Cover Story
Love him or hate him, he’s leaving
People react to change in different ways. Some embrace it, while others view it with suspicion. Reactions of all types kicked into high gear after the recent cluster of retirement announcements within Santa Maria city management. Fire Chief Jeff Jones announced he would be retiring Dec. 19, Chief Deputy City Clerk Pat Perez will step…
Put a cork in it?
A billboard along the east side of Highway 101 in Nipomo reads “Better for wine. Better for the planet. Cork is the natural choice.” And with those words, a 400-year-old, billion-dollar industry fights back after years of losing market share to the humble screw cap. Many Americans still wrongly associate the easy-to-use and re-use screw-cap…
Should we listen to movie stars when they talk about political issues?
Troy Hajjar student “Listen to what they have to say, but [know] they are not always right.” Christina Rosales waitress “If they know what they are talking about.” Kevin Hunt cashier “Not really. People should look at multiple views.” Richard Tisdel commercial real estate agent “No way, no how. Just because you are well known…
Instrumental information
An entire universe of music awaits those willing to learn the art. Whether for self-expression, stress relief, or just plain fun, music pervades all cultures and yields uncountable genres. The one thing all music holds in common is the instrument: a crafted device that enables a person to make a musical sound. When deciding to…
Adolfo Lopez
Every morning, Adolfo Lopez tightens his running shoes and sets out. He has anywhere between three and five miles of road ahead of him. While his body is running, his mind is being set free. “One of the things I like about running and training for long distance is the fact that in the morning…
Perfection in the pool
After a comeback win in the finale of the Los Padres League tournament against Cabrillo on Nov. 3, Nipomo High’s water polo team rushed head coach Justin Jewell, sending him into the Paul Nelson pool, fully clothed. It was a fitting dénouement to a thrilling season for the Titans, who finished unbeaten in the league…
What’s on Deck?
Thursday, Nov. 10 Girls’ Golf CIF Finals TBA Girls’ Tennis CIF Playoffs TBA Girls’ Volleyball CIF Playoffs TBA HS Football St. Joseph @ Santa Ynez 7 p.m. Lompoc @ Cabrillo 7 p.m. Santa Maria @ Morro Bay 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 HS Football Righetti @ Pioneer…
On the roster
• Blaine Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament: The 15th annual tournament in honor of Johnson, a deceased Santa Maria professional drag racer, will be held on Nov. 16 at the Santa Maria Country Club. An awards banquet will follow, as will an auction at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge. Check-in starts at 10 a.m., with the…
Hancock’s Zumbro honored
The California Community College Athletic Association recognized Allan Hancock College women’s basketball star Camille Zumbro as one of five Academic All-State players in the state. To earn the honor, Zumbro maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the basketball season and the entire school year. Zumbro was a first team All-Conference selection in 2010-11, averaging 26.7 points…
Amgen Tour will skip the Central Coast in 2012
The Amgen Tour of California, one of the largest and most prestigious cycling events in the country, won’t be passing through the Central Coast next year. Tour organizers announced the 13 host cities for the event on Nov. 3. Noticeably missing from the list was the city of Solvang, which has hosted single-stage time trials…
Get some exercise in before Turkey Day
In the spirit of the season, Lompoc’s annual Turkey Trot Fun Run will be held this year on Nov. 20 at River Park. Runners of all ages and ability levels are welcome to participate in the three-mile event. Competition will be divided into 10 divisions, and prizes will be awarded to first- and second-place finishers…
Football hooligans
Back in high school, in my “glory days,” I played football. I didn’t do this because I particularly liked the game. I did it for one simple 16-year-old boy reason: Girls didn’t like soccer players. I spent my whole childhood playing soccer, kicking a ball around a grassy field, feeling free-spirited and somewhat European. I…
Celebrate 25 years of Nutcracker on the Central Coast
Everybody Can DANCE and the Santa Maria Civic Ballet will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its Nutcracker production with performances at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27, at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks in Arroyo Grande. The performance will include international dances, music…
Shepard Hall Gallery needs art
The Santa Maria Public Library is currently taking applications from artists to be considered for exhibitions in the Shepard Hall gallery. Work is juried by the Library’s Art Advisory Committee and is based solely on submitted images. Selected artists will exhibit their work for one-month periods between July 2012 and July 2013. Applications and the…
Get a taste of Latino art
“Sabor—A Taste of Latino Artists from the Central Coast” will feature the art of seven Latino artists exploring both traditional and contemporary Mexican subjects through Nov. 23 at Arts Space Obispo, 570 Higuera St., suite 175. Artists include Carlos Diaz of San Luis Obispo; Valinda Gallea of Nipomo; Alvaro Angeles Suman, Jorge Hernåndez, and Maria…
Light and water
When they met, Tim Webb and Michele Simonsen discovered they shared a love of photography and filmmaking. Then Simonsen introduced Webb to Trininty River in Northern California, which inspired their latest show “Threshold: Over and Under Water Photography.” The show includes water-themed photography by the Allan Hancock College film and video instructors taken over years…
Next stop: Cayucos
When friends Kathy Hayes and Kerry Main Aller invited me to join them on a one-day bus trip to tiny Cayucos by the Sea, 53 miles away— one stop before Cambria and two stops before San Simeon—I gasped with glee. The price was right and the destination, irresistible. Cayucos is the home of the famed…
Protect dogs–and other drivers
To folks who drive with loose dogs on the back bed of pickup trucks: Please stop. Crate them or keep them inside. One-hundred-thousand dogs are killed annually because they jump or fall off the back. Just recently, we were driving north on Rt. 101 in Atascadero behind a pickup with a loose dog in the…
How’s this for a killer agenda?
Fox News (aka FOX-GOP Propaganda and Fundraising) has been running a fairly vicious repeating segment claiming that First Lady Michelle Obama is receiving three times the press coverage than former First Lady Laura Bush did. Apparently these “media mentions” include the daily kamikaze assaults on Ms. Obama’s character orchestrated by Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Michelle…
We should find out if seeding works
That was a great article on cloud seeding (“Weather or not,” Sept. 29) by Kathy Johnston. That is what I call news journalism. It brings up some very interesting questions also, like is Santa Barbara coordinating with the national seeding program? Because sometimes we could be getting double, triple doses of the seeding effect, and…
I’ve got questions about the sweet taste of silver
In response to the Sun article “Weather or not” (Sept. 29), the agricultural community of Huasna certainly appreciates winter rainfall but asks the question: Was Santa Barbara County Water Agency seeding clouds during the heavy rains of 1998, 2000, and 2005 when there was excessive run off and flooding? Sure, Santa Barbara County benefited from…
Enjoy fine dining for a good cause
Feast on seafood and steak at St. Mary of the Assumption School’s first-ever All You Can Eat Surf and Turf Celebration on Nov. 12 in the multi-purpose hall at 302 S. Miller St. in Santa Maria. The dinner will include king crab legs, top sirloin, side dishes, and dessert. A limited number of $50 tickets…
Sock it to me!
Instead of focusing on dancing, dresses, and tuxes over Homecoming Week, students in Ken Noe’s Faith in Action class at St. Joseph High School showed their school spirit by challenging fellow students, faculty, and staff members to donate as many socks as possible for local homeless shelters and hospitals. More than 1,100 pairs of socks…
Pepper’s Purple Heart by Heather French Henry
In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day, honoring veterans of World War I. On June 1, 1954, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day to honor the men and women who served in all wars to protect our freedom. I was two months old, and my dad was one of those veterans.…
Leave your thanks
Is there a noticeable lack of autumn leaves in your yard or in your neighborhood? If so, don’t worry that you’ll miss out on the colorful fall staple. To create a homemade substitute, find a brown paper bag and cut out a variety of leaf shapes. Once you’ve got a big enough pile, color the…
It’s a Blue Jacket Bonanza!
The Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau recently received a national County Activities of Excellence Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation for its “FFA Blue Jacket Bonanza” program. Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau representatives will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, next January to display their award-winning program at the annual national meeting. County Farm Bureau launched…
Spotlight on: Treetop Yoga
Nina Jackson entered the Treetop Yoga studio, keeping her excitement in check. She was there to make sure she had the right place. She was looking for the only dedicated yoga studio in Santa Maria, and she found it. Thanks to Nicole Donati, yoga practitioners in Santa Maria and Orcutt have a place to go…
Unlawful ads?
California medical marijuana providers, landlords and their dispensary proprietor tenants may not be the only ones in the crosshairs. The latest escalation of the Obama Administration’s crackdown on medicinal cannabis has one U.S. attorney publicly toying with the idea of pursuing criminal prosecutions and asset seizures for media outlets—radio, television, and weekly newspapers like the…
Stand Down is coming to Santa Maria
The camera pans to a large American flag flapping in the pre-dawn wind. Next it zooms in on the golden-orange sun rising over a camp of several dozen military-grade tents. Veterans of every age, every ethnicity, and every war are waiting in line to receive food, clothes, and some much-needed services. Some men are getting…
Fighting fires
On Nov. 7, the U.S. Forest Service announced the Santa Maria Public Airport’s fire retardant contract has been expanded so tanker base staff will be on site through next year’s fire season. This comes after a push from the Association of Santa Barbara Fire Chiefs and the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to reopen…
Economic group presents ‘roadmap’ for job creation
The Economic Alliance of Northern Santa Barbara County (EconNSBC), a grassroots coalition of local businesspeople and entrepreneurs, unveiled its three-year plan for economic growth and job creation at a Nov. 8 forum in Santa Maria. EconNSBC is the brainchild of Lawnae Hunter, a real estate broker who started the volunteer group out of frustration over…
Layoffs coming to Vandenberg
Officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base announced on Nov. 2 they will cut nearly 100 civilian jobs within the next year under directives issued by the U.S. Department of Defense. As part of an overall restructuring of the U.S. Air Force, Vandenberg must eliminate 62 jobs by April 1, 2012, and 35 more by Oct.…
Supervisors pass medical marijuana dispensary ban
On Nov. 1, just as it had played out in a previous hearing, the board voted 4-1, with 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr again opposing, to approve an all-out ban on new medical marijuana storefronts in unincorporated territory. But the latest development came without the contention of previous hearings on the issue, during which a…
