Cover Story
Surrogacy International Inc. is the 21st century stork
Dorothy* is the proud birth mother of eight children—from five different families. “And I’m currently carrying babies nine and 10,” she told the Sun in a recent interview. “This is my second set of twins. The first set will be turning 18 this year.” The 50-something medical professional is a surrogate for Surrogacy International Inc.,…
Let’s turn this madness around
Jim, thanks for this piece (“What will end the obsession?” June 12). I couldn’t agree more with the complete insanity we allow ourselves to live amidst. Your conclusion: “You tell us what you would do to help make it so that no father ever has to bury his young son again?” reminds me of what…
Compton v. Ray: What’s next for the women running for 4th District SLO County supervisor
Coming into the June 3 primary election, the race for the District 4 seat on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors was an important, expensive enigma. Despite more than $400,000 in total campaign contributions, six public forums, and significant media attention, nobody really knew how Lynn Compton, Caren Ray, or Mike Byrd would…
What’s your favorite thing about your child?
Mark Hunt plumber “His eyes, without a doubt. You can see the whole world in them.” Anna Endy stay-at-home mom “His zest for learning. He asks tons of questions, and he loves to learn.” Sheryl Cowan stay-at-home mom “He’s got a really good sense of humor. He’s spunky.” Valerie Beauregard student “Her resilience. Children are…
Montemar in Lompoc offers live music in its unique patio space
Lompoc’s beloved Wine Ghetto is a small industrial park that houses nearly 20 wineries and tasting rooms. In such a compacted area, space is at a premium, but one winery scored a spot that boasts more than a tasting room: It’s got a larger outside patio. Montemar Wines is owned by Steve Arrowood, who jumped…
The Arts Fund Gallery calls for artists
The Arts Fund Gallery is inviting all local artists to submit works into the community art show Feast Your Eyes! The exhibition is a fundraiser in support of the Arts Fund’s Community Gallery, which exclusively shows Santa Barbara County artists, and requires artists to donate a portion of sales to the gallery. Feast Your Eyes!…
Capps announces Congressional Art Competition winner
Representative Lois Capps announced the winner of the annual Congressional Art Competition on June 9: Dos Pueblos High School senior Anke Gladnick was selected to have her work included in the Washington, D.C., exhibit and festivities. Gladnick will also receive two round-trip tickets to the Capitol to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception. The winning…
An artful experience
Imagine Wine in Santa Ynez is holding a special art event as part of its current juried exhibition showing through July 2. Wine, Music, Art, and Food will feature the exhibition as well as the art of Robert Carl Vogel, wine tastings, food, and live music by Jim Campbell. The special event takes place June…
A call to creators
The Santa Maria Public Library recently put out a call to artists from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties to submit their work for Art at the Library, which features monthly exhibitions in the library’s Shepard Hall. There are no fees for artists to apply, and the work must fit in the Shepard Hall…
Local author Vahid Imani shares Persian culture and scientific discovery in a children’s novel
Right on the westernmost tip of the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East is Iran, the epicenter of Persian people and culture. The region was responsible for many early discoveries and breakthroughs, including algebra, chemistry, and wind power. One local author with Persian roots, Vahid Imani, has penned a children’s novel that tells the story…
Layers of talent: PCPA Theaterfest brings ‘Forever Plaid’ to life
As soon as I was introduced to the quartet of actors portraying the fictional group The Plaids in PCPA Theaterfest’s upcoming production of Forever Plaid, the actors couldn’t keep from singing. “You’re from the Sun?” said Jeff Parker, who plays Frankie. “You mean, like, ‘Here comes the sun!’” As soon as Parker intoned the iconic…
Losing your shirt
Last weekend I was a hero. Well, not an actual hero—I didn’t save anyone’s life, solve world hunger, or eliminate email spam. I was simply a hero to my wife, whom I love. This was a big deal since it isn’t often that I get the chance to be a knight in shining armor and…
Father bakes best: Meet the man behind the scenes at Gina’s Piece of Cake
Spend any time in a successful, full-service bakery and you will quickly see that getting everything mixed, baked, frosted, and decorated is anything but a piece of cake. But Lloyd Jones, head baker at Gina’s Piece of Cake, could probably get the job done with his eyes closed. This marks his 45th year as a…
Discovery Corner: Sundae Sunday and free programs galore!
There has never been a better time to be a member of the Discovery Museum. With new programs being offered every day and lots of special events, your membership pays for itself in less than five visits. And from now until July 1, new and renewing memberships, including a new grandparents membership program, are being…
A kids’ birding workshop is set for Lake Cachuma
The Santa Barbara County Parks Department will be host to bird workshops for children ranging from 8 to 12 years old at Cachuma Lake this summer. The workshops are intended to present the wonder of birds and the skills of birding for each appropriate age level. Children will learn about bird anatomy and how beaks,…
Righetti High’s principal is reassigned to a district position
Steve Molina, the principal of Ernest Righetti High School, has accepted a position to oversee $5 million in state funding for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. That funding comes through California’s new accounting system for state money allocated to local schools known as the Local Control Funding Formula (LCCF). Molina will become…
Angel Tree takes children of prisoners to summer camp
For the last 10 years, Kathy Holst has taken children from the Santa Maria Valley to summer camp at Calicinto Ranch in San Jacinto. The kids she brings along on the annual trip all have parents in prison. Through Prison Fellowship International, Angel Tree Camp is a program that takes the children of prisoners to…
Spotlight on: CA Massage Center
In Santa Maria, there is an 800-square-foot office space that has been completely transformed into something that could not be more different from a stressful work environment. The new CA Massage Center on South Broadway is alive with positivity. An indoor fountain babbles quietly in one corner, and ambient music puts visitors instantly at ease.…
Political Watch 6/19/14
• Weeks after the shooting and stabbing deaths of six victims and the suspect in Isla Vista, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) introduced two bills designed to help prevent gun violence and save lives, according to a press release from her office. Senate Bill 505 would require law enforcement to search the Department of…
Community Notebook 6/19-6/26
MONDAY, JUNE 23 • The South County Advisory Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Nipomo Community Services District Headquarters, 148 S. Wilson St., Nipomo. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. Agendas are available at cityofsolvang.com. TUESDAY, JUNE…
Community Corner: Locals help a custody deputy in need
Trevor Carpenter, a father of four and 10-year veteran of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) on July 5, 2013. After going through several rounds of chemotherapy in the months that followed, he went into remission. This April, he learned that cancer had returned. His doctor told him…
Williams Homes brings new houses to Northern Santa Barbara County
Construction workers crawl like ants both outside and inside 12 homes being constructed in a housing development that was abandoned by Capital Pacific Investments when the housing bubble burst on the Central Coast. Williams Homes, a Santa Clarita-based developer, resurrected the Harvest Glen development last year and held a grand opening on June 14, showing…
Bureau of Reclamation fixes pumps after fish deaths
For more than a week, folks from the California Department of Water Resources and the Cachuma Operations and Maintenance Board combed a 3,000-foot section of Hilton Creek—a Santa Ynez River tributary—looking for stranded steelhead, an endangered species. Any fish found out of water, or in little water, was caught and taken to the main stem…
Guadalupe attempts to stave off bankruptcy with three tax measures
The Guadalupe City Council will vote June 24 on whether to put a third tax initiative on the November ballot in an effort to cover the city’s $1.3 million budget gap. This initiative would add a half-cent sales tax to transactions within city limits, thus increasing the sales tax from 8 percent to 8.5 percent.…
Grand jury to county: Find other ways to pay for the jail
The 2013-2014 Santa Barbara County grand jury is recommending that local officials “revisit options” for funding the operating cost of the North County jail. Scheduled for completion in 2018, the jail is expected to have 376 beds, with room for expansion, and a specially designed Sheriff’s Transition and Re-Entry (STAR) facility with an additional 228…
Supervisors pass a $905 million budget
In addition to passing a $905 million budget that puts Santa Barbara County in the black—$2 million more in revenue than expenditures—county supervisors also put a plan into place that allocates more than $100 million to the maintenance budget over the next 10 years. Fourth District Supervisor Peter Adam was the sole dissenting vote against…
Oil drilling initiative headed to November ballot
Santa Barbara County voters will have their say on such oil drilling practices as hydraulic fracturing and cyclic steam injection come November. In a special meeting held on June 13, Santa Barbara County supervisors unanimously voted to send an initiative banning high-intensity oil drilling techniques to the ballot. Because the Water Guardians collected the number…
Predictable
I’m not going to make a big deal out of this, because I can’t even begin to pretend to understand the complexities of how governing laws work between Santa Barbara County and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. But I am going to boldly wade into the shallow surface of my understanding and say…
An amendment is the answer
Mr. Mallon (“What will end the obsession?” June 12), I, too, share your anger and outrage over the killings in Isla Vista and Sandy Hook, as well as all of the past, present, and future massacres. Every citizen in our country, both good and bad, benefits from the law of the land: the Constitution of…
I am not Yosemite Sam
In his commentary in the June 12 Sun, Mr. Mallon asks what will end the obsession with guns (“What will end the obsession?”). I feel his frustration because I wonder what will end a parallel obsession with gun control. Perhaps it is denial of the fact that gun control hasn’t worked in this country when…
The nexus of poverty, education, and economic development
Last fall, Santa Barbara County commissioned a report to identify the impacts of the Great Recession on the county. The resulting report, “A Snapshot of Poverty,” provided an eye-opening look at the biggest issue facing our county: poverty and the barriers to economic mobility. The report is particularly sobering for those of us serving the…
Test your fitness
The sixth annual Tri the Bull Triathlon, Junior Triathlon, and 5K Fun Run are set to return June 28. People of all fitness levels are invited to come out to take on swimming, biking, and running to the finish line; the focus is on completion, not competition. The race will kick off at 8 a.m.…
Softball and sunshine
Join the Guadalupe Dunes Center for its second annual Family Day and Softball Tournament at Orcutt Hill. The event will feature live music with Louie Ortega, a bounce house, and Santa Mara-style barbecue. The tournament is scheduled for June 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Walk to save memories
A recent press release from the Alzheimer’s Association of Santa Barbara announced its 2014 Walk to End Alzheimer’s, scheduled for Nov. 8. More than 1,500 people from the Santa Barbara area alone are expected to attend the event at Earl Warren Showgrounds. In addition to the walk, the Association will also be host to a…
Bulldogs extend youth clinics
Coach Tyson Aye’s youth basketball clinics were so successful during the spring season that Aye has extended his camps into the summer. The camps will take place June 16, 18, 23, 25, and 30, and July 2 at the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium on Mondays and Wednesdays Instruction will begin at 12:30 p.m. “We enjoyed…
Chrisshnay Brown
Playing one sport requires skill and perseverance. But participating in three sports is a feat that some would consider downright impossible. For Lompoc High School senior Chrisshnay Brown, athletics are an important part of her high school experience. Performing her best during the volleyball, basketball, and track seasons isn’t only possible for Brown; it’s a…
Vino Vaqueros combines wine and horseback riding
I’ve never been a cowgirl, or spent time on a farm or ranch, for that matter. I spent my time reading books and playing softball. But having grown up in a rural area that smells of farms, cow dung, and ocean air, there is a little country in me that comes out every now and…
