Cover Story
Strength and survival: State and local agencies reach out to help victims move forward with their lives
Last year Santa Maria had one of the highest homicide rates in its history. In its wake family, friends, and loved ones were left to pick up the pieces. Often, there are unplanned burial expenses, unpaid bills, relocation, and needed services to help them with emotional and mental health. In the case of sex crimes,…
Craft beer or bust: Buellton Brew Fest rolls into its fifth and biggest year
View a slideshow from the 2016 festival. Hundreds of craft beer options in one centralized location: good. Hundreds of rowdy good-for-nothin’ hooligans in one centralized location: bad. Unfortunately, the two tend to come as a package deal—except at Buellton Brew Fest. The festival will hit town for its fifth year on May 7, and according…
What practical solutions help veterans?
Rick Hess U.S.M.C. “We’re never looking for handouts, but maybe a discount on vehicle registration or something.” Josh Mueller U.S. Army “Personally, I’d be looking for something to help my transition back into society. The programs that help the homeless vets need more recognition.” Michael Coleman U.S.M.C. “Don’t fake it—be genuine. If you really want…
The Sun takes two first place awards in Better Newspapers Contest
The Sun took home two first place awards for its community reporting in the California Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2015 Better Newspapers Contest. The awards were announced during a press summit in San Francisco April 30. Sun Editor Shelly Cone’s piece “Life on alert” (Oct. 14, 2015) won first place for Best Profile Feature. The story…
Political Watch 5/5/16
• A bill by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to help disabled veterans who are transitioning from military service into a second, new career working in California’s public schools passed off the Senate floor April 28 on a bipartisan, 37-0 vote. The bill now heads to the State Assembly. Senate Bill 1180 will give disabled veterans…
Community Notebook 5/5/16 – 5/12/16
MONDAY, MAY 9 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at…
Last man standing
My first-born son has gone off to college to learn about the ways of the world, get an education, and accumulate student debt and parking tickets. That has left me at home with my wife, my daughter, and our ugly dog, Betty. Before my son left to go to college and before we rescued Betty,…
Country Oaks Care Center raises residents’ quality of life with help from Music and Memory
Country Oaks Care Center Activities Director Randi Vargas has worked at the elder care facility for more than 15 years now, she told the Sun, and one of many things she’s noticed is the power of meaningful reconnections with memories, and the joy it brings to the residents there. As more and more residents, many…
Presqu’ile Winery presents Summer Concert Series
Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria announced its Summer Concert Series event beginning on May 7 with featured artist The Molly Ringwald Project performing live. The concerts will take place in the picturesque Presqu’ile Amphitheater beginning at 5 p.m. with catered food, wine tastings, and plenty of room for dancing. The Presqu’ile Winery Summer Concert Series…
St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble perform classical music in Santa Maria
The renowned vocal quartet from Russia, the St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble, returns to Santa Maria’s Orthodox Church of the Annunciation on May 10 at 7 p.m. for a concert titled Masterpieces of Russian Choral Music. The program includes Russian Orthodox liturgical hymns and Russian classical romances by composers like Sergei Rachmaninoff, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Mikhail…
Los Alamos celebrates Mother’s Day with Mariachi Mestizo
A special Mother’s Day celebration in Los Alamos includes a free concert at Ferrini Park featuring live music by Mariachi Mestizo on May 8 from 12:30 to 4 p.m. The Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club will sell picnic lunches for the event including barbecue chicken, rice, beans, salad, bread, and tortillas. The Los Alamos Foundation…
Santa Maria Arts Council holds grants showcase
The Santa Maria Arts Council plans to award its 2016 Individual Grants in the Arts during a special showcase event on May 9, where recipients of first and second place in music, dance, and acting will perform, while visual arts winners will display their work. The Arts Council’s Individual Grants in the Arts is a…
Lompoc Civic Theatre sings and jokes in the most pious manner with ‘Nunsense’
The Lompoc Civic Theatre (LCT) is an organization that lets its members try new things, step out of their comfort zone, and spread their creative wings. The last production was a great example. In Two Point Oh, a software designer programmed an AI version of himself to live on after his death, with the actor…
Local educators to present National Endowment for the Humanities’ film series at Lompoc Library
View a preview of PBS’ Slavery by Another Name. History is a fickle friend, as far as what it reveals about human nature and society. In so many times and places, the brave struggle for humanity has been kicked down, suppressed, and beaten into submission. And even after every success, the established structure inevitably finds…
Senior strong: Santa Maria grandmother Sylvia Leichter wins bodybuilding competition
When it comes to entering those Golden Years, some people like to indulge in hobbies like golf, gardening, and cuddling the grandbabies—others like to lift, sweat, and squat. Sylvia Leichter speaks in a soft, pleasant voice. Sitting on the floor at the Western Village gym where she works out, her hair is neat, her outfit…
Blake Lockhart
Great athletes can often point to moments in their careers when, in retrospect, a particular choice that they made decisively altered their paths. Blake Lockhart, a senior at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, can say he’s already had two of those moments in his budding volleyball career. The first occurred while he was a…
Don’t interrupt the circle of life
It was a beautiful Central Coast day at the beach as Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) and a host of marine supporters gathered for a press conference for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary proposes to protect a swath of coast from Santa Barbara and into northern San Luis Obispo County from fossil…
Joan Hartmann for 3rd District supervisor
As a 28-year resident of Los Olivos, I have seen many changes in the Santa Ynez Valley. I guess that’s what we call progress and it is inevitable. But there is a great divide between rampant, unchecked “progress” and the thoughtful, carefully planned progress that occurs when those in government are closely aligned with the…
Achadjian gets it
I visited Katcho Achadjian as part of the California Association of Realtors Legislative Day, April 27, in Sacramento. About 25 of us from the district gathered to discuss the most pressing bills to Achadjian. His responses were just amazing and reminded us all that Achadjian is a firm believer in the American Dream and works…
Porter works to protect public health and safety
I support Bruce Porter in the June election for 3rd District County Supervisor because he has performed duties and worked with organizations that make our lives safer and healthier. While working for the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the largest federal environmental organization with the mission of “restoring degraded ecosystems; constructing sustainable facilities; regulating waterways; managing…
A media challenge
In January, the Hagadone-owned community weekly I started my newspaper career at closed. The Bigfork Eagle kept its website, which is no longer populated by a staff of two dedicated to the unincorporated tiny town at the edge of Flathead Lake in Montana—instead, it’s filled with stories written by the Daily Interlake, the “parent” paper…
Alvin Elementary School earns Gold Ribbon School Award
Alvin Elementary School in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, was one of nine schools in the county and 722 in the state to recently receive a California Gold Ribbon School Award. Alvin earned the award for its distinctive College Starts Here program, which encourages students as early as kindergarten to start thinking about choosing a…
Sen. Jackson discusses workforce development, youth, and community with students at Santa Maria’s Center for Employment Training
Students at the Center for Employment Training (CET) Santa Maria training facility had the opportunity to meet with Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) while the senator toured the facility on April 22. Jackson discussed the importance of workforce development opportunities for youth and adults in Northern Santa Barbara County. The visit also gave Jackson personal…
Los Olivos Elementary Secretary Wins State-Level Award
Lisa Andresen from Los Olivos Elementary School was recognized as the state-level winner in the office and technical category for Classified Employee of the Year. Now in her 12th year at Los Olivos, Andresen serves as the school’s secretary. Working in a small school requires employees to be flexible and often wear a variety of…
Spotlight on: Wings of Freedom Tour
They were the planes that helped win WWII and have since been put out of commission. But they haven’t been forgotten. The Wings of Freedom Tour will help you remember. The tour is bringing a unique display of WWII-era vintage military aircraft to the Santa Maria Public Airport from May 16 to 18. Touring more…
Growers, residents in Santa Maria area clash over housing for H2-A farmworkers
On Wednesday, April 6, an unfinished house in Nipomo burned down in a late-night fire. It wasn’t just any house—it was one of the seven three-bedroom homes that, upon completion, would make up a development called Mads Place. Mads Place was set to host up to 112 people—that’s 16 per house—under H-2A, a federal program…
County seats: Seven candidates vie for the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors 3rd and 4th District positions
This year, three positions are up for grabs on the five-member Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors: the 1st, 3rd, 4th Districts. First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal is leaving to make a run at Congress, with term-limited California 37th District Assemblymember Das Williams and current Santa Barbara County Investment Officer Jennifer Christensen running to fill…
Capps endorses Central Coast marine sanctuary proposal
U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) announced her support for the designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary on Monday, May 2, at a press conference in Pismo Beach. The Northern Chumash Tribal Council is spearheading the movement, which aims to designate Central Coast waters as a National Marine Sanctuary. The designation would impose…
Pipeline Safety Act moves forward
The House Energy and Commerce Committee gave U.S. Rep. Lois Capps’ (D-Santa Barbara) Pipeline Safety Act a stamp of approval last week. The bill seeks to strengthen safety regulations on oil and gas pipelines throughout the United States. Capps’ Press Secretary C.J. Young told the Sun that the bill vies to apply lessons learned from…
California Department of Fish and Wildlife evaluates response to Refugio oil spill
As the first anniversary of the Refugio Beach oil spill draws near, the state released a report on Tuesday, May 3, evaluating its response to the spill. Overall, the report commended the cooperation between government entities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and criticized preventative planning and education efforts. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office…
Santa Maria Ashley Furniture customers will get their furniture, attorney says
An attorney representing Santa Maria Decor Inc., the company that owns Ashley Furniture in Santa Maria, said that customers will get the furniture they paid for. The furniture store, which is independently owned and has a registered trademark agreement with the parent company, Ashley Furniture Homestore, filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec.…
Lompoc woman accuses sanitation district of having a ‘backdoor’ hiring process
A Lompoc woman is accusing the Laguna County Sanitation District in Santa Maria of denying her a job because she is a woman, according to a lawsuit filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on April 28. In the civil complaint filed in Santa Maria’s Cook Division, Bethann Swiderski accuses Santa Barbara County of violating…
Chumash elect Kenneth Kahn new tribal chairman
Tribe members from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians have elected Kenneth Kahn as their new tribal chairman, following Vincent Armenta’s mid-term resignation from the position. Kahn, 39, was nominated for chairman at the tribe’s April 12 general meeting and later voted into the position via absentee ballots. “I’m honored by the tribe’s vote…
