Cover Story
Responding to crisis: Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers showed up to help Thomas Fire victims in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties
About seven days after the Thomas Fire began, the Ventura Police Department gave Red Cross volunteers permission to go up to some of the neighborhoods that were reduced to rubble. “We went out to the burn areas when people were first returning to the area … . And we were able to walk around and…
Why is it important for a place like Orcutt to have its own community theater?
Eli Hastings student “I think it would be fun for people to join in. And it’s a cool way find other people that you might like.” Grace Kitchen student “It’s another place people express themselves. It’s just a great way for people to come together and show who they are.” Emily Zaas mom “It’s fun…
Trump’s bluster makes U.S. unsafe
The time of our walking and talking zombie security threat is now upon America, but will our country last until the 2018 midterm elections? We have a mentally unstable leader who is acting as if he were back in the schoolyard dealing with a playmate. His latest tweet with the North Korean president is one…
Pho-nomenal: Santa Maria welcomes a new Vietnamese restaurant
Having lived in cities like San Francisco and Houston, one of the big empty places in my culinary heart is the sore lack of solid Vietnamese restaurants on the Central Coast. My hankering for dishes like pho and banh mi often goes unfulfilled, leading me into a foodie sadness spiral. But thanks to the opening…
Santa Barbara County emergency responders rush to prepare for winter storms
The fires that scorched swaths of Santa Barbara County may have finally been extinguished or contained, but emergency responders are already reacting to what’s come next. Floods, debris flows, and rock falls, all are in play as heavy winter storms arrive over the next few years due to massive burnt areas from the Thomas and…
Santa Maria Philharmonic Society to host youth showcase
Musical history is filled with wunderkinds. But famous stories like that of Mozart eclipse the constant flux of incredible talent that young students of music display, often before they’re out of grade school. Thankfully, the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society understands that the next generation of orchestra musicians and soloists are all around us, dutifully studying…
Allan Hancock College music professor offers free recording time to local musicians
As music professor Chris Diaz pushed and turned the seemingly endless array of buttons and nobs on the mixing console in Allan Hancock College’s recently remodeled recording studio, the music pumping out of the studio’s speakers changed dramatically. “A lot of the cool stuff comes from breaking the rules,” Diaz said, citing the distortion used…
Spotlight on: Restaurant Week
The start of 2018 marked the beginning of the annual California Restaurant Month, and the Santa Maria Valley is following suit by offering its own Restaurant Week. From Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, the region will host the seven-day event featuring deals at participating restaurants, breweries, and wineries. “The event dates were chosen to coincide…
Downtown Santa Maria may get a much needed facelift, but not before city officials hear from the community
Dangerous, unwelcoming, noisy, and unattractive were just some of the words used by community members to describe downtown Santa Maria at two design workshops hosted by the city in October 2017. Other residents mentioned a lack of local cafes, art galleries, and other businesses present in the area, as well as low walkability, and a…
Aggressive influenza season causes deaths, strains medical facilities
This season’s aggressive strains of influenza have killed six Santa Barbara County residents in the last two weeks alone. Although the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department said all six victims were older than 65, the two-week count is already a significant increase from last year’s season total of three influenza-related deaths. And the number…
Humor: Ariel resolves to get moving this year
Oh, great. It’s déjà vu all over again. A new year has begun and we have all jumped on the resolution bandwagon like lemmings running aimlessly to their inevitable end at the edge of a cliff. I have long been one of those lemmings. The resolutions I made last January first? They rolled over like…
Santa Maria hosts teen sewing class
The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center presents the class Sewing with Ms. Burns, a free course for teens in seventh through 12th grades on Jan. 13 from noon to 4 p.m. The course, hosted by Michelle Burns, is designed for those with little to no sewing experience, and will…
Central Coast landscape painter Marilyn Stankewich shares vision of her two worlds
From the icy frozen lands of Montana’s Rocky Mountain stretch to the rolling hills of the Central Coast’s dunes, Marilyn Stankewich’s work is centered on two very distinct worlds. Art lovers on the Central Coast will get a chance to see the Lompoc Arts Association member’s vision of these two worlds in a show that…
Go with the flow: Artist Kathy Badrak switches up her style
Artist Kathy Badrak is having fun getting her hands dirty. The artist, featured in a new exhibit hosted by Ameriprise Financial in Santa Maria called Color in Motion, has had a successful career creating gourd art—sculpted pieces made out of dried Cucurbitaceae such as pumpkins and squash. Her work is frequently exhibited in museums and…
Elihu Cobb
St. Joseph High School senior Elihu Cobb says he could hang on the rim since he started playing basketball in sixth grade. By seventh grade, he could dunk at ease. “I’ve always been the tallest guy on my team—tall and lanky,” Cobb said. Now some six years later, the Knights’ 6-foot-7-inch center can be seen…
Catching up with Elias ‘Buddy’ Garcia, aka Buddy Royal, and his progress in pro wrestling
During the day, he’s Elias “Buddy” Garcia, a local high school coach, aspiring teacher, and all-around nice guy. But at night, he turns into “Buddy Royal,” a menacing villain wreaking havoc on his opponents in wrestling rings. Since he started training for pro wrestling six years ago, Garcia has honed his character into a national…
When it rains …
For crying out loud, can we get a break from the “extreme weather events” already? It’s a terrible euphemism for natural disasters, which have plagued the Central Coast for months now. People who watched the hillsides around their homes go up in flames near Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria last month faced walls of muddy and…
Transitions-Mental Health Association values volunteers for their long-reaching contributions
Volunteers make a difference, and not just in the actual jobs they help complete. That’s one message that Caity McCardell, volunteer support with Transitions-Mental Health Association, wants to help get across when it comes to the myriad programs the agency offers for volunteers. One of Transitions’ most well-known programs is the Growing Grounds Farm in…
Family Service Agency’s Ombudsman Program seeks more volunteer advocates for seniors
Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t know what an ombudsman is. It’s an obscure title from European government given to citizen advocates, or an appointed person who investigates complaints of poor administration or a violation of rights. For the Family Service Agency, the organization’s Ombudsman Program provides an important service throughout Santa Barbara County. Volunteers…
Santa Maria man arrested for soliciting sex from minors
A Santa Maria man is being held on a $150,000 bail at the Santa Barbara County Jail for allegedly soliciting sex from minors. On Jan. 2, Santa Barbara County Sheriff deputies arrested Trevor Ferrel, 31, for arranging and eventually attempting to meet a minor to engage in sex acts, the office said in a statement.…
Not the same M. Robertson
Regarding Jan. 4 letter “Nature is here to stay,” I did not write or sign that letter and did not authorize the use of my name. The person who wrote this is wrong. I do not object to the content. But I refuse to take credit for a letter that I did not write. I…
Reply to Dr. Bearman
According to an article published July 12, 2017, by The Denver Post, lawmakers, police, and legal experts believe the marijuana industry is indeed luring transients and criminals to Colorado. “Some Colorado lawmakers, police, and legal experts partly blame the marijuana industry, claiming that it has lured transients and criminals to the state,” the article said.…
Trump’s offshore oil decision is dangerous
On Jan. 4, the Trump administration released its plan to open up protected ocean areas to oil drilling. In Santa Barbara, we’ve experienced firsthand the detriment oil spills have on our environment, economy, and community from the 2015 Refugio spill that dumped almost 143,000 gallons of oil in our coastal waters. That is why the…
Solvang museum hosts poetry reading
The Wildling Museum in Solvang will host a poetry reading titled Encounters: Poetry Inspired by Nature on Jan. 21. The reading will feature the work of Teresa McNeil McLean, Steve Braff, and Dorothy Jardin. McLean is a Santa Ynez artist, musician, and writer who pens poems that she often transitions into song lyrics. McLean has…
Santa Marian artist featured in Los Olivos
An exhibit featuring the art of Sharon Foster will be on view at the Los Olivos Wine Merchant and Café through March 1. Foster, a longtime Santa Maria resident, photographs landscapes and natural scenery, utilizing digital enhancements for a final product. All of the work on display at the venue is for sale. This exhibit…
Political Watch 1/11/18
• Santa Barbara County declared a local state of emergency on Jan. 8 due to severe winter storms forecasted to impact areas of the county. County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato signed the proclamation, which was ratified by the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 9. State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) made a post to Twitter…
State blocks use of neonicotinoid pesticides during re-evaluation
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced on Jan. 3 its decision to re-evaluate four neonicotinoid pesticides due to possible adverse impacts on pollinators. The decision temporarily bans new or expanded uses of the neonicotinoids for the duration of the DPR’s re-evaluation process, effective immediately. Neonicotinoids—pesticides used to deter insect activity on a variety…
Santa Maria Police shoot and kill suicidal man
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident involving Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) officers shooting and killing an alleged suicidal man. On Jan. 7, just after 6 p.m., four SMPD officers fatally injured Alejandro Valdez, 27, of Santa Maria, outside his home at the 400 block of East Mill Street after he…
