Cover Story
¡Salud!
Happy Cinco de Mayo, Sun readers! To celebrate this widely misunderstood and typically tequila-doused holiday, Sun staffers Jeremy Thomas, Shelly Cone, Amy Asman, and Steve E. Miller decided to make a trip down to Dos Carlitos Restaurant and Tequila Bar in Santa Ynez for a tequila tasting with owner Carlos Lopez-Hollis. Over a few snifters—yes,…
What’s your dream piñata?
Ben Lukens student “Maybe a giant SpongeBob—that would be funny.” Janet Silveria chief operating officer “A sombrero, so I’m not hurting an animal.” Lizzett Cuadros new accounts representative “A toro—that would be pretty cool. Only because that would be fun.” Jose Parra hairdresser “I’d only hit one shaped like a star, because I couldn’t hit…
The necessary invention of mothers
This month I celebrate mothers, especially my own, in honor of Mothers’ Day (this Sunday, just in case it slipped your ungrateful mind). My mother and I have a solid, communicative, and loving relationship because my mother has always accepted me for who and what I am—a punishment from God. I admit, I was not…
‘Devotion’ to music
The Allan Hancock College Singers have been practicing their parts diligently all semester (not acting parts, but singing parts: bass, tenor, alto, and soprano), in preparation for the choir’s spring concert “Devotion.” The program includes music that spans centuries of musical tradition. “It’s a little open ended, because I don’t tell you devotion to what,…
Lend a helping hand to Japan
The Japan Earthquake Tsunami Support organization, along with the Santa Maria Japanese Community Center (SMJCC), in conjunction with Christ United Methodist Church and other civic/religious organizations, is sponsoring a fundraiser to be held at the Santa Maria Town Center on May 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to benefit the victims of the earthquake…
Arts Council winners set to perform
The winners of the Santa Maria Arts Council Grants in the Arts have been selected; they’ll perform at the Grants Showcase on May 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Center. The $1,500 first-place award winners are Christopher Cortez of Guadalupe (dance), Sean Peters of San Luis Obispo (drama), Thomas Li of Lompoc (music),…
Yanni kicks back to his roots
Few musicians have touched the world in the way famed instrumentalist Yanni has. The self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer has amassed more than 35 platinum and gold albums, with sales exceeding 20 million. His contemporary instrumentals have been used in everything from television commercials to broadcasts of the Olympic Games to the soundtrack for countless…
Spend the night with David Ives
Santa Maria Civic Theatre es da rektplas forest ein epsomlootely baloontiful, zoopa mit noodle prodooctshun, Ein Twilightsparkle mid David Ives. Nintendo ein poultry di Ives’ blizzardo linkwa. Do not attempt to adjust your Sun. That introduction was simply written in Unamunda, a language used in Universal Language, one of six short plays that comprise Santa…
What’s on Deck?
Thursday, May 5 Boys’ Volleyball Santa Maria @ Morro Bay 5 p.m. Pioneer Valley @ Paso Robles 5:30 p.m. Righetti @ St. Joseph 5:30 p.m. Baseball Lompoc @ Paso Robles 4 p.m. Boys’ Golf Pac-7 Finals @ Pioneer Valley HS 1 p.m. Los Padres League Finals @ Templeton HS 1:30 p.m. Track Los Padres League…
On the roster
• Santa Maria Youth Football: Registration is May 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Westgate Community Room, 1300 Marsala Ave./1800 Westgate in Santa Maria. • Take a hike at Los Flores: Walks start promptly at 10 a.m., running about two hours on the second Saturday of each month until August. Hikers are…
Police and varsity players hit the hardwood
Santa Maria police officers and local high school students will square off on the basketball court in a pair of contests to raise funds for local athletics. For the 14th time, members of the Santa Maria Police Officers Association will take on Santa Maria High School’s varsity basketball teams on May 13. The game takes…
Get acquainted with the Santa Maria Reds
The Santa Maria Reds, a new semipro summer baseball team, will be holding a series of events throughout May. Each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 1 p.m. will be “Meet the Reds” day at the Pitchout batting cages. Children ages 8 to 13 are invited to take part…
Kids take the track and field
Children ages 9 to 14 can compete in track and field events at the annual Hershey’s Track and Field Games on May 21. The City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department, the Santa Maria Valley YMCA, and the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Maria will present the free event starting at 10 a.m.…
Honor immigrants, celebrate diversity
I accompanied a Chinese friend to renew her business license at City Hall, where we filled out several forms and were sent to another office a few blocks away to complete more. The clerk at the second office saw my friend’s mailing address is in San Gabriel—not the Santa Maria address of the business—and mentioned…
Put some spring in your diet
The rain has stopped and spring appears to be in the house, lending more appeal to the prospect of making weekly trips to the farmers market. Sure, sorting through root crops and salad greens while wearing mittens can be satisfying, but the real delight happens while bagging baby squash and juicy tomatoes in the comfort…
Ride for a reason
A decorated athlete, National Merit Scholar finalist, and molecular biology major at UC Berkeley, 19-year-old Eric Okerblom was the model of a bright and mature young man. Fresh from Nicaragua, where he’d been learning Spanish with his girlfriend and local families, Eric took up cycling, with designs on joining the Cal cycling team. He’d…
Athlete of the Week
It’s common in the world of sports for plans to go awry. There’s too much randomness involved; rarely do things happen perfectly. Still, sometimes they do. On April 28, 10-year-old Little Leaguer Trevor Garcia of the Southside Dodgers threw a perfect game in a 2-0 victory over the Southside Reds. The fifth-grade gunslinger retired all…
Hobnobbing With Helen
[image-3] It was a very pleasant, pseudo-summery evening with celebratory vibes in the air. This was Friday, April 29—and, no, it had nothing to do with the royal wedding. Everyone was on Cloud Nine at Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos’ fundraising event. The 113 guests bought tickets ($50 each) to a performance of Pride and Prejudice,…
Hancock sinks teeth in stats
Allan Hancock College has a reason to smile and show off those pearly whites: The college’s dental assisting program has the second-highest pass rate in the state on the California Dental Association Registered Dental Assistant practical exam. “I’m very proud of both our students and instructors,” Kathy Johnson, coordinator of the dental assisting program, said…
Givin’ back to the future
On a sunny Thursday morning, members of an Alvin Elementary class walked by a group of more than 60 volunteers lined up against a wall. “Thank you!” the students yelled at the top of their lungs. The students were grateful for the extreme makeover their school was receiving from hands wielding paintbrushes on behalf of…
Lending a hand
More than 100 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints tossed on bright yellow vests and got their hands dirty on April 30—“Helping Hands Service Day.” The people—under the banner of Mormon Helping Hands—were part of a volunteer effort to serve local communities. The mission of Mormon Helping Hands is to provide…
Spotlight on: The Pantry
In this bigger-is-better era of supermarkets, it’s easy to imagine the time of the old-fashioned mom-and-pop grocery stores has gone the way of the dodo. However, for the past year, Jim Hoffman and his wife Gail have sought to keep the tradition of the hometown grocer alive in the heart of downtown Nipomo, in the…
Down–but not out
Over the past year, a city far north of the Santa Barbara County line has been kicking around the idea of allowing up to two medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within city limits. But that discussion—which has sent both accolades and finger-wagging in the city council’s direction—seems to be dead in the water, at least…
Bombing run
The overpowering smell of oil and 100-octane airplane fuel entered my nostrils as I strapped myself to a cold aluminum seat. The four engines of the behemoth B-17 “Flying Fortress” roared, the propellers spun, and the cramped cabin of the thin metal plane shuddered. Though World War II was over by the time the 15-ton…
Correction
The April 28 Mayfield cartoon prompted Santa Barbara County Executive Officer Chandra Waller to e-mail the Sun with some corrections—citing facts behind the issue that inspired the illustration. See her letter here.
Allow the county to correct you
On April 28, the Sun ran a cartoon indicating that Santa Barbara County management employees have maintained the ability to cash out vacation time (vacation conversion) while non-management employees have had that ability taken from them. The purpose of this correspondence is to provide you with correct information and request that you publish the correction.…
Guadalupe gears up for a utility-fee increase meeting
A water and sewer rate increase has been proposed for the city of Guadalupe. Leaders cite current rates as insufficient to meet the costs of operating the system, debt obligations, and financing for needed upgrades for the present and future of an aging system. The city’s water and wastewater systems run the risk of deterioration…
Death of 19 turkeys is consistent with a predatory attack
Nineteen turkeys were killed at Nipomo High School during the evening of April 26. The manner of their slaughter appears to be consistent with a predatory attack, according to a press release from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department. Although human involvement hasn’t been ruled out, visible puncture wounds paired with necropsies conducted on…
Lompoc Chamber names a new CEO
Just three months after the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau picked an interim president to replace long-time president Denny Anderson, it announced it will again have a home-grown permanent CEO starting in July. Ken Ostini, a third-generation Lompocan, was selected from a candidate pool of 60 people from around the country to…
Task force arrests 11 linked to gang activity and drug trafficking
Following a yearlong investigation, an anti-gang task force headed by the FBI arrested 11 suspected gang members during an early-morning operation in the Santa Maria area on May 3. “With this morning’s arrests, we have collectively delivered a powerful message to the criminal street gangs and narcotics dealers in this region,” said André Birotte, Jr.,…
Mexican consulate agrees to end mobile distribution of ID cards in Santa Maria
Under a ”pinkie promise” agreement reached between Santa Maria mayor Larry Lavagnino and a Mexican consul, residents will no longer be able to pick up Consular Identification cards from mobile offices within city limits. For years, the Mexican consulate in Oxnard has distributed the “Matricula” or Mexican ID cards during weekend events, drawing crowds and…
