Cover Story
Look into Laura’s Law
Imagine circumstances force you to again live with your parents, to return to your childhood home: You lost your job, were evicted; your friendships have unraveled; the world seems hostile. Instead of understanding your plight, your father and even your mother insist your behavior caused these problems, you are to blame, you aren’t thinking clearly,…
A win-win raffle
A lucky Santa Maria or Orcutt resident could be getting a brand new car soon, thanks to the sixth annual Save Our Schools Car Raffle presented by St. Joseph High School. The school started the raffle in 2005 to help pay for the renovation of its gym. “A number of alumni who are involved in…
Are holidays as special as they used to be?
Carmen Camacho administrative assistant “They’re the same, because I don’t celebrate the holidays.” Angel Espinosa mechanic “[They’re] better, because now we have a bigger family.” Kelsey Coleman student “No. When I was younger, I was so happy about them, but now I’m older and it’s more boring.” Susan McClenathan store manager “I think they are…
Down from the mountain
Though he’s made his name as a road racing coach, Los Alamos’ David Tonello now wants to give North County high school teens, boys and girls alike, the opportunity to race mountain bikes. Tonello is busy forming a composite Northern Santa Barbara County High School Cycling League for cross-country mountain biking enthusiasts, with a goal…
David Hull
What do a painter, a soccer coach, a Sunday school teacher, and a personal trainer have in common? They’re all the same guy. David Hull, 46, is all these things, plus an International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA) competitor. Hull’s affiliation with the sport began when he started lifting weights in junior high school. Way back…
What’s on Deck?
Thursday, Nov. 17 Girls’ Tennis CIF Southern Section Team Semifinals 2 p.m. Women’s Volleyball Oxnard College @ Allan Hancock College 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 Girls’ Tennis CIF Southern Section Individual Prelims TBA Girls’ Volleyball CIF Southern Section Finals @ Cypress College HS Football CIF Southern Section Playoffs Round…
On the roster
• Turkey Trot Fun Run: Lompoc’s annual event 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 run. The competition will be divided into 10 divisions, and prizes will be awarded to first- and second-place finishers in each division.…
Los Flores Ranch adjusts hours
With the recent switch to standard time, the city of Santa Maria returned Los Flores Ranch Park to its regular hours of operation. The park will now be open Fridays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m. Guided nature walks will continue on the second Saturday of every…
Hancock sluggers head into 2012 in top 10
The Allan Hancock College baseball team will head into the 2012 season ranked 10th in Southern California in the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association’s preseason poll, the school announced on Nov. 7. In addition to their regional spot, the Bulldogs are ranked 24th in the Junior College Pacific Association’s Division poll, covering California, Oregon,…
Santa Maria P.A.L. has a program just for girls
Girls Circle, a skill-building program run by the Santa Maria Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) for girls in seventh to 12th grades, is holding weekly sessions at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center. The program is dedicated to improving teen girls’ lives by encouraging the development of strength, courage, confidence, honesty, and communication skills. It provides…
Trout season kicks off at Cachuma Lake
Attention anglers: Cachuma Lake Recreation Area is calling. The lake held the first of its five rainbow trout plants of the season on Nov. 4, releasing 4,000 pounds of fish into the near-capacity waters. The rainbows came from the Calaveras Trout Farm, and at least 500 pounds were two-pound fish (16 inches long) or better.…
A musical melting pot
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society has a rich history of providing locals with the finest classical concert music available. But as all organizations, nonprofit or otherwise, have been feeling the economic crunch, the philharmonic has had to step up to the challenge of providing the community with quality music on a dwindling budget. The philharmonic’s…
Stroll Los Alamos
The third annual Holiday Stroll is set for Friday, Dec. 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Los Alamos. The stroll will offer new ideas and events to celebrate the season as new merchants come to town, such as Bell Street Farms Eatery, which will be serving complimentary hot chocolate in front of the Los…
Season for Giving benefits seniors
The Rona Barrett Foundation will be host to Rona’s Season for Giving benefit on Nov. 26 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Sunstone Winery, 125 N. Refugio Road in Santa Ynez. The event features a silent auction with unique items, including a private dinner at sea, gift cards to local restaurants, personalized celebrity cell phone…
Set foot for the C Gallery exhibit
A fall group show, “One Foot at a Time,” will open at the C Gallery in Los Alamos on Nov. 19 with a reception for the artists from 4 to 6 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through Jan. 11. The title refers to the small-works-only eligibility rule, welcoming pieces of art in any…
Christmas magic
Nutcracker 25 years ago. Though the memory is vivid in her mind, she still can’t wrap her head around the fact that this month marks the 25th production. When she first moved to Santa Maria, Zink, artistic director for Everybody Can DANCE and the Santa Maria Civic Ballet, found some summer and mid-season productions, but…
The magic of Christmas
It’s a wonder if the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come let Charles Dickens in on what a holiday icon his novella, A Christmas Carol (1843), would become. Or how many times and in how many ways it would be adapted. In addition to the major film and stage versions, various cartoons, TV specials, sitcom…
Give thanks and pass the turkey
The air is crisp and chill, the pumpkins have been harvested, and the corn stalks are drying out in the golden, auburn fields under a soft gray mist. It’s autumn, my favorite time of year, and November is nearly over. That can mean only one thing: There’s a frenzy of activity in the frozen turkey…
Thanksgiving Day dining
If your oven at home is too small to hold a tom turkey and several casserole dishes, if you find no pleasure in peeling potatoes, if you dread doing the dishes, or all of the above, consider letting someone else do the cooking this Thanksgiving. Several local chefs are more than willing to do the…
I’m dancing the foreclosure shuffle
By mid-morning, I slump onto my desk, which is littered with documents, notes, and phone numbers on sticky tags. The so-called “loan modification” people at one of the major banks have me limp as a rabbit in a wildcat’s mouth, shaking out my strength, savings, time, and resolve, while their foreclosure attorneys declare another victory…
Hancock releases its spring 2012 class schedule
Allan Hancock College’s schedule of spring 2012 classes is now online at hancockcollege.edu. MyHancock’s “class search” feature allows both credit and Community Education students to search for the spring classes by term, subject, time of day, location, or credits. Copies of the printed spring 2012 schedule will be available at all college locations and public…
Let’s circle up, girls!
Sometimes girls just need to get together to talk about their day-to-day stresses and overall outlook on life. To help facilitate this, the Santa Maria Police Athletic League (PAL) and Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department are offering Girls Circle, a confidential program dedicated to improving the lives of girls in seventh through 12th grades.…
Hobnobbing With Helen
Bippity boppity boo! What, when, where, and who? The Bippity Boppity Boo Ball delivered its dynamite debut on Saturday evening, Oct. 29, at the Discovery Museum. “It was time for something new,” said the museum’s executive director, Kelly White O’Neill. What a smashing success. Almost all the 200 or so attendees came in costume. Chances…
Spotlight on: Sharky’s
There’s a splash of sea green where the red and white of Kentucky Fried Chicken used to be on Main Street. That’s because Charlie “JR” Vest is setting out on a new voyage. Vest began his restaurateur career in 1966 when his father opened the family’s first Kentucky Fried Chicken. Forty-five years later, Vest is…
Times are a-changin’
The Luis Oasis Senior Center in Orcutt has a new face. For the last three months, Rovi Butcher has been calling the shots for the center while trying to learn the ropes of a new community. The winds of change are constantly blowing, and the center in Orcutt isn’t outside their sway. It will soon…
Water wars
Beginning with their Dec. 1 bills, many Solvang residents will be paying more for their water, and some contend the city’s new rate schedule creates an unfair disparity between homeowners and commercial businesses. The Solvang City Council unanimously decided on Oct. 10 to enact the rate increases, reporting that those with the smallest water meters…
Kings of the deep
The great white shark is a powerful and mysterious creature that elicits a strong emotional response in humans. Love them or hate them, revere them or fear them, people can’t seem to get enough of the infamous ocean predator. When a new juvenile great white went on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in September,…
State defunds the SLO Narcotics Task Force
The San Luis Obispo County Narcotics Task Force (SLONTF) as we know it is no more. Despite an effort by the California Department of Justice to salvage as many of its regional anti-drug and gang task forces as possible, the department announced it would disband two-thirds of its forces. The department is facing a budget…
Santa Barbara County drills for oil tax
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is contemplating adding an initiative to the 2012 ballot to tax crude-oil production, which officials say could generate more than $3 million in annual revenue for county coffers. With a 3-2 vote on Nov. 8, county supervisors approved moving forward with the proposed severance tax. The wording of…
City officials aim to keep a sex offender out of Santa Maria
A convicted sex offender with a violent past is expected to be released from state prison and placed in a supervised-living program in Santa Maria—a move local authorities are fighting. Tibor Karsai was convicted of the kidnapping and rape of a 16-year-old girl in Auburn in 1980. Karsai, 58, was originally sentenced to 26 years…
