Cover Story
The last hurrah of foie gras
A liver is a private thing. Most organs are, really. They sit under layers of muscle, fat, and skin, quietly synthesizing or pumping, contracting or firing, carrying out their respective duties in the blood-tinged darkness. So the act of removing one of these organs, one of these specialized components, from its larger system, the act…
How important is one vote?
Carolyn Russell Bright Futures kindergarten director “It is important. We’re a collective, like raindrops in a bucket.” Tiffany Downing student “One vote counts, because that last vote can sway the outcome. You can’t complain if you don’t vote, because your vote could’ve made a difference.” Dana Gonzales student “I think one vote is very important…
Athlete of the Week: AUSTIN KAISER
For Allan Hancock College sophomore Austin Kaiser, signing with the San Diego State University golf team was a dream come true. On June 7, Kaiser signed a National Letter of Intent to represent the Aztecs as a golfer. SDSU maintains a prestigious golf program and finished in the top 10 of golf teams in the…
On the roster
• Santa Maria BMX clinic: BMX enthusiasts and the curious can learn what it takes to become a better rider at the Free Agent/Rockstar Clinic at Santa Maria BMX on June 23 from 10 a.m. to noon. U.S. Olympian Christian Becerine, Marcus Hampton, and members of the Free Agent BMX team will conduct the two-hour…
Summer workshops at Cachuma Lake
The Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake is kicking off summer with activities for kids. The first is a two-day birding workshop teaching children the basics of bird identification, scheduled for June 26 and 28 from 8:45 a.m. to noon. Sponsored by the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area, the special workshop will be led by…
Dance the night away at the youth center
So you think you can dance? Prove it at the city of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s first ever “Electronic Music Dance” on June 22 from 7 to 11 p.m. Teens 12 to 18 years old, and in junior high or high school, can dance to the sounds of eight different DJs from the…
The Bleacher Bum Chronicles Vol. XXVII
At some point, every athlete is guilty of using one. Under the heat of the lights and cameras of big-time athletics, sometimes desperation strikes, and it’s the only way out. After all, you’ve got to keep up with the Joneses. I’m not talking about performance-enhancing drugs; I’m talking about that bane of writers everywhere: the…
The art of listening
Even people without the slightest musical ability can enjoy a deep and rewarding relationship with the art. Rarely is it mentioned that the ability to listen to music properly is of paramount importance—not to say that there are fundamental rules when listening to music and that most people are wrong. There is truly only one…
Bake or barbecue?
We live in a sexist society, period. It is what it is. I didn’t start the trend, and I am not the one who designed the stereotypes. Do I occasionally reinforce them? Sure. I think it’s funny when someone makes a “barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen” joke about women. I only laugh because it…
Central Coast Flyer hits the tracks
The South Coast Railroad Museum will celebrate the inaugural run of the “Central Coast Flyer” at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, June 30, at the Santa Barbara Amtrak station. Two vintage railcars will take passengers for a roundtrip adventure along the Pacific Coast to San Luis Obispo. Points of interest along the route include the breathtaking…
Local child actor gets soap part
Beating out more than 500 other young actresses, 6-year-old Cheyanna Prelesnik nabbed a speaking role on the Emmy-award winning soap opera General Hospital. Her episode was set to air June 21. Prelesnik, a student of Shell Beach’s Aaron Metchik Acting Studio since she was 4, has booked several independent and student films in Los Angeles,…
Family life
You may not know Polly Frost now, but after seeing her one-woman show, you will. More than that, you’ll recognize your own family when you hear her talk about hers: the relatives who are dear to you, the ones who are related, and the ones who are there through marriage. The ones who make you…
Back in the saddle
The Elks Rodeo may have left town, but that doesn’t mean the horses, hats, and boots are all gone. Mosey on down to Pismo Beach for the second annual SLO-Poke Western Art Rodeo and have a gander at art capturing a variety of Western-themed scenes. More than 20 artists and 70 works of art will…
Inn wine country
Fess Parker told me a dozen years ago during a fireside chat in his homey Los Olivos hotel lobby—one of several extensive interviews I was granted by the late actor-turned-Santa Barbara County winery/hotel owner—that for a wine region to flourish, it must have five-star lodging and food. He explained that for Santa Barbara County to…
A lot of people like your take on libraries
Thank you, Ryan! What a wonderful tribute to the joy of going into a public library (“On the books,” June 7). And you know what? Four-hundred, seventy-five members of the Morro Bay Friends of the Library agree with you! These fine folks actually do pay a little bit every year to support our public library…
Yes, libraries are an important part of our infrastructure
Ed note: On April 19, Executive Editor Ryan Miller wrote a commentary about libraries, which garnered no response. A modified version of the commentary appeared in the Sun’s sister paper, New Times, on June 7. It generated response: Thanks so much for your wonderful commentary discussing the joy of discovering the public libraries (“On the…
The 99-percent stimulators get my vote
I found out that Ron Paul wants to abolish the federal income tax and replace it with a federal sales tax. It would have to be about 20 percent. The 99 percent pay more in payroll and sales taxes than income tax. For the 1 percent, it is the opposite. The less your income, the…
Here’s some airport trivia
Regarding the June 14 cover story, “The height of flight,” while the Santa Maria airbase was originally built to train B-25 pilots, that plan was scrubbed after construction when the runways proved not strong enough to hold the weight of the twin-engine bomber. Instead, P-38 and P-51 pilots were trained there. Late in the war,…
The pedophile effect
I really hate child molesters. Despise ’em, even. I’d love nothing more than to see them all neutered and worse. I could rant on and on about how depraved and horribly selfish it is to destroy a kid’s developing psyche for the sake of some twisted fetish, but condemning perverts does not a daring commentary…
Santa Ynez Valley students win scholarships
Each year, Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Auxiliary offers $3,000 scholarships to Santa Ynez Valley students graduating from high school or continuing college and pursuing a career in the medical field. Three candidates were selected for 2012, and each received $3,000 scholarships. Tyler Dalo graduated this month from Santa Ynez Valley High School and has…
Learn to build your own pond or waterfall–or both!
Looking to spruce up your backyard this summer? Create your own tropical paradise by learning how to design, build, and care for outdoor ponds and waterfalls in a free “Ponds and Waterfalls” class, offered by Allan Hancock College Community Education. Class instructor Raymond Bailey has been teaching horticulture courses at Allan Hancock College since 1973…
Spotlight on: Battleground
A new battleground has been set in Santa Maria, where wizards attack one another with spells and vicious creatures. Luckily, all the action takes place on a small table covered with a black cloth and cards. The arena is called Battleground, and it’s at the Town Center West shopping center next to Big 5. Joshua…
Advocates for Autism
According to Autism Speaks, more children this year will be diagnosed with autism than AIDS, diabetes, and cancer combined. Unfortunately, the specific cause of autism remains a mystery that scientists and doctors are trying to solve. With one in 88 children diagnosed with autism, Easter Seals of the Tri-Counties continues to provide services to autistic…
Clearing the air
Smokers in two apartment complexes in Northern Santa Barbara County will have to find someplace else to light up, if they’re to comply with a smoking ban imposed on rental properties owned by the Towbes Group. A Santa Barbara-based real estate investment and property management firm, the Towbes Group, is prohibiting smoking in the 13…
Meteorologist Jim Byrne is suing his former employer
Former KCOY/KKFX meteorologist Jim Byrne is suing Cowles California Media Company for allegedly breaching his contract when officials terminated his position at the broadcast news station in January. According to documents filed on April 25 in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Byrne entered a four-year contract with Cowles in October 2008. On January 12, 2012,…
Tony Cipolla becomes the new face of the SLO Sheriff’s Department
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department just got a lot handsomer. Central Coast anchorman Tony Cipolla has been selected as the new public information officer. According to a department news release, Cipolla was formally offered the position on June 14 after completing a lengthy vetting process. He will replace former PIO Rob Bryn, who…
Supervisors approve 2012-13 budget
On June 15, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors passed a multi-million dollar budget for 2012-13, using one-time funds to keep open several positions slated for elimination. After listening to a week’s worth of budget hearings packed with pleas from numerous community groups, the supervisors voted to continuing funding for several key departments. This…
Santa Barbara County Grand Jury looks into LHCDC
After much public scrutiny over whether it would investigate the demise of the bankrupt low-income housing nonprofit LHCDC, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury released on June 13 a report titled, “A Failure of Oversight: Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation.” “In January 2012, residents of Lompoc and indeed all of Santa Barbara County were…
Dignity Health employees to go on strike
After seven months of bargaining discussions, members of Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers (SEIU-UHW)—the union representing employees at Marian and French hospitals—announced plans to strike against parent company Dignity Health beginning at 11 p.m. on June 26. The strike is scheduled to last 72 hours, ending at 11 p.m. on June 29. “We’ve…
DA finds shooting of Santa Maria police officer justified
A Santa Maria police officer was justified in using deadly force in the shooting of fellow officer Albert Covarrubias, Jr., the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office concluded on June 19. In a detailed, 18-page report, District Attorney Joyce Dudley determined officer Matthew Kline reacted appropriately to a “life-threatening situation” when he shot Covarrubias on…
