Cover Story
Interview with the police chief
Dec. 18 was an emotional evening in Santa Maria, at least for the 100-plus people crammed into City Council chambers on South McClelland Street. After a turbulent year that included eight officer-involved shootings, law suits, and the retirement of longtime Police Chief Dan Macagni, the city finally got a new leader in retired Los Angeles…
Athlete of the Week: Adam Hernandez
Adam Hernandez’s passion for judo began because he had nothing to do with his time. “A friend of mine had me go with him to a judo class,” Hernandez said. “I showed up just to see how it was. A week passed, and I decided to stay with it.” It didn’t take long for Hernandez…
Play ball!
After months of construction on the new Allan Hancock College baseball field, the Home of the Bulldogs is ready for game time. Hancock will be holding the rededication of John Osborne field, now located across the street on College Drive, which will be followed by the commemorative alumni game. On Jan. 26, come to the…
Dance, dance, dance
The Recreation and Parks department is holding a Ballet Folklorico Dance workshop at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center on Jan. 12. From noon to 2 p.m., learn traditional folklorico dance movements from the talented students of Lorenz Latin School of Dance based in New York City. These professional students will host an “energetic and…
World champion
Local steer wrestler Luke Branquinho took his fourth world title at the end of 2012 at the Wrangler’s Nationals Final Rodeo (WNFR) in Las Vegas. Despite steer wrestling horse (Gunner) tearing an abdomen muscle in the eighth go round at the finals and a rough start, 32-year-old Branquinho, from Los Alamos, edged out the competition.…
Bulldog basketball’s back on track
The Joe White Memorial gymnasium at Allan Hancock College has seen its share of good basketball and talented athletes. During the glory days of the program, it racked up 15 Western State Conference (WSC) titles, and one state championship title. But the last 30 years have been more quiet and less competitive—until recently. This season,…
Resounding through time
History is made in a moment in time. Music can define that moment, ultimately putting that history in our grasp again in the present—if only for a while. The San Luis Obispo Symphony is making some history—and celebrating it—by presenting its first “California Missions Tour” in three stunning historical locations. Mission San Luis Obispo, Mission…
If I had a hammer …
Some people say a man’s house is his castle. But most homeowners will tell you that in reality a man’s house is his hassle. When you own a home and the water heater stops working, you don’t call the landlord and threaten to get the city involved if he doesn’t have the water heater fixed…
Santa Maria Public Library offers expanded hours
The Santa Maria Public Library has expanded its hours as of the New Year. The expanded service hours, approved by the Santa Maria City Council, will utilize Measure U funding made available to the city. The new hours for the Santa Maria Public Library are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10…
Bringing the talent
Viva el Art de Santa Barbara has done it big this time. The local performing arts nonprofit has invited New York’s leading Latino dance company Ballet Hispanico to the Central Coast for an artistic residency and outreach. The professional dance troupe will bring a score of performing dancers for a series of free public concerts…
See them soar
The bald eagle, apart from being our national bird and the subject of much patriotism, has come to symbolize triumph in its own right. The majestic bird has soared its way off the endangered species list and has been successfully repopulating its habitats for many years. Usually calling the northern part of the United States…
Inspiration all around
Nature has always been the largest inspiration for the art world, and each generation of artists discovers a close relationship with the beauty of the surrounding landscapes. So is the case with local artist Marilyn Stankewich, whose exhibit “Take Nature Home” is showing through the month at Lompoc’s Grossman Gallery. A Lompoc resident herself, Stankewich…
Main Street meat
The first time I walked into Woody’s Butcher Block, the new upscale meat market and deli counter that opened in Santa Maria in November, I wasn’t sure if I had the right place. Stepping onto the hardwood floors and looking around at the warm décor and tidy provisions displays, I thought this had to be…
Keep the population under control
Civilization started on this planet about 10,000 years ago with 5 million Homo sapiens—about the number living in L.A. right now. In 1800, we managed to reach our first billion. At the time I was born (1925), we reached our second billion. The number of Homo sapiens since then has soared to 7 billion—5,000,000,000 more…
Let’s talk less control and more protection
Since the tragedy in Connecticut, commentary and letters center on more gun “control,” i.e. limiting who can buy guns and what kinds of guns they can own. May I quote a Founding Father? “… to disarm the people is the best and most effective way to enslave them.”—George Mason. We know this. We have a…
We don’t need guns to kill
It seems a great many people believe that guns and mass killings go together—that if there were no guns, there would be no mass killings. That is an illusion. Human nature and ingenuity allow anyone intent on committing a horrendous crime to overcome obstacles standing between them and a murderous goal. Richard Speck raped, tortured,…
We need a new farm-worker law
Farm issues have taken a back seat to more pressing issues in our current Congress. These farm issues have the potential of being significant economic factors both nationally and most certainly locally here on the Central Coast. If farming does well, so does our local economy. It is one of the major drivers of local…
High school district trustee receives first-ever award for retired educators
Jack Garvin, a trustee of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, recently received the inaugural Retired Administrator of the Year Award from the Association of California School Administrators. Garvin left his post as superintendent for the Orcutt Union School District about 15 years ago, but was elected to the Santa Maria Joint Union…
Longer library hours means there’s more time to read
Grab your library card and get ready to have some fun: The main branch of the Santa Maria Public Library has expanded its hours! The library, at 421 S. McClelland St. in Santa Maria, is now open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6…
Enjoy hoops while fighting polio
Whether you go to support the Mustangs to the north or the Gauchos to the south, you’ll be fighting polio either way. The Jan. 19 Cal Poly Women’s Basketball game is doubling as Rotary-Polio Plus night, courtesy of the athletic team and Rotary District 5240. According to a release from Curtis Reinhardt of the Arroyo…
Spotlight on: Danish Food Farm Inc. Fudge Kitchen
Squidgy, ooey-gooey, melt-in-your-mouth goodness, covered in a crispy, hardened exterior. That’s fudge for you, and it’s the main attraction at the Old Danish Fudge Kitchen in Solvang. General Manager Don Heiduk now has fudge running through his veins, but it wasn’t always so. Besides his having worked in a pizza place in his high school…
Mijn Rabobank
Rabobank is a household name on the Central Coast, serving the needs of thousands of residents, businesses, and farmers—as any bank in the area does. It appeared locally in 2007 after acquiring Mid-State Bank & Trust. Rabobank is better known internationally—and especially in its country of origin, the Netherlands, where its long-form name is Coöperatieve…
Sorry, that’s illegal now
California lawmakers were awfully busy last year, drafting, passing, and earning the governor’s signature on a whopping 876 bills during the 2012 legislative session. Their output was up roughly 19 percent from the previous two years, and while many of the laws focused on budgetary issues like pension reform or simply modified language in obscure,…
Local ‘Cowboy Flavor’ goes to the Rose Bowl
Sports fans at this year’s Rose Bowl tailgate party got to experience a new flavor of barbecue—the Santa Maria way. Santa Maria Valley catering company “Cowboy Flavor” was selected to barbecue for the VIP section at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Jan. 1, according to a press release. Around 2,000 VIP employees and guests…
“What do you think the big story of 2013 will be?”
Pedro and Elizabeth Lopez lab technician and receptionist “There will probably be another shooting, and it will lead to stronger gun control.” Eric Oberg unemployed chemist “The economy. There’ll probably be a lot of concentration on it. It’s a big thing.” Hannah Henry barista “Food prices. Milk and other dairy prices are getting higher. It’s…
