Cover Story
Ready to pour: Brothers Spirits opens a tasting room offering an alternative libation in the Santa Ynez Valley’s popular wine destination
In an industrial area of Buellton, surrounded by winery production facilities and restaurants, sits Brothers Spirits. Inside, one of the brothers, Jay Lockwood, rests at a wooden table in the airy tasting area in front of several bottles of spirits. He is demonstrating how sampling spirits differs from tasting wine. He repeats a lesson he…
David Crosby settles jogger lawsuit for $3 million
David Crosby—a performing artist for the iconic folk rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer—settled a lawsuit filed against him by a Santa Ynez man who was injured after getting struck by Crosby’s car, according to court documents. Jose Gildardo Luquin Jimenez, who was 46 at the time…
Santa Maria BBQ joints Zoe’s and D&A pack a Hawaiian punch
A few weeks ago, my colleague, Dave, came into the office with a weirdly happy expression on his face and a foam take-out box in hand. He sat at his desk and flipped open the box’s lid and exclaimed: “Hawaiian barbecue!” And I thought, “Well, there’s something I haven’t written about for Eats yet.” So…
Standoff with Oakland homicide suspect in Santa Maria on June 10
On June 10, a suspect wanted in connection with an Oakland homicide shot himself following an hours-long standoff with police at a Santa Maria gas station, according to Kelly Hoover, the public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, whose name is not being released at this time, was wanted for…
Live Oak Music Festival features plenty of local groups throughout the weekend
The Live Oak Music Festival is a beloved weekend put on by KCBX Public Radio every year. The festival welcomes well-known folk, world music, blues, and rock groups that play on the station year round. This includes, of course, local artists as well. The weekend of live music kicks off on Friday, June 17, afternoon…
Biodynamic wineries in Santa Barbara County go beyond organic
What is biodynamic agriculture? The term “beyond organic” seems to get thrown around in certain circles, but what does that mean? According to Elizabeth Candelario with Demeter USA, it’s essentially a very comprehensive form of organic farming. “Biodynamic looks at a farm as if it was a living organism—self-contained and self-sustaining,” Candelario said. “It’s the…
How has the drought most affected you?
Koral Kiesow Delta High School student “It really hasn’t. I haven’t really gone to a lake up here. I usually go to the beach and there’s a lot of water there.” Tobin McClung Delta High School student “It really sucks for people with allergies. I’ve been miserable. And I like to go wakeboarding at…
Political Watch 6/9/16
• On May 26, Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) was named to the conference committee that will negotiate House and Senate versions of an energy and natural resources package that recently passed in the House. Capps issued the following statement regarding her appointment to the committee: “… I look forward to working with my colleagues…
Community Notebook 6/9/16 – 6/16/16
MONDAY, JUNE 13 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will hold its budget meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110…
Correction
In the story Cash Flow published on June 2, 2016, the Sun reported that Doug Troesh started Troesh Coleman Pacific (TCP) and sold rocks. He doesn’t sell rocks. Instead, Troesh started Troesh Supply Company and sold his part of the company to his sister in 2015, and it was renamed TCP, which is located on…
Salutes and sandwiches: Moxie Cafe adds cold sandwiches, unveils restored WWII-era delivery vehicle
The Moxie Café in Santa Maria had garnered a crowd in the dozens for a special event in the early evening of June 1. That’s when the café announced a new line of cold sandwiches and held the unveiling of a new delivery vehicle. Attendees from the Chamber of Commerce, Moxie staff, loyal customers, and…
Part of the family: Saarloos and Sons will adopt you into its Los Olivos-based wine-and-cupcake fantasy world
Red wine. White wine. Cupcakes. That’s the mantra of Saarloos and Sons, a Los Olivos-based winery known for its wine and cupcake pairings. You’ve never seen a cuter place: Wine bottles donning handwritten labels commemorating the growers’ family and friends; sun-faded tables and chairs set up on the patio out front, shaded by a large…
Hobnobbing with Helen: Minerva Club wraps up season
There is no place like Minerva,” Pernelle McCalip said at the last meeting of the Minerva Club’s 2015-16 season on May 17 at the clubhouse on Boone Street. Any sentiments to the contrary were not likely to have come from the 70 or so members who attended. Minerva is much beloved by its membership, 11…
Red vs. Blue: Early results show Carbajal and Fareed facing off in the general election for the 24th District
People packed the patio of Benchmark Eatery on State Street in Santa Barbara on the evening of June 7, all ages and styles of dress surrounded by drinks and food. “Salud Carbajal for Congress” signs leaned against walls and fences. Occasionally, a pocket of attendees would burst into cheer at poll updates or as someone…
Sheriff’s Office arrests 38 in years-long Santa Maria Valley gun and drugs investigation
Police arrested 49-year-old Jose Munoz in Santa Maria on May 26 on an outstanding warrant for selling methamphetamine, capping a years-long investigation by county and federal officials into the sales of guns and drugs in the Santa Maria Valley, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Munoz was one of 38, most of whom…
Los Padres Forest Service closes Rockfront area
Los Padres National Forest officials have temporarily closed the Rockfront Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) area to visitors and Forest Service employees due to dying trees that pose safety hazards. Forest Service Public Affairs Officer Andrew Madsen said dead standing trees become unstable in windy weather, threatening sudden collapse on campgrounds or across trails. “In the interest…
Betteravia Farms approved for guest farmworker housing unit
At its June 1 meeting, the county Planning Commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit for Betteravia Farms to build a 30-unit farmworker housing structure, called Curletti Ranch, on company land outside Santa Maria. The structure will house up to 600 guest laborers working for Betteravia Farms under H-2A, a federal program for temporary foreign…
John Linn running for mayor of Lompoc
Remember when John Linn was Lompoc’s mayor? Well, he’s ready for another round. Linn, mayor of Lompoc from 2010 to 2014, announced his fifth mayoral campaign at Lompoc LAUNCHpad on June 3. “In the last two years the city of Lompoc has had an administration that has accomplished very little,” Linn said at the announcement.…
Peter Adam re-elected as 4th District County Supervisor
Supporters, friends, and family of 4th District County Supervisor Peter Adam ate, drank, and made merry with the candidate in the upstairs space of the Far Western Tavern in Orcutt on the evening of June 7 as election results rolled in via televised news. Only the first round of absentee ballots had been counted and…
Rhonda Vincent and the Rage to perform in Santa Maria
The Knights of Columbus Council 11137 is hosting an evening of entertainment in Santa Maria, which will include a Santa Maria style tri-tip dinner and live music by none other than Rhonda Vincent and the Rage on June 12. The concert takes place at the St. Louis de Montfort parish hall and all proceeds from…
A (shelter) dog’s life
This month I did a good deed. I saved a life. OK. So there I bragged. I felt compelled to, because in a way I think it’s atonement for all those times I gave a sideways glance to my husband followed by a roll of the eyes whenever we’d meet someone, comment on their dog,…
Altrusa awards spring grants
Altrusa International Foundation Santa Maria Inc. announced the distribution of its spring grants, which awarded more than $19,000 to local agencies, the organization said in a June 2 release. The money is awarded from Altrusa’s memorial fund, which receives donations from people looking to honor departed friends and families. The grant money was awarded to…
Camp Fire Central Coast receives prestigious grant
Camp Fire Central Coast announced it was the recipient of the New York Life Foundation grant for local programs that benefit the youth in SLO and Santa Barbara counties. The grant will aid Camp Fire’s efforts in middle school programs, with more than $1 million allotted for a three-year investment. “New York Life Foundation’s investment…
Atascadero photographer Brittany App aims to raise drought awareness with documentary ‘Where Once There Was Water’
Some two years after Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency and enforced mandatory water restrictions, the severity of the drought in California still hasn’t quite sunk in for some. And why would it? All that people know is the faucet still turns on. Luckily for the odd water ostrich who’s stuck their head…
Righetti students create art and awareness with poster campaign
The end of the school year is a busy time for any high school student, and the art students at Righetti High School know this full well. As the school’s gymnasium was buzzing with teens viewing the annual student art show—which featured work created throughout the year—art students from multiple classes were in the quad,…
Olivia Gutierrez
Lompoc High School senior Olivia Gutierrez was so amped for the Braves’ CIF Division 5 championship match on June 4, that she wasn’t sure if it was prudent to discuss her arsenal of pitches with the Sun. “Am I allowed to tell you this?” she asked during a phone interview on June 3, the day…
Going for the gold: One Way Water Polo Club team hopes to qualify for National Junior Olympics in July
Fifteen months ago, a group of local 9- and 10-year-olds jumped into a swimming pool and grabbed a water polo ball for the first time. Now, that same group is aspiring to compete in the U.S.A. Water Polo Junior Olympics next month. Riding a wave of newfound love for water polo and their team, the…
Get ready for round 2, the main event
So how’d you like that primary election? A young man with rich friends in far-flung places, a wealthy farmer, billionaire blowhard, and a moneyed liar, all vying for political seats in their respective jurisdictions … kinda sounds like characters from a soap opera, doesn’t it? Must be some power that comes with those political positions,…
Revving it up in Lompoc
At the City Council meeting on May 17, Mayor Bob Lingl stunned the city by moving to stop any further work on the Motorsports Park planned by ex-mayor John Linn since 2012 for a site between the airport and the river east of V Street. The motion was supported by Councilmembers DeWayne Holmdahl and Victor…
Support new marine sanctuary
Congresswoman [Lois] Capps’ strong endorsement of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary ensures its eventual approval. The waters off the Central Coast deserve protection for many reasons. They contain a blend of northern and southern ocean currents, wind, animals, and plants that make the area ideal for studying climate change. Research projects and marine sanctuaries…
Corporate war mongers belong in jail, not protesters
Compliments to the Sun for its opinion article by Gale McNeeley (“The Freedom to say ‘no,’” May 12), which discussed Dennis Apel receiving four months in jail for being against war. The leaders of the corporations that promote war are the ones that belong in jail in my opinion—not Dennis. Dennis inspired me to protest…
Expressing appreciation for a job well done
We don’t often take time to really recognize or thank someone for the outstanding job that is performed on a daily basis. We tend to take for granted the safety and security that an officer of the law provides without regard to the hidden dangers. Officers risk their own lives every time they go out…
Dump Trump
What many thought would be impossible has already happened. Except the formality of official nomination at the Republican convention in July, for all practical purposes, Donald Trump is the presidential nominee of the Republican Party. It happened despite denouncements from the GOP establishment and the decision by a group of generous benefactors of the party…
Delta students play soccer to raise money for youth in need
Numerous goals for those in need were scored during the Biggest Giver Soccer Tournament. The idea for the recent fundraising event was developed by several Delta High School students who completed a writing assignment that focused on giving hope to the community. Students Ulises Ortega, Brayan Cugua, Raul Ortega, Jesus Gonzales, Leonel Gracida, Salvador Rodriguez,…
Righetti High’s Warrior Writer’s Club donates books to Liberty Elementary School
Several students from the Righetti High School Warrior Writer’s Club recently spent some time distributing donated books at an elementary school to promote the joy and benefit of literacy. The students came up with the community outreach idea and planned the field trip to Liberty Elementary School after they received 36 popular young adult novels…
Spotlight on: One Way Board Shop
When Dan Pankratz and his brother, Dave, started One Way Board Shop more than 15 years ago, all they had was less than $500 in cash. Now the brothers have a one-stop shop for all things skateboarding as well as an indoor skate park for area youth to learn the tricks of the sport. What…
