Cover Story
The changing face of local news
“Pretty much everywhere I go I get asked, ‘What’s going on over there?’ ‘Are you alright?’ ‘How are you doing?’” This is unfamiliar territory for Jim Byrne—unemployed for the first time in his adult life. The popular TV meteorologist was laid off in early January, along with a dozen fellow KCOY 12 and KKFX 11…
Kids who croon
Two nonprofit volunteer organizations are teaming up to provide local youth with a musical and educational experience. The Youth in Harmony Festival, presented by the Central City Chordsmen and the Tri City Sound Chorus (of the Barbershop Harmony Society and Sweet Adelines International, respectively), will teach young vocalists from five area high schools the art…
An anti-bullying nonprofit sponsors two local events
WonHeart, a nonprofit dedicated to creating social cohesion and harmony by bringing Challenge Day and Soul Shoppe to local schools, will sponsor a showing of the documentary I AM at 7 p.m. on Feb. 25 at 1165 Stubblefield Road. In the documentary, Hollywood comedy director Tom Shadyac of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective converses with prominent…
C Gallery art extends to Union Hotel
The C Gallery in Los Alamos has been invited to exhibit art at the historic Union Hotel, as “an extension of the gallery,” according to Union Hotel proprietor Dan Thompson. The hotel will display art that’s pastoral, somewhat western, and exemplifies the region. The C Gallery has brought together a photography collection by Heidi Peschel,…
Get grants!
Applications are now available for Santa Maria Arts Council grants for nonprofits. The application deadline is Monday, April 30. Two $500 grants will be awarded on Monday, May 21, with an aim to support Santa Maria Valley programs through short-term projects that enhance the arts. A project’s emphasis should be on youth programs supporting the…
Jump, dig, learn
It’s been a long time since I chaperoned a field trip for my kids, so when I had the chance to tag along with my son’s fourth grade class to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, I was pretty excited. We rode the school bus, and I was surprised to see that kids on…
Meet the Women
My wife and I agree that our first date—our first “official” date, recognized by both of us as such—was a delightfully deconstructed PCPA stage production of Little Women in the 2001/2002 season. A spare set and minimal props did nothing to diminish the power of the story: four girls (little women, actually) navigating the formalities,…
Big revelations
Recently I was visiting my parents and browsing some old photo albums looking for some high school photos for my impending high school reunion. Yes, I have a high school reunion coming up, and knowing that, I could probably go a million different directions with this week’s column, but I don’t fly straight. Remember that…
What’s on Deck?
Thursday, Feb. 23 Boys’ Soccer CIF Southern Section Quarterfinals TBA Men’s Baseball Allan Hancock College @ Cypress College 2 p.m. Women’s Tennis Allan Hancock College @ Ventura College 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 Boys’ Baseball Righetti @ Lompoc 3:30 p.m. Boys’ Basketball CIF Southern Section Semifinals TBA Boys’ Wrestling…
On the roster
• Pinewood Derby Workshops: The Lompoc Police Activities League is holding workshops to gear up for the city’s Pinewood Derby Race on March 17 at Anderson Recreation Center. The workshops are open to all kids ages 5 and older, and will be held on March 1 at 6:30 p.m. at La Honda Elementary School, and…
Lompoc Parks and Rec holds fundraising golf tourney
The Lompoc Parks & Recreation will be presenting the ninth annual LP&R Golf Tournament on April 1 at Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Marshallia Golf Course. The four-person scramble tournament includes awards for the top three teams, closest to pins on Par 3 holes, a long drive competition, raffle prizes, and mulligans. Check-in time is 11…
Athlete of the Week: Christina Ozzimo
Christina Ozzimo has played a large role on her soccer team this year, helping the Nipomo Titans end their season with a 13-8-2 record and their first trip to the CIF playoffs since 2005. She’s been kicking soccer balls around since she was 5 years old. By the time she turned 8, her friends were…
Staying in the game
The approach of spring signifies the start of something important for avid sports fans, something that takes people back to their childhood days of barbecues and never-ending baseball (or softball) games in the park. It’s the time of year when the smell of fresh-cut grass perfumes the air, Sundays are spent playing catch, and local…
House of Lindquist
Visit the Qupé tasting room in Los Olivos and you’ll find a familial feast—a multitude of wines made by three different members of the Lindquist family: venerable vintner Bob Lindquist’s Qupe wines, his wife Louisa Sawyer Lindquist’s Verdad wines, and Bob’s son Ethan Lindquist’s wine label, appropriately named Ethan. Bob’s daughter Paige Lindquist runs the…
Avila’s voice was heard
The community of Avila Beach is in the news again; attention is being focused on “Lachen Tara,” the community’s affordable housing apartments. It seems timely to think about the history of how this tiny community was able to secure the affordable housing in the first place. It’s a story that needs to be told before…
Hobnobbing With Helen
If you bought a $60 ticket to the 10th annual Mardi Gras dinner, dance, and auction held by St. Mary of the Assumption School, you automatically had a chance to win a 19-inch flatscreen TV. “We always have a door prize,” volunteered über-volunteer Denise Gannt, one of three moms who started St. Mary’s Mardi Gras…
Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures
Brian Selznick is the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Award-winning book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was made into the Academy Award-nominated film Hugo. He’s also a recipient of one of the 2012 American Library Association Schneider Family Book Awards for his new book, Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures. This award…
Give green TV a chance
After encountering many people who have almost a phobia toward anything pro-environment, Jeanne Sparks and her like-minded friends created the North County Green Team to change the negative stereotypes of environmentalists with a television show. “We’d like to highlight the wonderful, positive environmental actions going on in the North County,” Sparks wrote in a statement.…
Discover local agriculture
As we know, agriculture and farming are a huge part of the history of the Santa Maria Valley. Here’s a little history on one of the many local farms that grow the food that feeds the world. This farm also happens to grow the food that feeds the many reptiles that live at the Discovery…
AHC is offering another financial aid workshop
There will be a free financial aid workshop at Allan Hancock College on Feb. 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Academic Resource Center (ARC), building L-South, on the Santa Maria campus. The event is open to anyone interested in attending Allan Hancock College and to current students who have not yet completed…
Well-known anti-bullying expert will speak at St. Joe
On Feb. 27, St. Joseph High School officials will welcome Paul Coughlin—an internationally recognized anti-bullying expert and founder of the faith-based organization, the Protectors—to speak at a special assembly for the high school students and seventh- and eighth-graders from Pacific Christian and St. Louis de Montfort schools. Coughlin will discuss his four-part anti-bullying program and…
It’s time for little ones to get ready for school!
Kindergarten registration for schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District was scheduled to begin on Feb. 22. Registration will also take place for a new program called Transitional Kindergarten for children who are slightly younger. Through a new state law, children who will turn 5 years old between Nov. 2 and Dec. 2 of this…
The great congressional piggybank battle
If you need any indication of the importance money will have in the 2012 election, consider that Central Coast incumbent Democrat Lois Capps raised more cash in 2011 than she did over the entire 2007-08 election cycle. In the race for the soon-to-be 24th District, Capps so far has the most financial fuel in her…
Spotlight on: Keller Williams Coastal Valley Real Estate Licensing School
Keller Williams Coastal Valley is opening a new real-estate licensing school at its Santa Maria office. Attendees will be taught in a classroom setting by an experienced, veteran trainer starting Feb. 25. Many real-estate licensing classes these days are taught online, but the owners of Keller Williams believe there’s a better way to learn the…
Corrections
• The Sun misstated the date for the Kiwanis trivia contest in last week’s Community Corner. The contest will be held on Feb. 26. The deadline to apply has been extended to Feb. 25. • The Feb. 16 Eats story “Holy halibut!” listed the wrong year for The Rock Seafood & Grill’s opening. The restaurant…
And then there was one
Prosecutors are now 11-0 in their yearlong effort to convict 12 medical marijuana collective operators, after a San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge recently dismissed two more defendants’ cases. None of the so-called “Doobie Dozen” has even made it to trial. On Feb. 15—the date designated as “Medical Marijuana Day” after Proposition 215, which…
House passes bill to reopen offshore oil leases
The U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 16 approved legislation authorizing the Secretary of Interior to resume oil and gas leasing off the coast of Santa Barbara County and elsewhere, starting July 1, 2014. With a 237-187 vote, the House passed the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act—a $260-billion bill introduced by House Republicans—including a…
Santa Maria police union votes on confidence in department leadership
The Santa Maria Police Officers’ Association (SMPOA) is awaiting the results of a ballot mailed to all 119 of its members, asking if they have confidence in SMPD Police Chief Danny Macagni and two commanders. Association board member Tom Radzyminski said, to his knowledge, it was the first time the union had ever asked for…
Santa Maria Listos program graduates its first class
On Feb. 21, Santa Maria Listos program officials planned to graduate their first class before the Santa Maria City Council at its evening meeting. Listos, which is the Spanish word for “ready,” is an emergency preparedness program that began in 2009. It’s designed to help people with limited English-speaking capabilities. Several city staffers and locals…
The road to Red Rock is clear
Here’s some good news for local camping and hiking enthusiasts: The road to Red Rock—a popular destination at the end of the Santa Ynez River—has been reopened to motorized vehicles. The Los Padres National Forest’s Santa Barbara Ranger District announced the reopening in a press release on Feb. 17. The road to Red Rock has…
Where is your happy place?
Alyson Dunlap director of First Impressions “I am very happy when I am at home alone.” Heidi Stockert Market Center coordinator “Watching the sunset–anywhere.” Lupe Ruiz transaction coordinator “Las Vegas–or anywhere with slot machines.” [image-4] Louis Caric Realtor “At the beach in Arroyo Grande.”
