Cover Story
Meet the Class of 2011
It’s the dream of almost every varsity athlete who’s ever laced up a pair of cleats, picked up a bat, or thrown on a set of shoulder pads: a college scholarship. Out of the thousands of high school students who participate in sports area-wide, each year only a chosen few have the distinction of making…
Are you fearful of radiation coming from Japan?
Julian Andrade student @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; } “Not really. The chances for high radiation are not very likely.” Nate Brookshire student “We got bigger things to worry about than radiation.” Robin Ponder…
Brittany Bolusan and Genevieve Aguilar
Sometimes, two athletes are better than one, and that’s the case with Brittany Bolusan, 13, and Genevieve Aguilar, 15. The two gymnasts are part of the Vandenberg Jets gymnastics team, dedicating about 20 hours per week in the gym to practicing. They also act as junior coaches for the Jets’ Level 3 team—ages 5 through…
Roller derby returns to Fairpark
Cal Skate Roller Derby, one of Santa Maria’s newest roller derby teams, will be hosting its first-ever bout on April 2 at the Santa Maria Fairpark against the Sin Cal Derby Vixens. Doors open at 6 p.m. and wheels roll at 7. Pre-sale tickets cost $10 for adults 13 and up, $5 for children ages…
Get out for trout
Anglers of all ages are encouraged to enter the Cachuma Lake Nature Center’s 16th annual Trout Derby fundraiser on April 9 and 10. Cash prizes amounting to $5,000 and thousands of dollars in merchandise will be awarded in several different categories and age groups. Free arts and crafts activities will also be offered to children…
Thirty-two minutes
After a season that began in December and included 12 league contests and nine postseason games, all that stands between the St. Joseph girls’ basketball team and its first state championship in 20 years is 32 grueling minutes. The common thread between the last championship team and this year’s Lady Knights is head coach…
I don’t think ‘shot potato’ is a real tradition
Kudos to K. Reka Badger’s recommendation of Guinness instead of green beer (“Irish food in the New World,” March 17). The Bleacher Bum’s drinking games however, border on the irresponsible (“The Bleacher Bum Chronicles XII,” March 17). Drinking multiple shots of whiskey not only ensures an early end to the night, it can also lead…
How does Guadalupe rate for flood control?
Well, it’s deja vu all over again, as Yogi Berra is alleged to have said. The recent heavy rains breached the Santa Maria River banks in Guadalupe (note: no levee) and again damaged the Apostolic Church at 9th and Pioneer streets, plus causing the evacuation of some 20 residents in the area for a few…
Public employee benefits are breaking taxpayers
From Washington to Lompoc, taxpayers are finding they can no longer afford civil service workers with union-negotiated benefits, who in general exceed the income and benefits paid by the private sector for similar responsibilities. Civil service unions are the bane of taxpayers because, unlike private unions, there is no way to control them. In the…
Hobnobbing With Helen
Been through any cardboard rabbit holes lately? If so, chances are that you were at St. Joe’s annual BASH, a fund-raiser par excellence, this year called “A Knight in Wonderland.” If you saw the Red Queen (aka Delaney Carr) chatting with the Mad Hatter alongside a huge and charming tea party table, you were definitely…
Make sense of healthcare changes
Recent reforms to the healthcare system will be the topic of a seminar held by TWIW Insurance Services on April 5 in Santa Maria. Michael Framberger of Anthem Blue Cross, Jason Herbison of LISI Brokers Services, and Kevin Huber and Marcus Wilson from TWIW Insurance Services will present the seminar. Subjects to be discussed include…
Ag’s on tap for lecture series
The Santa Barbara County Ag Futures Alliance (AFA) announced that the group is presenting the first part of its agricultural education series in Santa Maria on April 6. The four-part “Agriculture in Santa Barbara County: The Field to Fork” series seeks to inform and educate residents about food and farming practices in the county, looking…
Elks Rodeo promises big changes
The 2011 edition of the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo will be undergoing a ground-up makeover involving a new VIP suite section and a change to the way general admission tickets are sold, rodeo organizers said. This year’s Elks Rodeo “Western Weekend” will kick off with the Dave Osburn Memorial Pro Bull Riding performance on June…
Greka settles with county for $2 million
Years after a series of oil spills racked up numerous fines for Greka Oil and Gas—a result of violations of Santa Barbara County’s environmental regulations—it’s time for the company to pay the piper. In a financial settlement signed March 16, Greka agreed to pay the county $2 million in 43 installments for the so-called Bell…
A senior learns the power of justice
Nicholette Rodgers, a senior in the Santa Maria Joint Union Home School Program, has recently been awarded an internship at the Santa Barbara County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Teen Court. Rodgers will, in addition to working a part-time job and attending school, come in 20 hours a week to Teen Court. “It’s meant…
Times are tough for community colleges
For students today, that thought—once a reality—is as good as a dream, especially since community colleges will now face an increase in enrollment fees for the 2011-2012 academic year. California Community College Chancellor Jack Scott commented on Gov. Brown’s 2011-2012 budget plan in a recent statement to the media. The chancellor wrote that if the…
Feed those Curves
Curves—that bastion of women’s fitness—is hosting its 13th annual Curves Food Drive in April. Many Curves clubs, including the one in Lompoc, will be collecting non-perishable food and cash donations to benefit their local food banks. And, from April 4 to 17, Curves will waive the membership fee for new members who donate a bag…
Nurses of the animal world
Starting 2012, Santa Maria could be home to the only licensed veterinary technician program on the Central Coast. A veterinary technician—vet tech for short—is the animal-serving equivalent of a nurse practitioner. And similar to nurses, vet techs are in high demand. Currently, locals interested in becoming licensed vet techs have to travel as far away…
No death penalty sought for Myers defendant
One of the five defendants in the ongoing Dystiny Myers murder trial learned she won’t face the death penalty. At a March 17 preliminary hearing in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, prosecutors announced they will not seek capital charges against Rhonda Wisto, 47, of Nipomo, who is accused of being the leader of a…
Arroyo Grande cross burning is being investigated as a hate crime
In the early morning hours of March 18, an 11-foot-cross was set ablaze outside the window of a 19-year-old African American woman in Arroyo Grande, according to police reports. The Arroyo Grande Police Department is investigating the cross burning as arson and a hate crime. Arroyo Grande Police Chief Steve Annibali said two FBI agents…
Rain pummels Santa Barbara County, prompting an evacuation and an air rescue
Stormy weather across the Central Coast had government and law enforcement officials working overtime the weekend of March 20. The Santa Barbara County Emergency Operations Center was busy monitoring flooding in Guadalupe and water flowing from Lake Cachuma into the Santa Ynez River. As a precaution, Guadalupe city officials evacuated approximately two dozen residents living…
Spring in wine country
Although wine may rest in French oak and age quietly in bottles, activity within the wine world never really ceases. The growing season requires constant vigilance in the vineyard, harvest brings a flurry of labor, and winter entails racking, blending, and endless peeks into aromatic barrels. In early spring, just as the next vintage emerges…
Decades of dance
Each year, one aspect of the Allan Hancock College dance program’s annual spring and fall dance concerts gets overlooked. As performers practice and teams of people pay attention to every nuance of each upcoming show, posters go up all over town. Those posters are works of art themselves and make up a special part of…
Strawberry queen contest opens
Be queen for a year. The 2011 Strawberry Queen Contest, put on by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau, is now accepting entries. The contest allows local girls the opportunity to vie for the crown while earning scholarship money and supporting their community. To participate, each girl must sell…
Library recognizes arts winners
The winners of the 2011 Small Works juried exhibition at the Santa Maria Public Library have been announced. “There are many great pieces in this exhibition, from clever presentation, elegant simplicity, to indefinably lively,” said judge Martin Johnsen. Awards included Best in Show: Sheryl Knight for November in Sonoma, oil on linen; Award of Excellence:…
Art of Recovery show calls for artists
Transitions-Mental Health Association, partnering with the Healing Arts Council of Santa Barbara County, invites people of all ages with a connection to mental illness to submit entries of artistic expression for the 2011 “Art of Recovery” show. People recovering from substance abuse, mental illness, and their family members are encouraged to submit work in any…
Sending a message
It was a cold, gray, overcast day in Arroyo Grande, but Merrell Fankhauser’s sunny surfer style said otherwise as he stepped into his tiki lounge. Fankhauser still sports the long, white-blond hair he had when he ushered in the 1960s wave of surf music with his song “Wipe Out.” Everything about Fankhauser seems amiable, from…
