Cover Story
What next? PG&E plans to decommission Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, but what would that entail?
Since the day plans were announced for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, controversy has surrounded it. Now, since PG&E announced plans not to seek relicensing of the plant, questions have come to light. Specifically, what will become of the waste generated? What are the long-term impacts of so many years of operating a nuclear power…
The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum offers a summer Broadway Bootcamp for kids
For many young actors, their first exposure to the performing arts came in a junior high or high school drama class. Some were lucky and got exposed quite early, getting bit by the drama bug even before adolescence. The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum offers one such opportunity for kids ages 8 through 14. The…
Would you buy a gun?
Esthira Davis house wife “I would buy one to protect myself.” Beatrice Gofigan self-employed “I would, just to protect myself.” Kylie Evans student at Allan Hancock College “No, I feel like I wouldn’t need it. Maybe in this town, I would.” Brian Krow Walmart employee “In these times? Yes, because the way things are and…
Santa Maria Civic Theatre welcomes families to free Summer Fairy Tales
The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (SMCT) welcomes local families to the production of Peter Pan and Wendy, which is the result of the Civic Theatre’s Summer Fairy Tales program, a summer program for youth interested in the theater. The production is a fast-moving adaptation of the Peter Pan story by J.M. Barrie. Doug Rand tailored…
Lompoc Valley Arts Council welcomes singer Sarah Raines to forum
The Lompoc Valley Arts Council holds its regular quarterly forum on July 21. The forum includes a special presentation by local singer Sarah Raines. Raines, a classical singer from Lompoc, will speak on her career as a musician and entrepreneur. Raines sings soprano with Santa Barbara’s Quire of Voyces and performed as part of the…
Nipomo Chamber of Commerce presents summer concert series
The Nipomo Chamber of Commerce announced its Concerts in the Gazebo summer series happening at Nipomo Park, beginning July 17. The first concert will feature Soundhouse, a local rock band that plays danceable tunes, performing from 4 to 7 p.m. The next concert in the series is Aug. 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. featuring…
R Lawson Gamble continues his Zack Tolliver mystery series with new novel ‘Cat’
Local author R Lawson Gamble is a well-respected author of history—he wrote a book about the history of Los Alamos and is currently working on a book about Solomon Pico, the real-life Zorro. He’s also a regular guest speaker on various local historical topics, and he just delivered a talk at the DANA Cultural Center…
Solvang Library hosts concert of bilingual children’s music by Nathalia
Singer/songwriter Nathalia performs her own original bilingual songs for young children, and her music has taken her to plenty of libraries, including one concert in Santa Barbara’s Public Library. Her concert was well received, and so she was invited back for several more concerts in the Santa Barbara and Goleta branches, as well as a…
Blood is thicker than water
Even though I went to college for more than 10 years, I’m actually not a doctor. And because I’m not a doctor, I really don’t understand medical terms like vasovagal syncope. But because I’m a 10-year-old boy at heart, when I read the word vasovagal I start to giggle inside, assuming it has something to…
Golf the Ketrenia Klassic
The Lompoc Family YMCA is accepting registrations, sponsorships, and donations for the seventeenth annual Kid’s for Character Golf Tournament, The Ketrenia Klassic in memory of the late Ketrenia Hall. The event will be held at Village Country Club on Friday, July 22. Dinner, awards, a raffle, and a live and silent auction will promptly follow…
Community Notebook 7/14/16 – 7/21/16
TUESDAY, JULY 19 • The Santa Maria City Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. • The Lompoc City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Plaza, Lompoc. Agendas are available at…
Political Watch 7/14/16
• A bill by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to modernize language in more than a dozen sections of California law to reflect the fact that same-sex couples can now marry was recently signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown. Jackson’s Senate Bill 1005 changes various code sections in California law mentioning a “husband” and…
Golf to support kids
The 17th annual Ag for Youth Golf Tournament takes place on July 25 in support of the Santa Maria Valley Boys & Girls Clubs. The day starts with a lunch catered by Rooney’s Irish Pub. The tournament starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Santa Maria Country Club and is a shotgun start, four player scramble.…
Movie night at the Santa Maria library on July 27
The Santa Maria Public Library offers the movie San Andreas, rated PG-13, at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, in the Shepard Hall. In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot makes a dangerous journey with his ex-wife across the state in order to rescue his daughter. The movie stars Dwayne…
Spotlight on: Music I.N.C.
There’s a motto at Music I.N.C. that goes something like this: theory and performance in sync at Music I.N.C. Essentially, this is how owner and instructor Michael James Mella helps his students translate the more obscure aspects of musical theory into creativity and musicianship in performance. This is the core of what he and his…
805 ’til you die: How will splitting the area code affect local identity?
Rocky Gonzales has lots of tattoos, but there’s one that he’s particularly proud of. He pulled up his T-shirt to reveal “805” tattooed under his left nipple. Gonzales, a Santa Maria native, said he got the tattoo more than a decade ago, when he was “involved” in the street life. At 36 years old, Gonzales…
Local voices respond to police-involved shootings
July 5: A police officer shot and killed 37-year-old Alton Sterling, a black man, in Baton Rouge, La. Involved officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II have been placed on paid administrative leave while the Justice Department investigates the shooting, the Advocate reported. July 6: Police officer Jeronimo Yanez shot and killed 32-year-old Philando Castile,…
MS-13 gang indictments include 10 first-degree murder counts
The Santa Barbara criminal grand jury issued two separate indictments against 17 MS-13 gang members on July 8, according to a press release from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney (DA). The indictments cover the suspected MS-13 members and associates who were arrested during Operation Matador, the March 3 Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) operation…
Natural gas regulations may affect La Goleta site
La Goleta natural gas storage field may see some regulation changes under new permanent rules introduced by the Department of Conservation (DOC) on July 8. These new rules will replace the strict emergency regulations placed on gas storage facilities in February, following a massive methane leak at Aliso Canyon in Los Angeles County. Those emergency…
Lompoc organization to provide resources for local caregivers
Lompoc caregivers will start receiving more resources to help them assist their senior loved ones with household tasks and personal care, thanks to the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization (LVCHO). LVCHO is aiming to assist caregivers through an awareness campaign called Caring Together Lompoc, a caregiver resources hub, and targeted education and outreach programs. These…
Santa Maria police arrest shooting victim
A man who was shot during the early morning hours of June 9 in Santa Maria also ended up getting arrested, Santa Maria Police Department Sgt. Eligio Lara told the Sun. Lara said the man, whose name isn’t being released, walked into the emergency room of Marian Regional Medical Center shortly before 5 a.m. that…
Lake Cachuma releases water to recharge Santa Ynez groundwater resources
Lake Cachuma’s Bradbury Dam began releasing water into the Santa Ynez River on July 12, per the Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District’s request. The released water will recharge groundwater basins along the river, which provide water for cities, towns, and farms in the area. The release—which is expected to last about two months, according…
Guns, death, and blame
Last week was a rough one. It seems like the flags outside the Sun’s office window are at half-staff more often than not these days, and it’s getting hard to keep track of all the death and destruction. The nation is still reeling from its most devastating mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., at the Pulse…
Diary from prison
Nothing about prison is rehabilitative. It’s all punitive with some serious dehumanizing thrown in for good measure. Here is a story as an example. I’ll call him “Durk” although that is nothing close to his real name. I met Durk during intake. When I first reported to the prison, he was handcuffed with me, strip-searched…
James Hall
Lompoc attorney James Hall said he hasn’t ridden a motorcycle in years. His old Yamaha collects dust in his garage. Hall better start making room in that garage for a new bike, and set aside some plans for a road trip, because on July 6, he was announced the winner of a new Harley Davidson…
For the love of the disc: Waller Park celebrates two decades of disc golf with the Santa Maria Open on July 30 and 31
Philo Brathwaite, a professional disc golfer, takes a running start. In one fluid motion, he twists his body, uncoils, and flings his disc. The disc leaves his hand and soars through the air about 50 yards before delicately curving to the right around a group of trees. As the disc travels, amazingly, its flight path…
Wait–why am I eating this? A critical analysis of the foods Instagram keeps convincing me to buy
I’m a privileged social media-addicted millennial, and as such I often find myself doing stuff for basically no reason except that I keep seeing other people doing it on Instagram. I wear high-waisted pants and I use Snapchat and I eat acai bowls and I drink kombucha and sometimes I say “v.” instead of “very”—why?…
Diablo should pick up the bill
I am so pleased that Diablo in eight years will finally be closed—I assume PG&E will be paying for the closing, not us ratepayers. It produces a waste material that modifies the DNA (deoxyribo nucleic acid) that controls life and makes us humans (Homo sapiens). I have demonstrated at the entrance to Diablo probably 500-plus…
