help stuffing a bus with donations
The K Kids Club at Adam Elementary School is working with the Kiwanis Club to collect items for the Santa Barbara County Food Bank and the Santa Maria Vocational Training Center. On Friday, Dec. 6, the team is asking everyone to help “Stuff the School Bus.” A school bus will be parked at Adam School,…
Righetti High School clubs team up for a season of giving
Four Ernest Righetti High School clubs are working together to bring holiday joy to the Good Samaritan Homeless Shelter with a dinner event on Dec. 7. The dinner is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. with students providing and serving food to folks staying at the shelter. The students will also distribute gifts that include…
Lompoc High joins the civic theater for a Christmas pageant performance
The Lompoc Civic Theatre and Lompoc High School drama students have banded together to produce The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a play and book by Barbara Robinson, as their holiday presentation to the Lompoc community. More than 30 local actors, from young children to adults, will present the Christmas comedy, which is about a couple…
Spotlight on: Allure Boutique
If you’re tired of the large crowds and disorganized piles of merchandise found in department stores this holiday season, Allure Boutique in the Santa Maria Town Center mall offers a more intimate shopping experience. The boutique’s molded tin ceiling, bright coral walls, and black crystal light fixtures give it a cool, modern feeling unlike that…
Community Notebook 12/5-12/12
MONDAY, DEC. 9 • 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: Royal Family KIDS decks the halls for a good cause
On Dec. 7, five of Santa Maria Valley’s most beautiful homes will be decked out for the holidays. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., local residents will get to glimpse this magazine-spread-worthy decor as part of the 2013 Holiday Home Tour. In the spirit of the season, the tour will benefit Royal Family KIDS of…
Growing Grounds Farm brings holiday flora to market
Now that the turkey’s packed away in that special place just below the rib cage, it’s time to get geared up for the next holiday season. For Growing Grounds Farm in Santa Maria, that season means selling poinsettias, handmade leucadendron—a multi-colored plant native to Australia and South Africa—wreaths and delivering fresh-cut fir trees around the…
Corrections
In the Sun’s Nov. 28 cover story, “The call heard round the world,” there were some errors regarding the game with the Seahawks and the Packers in 2012. The corrections are as follows: The game was played in September. The Seahawks were trailing the Packers 12-7 before the “Hail Mary.” The Packer who made…
Diablo Canyon relicensing hits the four-year mark
Four years ago, Pacific Gas & Electric began the process of relicensing the two reactors at their Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in Avila Beach. It was Nov. 24, 2009, and a last-minute alert by the utility brought just about every media outlet from across the county to the PG&E Education Center for a chance…
Bond sales mean more building at Hancock
With $8.6 million in bond sales on Nov. 21, folks at Allan Hancock College are getting ready to do some building shuffling. The college’s associate superintendent of administrative services, Elizabeth Miller, said staff members would be moving into the new administration building before 2013 closes out. She’s also anticipating that the new public safety building…
Santa Maria Energy moves forward with its well expansion project
The 30-day waiting period after the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ Nov. 12 decision to approve the Santa Maria Energy well expansion project—with an emissions caveat—is almost up. And because Santa Maria Energy opted not to pursue litigation on the project approval, the company will most likely be able to get cracking on permit…
Capps’ competition for the 2014 congressional election is growing
Actor and political hopeful Chris Mitchum recently announced plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) for the second time in two years. Mitchum finished with 20.7 percent of the vote in the 2012 primary for the 24th Congressional District. Fellow Republican Abel Maldonado beat the former Screen Actors Guild leader by 10 percentage…
Explore other options, Nipomo
Build, build, build and spend, spend, spend. This seems to be the motto in Nipomo, according to “Thirsty for more” (Nov. 14). Why is the NCSD building a pipeline when state water is down to a trickle? Never have there been any mandatory conservation measures in place since I’ve lived in Nipomo. Even my mother,…
Thank you, Santa Maria!
As we are in a time of giving thanks and reflecting on the year that has passed, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents and businesses of the Santa Maria Valley for their continued generosity to our club, the Santa Maria Noontimers Lions, and to all the area Lions Clubs. It…
What a refreshing read
I very much enjoyed Kristina Sewell’s article on Lance Easley (“The call heard round the world,” Nov. 28) and look forward to reading his new book. It’s refreshing to read of someone who is so gracefully willing to take responsibility for decisions made, whether supported or contested by others. Of course, Mr. Easley, you made…
Santa Barbara County’s global warming Hall Of Shame
Santa Maria Energy has been placing full-page ads in local papers objecting to the fact that county supervisors required them to offset some of their greenhouse gas emissions. They think it’s “unfair” they don’t get an unlimited license to pollute for free and pass along the costs to the rest of us. We are experiencing…
A dark, dark Friday
I have stuff. I can’t deny it. I do like my suet and seeds, and I like to have the proper serving dishes and utensils. I also have a large flat-screen TV: a whopping 13 inches! It barely fits in my nest. But there’s stuff, and then there’s stuff. I can’t come down on holiday…
What’s on Deck? 12/5 – 12/12
Thursday, Dec.5 Girls’ Water Polo Nipomo vs. Righetti @ NHS, 3 p.m. St. Joseph vs. Morro Bay @ Paul Nelson, 3:15 p.m. Pioneer Valley vs. Lompoc @ PVHS, 4 p.m. Boys’ Wrestling Cabrillo vs. St. Joseph @ CHS, 6 p.m. Girls’ Soccer Nipomo vs. Arroyo Grande @ NHS, 3:30 p.m.…
Warriors on the out
After a valiant effort and stellar season, the Righetti Warriors boys’ water polo team met its end. Last week in Irvine at the William Woollett Center, the Warriors fell 6-4 to Los Osos. This was the second straight year Los Osos beat the Warriors to take the championship title.
Spend Winter Break with the city
Set to kick off Dec. 16, the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s winter camp program provides children grades one through six enrichment activities. The camp is ideal for working parents and coincides with the Orcutt and Santa Maria-Bonita school districts’ winter breaks. The camp runs Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.…
Garcia steps down at Hancock
A press release from the Allan Hancock College Athletics Department recently revealed that longtime soccer coach Al Garcia is leaving the Bulldogs. During his 18 years as the men’s coach and three years as the women’s coach, Garcia led the Bulldogs to State Conference titles in 1999, 2001, and 2002. He received the Coach of…
St. Joseph High School Cross Country
For the first time in school and community record, both of the St. Joseph High School cross country teams have earned the right to race in the highest level of competition for the high school sport, the California State Championship meet. Coach Luis Escobar said both of the teams raced against 16 other teams for…
‘Little Giants’ return to the Central Coast
A born-and-raised product of small-town Arroyo Grande, I am lovingly familiar with the 1994 sports comedy Little Giants. Thinking about this movie brings back cherished memories of my childhood and my own sports triumphs. I also really loved watching “geeky” kids succeed because it gave me hope. But the novelty of the film comes from…
