Cover Story
A river runs through them: Six artists take ‘A River’s Journey’ through the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley watershed at the Wildling Museum
View a slideshow from the hanging of the exhibit. There is an idea of water. There is an idea of how it bends. It cools, quenches, consumes. It drowns, rebirths, soothes. And it carries. Artist Nicole Strasburg has been alive with all of these ideas about water for the better part of two years. Stepping…
Vintners Bar and Grill is perfect for lovers or anyone who enjoys upscale casual dining
One of the best ways to experience the talents of local chefs is to try out their prix fixe menu. A prix fixe menu comes with a set list of menu options at a fixed price and is generally meant to showcase the diversity of a chef as well as highlight the overall vision of…
Solvang Library seeks poetry submissions from Santa Ynez Valley students
The Solvang Library is asking Santa Ynez Valley sixth, seventh, and eighth graders to write a poem and share it with the community in a public reading. Writers are asked to submit a 25-line poem on the theme “Selfies: Pretense, Truth, and Dreams.” Submissions are due by March 30, and a public reading and showcase…
Solvang artist Laura Scandalis Cross takes a playful look at life
A visit to Laura Scandalis Cross’ Solvang home and makeshift studio first starts with a greeting from Betty. Betty is Cross’ dog, who’s ready to inspect any visitor approaching the front door. Once she’s satisfied with an offering of pets and dog-friendly affirmations, she retires to the welcoming space of Cross’ living room, adorned with…
PCPA delivers powerful production of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’
When watching a play like The Crucible, now more than 65 years old, one wonders what playwright Arthur Miller would make of America now. Miller set his landmark, Tony Award-winning play in one of the darkest eras in American history, to shine a light on the troubling hysteria of the Red Scare, led by Joseph…
Santa Maria Philharmonic plots an emotional journey with works by Copland, Mahler, and Mendelssohn
February is always a good month to explore matters of the heart. For Santa Maria Philharmonic Society Music Director Michael Nowak, the idea was a perfect springboard for the Philharmonic Orchesta’s third concert of the main season. But, there’s a little more to it than that, he explained. “Valentines doesn’t hurt, but mostly this is…
Crucial concerns
Ever lose track of everything you need to be concerned about? Gun death, domestic violence, human trafficking, natural disasters, ongoing drought, social media threats—it’s a lot to process! We should be concerned about all these things. The Cachuma Reservoir has only risen to 50 percent this past water year, and the wet season won’t last…
Girls’ Night Out will provide space for junior high school girls to get creative
Local junior high school girls will have an opportunity to get creative and interact without boys on Feb. 24 at another of the city’s Girls’ Night Out events. Attendees of Girls’ Night Out, a girls-only event hosted by the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center staff, will meet at the community center and head together to…
High and dry: Parched wet season leaves water mavens wary of future
When it comes to the question of “is California in a drought?” The answer depends on who you ask. On Feb. 6, the U.S. Drought Monitor listed Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties as experiencing what it called “severe drought” conditions. The designation is the third in five total levels on the monitor’s scale—compiled…
Hundreds of Santa Maria High School students skip class after threatening social media posts
Roughly 300 Santa Maria High School students were pulled out of class or stayed home from school on Feb. 16 after administrators and parents became aware of threatening social media posts made by two seperate students. Both posts followed closely behind a highly publicized school shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 individuals were shot and…
Lompoc Library announces Zip Book program
The California State Library selected the Lompoc Public Library System to participate in a project called Zip Books to help library users get better access to books they want. The program helps libraries purchase requested books they don’t own and then have them shipped to the user directly. Books checked out through the Zip Books…
Make every room energy efficient
As an energy coach for the county-operated emPower Central Coast program—along with more than 20 years in construction and energy conservation—I am committed to helping homeowners make their houses more energy efficient. As part of emPower’s free Energy Coach service, I’ve helped homeowners determine which home upgrades will help make every day brighter and more…
Spirit Ricks
Although Allan Hancock College student Spirit Ricks is only a freshman, he’s already captain of the Hancock men’s basketball team and averages double digits in both rebounds and points each game. “He’s more than a great player,” head coach Tyson Aye said in an interview with the Sun. “He’s a great player and a great…
Santa Maria high school district celebrates Career Technical Education Month
In honor of national Career Technical Education (CTE) Month, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District is working to raise awareness about its CTE education efforts that prepare high school students for high-wage, high-demand careers. “CTE Month is a time to celebrate our classrooms that extend into our community, partner with industry and college…
Political Watch 2/22/18
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) addressed the tragic shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, a day after the attack, on Feb. 15 from the floor of the U.S. Senate. Feinstein expressed condolences and grief to the families who lost children and family in the attack, and said, “But today grief and sorrow on…
Hobnobbing with Helen: Hats off to books!
Welcome to Wonderland. More precisely, welcome to the Mad Hatter’s Bash in Wonderland, a production of the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department. This dazzling and delightful evening of dinner and dancing raised money for the Special Olympics, now in its 50th year, on Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Veterans’ Memorial Center in Santa Maria.…
Solvang forms subcommittee to handle horse-drawn trolley issues
An unusual amount of time and money have been put toward efforts to adequately answer a question that has perplexed Solvang City Council members for months now: Where should the Honen park? The Honen, a horse-drawn trolley, is one of Solvang’s most popular and most photographed tourist attractions, according to Solvang City Councilmember Ryan Toussaint.…
Correction
In the Feb. 15 cover story, “Dream come true,” the Sun incorrectly stated the photographer of the cover image and one inside image. Jorge Valencia of Ramses Photography and Video contributed the images of Nathalie and Luis Bernardino.
Residents speak in favor of proposed trail between Santa Maria, Guadalupe
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting on Feb. 13 was filled with lengthy public comment, largely related to a proposed hiking and biking trail between the cities of Guadalupe and Santa Maria. The speakers that day requested that the trail be placed on the supervisors’ next possible agenda. “When you think about Guadalupe’s…
Guadalupe City Council bans commercial cannabis businesses for now
Another Central Coast community will not allow commercial cannabis businesses to operate within its borders as of Feb. 13. The Guadalupe City Council voted to ban all but medical deliveries of the plant at its meeting that night. The urgency ordinance passed unanimously and prevents city staff from being forced to issue recreational permits and…
Santa Maria men arrested in alleged human trafficking case
Three Santa Maria men were arrested at an unspecified motel in the city on Feb. 19 after a minor, who was allegedly being pimped out, escaped the motel and called the Santa Maria Police Department for help from another location. Santa Maria Police Sgt. Michael McGehee said officers immediately responded to the call. Gabriel Campos-Lopez,…
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office investigating fatal shooting at Chumash Casino
Gunshots rang out across the Santa Ynez Valley in the early hours of Feb. 20. When the sun rose a few hours later, one man was dead. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover told the Sun that a security officer at the Chumash Casino had shot a yet-to-be-identified male subject at around…
Walls forever
The plans by President Trump to “build the wall” is the present-day continuation of this effort to control the very porous 2,000-mile U.S. and Mexican border, which began in 1994 with the George H.W. Bush administration. It was continued by the 1996 Republican Congress and President Bill Clinton. At that time three walls were funded…
Spotlight on: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Dick’s Sporting Goods is set to celebrate its grand opening at Enos Ranch (775 E. Betteravia Road) in Santa Maria on Friday, Feb. 23. The major retail chain announced that it planned to host a “three-day celebration” at its newest store and that former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and broadcaster Don Sutton will make an…
