Cover Story
Cyber citizens: Technology is redefining educational tools in the classroom and setting the stage for students’ future online presence
Elementary school projects used to consist of macaroni pasta shells, toothpick bridges, and soft pipe cleaners. Today, Baywood Elementary School students in Los Osos use a 3-D printer to make materials for their projects. Third-grade teacher David Curran said the possibilities are endless when it comes to technology and the tools that can be used…
Where do you waste the most time online?
Kailani Cabanting student “YouTube. Since it’s summer, probably five hours a day.” Nicki Cabanting staffing coordinator “Facebook, maybe combined one to two hours a day.” Gary Langley student “Snapchat, probably three to four hours.” Vanessa Meraz student “Social media. In total about four hours.”
Pain in the …
I might come off a little grumpy this week. I’m sorry about that, but I’ve got an excuse—my back hurts! You could call it an occupational hazard of sitting at a desk all day. I bet some Santa Maria Police Department officers are going to be dealing with some lower back pain come mid-July. They’ll…
Orcutt Academy students paint mural for hospital patients
Nine Orcutt Academy art students painted a new mural for the Marian Regional Medical Center’s terrace, a popular spot for patients and visitors. The mural was unveiled on June 16, and depicts the landscape of the Santa Maria Valley, according to a release from Dignity Health. Orcutt Academy High School’s advanced art teacher Dona Kintzi…
Whiskey Bent BBQ of Buellton can’t stop winning prizes for their food
When Matt Dockstader and his friends Raymond Williams and BJ Anadon entered their first official barbecue contest at the Santa Maria Elks lodge, things didn’t really go as planned. “We lost miserably,” Dockstader said, laughing over the phone. “We went down in a big ball of flames. It definitely made us go back to the…
Summer camps in Santa Maria focus on art and writing
You’re a pirate, rocking back and forth as your ship hits a storm, trying to make shore and look for your treasure. You’re on a rocket ship and you meet a giant alien. You’re a deep-sea diver and you find a magic city underwater. These imaginary adventures are the kinds of situations children could find…
On the up and up: Nipomo opens town’s only art gallery
Drive too fast on North Thompson Road in Nipomo and you just might miss it. But right across the street from Jocko’s Steak House, there it is, a cute nondescript wood building painted gray with succulents peeking around the edges. Step inside and you’ll see art by local artists covering nearly every available inch of…
Spotlight on: KT’s All Star Gymnastics
In the age of video games, tablets, and YouTube, kids are tanking more and more time with electronic devices. Getting them moving has become all the more important. That’s why gymnastics, like those taught at KT’s All Star Gymnastics at the Santa Maria Town Center, are so important—they instill the art of movement. The coaches…
We’re all doomed
For many of us, most days just feel like it’s the end of the world, but there are actually a lot of people out there who believe that the end of the world is indeed nigh. I recently discovered that one prophetic group had predicted last Saturday would be the end of the globe as…
PCPA Costume Designer donates sketches to Hancock
Judy Ryerson (pictured), who designed more than 1,600 costumes for 64 PCPA productions, recently donated three boxes of costume-design sketches to Allan Hancock College. Laid out end to end, the sketches span almost three football fields, Ryerson said in a release from the college. After 30 years designing for PCPA productions, Ryerson felt like it…
Art generates millions in local revenue
According to the 2017 Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 report conducted by the Americans for the Arts, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $198.6 million in annual economic activity in Santa Barbara County. The report, released on June 17, showed that the spending supports 5,857 full-time jobs and delivers $19.1 million in local and…
Temple Beth El features Amaya Rose and friends at July 4 concert
Temple Beth El hosts an Independence Day event each year with live music and food, and for several years, the featured performer has been local fiddle champion and country singer Amaya Rose. Known as a child prodigy with virtuosic ability on the fiddle, and a clear, bright singing voice, it’s been a few years since…
Pushing city limits: Santa Maria mayor starts collaborative effort toward at-risk youth prevention program
In the past 20 years, the city of Santa Maria averaged between one and three murders per year until a wave of violence between December 2014 and January 2016 that included 21 homicides—most of which were gang related. To begin addressing the issue, Mayor Alice Patino started to collaborate with 5th District Santa Barbara County…
Horsing around: Early Californios Skills of the Rancho showcases traditional Vaquero horse skills
More than 150 horsemen and women from across the state will convene at the Elks Unocal Event Center arena in Santa Maria for the fifth annual Early Californios Skills of the Rancho event, hosted by the Californio Bridlehorse Association (CBA). The free event runs July 6 through 9 and showcases the horsemanship and stockmanship techniques…
Preston Motta
Preston Motta of Santa Maria is only 9 years old, but he already has three gold medals under his belt—his gray belt to be specific. Preston won first place in all three jiu-jitsu competitions he’s entered since joining Paragon Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in 2015, and he intends to remain undefeated for as long as he can…
I hope to help
Even though I live in Westlake Village, I regularly read the Sun as my daughter and her family live in Lompoc and she picks it up for me. Since I am in the business of consulting for nonprofits (more than 2,500 events throughout the United States and in seven foreign countries) I have been able…
Canet-Romero family looking for descendants
Our family has been longtime residents of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, dating back to the 1800s. We are descendants of the Francisco C. Romero and Ramona V. Canet family, which maintains the last remaining private cemetery in California. We are holding a family reunion on July 22, 2017. The last one was…
Lompoc needs expert advice
This is regarding the ongoing Lompoc city budget review to the $70 milion CalPERs financial dilemma imposed on the city by that organization. The three letters from Misters Grill, Gallanders, and Dettamanti in the Lompoc Record are the typical armchair experts offering their misdirected advice for a solution. None of them know anything about city…
Let’s work together
The response to the recent attack on the Republicans practicing for a baseball fundraiser is a great example of Democrats and Republicans coming together, if only for a short time. The Democrats lost the last presidential election. It is past due for both parties to come together and support the office of the president of…
Thank you and farewell
My time in office is short, and the list of thanks I owe is long, very long. As the nation prepares to celebrate July 4, I want to first and foremost thank the Santa Barbara County community for the privilege and honor it has been to work as your elected representative in a system of…
SMHS baseball team honored at Downtown Fridays
The Santa Maria High School baseball team was honored June 23 at the Downtown Fridays event for its successful season. The team won the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 6 baseball title, making it the first Santa Maria High School team to win since 1957. With their outstanding pitching and strong offense, the…
Seventh graders awarded scholarships to attend Tech Trek
The American Association of University Women-Santa Maria Branch (AAUW-SM) awarded seven local seventh-grade girls full scholarships to attend Tech Trek at UC Santa Barbara. Tech Trek, a weeklong science and math camp, is designed to help young women entering eighth grade in the fall. The camp offers hands-on activities in math, science, and related fields.…
Sheriff Bill Brown to close Santa Maria Branch Jail in July due to budget cuts
When the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office looks at a more restricted budget, the Santa Maria Police Department’s officers start making more trips down to Goleta. Starting at midnight on July 16, that will be the new normal for the SMPD and other law enforcement officers serving North County, as that’s when Sheriff Bill Brown…
Nipomo parks get $1.2 million–but little available for skate park
Three park projects in Nipomo are about to receive a $1.2 million funding boost from San Luis Obispo County, thanks to a budget adjustment approved on June 20 by the SLO County Board of Supervisors. Receiving the $1.2 million is the Dana Adobe restoration project ($300,000) for a new water line; the Jack’s Ready Imagination…
Man who died in house fire ran music studio
The man who died in a June 26 house fire in Nipomo is being remembered for his love of music, which he shared with others by running a recording studio. Friends offered condolences and memories of Thomas Edward Gingell, 61, on social media in the wake of his death. Gingell was the owner and operator…
Nipomo still under severe water shortage
Nipomo residents must continue to limit their water use because of low groundwater levels, according to a report from the Nipomo Mesa Management Area Technical Group. In April, the group analyzed groundwater levels in several wells in Nipomo, which confirm that Nipomo is still under “severe water shortage conditions,” according to the report. The Mesa’s…
Santa Maria sells water to South Coast cities
The city of Santa Maria is unloading 4,000 acre-feet of its State Water Project allotment to South Coast water agencies this year. “We can do this because basically our city has two sources of water: local groundwater and imported state water,” city spokesperson Mark van de Kamp told the Sun. Santa Maria is looking at…
Brush fires flare up across Central Coast
Firefighters from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties responded to several vegetation fires that ignited hillsides across the Central Coast starting on June 23. A 16-acre fire that burned dry brush near the Tanglewood area of the Santa Maria Valley was completely contained by Santa Barbara County Fire Department and Santa Maria Fire Department…
Los Alamos will host dog races to benefit library
The Friends of the Los Alamos Public Library is having its annual Los Alamos Dog Races “Bark for Books” benefit event on July 1. All of the proceeds will go back to the library. The races begin at 1:30 p.m. and feature six races in total. The first race is for dogs that are athletically…
Political Watch 6/29/17
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was one of a group of Senate Democrats who urged Senate Appropriators in a letter to decrease funding for President Donald Trump’s deportation force and detention beds in the 2018 fiscal year budget. “President Trump’s budget makes massive cuts to domestic programs that support all Americans, including critical DHS grant…
