Cover Story
Doing it for themselves
Anyone can publish a book these days. Some writers simply sell their books to family and friends and never get beyond that. Others gain local exposure. A few find their way to a national audience. And they do it all themselves. Because the self-publishing trend is growing so quickly, there’s little in the way of…
What book can’t you finish?
Amy Molina mom “Frankenstein in high school. I just couldn’t read it. It was too boring.” Tim Derkson ad sales @font-face { font-family: “Times”; }@font-face { font-family: “Geneva”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } “Darkly Dreaming Dexter, because of work.” Waylon Hatcher…
Steven de Comarmond
When it comes to competing on the track, Santa Maria High’s Steven de Comarmond is regularly getting a leg up on the competition. During a meet at Righetti High on March 3, the two-time defending Los Padres League champion in the 100-meter hurdles posted a 14.05 time to win the event, his fastest time ever.…
Pitch, hit, and run
Children and adults with special needs are invited to participate in Hero Sports League on the Central Coast’s Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit, and Run event on March 19 at Laguna Middle School in San Luis Obispo. The event is free, and pizza will be provided for participants. Hero Sports League helps kids and adults…
Rodeo holds flag tryouts
Want to carry a flag at the 68th annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo? Sponsor flags play an important role in the event, and organizers will be holding a tryout for flag wavers on March 19 at 8 a.m. at the Elks Event Center. The audition session is the only one scheduled, and participants must try…
Golf tournament will benefit Marian
Golfers are invited to tee off in support of community health care at the 22nd annual Leland “Butch” Simas and Felix Fly, M.D., Memorial Golf Tournament on March 28. The tournament will be held at the Santa Maria Country Club, and will be hosted by the Marian Medical Center Foundation. All proceeds will benefit Marian’s…
The Bleacher Bum Chronicles XII
Top o’ the morning to you, constant readers. Hopefully you’re at breakfast, getting your drink on as you read this month’s column; if not, where’s your Irish spirit? No, I’m not mad—just disappointed. Luckily, there’s still time, so get with the program, and I don’t mean AA. This St. Patrick’s-themed tome takes aim at Gaelic…
Irish food in the New World
“Oh, wasn’t it the happy days when troubles we had not, And our mothers make colcannon in the little skillet pot,” says the traditional Irish song. On the threshold of spring, we face certain obligatory ceremonial acts, such as joyful Mardi Gras toasts and lugubrious tax preparations. Between the two lies a lighthearted excuse for…
I’m only trying to help
The other day, I decided to be a nice guy and help my wife out by doing the dishes. It wasn’t Mother’s Day, my wife’s birthday, or anything like that. I just did it because I have a kind heart … and a fairly greedy libido. At my house, candy and flowers are always outshined…
Nipomo needs artists
The Nipomo Arts Commission and the Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos are inviting artists to submit artwork for a juried exhibition, “El Camino Real—Highway Through History.” The exhibition is part of the second annual “Arts at the Adobe” event, set for June 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rancho Nipomo Dana Adobe. All winning…
Students express themselves through art
PTA Reflections student artwork is on display at the Town Center Gallery in Santa Maria through March 19. Reflections encourages students to pursue their own artistic expression throughout their school career and beyond to foster a lifelong love for the arts. For nearly 40 years, the PTA Reflections program (started in 1969 by then Colorado…
Art and cars show in Orcutt
The Los Padres Artist Guild’s Arts and A’s Spring Show happens March 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Luis Oasis Senior Center, 420 East Soares Ave. in Orcutt. Fine art and crafts created on paper, canvas, clay, jewelry, and silk by 20 guild artists will be exhibited and for sale. There will…
Curtain call
Solvang has long had a theater downtown. It’s been shuttered, but it’s been there. Now, it’s reopening, and local theater enthusiasts are excited about the possibilities. The venue will henceforth be known as Manny’s Upstairs Theatre, because of its location above the newly re-opened Manny’s restaurant on Mission Drive. Manny’s owner Fernando Tovalin controls the…
Women in print
It’s Women’s History Month, and the Lompoc Museum is celebrating by putting women in the spotlight. Specifically, that light is focusing on women printmakers. This month’s exhibit is “Looking at Prints by American Women: 1900-1950,” which features American women printmakers who worked in the first half of the 20th century. The exhibit features works…
Union demonstrators: This is not a democracy
One wonders when the Wisconsin Public Employee Union and its supporters clamor for “Power to the People” and “Democracy Now!” if these people are unaware that America is not a democracy, but a republic. Do they know that the word “democracy” is not mentioned anywhere in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, or that…
Compare what legislators say and do for veterans
A recent analysis by HUD and the VA has revealed the distressing statistic that military veterans make up 16 percent of our nation’s homeless, while comprising only 10 percent of its adult population—a problem that is worsening as vets return from Afghanistan and Iraq. While there are many forces underlying this disproportion, congressional reluctance to…
A corporation bought the House Energy and Commerce Committee
A corporation bought the House Energy and Commerce Committee They waited until the election was over and the dirty deed done, but a few weeks ago, L.A. Times’ reporters finally revealed how the Supreme Court’s ruling declaring corporation’s “persons” who could give unlimited funds to politicians of their choice helped one corporation buy the House…
Watch how Gov. Brown handles the pension issue
Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown is gasping in Sacramento as he and his Democrat legislature observe the emerging national revolt against state and local government unions. Brown was elected and the Democrats retained legislative control because of the union vote. But California’s budget problem caused by union-pensions far exceeds any other state. Nationwide, state and local…
Conservatives don’t want rules to trip up profits
In a recent issue of the Sun (March 3) there is a letter written by Mr. Larry Bargenquast: “Liberals need to grow into responsible adults.” This letter says that liberals hate conservatives as people and are reduced to a state of rage when exposed to conservative ideas with which they—liberals—disagree. Reduced to rage? I don’t…
My fresh, electric start
In the fourth grade, my friend Michael would sneak a pack of Kents from his mother’s carton and, after school, a bunch of us would go to the woods by Nichols Park and light up. We used the code word “Superman” to refer to the Kent cigarettes, with Superman being Clark Kent. I stopped smoking…
Adventure time!
Anyone who wants to go on safari and bring home some precious game should keep April 10 open for the fifth annual Santa Maria Safari. The museum-themed adventure begins at noon at base camp—Santa Maria Public Library’s Shepard Hall—and children will receive a free copy of Zoobooks Magazine, courtesy of Altrusa International of the Central…
PG&E officials say it won’t happen here
According to officials from Pacific Gas & Electric, the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant isn’t susceptible to the same catastrophic failures as Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi, which is currently belching out radioactive material after several of its units exploded. “There are some very significant differences,” John Conway, PG&E senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, said…
Committee donates to VTC
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Nominations needed for ag awards
The 37th District Agricultural Association is looking for nominations of people who’ve made important contributions to the county’s agricultural industry for its annual Agriculture Recognition Awards. Awards will be distributed at July’s Santa Barbara County Fair in the categories of Agri-Business Person of the Year, Farmer of the Year, and Livestock Producer of the Year.…
Nipomo nurseries open doors
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Young professionals celebrate kickoff
It’s a few months old as an organization, but the Santa Maria Young Professionals Networking Group (SMYPNG) is holding its official kickoff event on March 26. The event will celebrate the group’s official beginning. The organization seeks to connect young professionals on the Central Coast with each other and with community leaders. The event will…
Join hands to fund California community colleges
Several dozen Allan Hancock College students, teachers, and staff members stood hand in hand at the Santa Maria campus on March 9 in preparation for a statewide event designed to educate people about funding cuts affecting the community college system. On April 17, Hancock, along with more than 100 other community colleges, will participate in…
Oceano Dunes wind-monitoring towers approved
The towers—to be built by the California Department of Parks and Recreation Off Highway Vehicle division—will be used to collect data on sand and other particulate matter blowing off the dunes and into residential areas in Oceano and Nipomo. Residents complain dust kicked up by off-road vehicles is a health hazard. County officials from various…
Bountiful harvest
One day, about a year ago, Santa Maria resident Stephanie Hull was on Pabst Lane, driving through her neighborhood with her two daughters in the car. In front yards on both sides of the street stood fruit trees weighed down by overripe fruit. Rotten oranges littered the ground. “I said, ‘Look at all this fruit!…
They live to advise another day
Upset by a recent announcement from a rookie San Luis Obispo County supervisor, some elected members of two South County advisory councils slated for dissolution spoke out before the Board of Supervisors about a proposed change in guidelines for such groups in the area. And though many community members also voiced their support for changes…
State budget cuts continue to loom
When Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown entered office a month ago, he faced a $26.6 billion deficit—the largest in California’s history. He proposed dealing with the shortfall in two ways: a radical $12 billion slashing of the budget and a public vote on a continuation of sales and personal taxes, which should bag approximately $12.5 billion…
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Farr challenges Chumash land annexation
A request by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for federal legislation to annex 1,400 acres of tribal-owned land near Santa Ynez recently drew the attention of Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr. Farr met with a staff member for U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Thousand Oaks) on March 9 in an attempt…
