Cover Story
Zoning wars: Lompoc resident Jim Mosby sues the county over the denial of his recreation complex
On May 3, Lompoc resident Jim Mosby welcomed paintballers back onto his property for the first time in several months. After listening to Mosby talk about the importance of paint gun safety, excited men and women donned helmets and goggles and prepared their weapons for long-awaited battle. The day before, on May 2, the local…
Will you be voting in the upcoming primary election on June 3?
Abe Riddering carpenter “Yes, because I feel that it is important, as a citizen, to be accountable for your choices and to make them known.” Roxana Rodriguez student “No, since I’m a Jehovah’s Witness, I’m not involved in politics.” Jennifer Contreras housewife “No, because I’m not a resident of California.” Yeraldi Cabrera unemployed “No, I…
Nipomo High School rallies for principal
Update: 5/7/2014 11:00 a.m. Jim Hogeboom, Lucia Mar Unified School District’s superintendent, made one thing very clear to the Nipomo High School community that packed the May 6 school board meeting: At the end of the school year, Michelle Johnson would no longer be the high school’s principal. “It’s time to move on, and I…
What’s on Deck? 5/8 – 5/15
Thursday, May 8 Track Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, and Cabrillo vs. LPL Finals @ SYHS, 2 p.m. Boys’ Golf Nipomo vs. Santa Ynez Tourney @ Alisal GC, 1:30 p.m. Santa Maria vs. Cabrillo Tourney @ Village CC, 1 p.m. Friday, May 9 Track Allan Hancock vs. SoCal Championships @ Riverside, 10…
Walk for water
Santa Barbara nonprofit group Hands4Others will be host its annual Walk4Water fundraiser to raise awareness and money to install clean water solutions. All of the proceeds from the event will go toward building new water systems in high-risk areas. The May 10 event will feature a 2-mile walk along Santa Barbara East Beach and will…
Annual 5K race scheduled at Cuesta
Cuesta College officials announced last week they are seeking runners to participate in their second annual 5K run on May 10 at the campus in San Luis Obispo. “This fun event is a fundraiser for our recreation and kinesiology departments, and is a community celebration of health and fitness for all ages,” said Jani Johnson,…
Parker Maccianti
There is a difference between merely playing a sport and being completely committed to it. For Santa Ynez Valley Union High School junior Parker Maccianti, mountain biking isn’t just a pastime; it’s his passion. Parker’s penchant for mountain biking is exemplified by the fact that he puts forth his best effort during each and every…
Warriors make a splash abroad: Two Righetti High School water polo players train in Europe
For the most part, water polo is still a fairly new game in the United States. Most of what we know about water polo comes from the Olympics—one of the only times there is television coverage of the sport. Despite this, water polo has experienced increased interest since its debut as one of the first…
Discovery Corner: Thank you, Rancho Harvest
We continue to be amazed by the generosity of the Santa Maria community. This past week, we had 20 employees from Rancho Harvest give up their Sunday for a volunteer work day at the Discovery Museum. Special thanks to Carol Fox for taking it upon herself to organize this amazing group of volunteers. And thank…
Los Olivos Elementary School gets new tennis courts
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians introduced student and staff members at Los Olivos Elementary School to their newly renovated recreational tennis courts—a $120,000 project—on May 1. The multi-use courts were made possible through a partnership between the tribe and Santa Ynez Youth Recreation. The previous courts, built in the 1970s, had become worn…
St. Mary’s field trippers pick berries
Students at St. Mary of the Assumption Elementary School in Santa Maria went on a tasty tour of local strawberry fields at the end of April. Brian Sheehy, a fourth-generation strawberry farmer, taught kindergartners from the school how to grow and harvest the red berries. After learning how to find ripe, juicy strawberries, they were…
Spotlight on: Blue Sky Vapes
At this point in time, we’re all aware that vapor rooms are the latest craze. Blue Sky Vapes—the newest vaping shop on the Central Coast—is completely dedicated to selling strictly vapor products. Vaporizing is simple, just Google it, or better yet, head into Blue Sky Vapes and speak to owners Frank and Kristie Compston. The…
Community Notebook 5/8-5/15
MONDAY, MAY 12 • 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…
Community Corner: Thank you, nurses!
Nurses are an integral part of the health-care system. National Nurses Week, May 6 through 12, honors those individuals’ vast contributions to the health and safety of their communities and the nation. “Nurses are recognized for their role as expert clinicians in diverse care settings and as leaders who can dramatically influence the quality of…
A long line of candidates wants Lois Capps’ seat in the House
The crowd is thick in the race for U.S. Rep. Lois Capps’ (D-Santa Barbara) seat in the 24th Congressional District, which includes Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Nine candidates are registered for the June primary, but if you follow the money, Capps is holding her incumbent head well above the rest of…
Winner, winner, CNPA dinner!
The Sun scored silver at the California Newspaper Publishers Association Better Newspapers Contest banquet on May 2. The second-place winners include: • Managing Editor Amy Asman, best enterprising reporting, “Start by believing,” a cover story on sexual assault survivor Delaney Henderson. • Staff Writer Kristina Sewell, best sports story, “Legends of the Deep,” a cover…
New therapeutic foster care program helps children in need
Children in the Santa Barbara County foster care system who have experienced developmental trauma now have an extra, specially designed resource on which to rely. The county’s department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services (ADMHS)—in collaboration with the department of Social Services and Family Care Network Inc.—recently launched Intensive Therapeutic Foster Care (ITFC), a…
Ex-jail project manager sues county for alleged wrongful termination
Grady Williams—employed by Santa Barbara County for 11 years, and who filed a lawsuit against the county on March 29 for alleged wrongful termination—will be reinstated to work under the General Services Department on May 12. Williams was terminated from his position as program/business leader of the North County Jail project in July 2013. The…
Santa Maria man wins poker pot at Chumash Casino
Despite having to use a mobile defibrillator and a walking cane, Santa Maria resident Gary W. Casiday managed to beat out 490 card sharks to win the 2014 Central Coast Poker Championship May 2 at the Chumash Casino Resort. The 54-year-old, who suffers from a serious heart condition, battled through more than 12 hours of…
The Man of Steel
I’m not a very limber person. Most people do toe touches; I can do knee touches. Well, the top part of the knee, if it’s a good day. My back is about as flexible as a piece of steel on a very cold day. To get myself into better shape—preferably any shape other than standing…
Hancock’s sound technology students share digital music in ‘Soundscapes’
Musicians intimately understand sound, usually forging a relationship with a particular instrument and all of the sounds it makes. Students in the Allan Hancock College Sound Technology Department take a different approach, using sophisticated soft- and hardware that can emulate every concert and folk instrument known, as well as forge entirely new sounds. The upcoming…
Strike gold at the DANA Adobe
The Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos will be host to the exhibit Gold Fever! The Untold Stories of California’s Gold Rush through June 28. The exhibit includes 24 photo-mural panels that present 1,000 square feet of information regarding the California Gold Rush and the people who made it happen. The Dana Adobe and the exhibit are…
Sharing their voices
The Orthodox Church of the Annunciation presents a concert with guest the St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble, which includes the singing talents of Kirill Sokolov, Sergey Shapinskiy, Vadim Smantser, and Andrei Volkikov. The group will perform Russian and Western sacred hymns as well as traditional Russian folk songs at the show. The concert is set for…
Lompoc Youth Theater holds auditions
The Lompoc Youth Theater’s fundraiser event at Transcendence Wines on April 26 was a success, the performing arts organization announced after the event. The fundraiser was a tock ‘n’ roll party that included donations from local restaurants and wineries. With the funding, the Lompoc Youth Theater will produce Hairspray, Jr. this summer. Auditions for the…
Santa Maria Philharmonic Society seeks volunteers
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society is seeking volunteers to help with the popular “Music Van” program. The van, donated by Toyota of Santa Maria, is filled with orchestral instruments and toured around local schools where kids can play and hear a variety of instruments. The Music Van is touring for the next five weeks, Monday…
Lompoc Theatre Project holds successful fundraiser
The Lompoc Theatre Project Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the nonprofit’s fundraiser event on April 26 netted the nonprofit several thousand dollars. More than one hundred tickets to the event were purchased. The funds will go toward the organization’s expected costs to secure the title to the theater and begin the restoration…
PCPA needs housing help
The Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts (PCPA) is preparing for its summer season, which employs actors and theater technicians from out of the area. PCPA invites locals to make some extra cash by housing incoming actors and technicians. Suitable housing includes apartments over garages, backyard guest cottages, lofts, or extra bedrooms. Minimum requirements include…
The Great American Melodrama presents a hilarious adaptation of Jules Verne’s ‘Around the World in 80 Days’
How lucky are we, as 21st century people, to have the entirety of history, literature, and art to make fun of? The Great American Melodrama is great at delivering period piece—with all the necessary costumes, music, and props—but also with the sly wit of a contemporary humorist with a bag full of sharpened tools and…
‘A Mindful Vision: The Legacy of Nat Fast’ comes to Betteravia Gallery South
Santa Maria arts icon Nat Fast meant a lot of things to a lot of people. For many in the arts community, he is remembered as a constant, steadfast support of the arts community, whether it was through his involvement with early PCPA productions or his part in helping found the Santa Maria Arts Council.…
Michele’s Tesora, artisan candies made in Buellton, are an edible treasure
One of my all-time favorite confectionary combinations is peanut butter and chocolate, but to make the pairing perfect, it must crunch. So imagine my delight when, in between tasting wines at the Santa Barbara County Vintner’s Festival last month, I happened upon a food booth offering exactly that! The pretty Ratcliff sisters welcomed me with…
Dropping the litigious bomb
Toward the end of April, a David familiar to those of us who live on the Central Coast hurled the first stone at a Goliath who looks a lot like you and me. Sorry for that tortured metaphor. I couldn’t resist. Let me start again. Toward the end of April, the Marshall Islands—home of the…
My vote is for Caren Ray
Caren Ray is the best candidate for 4th District San Luis Obispo County supervisor. She has the background and experience this critical office requires. She does her homework and shows up prepared for the challenges of the office. She is an effective leader for SLO County. Caren has two degrees, including a master’s degree from…
My vote is for Mike Byrd
Those embarrassed by the bad behavior of elected county officials we have seen too often should vote for Mike Byrd for District 4 supervisor. He will set an example of respect for the position he serves in, and the people he works for: us! I’ve known Mike for some time. He has been a longtime…
Measure M for maintenance
Maintenance should be routine. Brushing your teeth is a form of maintenance. What would happen if you only did it once every few years? Where would you rather live? In a neighborhood where streetlights are on the fritz, trash is strewn about, and yards are overgrown? Or in a neighborhood where yards are mowed, trash…
