Cover Story
Out with a bang
Dear Sun readers, After three years of traveling to San Diego to cover the international Comic Con, a Sun tradition, I’ve decided it’s time to hang up my geek girl cape/reporter hat and let someone else carry on the tradition. But have no fear; Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas said he’s willing to accept the mission.…
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
Carlos Alvarado laborer “Heaven or Hell, because sometimes we have everything we need and God blesses us and gives us everything, and sometimes the devil is right on our shoulder. Right now, life is pretty good.” Jesse Mora student “Hectic, But Not Remorseful. A lot of stuff happens in my life, but I didn’t create…
SMAT bungled the bus routes
Is the phone ringing off the hook at Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) (928-5624)? It should be. The new bus routes and schedules, which were introduced on June 19, are hardly a bus rider’s dream come true. I returned after being out of town for three weeks to find that my beloved Santa Maria Area…
The first name in grilling
A longtime Santa Maria Valley cattle ranching family, the Minettis opened the Far Western Tavern in 1958. Among the dishes served at the restaurant was a humble side of savory beans, carefully spiced and cooked to tender perfection. Called pinquitos (a Spanglish-sounding name suggesting a combination of “pink” and “little”), these diminutive legumes became an…
Athlete of the Week
Carlos Angulo steps up to the starting block, takes a deep breath, and waits for the start of the race. At the signal, he’s off the block in the blink of an eye, racing ahead of the pack. Since last May, Angulo has been training and racing for a shot at the track at the…
On the roster
• Disc Golf tournament: Disc golfers will seek to earn a spot in the 2011 United States Disc Golf Championship at the Professional Disc Golf Association’s Santa Maria Open July 29 to 31 at Waller County Park. The top 10 golfers at the Region 4 qualifying tournament will receive invites to the championships, which take…
Locals head to karate championships
The City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department announced that three participants in its Karate-Do class will head to Vancouver, British Columbia, to represent the United States in the eighth World Shito Ryu Karate-Do Championships, set for July 29 to 31. Atsuko Wolcott, Scott Rizzo, and Andreya Pineda will compete in the women’s, men’s,…
Hancock gets on track
The Allan Hancock College Board of Trustees on July 19 approved funding to build a long-awaited new track at the Santa Maria campus and improve the school’s soccer and football fields. Flintco Pacific, Inc., is expected to break ground on the Industrial Technology and Physical Education/Athletic Fields Project in July 2012. The company will build…
Summer school
It’s a long way from New York City to Morro Bay, but to 15-year-old Harry Davidson, the trip was worth it if it meant he’d pick up a new addiction. “I want to really love surfing,” Davidson said. “I want to go back home and get a board and surf a lot. I want to…
Music in context
The Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos (DANA) is a local nonprofit organization that formed 12 years ago to restore and revitalize the Dana Adobe building and surroundings in Nipomo. The beautiful property is playing host to a benefit concert by cowboy singer/songwriter Dave Stamey, whose music evokes the past of the historical location. “The Dana Adobe…
Hang with Dave Stamey
The Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos will be host to country/folk singer Dave Stamey at the Dana Adobe at 2:30 p.m. on July 30 at the Adobe, 671 S. Oakglen Ave., in Nipomo. Barbecue, beer, wine, and drinks will be on sale at the event. The Captain’s Store, along with snacks and dessert, will also be…
Inspiration comes to the Wildling
As part of its “Get Inspired!” series, the Wildling Art Museum in Los Olivos is offering a free lecture by Morgan P. Yates, archivist from the Auto Club of Southern California, on Aug. 6 from 2 to 3 p.m. His slide talk, “Beyond the Gilded Frame: The Magazine Cover as Nature’s Showcase,” will show examples…
Get down with dune art
An opening reception for Ron Williams’ photography at the Dunes Center Art Gallery will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 5 at the center, 1055 Guadalupe St., in Guadalupe. Most of Williams’ photographic career has been spent documenting his life’s experiences. Although he had mastered the technical aspects of photography by his…
Road trippin’ with a flippin’ Brit
My husband, the Brit, spent the first half of his life in London, where they drive on the wrong side of the road. But try and tell them that! Once he moved to America, he had to retrain his drive train and, for 40 years, worked as a sales representative for confectionary and cigar companies…
Grammy camp
Sometimes it takes just a little push to open a lot of doors. When Brandon Martinez, who just graduated from Pioneer Valley High School, was encouraged to apply for GRAMMY Camp, he hesitated. His instructors’ insistence, however, convinced him to record some songs as part of the application process. He was chosen out of about…
Wild play
Just shy of an hour away, Santa Barbara isn’t that far a drive for most locals. After all, many people make the work commute on a daily basis. For kids, though, a drive that long is a tortuous prospect, especially when they don’t know where they’re going. Personally, I like to keep them guessing and…
Wine and food celebration will benefit an endowment at Hancock
What better way to raise money and have a good time than with wine and food? On July 31, a wine and food celebration held in sunny Los Angeles will benefit the Michael Bonaccorsi Endowment at Allan Hancock College. Wally’s eighth annual Central Coast Wine and Food Celebration will offer nearly 150 of the Central…
Nursing students organize ‘hotrod’ fundraiser
On Aug. 6, students of the Allan Hancock College Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN) program will trade their scrubs for something more comfortable as they browse among souped-up cars at a fundraising event. The students are welcoming all manner of bikes, cars, and motorcycles to the event. The show will open to the public from 11…
Spotlight on: Central City Surplus
Hidden away inside a rundown hangar, once part of the old Allan Hancock airfield in Santa Maria, historical treasures await the curious. For the past 14 years, Central City Surplus has called the rusty clamshell building home, leasing it from the Santa Maria Public Airport. Proprietor John Kinney, a former Naval officer and Santa Barbara…
Not just a drop in the bucket
While the good things in life are free, Santa Maria residents have to account for all the things that still cost money. In times of economic recession, especially, going without to save money is more and more common, but if you can’t spare a dime, why spare a drop of water? A simple leaky faucet…
Hobnobbing with Helen
Hobnobbing went to the land of foursomes, mulligans, and holes-in-one on Monday, July 11, at the Santa Maria Country Club. The inaugural Daniel Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament was held to honor the memory of the senior airman from Vandenberg who lost his life in Afghanistan, doing his job as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician.…
Trials and tribulations
This is how Jeff Lind sees it: He’s innocent, and he can prove his innocence—has proved his innocence, in fact—so there doesn’t have to be a trial. Lind, an Orcutt resident who works in San Luis Obispo as general manager of an advertising agency, was pulled into his current legal situation when attending a hearing…
Correction
In the July 21 School Scene brief, “Half a million dollars should expand local school-based health care,” the number of schools at which a grant will allow Community Health Centers of the Central Coast to provide services was misreported. CHC will now reach 19 schools in six districts, providing low-cost preventive health and dental care…
Judge blocks Myers defendants’ motions
The five defendants accused in the kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Dystiny Myers were back in court on July 25, pursuing a couple of legal options—including a request for dismissal of the cases against four of the defendants. Attorneys for defendants Cody Miller, 22, of Fresno; and Frank York, 20; Jason Greenwell, 21; and Rhonda…
Suspects charged in Arroyo Grande cross burning
Four suspects were charged in connection with a cross burning outside the house of a black woman in Arroyo Grande on July 22. All four were charged with arson, cross burning, terrorism, and conspiracy to commit a cross burning. Jeremiah Leo Hernandez, 32; Jason Wayne Kahn, 36; Sara Kay Matheny, 24; and William Michael Soto,…
Local business owner plans to open a new medical marijuana dispensary in Oceano
The latest buzz in pot-related news on the Central Coast is that a local business owner is trying to open a medical marijuana dispensary. Tammy Murray moved to the area about a year ago from Goshen in the Central Valley, where she owned and operated a club called Compassionate Cannabis Information Center, Inc. Murray said…
Officials seize pot worth $36.7 million in Los Padres National Forest
Members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department recently destroyed two major marijuana grows in Los Padres National Forest, the first in a number of expected efforts to come as the illegal harvest season begins to bear fruit, so to speak. Sheriff’s Department spokesman Drew Sugars confirmed July 25 that the department—in conjunction with the…
