Cover Story
55 Fiction
Open publication – Free publishing – More literature
What is your favorite book?
Gale Hall caregiver “Nathan’s Run. It involves a child who has been wrongly accused and it’s about how he clears his name and it’s just very emotional.” Ron Winters fire and security alarm associate “Lord of the Rings. It’s that kind of fantasy and monsters [book] that takes you out of reality to another world,…
What’s on Deck?
Thursday, July 7 Semipro Baseball California Wahoos @ Santa Maria Valley Packers 5 p.m. Friday, July 8 Semipro Baseball California Wahoos @ Santa Maria Valley Packers 5 p.m. Easton Elite @ Santa Maria Reds 6 p.m. Saturday, July 9 Auto Racing Doug Fort Memorial @ Santa Maria Speedway 6 p.m. Semipro Baseball San…
On the roster
• Relay For Life: This 24-hour run/walk relay fundraiser for the American Cancer Society is July 9 and 10 at the Elks Unocal Event Center. A $10 registration/commitment fee is required for each participant, due upon registration. Any donations taken through individual, team, or online fundraising will also be accepted. To sign up as a…
Cowboys hold clinic and sign-ups
The Nipomo Football League will be holding a series of free youth football clinics from July 25 to 29 at Nipomo Regional Park. The clinics are open to the public and run from 5 to 7 p.m. each evening at the park’s Cowboys’ Football field at the intersection of Tefft Street and Pomeroy Road. Late…
Titan up for football
Nipomo boys and girls ages 8 to 14 are invited to sign up for the Nipomo Titans Youth Football League and enjoy some old-fashioned barbecue at ACE Miner’s Hardware on July 17. The fundraiser/registration event takes place in the store’s parking lot from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs $7 for a plate of…
Calling all amateur golfers
More than $8,000 in prizes will be up for grabs at the annual Santa Maria Valley Men’s Amateur Golf championship, to be held at Rancho Maria Golf Course in Santa Maria on July 30 and 31. The 36-hole, stroke-play tournament starts at 8 a.m. on July 30; Day 2 begins with a shotgun start at…
Get your gloves up!
Nine bouts of action-packed amateur boxing are on the card for the Police Activities League (PAL) and Santa Maria Boxing Club’s boxing show at the Minami Community Center on July 9. Tickets cost $5 and are available at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center and the Minami Center, located at 600 W. Enos in Santa…
‘Khaos’ Theory
[image-2] Perfection. It’s a rarity in athletics, but the girls of the Orcutt Khaos, the 10-and-under fast-pitch champions of the Orcutt Youth Softball League, are making it look like a walk in the park. At odds with their nickname, the Khaos are in actuality a finely tuned machine. Undefeated in 18 games this season, they’re…
Luis Escobar
Summer calls to mind images of floating in a pool or going on a picnic, but if you’re Luis Escobar, your mind is on miles and miles of running in extreme heat and rugged terrain. Escobar doesn’t just run marathons; he tackles ultra marathons, races that are a minimum of 26 miles. The upcoming Badwater…
Who needs redevelopment districts?
Good riddance to redevelopment districts, thanks to our new governor and the Legislature, who justifiably eliminated them to end an enormous drain on public resources, despite howls from municipal bureaucrats throughout the state. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that annually more than $5 billion of redevelopment money in California was not used for redevelopment…
They should listen to us, not Wall Street
I used to look forward to the 4th of July. I used to be patriotic, used to have faith in our government, used to be proud to be an American. But somewhere along the way, I’ve lost that feeling—along with my house, my business, my 401k, my pension. We are now more than halfway through…
What recovery?
Obama’s in trouble. With 230,000 fewer jobs, 430,000 May unemployment applicants, home equities at 1948 levels, 15 million unemployed, and 47 million on food stamps, he says he’s not worried about another recession. It’s just that the economy’s worse than he thought, and the recovery’s going to take longer than expected. What recovery? There’s been…
Speak up: ‘War is not the answer’
It is heartening that a majority of Americans now have grown so weary of financing the endless war in the Middle East, and of sacrificing our precious sons and daughters, that a serious decision to bring it to an end is urgent. Too many people have now suffered economically, morally, and physically. We now understand…
The noble grape
A noble Burgundian, Chardonnay thrives in Santa Barbara County, especially in the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley. Noted for its low yields and adaptability to most soils, the vine produces golden grapes that unerringly reflect regional terroir, as well as vinicultural style. When made into wine, Chardonnay may vary greatly, from a viscous…
It’s all happening at the fair
The Santa Barbara County Fair offers a plethora of fun, family-oriented activities, including carnival rides, various food vendors, agricultural competitions, a mini rodeo, a destruction derby, and stage shows. But a huge part of the county fair has always been the music, and this year is no different. Four big-name acts highlight the July 13…
‘Window’ size may vary
I was at work the other day, sitting at my work desk, breathing in the work air, and hanging out with my co-workers, which meant that I was not doing any work whatsoever. My co-workers and I get together and jibber-jabber for hours on end and act as if we are solving all of the…
Children’s theater happens this summer
The Santa Maria Civic Theatre has announced its annual Summer Fairy Tale production, The Frog Prince of Spamalot. The children’s play is written by Edith Weiss and directed by Richard Dresp. Performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Fridays, July 15 and 22; at 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturdays, July 16 and 23;…
Actors needed for Murder
The Open Door Theater Company still needs actors for its upcoming filmed production of Murder in the Cathedral. A second round of auditions will be held Monday and Tuesday, July 25 and 26, at 7 p.m. in Room 403 (Drama Room) at Righetti High School. For more information or directions, call Dixie Arthur at 938-0415.
Artists demonstrate their craft
Two artists will give an art demonstration in their respective specialties from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on July 9 at Town Center Gallery, 321 Town Center West. Beverly Johnson will demonstrate how to paint a silk scarf. Johnson often incorporates birds and nature into her work, but enjoys trying out new techniques. She will be…
Get a book
Altrusa International of the Central Coast, in conjunction with the $1 Bookstore, will hold its annual Festival of Books on the second floor of Town Center East on July 10 and 24 and Aug. 7 and 21 from noon to 3 p.m. Children may pick out a free book. Last year, Altrusa gave away 800…
Space is available for Fun in the Sun
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center is still accepting applications for this summer’s Fun in the Sun (FITS) program through July 8. Program participants are currently learning about water pollution and have already performed some cool experiments with household products and collected water samples from our local streams and lakes. Participants will be taking field trips to…
Unordinary pieces
Growing up in the Santa Ynez Valley, artist and Arts Outreach teacher Luis Ramirez was used to seeing farm fields—and the farmers and laborers who worked them. Then he embarked on some travels, and when he returned home, he rediscovered those same fields and their accessories, as it were. His observations stand out in his…
‘The spirit of Bridlewood’
Visitors to Bridlewood Winery know a stop there is as much about the experience as it is about the wine. Step up to one of the winery’s hand-crafted barrel tables and taste a flight of premium wines or meander through the sunny courtyard and sip a glass of wine by the fountain. There’s even a…
Local women use the ‘power of the purse’ to make a big difference
Giving back or making a difference doesn’t always mean donating millions of dollars or building monstrous recreation centers. The Women’s Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County is living proof that it only takes a little effort to make a big difference. The fund was recently host to its fourth annual presentation reception, where members awarded…
Spotlight on: Studio Fit
In Studio Fit, you won’t see a leg press or a treadmill or an exercise novice struggling to figure out how a machine works. Instead, you’ll find a group working out together, with the instructor calling out encouragement and advice from the front of the room. The new business, recently opened in Santa Maria, is…
The hunger stops here
These days, hunger is a worldwide problem that affects people from all walks of life. Throughout July, Santa Maria’s Grocery Outlet will stand up to hunger as it begins its first-ever Independence from Hunger campaign to collect food and monetary donations. For this event, each company in the Grocery Outlet network chooses with whom it…
Man of action
The Santa Maria-based warehouse for the Santa Barbara County Red Cross is impeccably organized, clean, and well-stocked. Large steel-frame shelving reaches more than a dozen feet to the ceiling, holding all the supplies necessary to respond in a moment’s notice to a disaster. Stored in countless bins and boxes are stacks of green cots, fuzzy…
‘There’s nothing new or different here’
It was less than an hour after sunrise on a brisk and gloomy June morning, and a lone reporter with a skull heavy from a serious case of Monday morning delirium trudged sleepily down the desolate streets, ultimately slumping into his chair in a dark, empty office. The reason for this unusually early start to…
Improper appointment costs Oceano big bucks
The Oceano Community Services District suffered yet another financial setback when a San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge tentatively awarded a former board member $74,441 in legal fees stemming from a 2010 lawsuit. The former board member, Pamela Dean, sued the district after she claimed Lori Angelo was illegally appointed to the board in…
Orcutt Academy employees to join district union
Teachers working for Orcutt Academy Charter School will now become members of the district’s teachers’ union. After a year of legal back-and-forth between the Orcutt Union School District and the Orcutt Educators Association, the school board decided at its June 23 meeting it would no longer challenge the association’s petition to represent charter school teachers.…
Judge orders protection plans for 27 local species
In response to a long-simmering lawsuit, a federal judge has ordered the U.S. Forest Service to enact additional protections for 27 threatened local plant and animal species within the Los Padres National Forest. The order follows a 2008 civil suit filed by a coalition of environmental conservation groups, including Los Padres ForestWatch, the Sierra Cub,…
