Cover Story
Escape from the Con!
“Don’t get contaminated! Keep running!” With a drill sergeant’s tone, a FEMA worker in a hazmat suit yells at me and my photographer, New Times columnist Nick Walter, spurring us on around barriers, over rope ladders, and through various obstacles. We’re navigating the spooky, labyrinthine corridors and stairwells of San Diego’s Petco Park, home of…
City releases bike trail map for summer recreation
School is out, and summertime is in full swing, and that means more bicyclists and pedestrians are on the road taking advantage of the mild and sunny outside weather. In light of this, the city of Santa Maria and People for Leisure and Youth have released a bike and pedestrian trail map along with some…
Monterey Run: Part One
Ed. note: John Ready visits the annual Pebble Beach Concour d’Elegance with his friends Roger, Parvin, Bob, and Slow Dave. He writes about his misadventures for the Sun and will be attending the events again this year in mid-August. In anticipation of his always colorful journey, we’re revisiting his most recent trip, which appeared in…
A big sound
During the 1930s and ’40s in America, one ensemble reigned supreme: the big band. Band directors such as Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, and Billy May kept America dancing through the Great Depression and World War II. Today, big band orchestras are harder to come by, but some, like Dick Clark’s Big Band Orchestra,…
On time is when Mom’s ready
There is no one more stressed than a woman trying to get ready to go to a wedding, party, graduation, theater—let’s be honest, really any event requiring clothing more formal than flip flops and a T-shirt. You think the Oval Office was a stressful place during the Cuban Missile Crisis? That was a trip to…
Obon Festival may come to an end
The Guadalupe Buddhist Church will celebrate what it expects to be its last Obon Festival from noon to 5 p.m. on July 28 at the Veterans Memorial Building, 313 W. Tunnell St., Santa Maria. The event is the only Japanese festival in Santa Barbara County, but because of the advancing age of the church’s elders…
Ballet gets intense
Everybody Can DANCE studio will hold intensive workshops for intermediate and advanced ballet dancers ages 12 to adult Tuesdays through Thursdays, July 31 to Aug. 2, and again from Aug. 7 to 9, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Everybody Can DANCE studio, 800 S. Broadway in Santa Maria. The focus of the intensives…
Hamilton to display work at Grossman
Local photographer Robert Hamilton’s work will be on display at Grossman Gallery throughout July. The Lompoc Library’s Art Advisory Committee picked local amateur photographer Robert Hamilton to display his work during the month at the gallery at 501 E. North Ave., in Lompoc. The exhibition is titled “The Journey is the Reward,” and outlines the…
Empty Bowls fill bellies
They may be empty, but the artfully crafted bowls featured at the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County’s annual Empty Bowls event go a long way toward feeding the hungry. This year, however, those bowls are coming up short. Organizers need 200 to 300 more bowls by Oct. 24. For a $25 donation, attendees get a…
Children wanted
Live theater can be an exciting experience. The costumes, characters, and sets can take the audience to another world, a journey that can be especially exciting for children. Think live theater isn’t for someone so young? There’s a cast of characters at the Santa Maria Civic Theatre that disagrees. In fact, every summer, the cast…
On the roster
• Showbox—The New Generation: Professional boxing returns to Chumash Casino on July 20, when undefeated lightweight Art Hovhannisyan faces off against Venezuelan Miguel Acosta in a 10-round main event. The night’s nationally televised card will also feature a co-main event between light middleweights Julian “J-Rock” Williams and Nevada’s Said El Harrak. The rest of the…
Ride into summer with this equestrian program
The Santa Ynez Valley Therapeutic Riding Program and the Solvang Parks and Recreation department are teaming up to offer a summer horseback riding camp from July 23 to 27. The camp, for children 7 to 12, offers all levels of instruction and includes horseback riding, crafts, and horsemanship by certified instructors. The camp is limited…
Athlete of the Week: Pete Fabela
When 22-year-old Pete Fabela first walked into the Hitman gym in Santa Maria, he had no idea of the path that lay before him. Two years ago, Fabela found he was following a destructive path, and he decided to make a change. That decision led him to the doors of Hitman, and the intense world…
The Bleacher Bum Chronicles Vol. XXVIII
It happens once every four years. Over the course of 16 action-packed days, the best athletes in the world gather, each vying for gold in the spectacle of the Olympics. The 2012 Games begin on July 27, and though London may seem like an odd choice for a host given the climate, it’s the third…
Pretty in pink
Get tickled pink this summer by a whole new crop of pretty, pink wines from Santa Barbara County. More local wineries are adding Rosé to their line-ups. Not to be mistaken for sweet “White Zin,” floral, fruity, fragrant, dry Rosés produced on the Central Coast are usually made from Pinot Noir, Syrah, or Grenache. You’d…
Guadalupe students THRIVE
Preparation is key for the children and students of Guadalupe, and thanks to a $10,000 grant from an anonymous donor, local kids are getting the attention and preparation they need for kindergarten from THRIVE Guadalupe. The program offers four classes for four weeks, preparing young students for their kindergarten debut. THRIVE was formed by the…
The legacy of Joe White lives on
Joe White, former Allan Hancock College basketball coach and athletic director during the 1970s, helped to establish an athletic program that encourages student-athletes to excel both on and off the field. To honor White and all he did for AHC Athletics, the AHC Boosters Inc. is getting ready to hold its 11th annual Joe White…
Help keep Santa Maria safe
If you have a couple extra hours during your week and would like to help make a difference in your community, consider volunteering for the Santa Maria Police Department. According to Training Coordinator Chrissy Alvarez, the volunteer program was first established in 1996. Since its beginning, volunteers have donated 46,830 hours of service. Volunteers help…
Tip of the iceberg
Succulent crunchiness is the first thing you notice when you bite into a leaf of a new type of lettuce that’s just come on the market. Juicy, crispy, and surprisingly sweet, it’s a greener and healthier version of iceberg—and it was invented and patented in SLO County. At the end of a street in a…
Spotlight on: One Way Skatepark
Skaters who get hassled for skating outside of the Santa Maria Town Center now have two options: leave the premises and search for another place to skate, or take it inside. One Way’s indoor skatepark is a 5,000-square-foot course filled with an assortment of ramps to launch from and rails to grind on. Three simple…
Election Day is coming
Novembers often represent a time when U.S. citizens particularly enjoy their freedom to exercise their vote, to take a stand and have a say in what happens in their homeland. That time of year is quickly approaching; November is just around the corner, really, and the Santa Maria City Clerk’s office is busily preparing for…
Santa Maria man shot by Highway Patrol officer
A Santa Maria man was still listed in critical condition as of press time after being shot by a California Highway Patrol officer near Los Alamos on July 15. Investigators alleged 18-year-old Michael Ledesma threatened his girlfriend with a knife while they were driving along Highway 135, and that he later approached a CHP officer…
NASA announces future Vandenberg launches
On July 16, NASA named Vandenberg Air Force Base as the site of three future Delta 2 launches, following its $400 million rocket contract with the United Launch Alliance. The announcement breathed new life into the reliable Delta 2, which wasn’t included in the last NASA contract with the ULA in 2010. “ULA is honored…
Guadalupe searches for a new city administrator
The city of Guadalupe is on the hunt for a new top administrator with the departure of Regan Candelario, who has accepted a city manager position in Fortuna. Guadalupe’s city administrator since 2010, Candelario was officially hired to a three-year contract by the Fortuna City Council on June 27. He’ll start work in his new…
DA charges two St. Joseph educators with failing to report suspected child sexual abuse to authorities
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley announced on July 12 that misdemeanor charges have been filed against former St. Joseph High School principal Joseph Myers and dean of students John Walker for allegedly failing to immediately report suspected child sexual abuse to law enforcement agents. According to a press release from Dudley’s office, “It…
People should be aware of true activism
Thank you for printing the Gale McNeeley’s opinion in the July 12 Sun (“Put Andy in the hot seat”). How clear and insightful, well researched, and well written it was. It is important that the public understands what true local activism for the community good is, as apposed to lobbyists doing a job motivated by…
Talk about an ‘inconvenient truth!’
In regards to Gale McNeeley’s “Put Andy in the hot seat: Lobbying—against global warming, for instance—isn’t activism” (July 12), I want to make sure I get what he said right: “Andy Caldwell is not one of them. He is an ‘opinionator’ with a ‘bully’ pulpit, and I mean that literally because, as a host, he…
Does speaking your opinion constitute attack?
Mr. Smith has not been spending a lot of time on the playground or school sites, as the Canary stated. As a matter of fact, Smith has not showed up at school and demanded that he be shown around by the principal or other top employees. Prior to Mr. Smith being elected to the board,…
What were you looking forward to at this year’s Santa Barbara County Fair?
Lloyd Estacio forklift driver “Getting a tummy ache from all the cotton candy.” Bambi Abellano church worker “This is my first fair in America, and I’m excited to see the rides.” Mike Abellano machinist “Watching someone get thrown off the mechanical bull.” R.J. Estacio photographer “Fun!”
