Cover Story
Road ready: Tommie Kunst Junior High School welcomes an earn-a-bike program
Learning to ride a bike is both an intimidating and exhilarating rite of passage for many young people. You fall down numerous times, but once you get the bike rolling, you’re happy you kept getting up and shaking the gravel off your hands. Some people look at a bike and see it only for its…
Arizona’s anti-gay law is cloaked in religiosity
Billy—a smart and handsome 30-something young man—and I cozied up over a delightful glass of a California red blend wine in a noisy, hip, artisan Sonoma restaurant on a recent Friday night. We wanted to get to know each other better. His wit is as sharp as his beautiful eyes. Well, I’ve always been a…
Town Center Hotel fire defendant pleads guilty
The Santa Maria man who set fire to the Town Center Hotel is expected to receive 17 years in prison at his sentencing hearing. Amos Andrews, 57, pled guilty to attempted murder, arson of an inhabited structure with an accelerant, and first-degree residential burglary on Feb. 24; his sentencing was continued to March 7. Andrews…
Orcutt man charged on suspicion of threatening Jane Does from the Villalpando trial
Orcutt resident Anthony Murillo, an aspiring rapper who goes by the nickname “Lil A”, is facing felony charges for allegedly threatening the two female victims of the Shane Villalpando sex assault case in one of his songs. In the song, called “Moment for Life Remix,” Murillo addresses both Jane Does by their first and last…
Pesticide regulators pull the reins in on strawberry fumigant
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation is no longer granting exemptions to growers who want to use more than the allowable amount of fumigant “1, 3-D,” which often goes by the commercial name of Telone. The pesticide helps growers clear out diseases from the soil before planting crops such as strawberries, bell peppers, and carrot–commodities…
Referendum against ‘transgender bathrooms’ law fails
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced on Feb. 24 that the referendum to repeal AB1266, a state law giving students access to facilities and activities based on their gender identity, has failed. According to a memo released by Bowen’s office, the initiative finished approximately 17,000 votes short of the amount needed to appear on…
What’s your favorite bike-related memory?
Xe Craver postal service “I rode bikes in my village [in Vietnam]; it was a thrill. There was one bike for about five or six people. All the kids would share.” Frank Nelson Realtor “Cruising around with my Fastback SS 357 … all that coolness.” JoLynn Butera retired “It was coming down the stairs on…
Political Watch 2/27/14
• State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) recently introduced a bill that would provide job-training grants for California’s long-term unemployed. Senate Bill 1028 would require that at least 2,500 Cal Grant C awards—grant awards between $3,000 and $5,000 earmarked for up to two years of vocational training—are set aside annually for people who haven’t worked…
Community Notebook 2/27-3/6
MONDAY, MARCH 3 • The Solvang Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. TUESDAY, MARCH 4 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. Agendas…
Annual women’s event inspires in Santa Maria
Altrusa of the Central Coast and WonHeart have reunited to connect women and teenagers, motivate them, and devise a way to make positive advancements in their lives. The groups will accomplish those goals through their third annual International Women’s Event, held March 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the newly renovated UDW Homecare…
Environmental shuffle: After the passage of SB 4, questions still remain about fracking regulations in California
There was a time when state agencies didn’t track oil-well stimulation practices such as hydraulic fracturing, and California is still in regulation limbo regarding the practice, but the red tape started unrolling for oil companies with passage of state Senate Bill 4 last year. Fracking is nothing new in California or off its coast; it’s…
English for everyone: Laura Davidson, new director of the Central Coast Literacy Council, talks about her hopes for the program–and community
“Never mind. Never mind.” A local shop owner—who asked to remain nameless, for now—was describing how his customers react when they bring questions to him at the cash register and can’t understand his response. Frustrated at the communication barrier, they walk out without buying anything. Some of them, as they leave, accuse him of being…
Pioneer Valley basketball coach is accused of sexually assaulting a student
The Lady Panthers clawed their way through an intense first-round CIF game against Alta Loma High School Feb. 22 at the Pioneer Valley High School gym—without the leadership of their head coach, Brian Hook. The team lost 55-57, adding to the heartache already generated by a recent incident involving Hook, 53, and the Santa Maria…
Jackson introduces a bill to stop certain prison sterilizations
The idea that a doctor could basically tie a woman’s tubes without her express and fully informed consent reads like a horror story. However, it’s a practice that started in California’s prison system at the turn of the 20th century and a human rights issue that the state’s lawmakers thought they fixed long ago. “We…
Lompoc Theatre Project group shares its mission statement
After agenda discussion and social time at the Lompoc Valley Arts Council meeting on Feb. 20, members of the Lompoc Theatre Project detailed what’s necessary to acquire the theater and get it to operational capacity. Board member Steve Stormoen related the group’s mission statement to enhance Lompoc’s historic Old Town: to act as a multi-use…
What’s on Deck? 2/27 – 3/6
Thursday, Feb. 27 Boys’ Tennis Santa Ynez vs. Orcutt Academy @ SYHS, 3 p.m. Baseball Allan Hancock vs. College of the Canyons @ COC, 2 p.m. Softball Allan Hancock vs. LA Valley @ Hagerman, 2 p.m. Boys’ Tennis Cabrillo vs. Orcutt Academy @ AHC, 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 Swimming …
Bulldogs hurlers
Hancock softball officially kicked off its season the week of Feb. 17 against Taft and Citrus colleges. After two amazing performances by freshman pitcher Katie Chenault, the Lady ’Dogs improved to an eight-game winning streak (as of press time). Chenault had 14 strikeouts and no hits allowed in the game against Citrus College. Missy Regalado…
Run for the ’80s at Pioneer Park
Join friends and family at Pioneer Park March 29 for an ’80s 5K and kids’ fun mile! Run dressed in your favorite ’80s-era attire while listening to classic jams all the way to the finish line. The first race (for ages 14 and older) will kick off at 9 a.m. This is an out-and-back course…
Early bird registration for Santa Maria Youth Football League
Santa Maria Youth Football League and its cheer squad are gearing up for their 2014 season. Early signups for both football and cheer will be held March 2 and 30 at the Town Center mall from noon to 3 p.m. in front of the Edwards Theater. Early registration fees for football are $150 and cheer…
Work hard, play hard: Hancock baseball is enjoying a strong season on the diamond
Allan Hancock College baseball’s recent winning streak might be over, but the team could be on its way to building another one, thanks to some strong defense, fast bats, and a talented bullpen. After enjoying a seven-game winning streak at home, the Bulldogs hit the road on Feb. 20 with plans to continue upping their…
Christina Jenne
Wearing a black bomber jacket and a gauzy black skirt, her blonde hair blowing in the wind, Christina Jenne looks like any other sophomore girl trudging through the grass outside of St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria. Come the weekend, however, Jenne will don her green-and-white Asics singlet, step on the mat, and join…
The Garagiste Festival in Solvang is ripe with Santa Barbara County’s cutting-edge wines
Much has been written about the joy of discovery. French physiologist Claude Bernard went as far as to say it’s “the liveliest that the mind of man can ever feel.” However, one doesn’t have to discover a new country or unearth a dinosaur fossil to sense that exhilaration. Such a thrill can be felt simply…
A state battle is on the horizon for Santa Barbara County’s champion spellers
Four local students are prepping for the state competition after taking the top spots at the Santa Barbara County Spelling Bee on Feb. 20. Laguna Blanca School sixth-grader Vincent Vestergaard took first place in the elementary school division by spelling “gossamer;” Matthew Helkey, a Santa Barbara Charter Home-Based Partnership sixth-grader, took second place with the…
Santa Barbara County is host to a mock trial competition
Eleven teams from eight Santa Barbara County high schools already knocked two rounds of arguments off their mock trial competition docket, and four teams will tackle the set on March 1 at the county courthouse. The competition is designed to provide an educational experience for high-school students in key concepts of the law, Constitution, and…
Capps pushes Cash for College
U.S. Rep. Los Capps (D-Santa Barbara) attended a series of Cash for College workshops at Central Coast high schools to help get the word out about federal student aid and Cal Grants. The workshops were put on by the California Student Aid Commission to provide assistance with the Free Application for Student Aid and Cal…
Spotlight on: Ken Brown Wines
It’s a Sunday afternoon and cars are streaming down Buellton’s West Highway 246. Some of them slow down to look at the newly erected “Ken Brown Wines” sign at the old California Highway Patrol building. The parking lot is filling up at 11 a.m. for the winery’s grand reopening. Owner Byron Kent “Ken” Brown, a…
Udderly despicable
Regarding Rob Krider’s column, “The Wonder Boob[s]” (Feb. 13): This writer, a man—and I use the term loosely—should have married a cow, as he is a bull-y. We women are electing him “reject of the planet” on behalf of his wife.
Enough is enough
I’m going to come across as a one-note bird here. There’s no getting around that. I just wish that my one note wasn’t this particular one note. This week’s news made me sick to my stomach. As a cynical, hardened newspaper columnist, it takes a lot to make this bird queasy, but the headlines this…
Quality lasts: Tales from the Tavern celebrates veteran songwriters Steve Forbert and Steve Poltz
The pop music industry is a meat grinder, leaving many a talented artist jumping through hoop after hoop before being thrown to the side as yesterday’s news. Thankfully, true songwriters concern themselves not with chart numbers or revenue, but with the quality of their work. These kinds of artists aren’t jostled by the waves of…
Santa Maria Arts Council to honor Marti Fast
Marti Fast, Allan Hancock College’s art gallery director and a fine arts instructor, has been chosen as the 2014 Santa Maria Arts Council Grants Showcase honoree in recognition of her contributions to the local arts community. The arts council will award more than $13,000 in grants to local emerging musicians, dancers, actors, and visual artists…
PVHS student wins county arts commission’s ‘Poetry Out Loud’
Pioneer Valley High School students took top honors at the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission’s annual “Poetry Out Loud” competition on Feb. 12. Panther Jessica Osborn took first place in the contest, and will move forward to compete in Sacramento for a chance to compete in the national contest in Washington, D.C. Osborn performed “Queens…
PCPA Foundation invites locals to ‘Name-A-Seat’
The PCPA Foundation is inviting locals to celebrate PCPA’s 50th anniversary with the “Name-A-Seat” campaign. For a donation, patrons can emblazon their names or others’ names on brass plates on the seats in the Marian Theater, the theater company’s performing headquarters in Santa Maria. Two couples have already made contributions. Those who donate will be…
When the West was wild: B.A. Kelly takes readers back to a rougher time in her new novel, ‘Wild Justice’
Imagine only being able to go as fast as the four legs of a horse could carry you, like the horsepower in your car was turned down to one. Now imagine someone is hot on your trail, on a horse that could be just as fast—if not faster—than yours. The open country of the Wild…
The historical valley: A day in Lompoc is a veritable trip through history
The wide, sprawling Santa Maria Valley has been home my entire life. Growing up on the Central Coast has always been a great experience, but for me, the wonder of the area really opened up when I started exploring the magnificent ecology and historical destinations in the area, both in school field trips and family…
Love and marriage
I hate cruise lines. I know most people love vacation cruises, but it turns out I’m not most people. Sure, all-you-can-drink booze and all-you-can-eat buffet sounds enticing, but I like to be in direct control of my schedule. I’m not a big fan of being told when I can or cannot eat my soft-serve ice…
