Cover Story
Finding a place called home: A revamped Santa Barbara County campaign aims for more placements of foster youth
Editors note: Dylan’s name has been changed to protect his privacy. Little black rain boots sit on the back patio of the home of Matt and Michael Pennon. Dylan, 3, flies across the room, slips his feet into them, and begins to stomp around the expansive yard. He explains that he helps collect chicken eggs…
Mark Goodman voted out of SMJUHSD office
Mark Goodman, 10-year president of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) Faculty Association, will step down from office this fall following a vote by Faculty Association members. Voting for the association’s officers ended on May 6, and Goodman was the only of five executive officers not re-elected to his position, according to…
What do you think of the presidential primaries so far?
Eva Villa Allan Hancock College student “There’s nothing good about it. There’s not one good candidate.” Alexis Bendixen Allan Hancock College student “It’s bullshit. There isn’t really a good candidate in my opinion.” Juan Palacios Allan Hancock College student “No good candidate. Even though Bernie is probably the most honest one, he’s not the best…
Michelle Minetti-Smith named Santa Barbara County’s Teacher of the Year
Michelle Minetti-Smith, a first-grade teacher at Mary Buren Elementary School in the Guadalupe Union School District, has been named the 2017 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year. Minetti-Smith is in her 20th year of teaching at Mary Buren. Not only is teaching “in the genes” for Minetti-Smith, so, too, is the very building in…
SMHS student Jose Rios earns agricultural mechanic award
Demonstrating superior achievement in the development and application of agricultural mechanics, Santa Maria High School FFA member Jose Rios earned the Agricultural Mechanics Repair and Maintenance Placement Proficiency Award at the 88th State FFA Leadership Conference in Fresno. Rios has been working at the PRO Diesel Service and Repair shop where he performs basic tractor…
Minerva Club awards scholarships
The Minerva Club held its annual scholarship awards celebration at the club on May 1. Guest speaker Andrea Martinez, member services director of the Santa Maria Valley YMCA, encouraged students to get involved with their community as they strive for their personal goals. She said that everyone can make a positive impact by helping one…
Jade’s Filipino Food in Santa Maria doesn’t disappoint
I am a woman who counts calories, and as such, I really love writing the Eats column because it means I can cave in to some of my worst cravings and pretend it’s “for work.” So the other day, when it came time for me to tackle this week’s food review adventure, I knew exactly…
It’s a bad, bad, bad world
My youngest son was 4 years old the first time we took him to Disneyland. We made him wear a button that told everyone it was his first time there, and because of that button Disney staff went out of their way to make his visit as impressive as possible. That included getting special treatment…
Green Jellÿ’s Bill Manspeaker talks about being a dad, franchising his band, and how to be the best at being the worst
If you ever feel like you don’t have any talent, consider Green Jellÿ (pronounced green jello). In the late 1980s, Bill Manspeaker drove from Buffalo, New York, to Los Angeles for an appearance on The Gong Show, and set out to prove that you can still be the best at being the worst. The Gong…
County Water Agency names Water Wise video contest winners
The Santa Barbara County Water Agency announced the winners of the 2016 Water Wise High School Video Contest, which saw 22 videos submitted from 10 different high schools throughout the county. Students were asked to create 30-second videos detailing water conservation techniques, with this year’s theme of Water Conservation in the Forecast. First place was…
Santa Barbara County Fair holds Home Wine Competition
The Santa Barbara County Fair invites local amateur vintners to compete in the Home Wine Competition happening at the fair on June 11. All locals who made wine with grapes grown in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo counties are eligible to compete. Entry deadline to submit online is May 13, with several varietal categories…
Los Alamos holds town-wide garage sale
The tiny town of Los Alamos presents its annual Town-Wide Garage Sale event on May 14 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. throughout Los Alamos. A list of participating houses is available at the Los Alamos Post Office on May 13 after 4 p.m. or on the morning of the event. More information is available…
Santa Maria Public Library calls for artists
The Santa Maria Public Library is seeking artists who want to show their work in the library’s Shepard Hall. Artists who apply could show their art for up to 12 months, according to a release from the library. Interested artists must turn in the appropriate application materials by June 16. The applications are reviewed through…
Santa Maria Civic Theatre closes the Fayro trilogy with ‘Southern Hospitality’
The Futrelle sisters are at it again in the Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s (SMCT) last production of this season, Southern Hospitality, a romping comedy set in Fayro, Texas. The play was penned by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. The production actually closes out a trilogy that SMCT has dedicated itself to over the…
Nipomo High drama debuts ‘Reach: The Musical,’ thanks to local creative team
It hardly ever happens in the theater world that the cast and crew of a production get to have a say in the script writing and musical composition of the work they are performing. But thanks to a happy circumstance, that’s exactly what Nipomo High School drama department students got to do before premiering the…
Keith Moles
Even though he was just crowned Most Valuable Player of the PAC 8 for 2016, Righetti High School junior Keith Moles insists he hasn’t played his best golf yet this spring. “I feel like I’m really close to getting really low numbers in these next couple tournaments,” he told the Sun. What score constitutes a…
Small town heroes: Three Orcutt Academy standout athletes commit to college sports programs
It’s that time of year, when our favorite local prep stars are announcing where they’ll take their talents in the fall. While the city of Santa Maria breeds college-level athletes left and right, neighboring Orcutt is a smaller community with a still-developing high school sports culture. Joining the Los Padres League in 2014, Orcutt Academy…
Vacationland: Will a Santa Barbara County ordinance regulating short-term vacation rentals benefit everyone?
Santa Barbara County has always been a tourist attraction. With its Mediterranean climate, ocean views, and mountains speckled with orange poppies and oak trees, it’s not hard to see why. And you can’t forget about the hundreds of wineries that attracted more than 860,000 unique visitors to the county in 2013, according to a report…
Unity among the divide
It’s probably not surprising to some that there has been divisiveness around us. Within Santa Barbara County income, diversity, and crime has caused an economic divide, an ethnic divide, and a class divide. In a bigger sense those same issues discussed in the political arena have caused a divide within our country. We’ve become a…
Sanctuary will not affect fishing
Regarding “Don’t interrupt the circle of life” (The Canary, May 5), thanks for siding with nature, but we can assure you that Andy Caldwell does not have “a valid point” that “the sanctuary would hurt the fishing industry more than it would benefit marine health.” Here’s one of many studies that refutes Mr. Caldwell’s assumption:…
Achadjian has what it takes
As a retired Air Force officer and Central Coast resident, I want to publicly wish state Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian a successful bid for the 24th District seat in the United States Congress. At first meeting, I realized Katcho is not a politician; he put himself through school and is a community-focused businessman and public servant…
Porter, students, and veterans
This year on the Saturday before Memorial Day, more than 100 students from Santa Ynez High School will gather at Ballard Cemetery to help decorate more than 800 veterans’ graves with flags and crosses or Stars of David. Each year it’s an amazing event that brings students and veterans together to honor those who served…
Joan Hartmann stands out
For the first time in years, the 3rd District has good candidates for supervisor. However, for a number of reasons, Joan Hartmann stands out above the rest. Work ethic: Joan has proven by her past community involvement that she will spend the time and effort necessary to study the issues, meet with her constituents, and…
The freedom to say, ‘no’
Our First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.” Is it fair, then, that peace activist and Catholic Worker Dennis Apel should go to prison on May 9…
Spotlight on: J. Wilkes Wines
The secret is out about Santa Barbara County wines, but it’s important to keep the recognition ball rolling. And perhaps there’s no better recognition than being selected to represent the Santa Maria Valley in Washington, D.C. On May 4, federal officials and D.C. folk alike got a taste of the valley in the form of…
Political Watch 5/12/16
• On May 3 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Office of Spill Prevention and Response released a report analyzing its response efforts to the Refugio Oil Spill. Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) released the following statement: “After an event as significant as last year’s Refugio oil spill, I am pleased to see that…
Community Notebook 5/12/16 – 5/19/16
TUESDAY, MAY 17 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. • The Santa Maria City Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 110 E. Cook St.,…
Hobnobbing with Helen: CALM gets loud
All definitely was not calm at CALM’s annual fundraiser Ladies Get Loud. The conversational buzz generated by a full house of attendees was in keeping with the theme of the evening. Two hundred ladies turned out at the Santa Maria Country Club on Thursday, April 28, for libations and a light supper served by a…
The Refugio oil spill, one year later
When Steve Gonzales’ boss heard about an oil spill in Santa Barbara County, he put Gonzales and his teammates on a plane from Sacramento that night. They arrived at the spill site around 10 p.m., when it was too dark to see the incident’s visual impact. Gonzales’ first memory from that night: He asked his…
Orcutt seventh grader loses fight against cancer
Lexi Brown, a 12-year-old from Orcutt whose battle with cancer drew nationwide attention and support, died on May 4, according to a Facebook announcement by St. Louis de Montfort Catholic School. Brown was diagnosed with fibroblastic sarcoma nearly two years ago, after which she and her family waged a public and well-supported war against her…
Retired Righetti teacher charged with embezzlement
Former Ernest Righetti High School teacher Clint Hinkle is facing felony charges of embezzlement for allegedly appropriating $1,544.84 worth of tools from Righetti. Hinkle pleaded not guilty to his charges at a hearing on May 6. Attorney Michael Scott, who is representing Hinkle in this case, said Hinkle ordered 20 tools for Righetti’s woodshop class…
Santa Maria woman denied Section 8 housing voucher because of DUI conviction
A woman who moved from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Santa Maria was denied a Section 8 affordable housing voucher because she failed to complete probation, according to court documents. In a writ of mandate filed in the Santa Maria Cook Division of Santa Barbara Superior Court on May 3, Suzie Kanakanui alleges that the Housing Authority…
Guadalupe City Administrator Andrew Carter to leave this summer
Andrew Carter, Guadalupe’s city administrator, is leaving the job. Carter, 59, told the Sun that he’ll tentatively depart on July 1, or when the city begins its budget cycle for the next fiscal year, although he could be there as long as Sept. 1. Hired in February 2013, Carter managed the city through its budget…
Santa Ynez Chumash slam Capps on marine sanctuary endorsement
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians isn’t happy with Rep. Lois Capps’ (D-Santa Barbara) endorsement of the Chumash Marine Sanctuary on May 2. Newly minted tribal chairman Kenneth Kahn blasted Capps in a letter sent to her on May 4. “The Santa Ynez Band of Indians recoil in disbelief about your public display of…
