Cover Story
What do you do with a problem like LHCDC?
The Lompoc Warming Center lives up to its name. It’s a cold, blustery weeknight in mid-January. As the winter daylight wanes, people slowly trudge through the center’s doors. Each person is bundled in a thick coat or parka and a fuzzy hat or gloves. [image-2] “It looks like we’re going to get some rain,” says…
Chief under fire
As the city struggles to make sense of the death of Albert Covarrubias Jr.—the third on-duty Santa Maria police officer shot by colleagues in less than two months—some community members are saying enough is enough. Culminating a week of rapidly evolving developments, the public had its first chance to address city leaders on Feb. 7.…
What is your favorite restaurant?
Laury Leman outside sales “I like lots of places, because I like food. [I] would have to say Pepper Garcia’s at the airport.” Kathi Peoples chief of Motion Media, Vandenberg Air Force Base “We don’t go out a lot, but I love the Hitching Post.” Dawn Guggia “Grandy. That means grandma!” “Trattoria Uliveto in Orcutt…
What’s on Deck?
Thursday, Feb. 9 Boys’ Basketball Orcutt Academy @ North County Christian TBA Boys’ Soccer Lompoc @ Morro Bay 3:30 p.m. Santa Ynez @ Templeton 5:30 p.m. Girls’ Basketball Orcutt Academy @ Cabrillo TBA Girls’ Soccer Morro Bay @ Lompoc 3:30 p.m. Templeton @ Santa Ynez 5:30 p.m. Girls’ Water…
On the roster
• Los Flores Ranch Nature Walks: Starting Feb. 11, Santa Maria residents will be able to experience Los Flores Ranch Park for free, with guided nature walks held the second Saturday of each month. The walks start promptly at 9 a.m. and are approximately two hours in length. Participants will learn about oak trees, plant…
Undefeated welterweight headlines next ShoBox
Showtime Boxing announced Puerto Rican welterweight Thomas Dulorme would be headlining the next edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, held Feb. 17 at Chumash Casino. Dulorme (13-0, 10 KO) will face 27-year-old Mexican Jose Reynoso (15-3-1, 2 KO) in the night’s main event. The eight-round televised opener matches middleweights Michael Oliveria (16-0, 12 KO) of…
Try out for soccer club
The Coastal Valley Soccer Club (CVSC) will be holding several tryouts for potential players in the Central Coast Soccer League (CCSL) and Coast Soccer League (CSL) until March 3. Open tryouts for boys ages 9 to 17 will be held 10 a.m. to noon on Feb. 11, 25, and March 3 at Crossroads Field on…
Special Olympics kicks off
The Special Olympics Northern Santa Barbara County is preparing for its spring/summer sports season in Santa Maria and Lompoc, offering aquatics, track and field, basketball, bocce ball, and golf. The free programs are designed to allow people with intellectual disabilities to develop physical fitness, social skills, and increased self-esteem. Athletes must be at least 8…
Romance and recreation
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, love is in the air, and there’s never been a better time to schedule a few active dates with your significant other. From Santa Maria to Santa Ynez, there’s a smorgasbord of free or low-cost sports and learning activities available, allowing sweethearts the opportunity to bond in ways beyond the…
CODY DEGRAFFENREED
The new kid in town, Cody Degraffenreed from Maryland, has led the Orcutt Academy High School Spartans to a 15-3 record (as of press time) this season. This maple-floor thief leads his team with 70 steals and his consistent scoring keeps adding numbers to his stats, which could overwhelm an accountant. Degraffenreed said he is…
Basket case
What one culture sees as utilitarian can sometimes have a much more complicated presence elsewhere. Consider the simple woven basket. For many African ethnic groups, the basket is much more than just a way to carry things. It’s a method of communication, an integral part of important ceremonies, and an art form. [image-2] Lompoc Museum…
Travel the high country
“The High Country of the Mind,” an exhibition of recent acrylic and mixed media non-representational paintings by abstract painter and instructor Craig Trapp will be on display in the Shepard Hall Gallery at the Santa Maria Public Library through Feb. 29. Trapp clears away the censors and expresses pure inspiration, unfiltered and unadulterated, in this…
People and Places
“People and Places,” an exhibit of paintings by nonagenarian Gladys Efantis will be the featured show at the Cypress Gallery in Lompoc through Feb. 26. Efantis began drawing during childhood and has had a career in the arts and graphic design, working in many mediums. The Cypress Gallery is located at 119 E. Cypress Ave. in Lompoc. It’s…
Camera phone photography
Steven Boothe will demonstrate his process of creating mixed media photo collages at the Los Padres Artist Guild meeting, at 6 p.m., Feb. 10 at the Luis Oasis Senior Center, 204 Soares Ave., in Orcutt. Boothe uses simple digital and handmade filters on his camera phone to emphasize color and form, and combines found objects…
Songs for the environment
Singer-songwriter Amy Obenski will perform Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. at Howlin’ Byroom’s Music Exchange, 107 South H St. in Lompoc. Obenski’s songs are based more on reflections of everyday life than environmental musings. However, because music touring can be such a heavy burden on the environment, she turned this tour into one that could possibly…
A British kind of love
We at Waterman Manor watched the Giants win the Super Bowl, not that I ever get that excited about the game. I must admit that I enjoy watching the commercials. A few of the ads that aired during the game were thought provoking and several were hilarious. The Teleflora commercial, however, was neither. It featured…
Heart and hope
A local nonprofit is throwing a party in celebration of love, hope, and creativity. The Poetic Justice Project is an organization for previously incarcerated community members to enjoy a creative outlet in the community. The upcoming Bleeding Hearts Valentine’s Bash is a benefit for the organization and will feature a few local bands, including one…
Follow it down
When the dust settles after a tragedy, what are sometimes left are questions that can never be answered and relationships that will never be the same. Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s performance of Rabbit Hole explores the aftermath of tragedy and the dynamics that go into finding normalcy again. Becca and Howie Corbett face a life-shattering…
‘The Sexy Wine’
Since when is high maintenance considered sexy? When it’s pinot noir. Legendary California wine pioneer André Tchelistcheff, who mentored several Central Coast winemakers, is credited with saying, “God made cabernet sauvignon, whereas the Devil made pinot noir.” The diva of wine varieties, pinot noir demands extra attention during the grape-growing and winemaking process, but the…
Emotions for everybody
A recent week was particularly rough. It was enlightening, but the process was tough. To share my “tough and enlightening” week with you, it is important that you have a little bit of history: It was four years ago that I started teaching a yoga class at a local nonprofit, UCP WORK, Inc. UCP WORK…
Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom
February is Black History Month, and I’m pleased to share with you the recipient of the 2012 American Library Association Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, Shane W. Evans, illustrator and author of Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom. The Underground Railroad was created and run by several people, black and white, who helped fugitive slaves…
Local bands band together for St. Jude Children’s Hospital
Four local Santa Maria bands will come together Feb. 16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at St. Joseph High School to perform a benefit concert for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The event will feature the talents of area bands The Only Rational Thing, Time for Secrets, Liquid Grasshopper, and Brandon Martinez & Cody Taecker. Band…
Litterbugs verses kindergartners at Simas Park
Kindergartners at St. Mary of the Assumption School in Santa Maria are learning more than their ABC’s at school. They’re also learning how to give back to their community. As part of Catholic Schools Week, the kindergartners at the school walked to nearby Simas Park and picked up trash. Led by their teachers, they spent…
Hobnobbing With Helen
Oh my! So much chatter and conversation. It was truly schmooze central. More than 100 ladies and a few gents trekked into the Santa Maria Room of the Santa Maria Inn. The level of the constant buzz said it all: This was a highly successful networking opportunity. More than 30 vendors were on site to…
Mmm, pancakes!
Since the oak chaparral covers thousands of square miles of the Central Coast, it’s no wonder that the Chumash used acorns as part of their diet. Try making this authentic Chumash dish. Acorn Pancakes Ingredients 2/3 cup acorn flour 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt ¾ cup milk 1 egg,…
Spotlight on: Laurel Crossing
A new housing development has sprung up where the old Lompoc lumberyard once stood, replacing the rundown facility with freshly landscaped residential yards. The Laurel Crossing development, located at V Street and West Laurel Avenue, is a private, gated residential community that will ultimately contain 75 houses, varying in size from 1,100 to 2,000 square-feet…
A summer of belonging
Family dynamics range anywhere between the extremes of a tight-knit sitcom family from the ’50s to the dysfunctional families on reality TV today. No family is as perfect as the Cleavers, but the average family probably doesn’t have it as bad as they think. To put things into perspective: About 237 foster children in Santa…
Correction
The Sun’s Feb. 2 cover story on SpaceX, “The X-Factor,” inaccurately reported figures related to the company’s rocket program. SpaceX claims it can build its Falcon 9 rockets for $54 million to $59.5 million. The company will also receive $396 million from NASA upon successful completion of its contract for three test-flights. News Briefs is…
Architectural firm assures SMBSB’s buildings are safe
A head architect for the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) presented, building by building, a report confirming the safety of the district’s buildings at a Board of Education meeting in January. The report was triggered, in great part, by a recent article published by investigative website CaliforniaWatch.org alleging there are “unresolved safety issues” at schools…
What’s up with Abel?
U.S. Rep. Lois Capps’ (D-Santa Barbara) campaign committee recently accused Republican Congressional candidate Abel Maldonado of inflating his fundraising totals. According to a recent press release from Capps’ campaign committee, Maldonado loaned $250,000 to his political campaign on Oct.1, 2011, only to immediately withdraw the loan the following day. Capp’s campaign consultant Bill Carrick said…
SmartMeter opt-out finalized
State regulators have approved an opt-out program for Pacific Gas & Electric customers who don’t want a new digital SmartMeter installed on their property and those who want their old analog meter back. On Feb. 1, 2012, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) finalized terms to modify PG&E’s SmartMeter Program to provide an opt-out option,…
On the hot seat
In his first public appearance since the shooting that claimed the life of traffic officer Albert Covarrubias Jr., Santa Maria Police Chief Danny Macagni spoke to City Council members about the incident, and announced the department had contracted with an independent body to perform an internal investigation into the matter.
