Cover Story
Charting a new course
A small group of students stands around a picnic table in an outdoor cafeteria. Instead of typical street clothes, the students are wearing thick plastic aprons, rubber gloves, and goggles. And instead of gossiping about last night’s episode of American Idol or Justin Bieber’s haircut, they’re busy mixing concoctions in glass beakers. “OK, now we’re…
Elks Rodeo is optimistic, but vigilant in light of an out-of-area equine herpes outbreak
Officials with the California Department of Food and Agriculture are continuing to monitor a recent outbreak of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHV-1)—a deadly virus that affects horses’ nervous systems. According to information from the department, the disease has been traced to horses that attended the National Cutting Horse Associations’ Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah, April…
What are your plans for Memorial Day?
Lisa Ziemba interior designer “I have to work Bingo at Saint Joseph’s.” Twyla Bohl retired secretary “I’ll probably just stay at home with family and friends, maybe barbecue.” Steve Burton school psychologist “I don’t have any plans to go anywhere. Just stay at home and play.” Paul Boutin interpreter “I don’t have any plans.”
Santa Maria bookkeeper under federal indictment
A Santa Maria bookkeeper has pleaded not guilty after being indicted on federal charges of identity theft, filing fraudulent tax returns and loan applications, and then lying about it to federal investigators. On May 17, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Imelda Sanchez, 39, of Nipomo, had been arrested after a nearly four-year joint…
On the roster
• Cruisin’ Nationals: West Coast Kustoms will be showing off hundreds of vintage and customized automobiles May 27 to 29 at the Santa Maria Fairpark. The 30th annual event also features a “Santa Maria City Cruise,” racing, and a swap meet. For more information, visit westcoastkustoms.com. • Santa Maria Summer Basketball: For boys and girls…
Hancock hosts summer camps
The Allan Hancock College athletic department will be hosting baseball, football, and basketball camps throughout the summer, providing an opportunity for local youths to learn from the college’s experienced coaches. Hancock’s baseball camp is open to boys ages 6 through 18 and runs June 13 to 16 and June 20 to 23 from 11 a.m.…
Journey of Hope cyclists will hit the town
Cyclists participating in Journey of Hope, a 4,000-mile cross-country cycling fundraiser to benefit people with disabilities, will arrive in Santa Maria for a stopover on June 15. The cycling team, consisting of men from Pi Kappa Phi fraternity chapters across the country, will visit the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center with a police escort as…
Bike the Santa Ynez Valley
People Helping People, a nonprofit organization providing social services to Santa Barbara County residents, will be holding its annual Wine Country Bike Trek June 24 through 26. Riders can sign up for a three-day ride, with camping for two nights at Midland School in Los Olivos, or a one-day ride on June 25. The three-day…
AIDS/LifeCycle rides into Santa Maria
On June 8, more than 3,000 bicyclists and volunteer “roadies” from 41 states and 11 countries will roll into Santa Maria as part of the 545-mile AIDS/LifeCycle ride, the largest annual HIV/AIDS fundraising event in the world. The ride will begin in San Francisco on June 5, the 30th anniversary of the day the U.S.…
What’s on Deck?
Thursday, May 26 HS Softball CIF Southern Section Quarterfinals TBA Friday, May 27 No games scheduled Saturday, May 28 Boys’ Volleyball CIF SoCal Regional Championships @ Irvine Valley College TBA Auto Racing West Coast Nationals @ Santa Maria Speedway 6 p.m. Semipro Baseball East L.A. Dodgers @ Santa Maria Valley Packers (DH) 1…
A weighty cause
As powerlifters took to the platform one by one, grunting and straining in squat, bench press, and deadlift competitions, Arthur Hicks sat in the front row alongside Edith, his wife of 65 years, watching intently. One of the few Tuskegee Airmen still alive, the 88-year-old was a flight instructor and mechanic in the legendary squadron…
Athlete of the Week: Austin Kaiser
For freshman Austin Kaiser, playing golf in college was a rude awakening. He realized other golfers could perform just as well as he did, and balancing a love life, academics, a job, and golfing is anything but easy. Kaiser, however, was one of two golfers at Allan Hancock College who finished in the top 10…
We must continue to support Israel
The United States has always been a strong supporter of Israel, and we must continue to support the only democracy in the Middle East. The Palestinians seek recognition of a Palestinian state while refusing to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a homeland for all of the Jewish people. We must continue to protect Israel’s…
Go for municipal utility companies
SmartMeters are installed on homes regardless of radio frequency radiation concentrations or consumer sensitivities. PG&E is now proposing one-time charges and monthly fees from consumers who want to stop SmartMeter RF radiation. Our municipal right-of-ways already contain gas/electric, without new fees. To stop the RF emanating from our home, I agree to paying a new…
Gas prices hurt us because of greed
@font-face { font-family: “New York”; }@font-face { font-family: “Minion-Regular”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p.body, li.body, div.body { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 10pt; font-size: 9pt; font-family: Minion-Regular; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } I can’t believe there hasn’t been more coverage on…
Start with charity in our own borders
Regarding the president’s May 19 speech: Charity begins at home, and our “home” is our homeland: the USA. President Obama told us we must invest (give) Egypt and Tunisia our money so they won’t “be saddled with the debts of its past.” And “it will stabilize and modernize the economies.” How about America’s debts of…
Don’t treat heroes like terrorists
A provision in the new 9/11 health bill recently passed by Congress hits the thousands of first responders who were hailed as heroes a decade ago after the World Trade Center attack, and who later became sick as a result. They will soon be informed that their names must be run through the FBI’s terrorism…
Fund art education
I commend Walter Reil for most of his observations in his commentary “STEM the tide” (May 17). It is true, I hear it all the time from educators, that the No Child Left Behind Act in fact really means “most children left behind.” Its principle focus—testing—certainly is a national crime. However, Reil neglects to acknowledge…
Wine for Memorial Day
Despite a spring stymied by rainstorms and cooler-than-average temperatures, Memorial Day weekend is upon us. With luck, the sun will shine, and parties—complete with sizzling barbecues and outdoor fun—will proceed apace. Just as robust red wines lend warmth to chilly weather and its fare of roasted meats and hearty stews, white wines naturally go with…
Making music, creating culture
The Vineyard Valley Theater Company (VVTC) is set to present its latest fundraiser production at the intimate outdoor Solvang Festival Theatre. The show will feature the culturally diverse musical stylings of Ozomatli to benefit the Santa Ynez People Helping People (SYVPHP) youth program “Youth Down 2 Business” on May 27 at 8 p.m. The company…
Taking a Breakers
I like to go big … big time. I go big so much that I’m hoping my tombstone will say, “Krider—A man who always went big.” Whatever the occasion or event, I always want things to be grand, huge, and extravagant. I don’t play beer pong at the local bar, I go to the World…
Yarn maker to associate with Lompoc artists
The Lompoc Valley Art Association will hold its monthly meeting and art program at 7 p.m. on June 7 at Stone Pine Hall, 210 South H St., in Lompoc. Social hour starts at 6:30 p.m. This month’s guest artist will be Carrie Sundra, an engineer who runs her own business called Alpenglow Yarn, hand-dying her…
Local sculptor to show equine art
Local equine sculptor Dee Adams Prater has been invited by the American Academy of Equine Art to participate in “The Horse in Fine Art—2011,” an exhibit being held at The Club at Spindletop Hall in Lexington, Kentucky. Spindletop Hall is a grand, historic mansion built in the early 1900s; the exhibit will run through the…
Ay! Mami!
It’s one of the most dynamic experiences in life. It clutches at your heart, fills you with joy, and exasperates you—but it also gives your life new meaning. Motherhood is an experience like nothing else. Mothers love, sacrifice, possess strength, and provide nurturing. For most of them, it’s a role that drives their lives. And…
Sphere of influence
Every work of art allows its creator to communicate in some way with the surrounding world. Whether it’s a drawing on a sketchpad or a grand sculpture, each work is an individual expression or message to be interpreted in many different ways by the observer. In other words, it’s meant to build connections. Local artist…
‘Brotherhood’ celebrated at AHC’s Fire Academy commencement
After almost 600 hours of classroom and manipulative skills training, class 122 and class 124 of the Allan Hancock College Fire Academy had reason to celebrate at their graduation ceremony on May 20. Forty-eight men and women gathered at the Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria on Santa Maria Way before a packed audience of family…
Hero’s welcome, at last
On May 19, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), and the city of Santa Maria were happy to award local resident Jack Sutherlin a certificate for recognition of service for his brave actions while fighting in World War II on Dec. 25, 1943. Sutherlin’s courageous actions will also be commemorated with a statement in the…
Spotlight on: The Rock Seafood & Grill
On any given day, especially around lunchtime, it’s not uncommon to see a line of folks hungry for clam chowder and seafood snaking out of The Rock Seafood & Grill. The family-run restaurant, owned by Daniel and Susan Rivas, opened in Nipomo in December, and business has been booming ever since. According to Daniel, his…
Frack that!
It’s a controversial drilling practice, recently linked to groundwater contamination in natural gas operations. County officials contend it was performed in a Northern Santa Barbara County oil field without their permission. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as “fracking,” allows oil companies to access oil and gas reserves previously unreachable by traditional methods. Highly pressurized liquid…
Define ‘collective’
It’s been nearly six months, but the first in a series of trials for the San Luis Obispo County residents arrested after a controversial December 2010 SLO Narcotics Task Force investigation into medical marijuana collective members may finally get underway May 26. Or maybe not. Before the trial began, attorneys on both sides of the…
Ammonia leak spurs an evacuation at Oceano Dunes
A suspicious odor had campers at the Coastal Dunes RV Park in Oceano concerned on May 19. State Park employees detected the smell at about 8 a.m. coming from the maintenance yard, then notified the California Fire Department (CAL FIRE). According to Brent Marshall, chief ranger of the Oceano Dunes District, the odor was traced…
Fairpark bows out of satellite horse wagering
Unable to weather the combined threats of online gambling and a dismal economy, the Santa Maria Fairpark will end its stake in pari-mutuel off-track betting at The Horse Man’s Club come May 31. The club—one of 31 satellite wagering facilities left in the state network—opened at the Fairpark in 1987. It simulcasts horse races Thursdays…
