Cover Story
When dogs fly: Locals train their pets and prepare for American Kennel Club competition on the Central Coast
As soon as Sullivan realized that Toby was at Maramonte Park in Sana Maria, the barking commenced. The two dogs are buddies, so they immediately began chasing each other about the green grass there, Toby squeaking out barks as Sullivan bound just out of the smaller dog’s reach. All that romping might give someone the…
What is your favorite dog breed?
Carolina Santana works at Little Caesars “Huskies because they are cute.” Lincoln Neal student “Huskies because they are attractive dogs.” Shawn Winters software sales “Cavalier Spaniels because, like me, they’re chill and they like to cuddle.” Daisy Rodriguez teacher’s aid “Pomeranians, because I really think these dogs are cute and huggable.”
Wine under the stars: The second annual International Wine Film Festival showcased the best at Presqu’ile
Santa Maria is going Hollywood. Don’t worry; I don’t mean that our traffic is going to get worse (is that possible?) or we’re suddenly going to be hosting huge movie premieres attending by thousands of people. But our region is home to one particularly unique event that took place from June 22 through 30. The…
Nancy Yaki’s vibrant landscapes celebrate love of Alaska, Central Coast
When Nancy Yaki was in the eighth grade, people finally stopped asking her what she wanted to be when she grew up. “It never changed,” she said. “Whenever they would ask me what I wanted to be, I would always say, ‘I’m going to be an artist.'” Growing up in the Berkshires in Connecticut with…
The Ian M Hassett Foundation brings a new art program to people with disabilities at VTC
The artwork that adorns the walls at the Valley Art Gallery in Orcutt is all unique and beautiful, but one nook in particular stands out from the rest. Vibrant and colorful, filled with smiling faces and abstract imagery, the work is distinct for not just what it depicts, but for who made it. The pieces…
Some leave, others stay as Alamo Fire continues to burn
There’s a slight smell of smoke in the air as Fran Spencer and one of her friends sit on the concrete bench outside the Minami Community Center in Santa Maria. Both women are evacuees, forced to pack up what they could in their cars and flee their homes as firefighters work to get a handle…
In the wild
Editor’s note: This excerpt is from a journal found by a team of archaeologists who happened to be eating at a table at Panda Express where it was left. The whereabouts of the author are still unknown. Day 1: Well, I finally did it. I deleted my Twitter. That’s right, I finally said goodbye! I’m…
Local bands jam in the park at Solvang’s Summer Concert Series
Most rock bands know how to fill a bar with some danceable music. Playing to that kind of space with amplification is easy, but what about filling an entire park with your sound? That’s the true measure of a band. Whether performing under an oak tree or in a gazebo, bands have to be able…
State denies Santa Maria’s grant request for proposed multi-sports field complex
“We regret to inform you” is the last thing anyone wants to read at the beginning of a notice—a phrase commonly found in rejection letters from universities. The city of Santa Maria didn’t apply for college this year, rather a $1 million grant from the state. Earlier this month, the California Department of Parks and…
Dria Kwong
Every year, the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) invites the top swimmers and divers throughout the state to compete at the CCCAA Swimming and Diving Championship. Dria Kwong, who swam for Allan Hancock College, competed in the women’s 100-yard butterfly event in 2016 and 2017. For both years now, Kwong made it to the…
Where there’s smoke
I am so damned tired of breathing in all this smoke, blinking ash out of my eyes, and hearing the buzz of helicopters and water tankers all day and night. If it’s not enough that our county was one of the few in the state that’s still under severe drought, now two monster wildfires have…
Civilized, sustainable health care
In the July 5 Santa Maria Times editorial, “Paying for our health,” the only fix to “Obamacare” that was mentioned is to go to a Medicare-like program for everyone. Much more effective health care, with dramatic cost savings, was proposed by Dr. John McDougall in his March 2017 free monthly newsletter! Go online to drmcdougall.com…
Stop with CO2 madness
Anthropogenic. I can barely say the word without pausing, taking a deep breath, and then like a sprinter, saying “anthropogenic.” It’s one of those made-up scientific-sounding words often paired with climate change. Probably Latin derived. Doctors, lawyers, biologists, and such all make up words with Latin derivation to sound scientific. Also, Latin is a dead…
Combating the dark world of human trafficking
There is a dark industry growing in the shadows of our communities: human trafficking. Human trafficking is an estimated $150 billion industry worldwide, with nearly 21 million victims. Horrifyingly, one quarter of the victims are children. According to the Polaris Project, “[t]raffickers use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to force people…
Summer camps evacuated, canceled due to Whittier Fire
The Whittier Fire sent scores of campers home from three summer camps that were evacuated July 8 after the fire blazed across acres of dry, forested mountainside near Cachuma Lake. The fire began right around the gates of Camp Whittier, according to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover. The Sheriff’s Office…
Santa Barbara County still struggling with how to exempt temporary hoop houses from required permits
Those plastic-covered tubular structures in which raspberries, blackberries, and squash love to grow are part of the landscape along Highway 101 in Northern Santa Barbara County. But technically speaking, they’re not exactly legal. Since February 2016, the county’s been trying to change that, but the Board of Supervisors’ recent attempt to speed up the process…
County is ‘still in’ on Paris climate accord
In an act of defiance to President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord, a majority of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted to say, “We are still in.” In doing so, the board directed county Executive Officer Mona Miyasato to register the county as a signatory on an…
Whittier Fire burns more than 10,000 acres near Lake Cachuma
The Whittier Fire ignited on July 8 near Highway 154 at Cachuma Lake, and in just three days it had blazed through more than 10,000 acres of Santa Ynez Mountainside, destroying eight residences and 12 outbuildings, according to a July 11 update from agencies responding to the fire. In an update made to the county’s…
Nipomo Arts Commission unveils new mural
A mural featuring some Nipomo historical structures set against the backdrop of the Temettate Ridge will serve as the centerpiece for the planned Jim O. Miller Park. Painted by Visalia artist Colleen Mitchell-Veyna of Veyna Design Studios, the 9-foot-by-30-foot mural is painted on the side of the Casa Grande Center facing the park on Carrillo…
Santa Maria needs more artists for utility box project
The city of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department is looking for original artists to beautify five traffic signal control boxes in Santa Maria. Local artists from Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County are encouraged to apply. A stipend of $500, and up to $250 reimbursement for material costs is available for the…
Hancock’s plan for fine arts complex moves forward
Allan Hancock College’s planned Fine Arts Complex project was one of 15 capital outlay projects for community colleges included in the 2017-18 California state budget recently signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. Hancock will receive about half of the cost for the $48 million facility from the state through Proposition 51, which California voters passed last…
Spotlight on: Digi Diva Graphics
Some studies suggest that scribbling helps people pay attention and retain information, which could be used as a defense for students who doodle in the margins of their notebooks during class. Heather Hight, owner and founder of Digi Diva Graphics, was always a student of the doodling variety—from elementary school to college. If you were…
Political Watch 7/13/17
• Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) released a statement on H.R. 23, the Gaining Responsibility on Water Act, sponsored by California’s 21st District Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford). The joint statement criticized the bill, saying it would “weaken California’s ability to manage its own natural resources.” They also argued the bill would “pre-empt…
Fundraisers seek to help Noah Scott’s family with medical costs
A fundraiser for the family of Noah Scott drew big crowds to a local business on July 14, and another planned for Aug. 4 is actively seeking participants and donations. Scott, a Lompoc high schooler and police explorer who died on June 30 after a long battle with leukemia, inspired support from local communities during…
