Cover Story
Battery-powered addiction: Vapes may be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, but prevention specialists say the electronic devices are addicting youth to nicotine
A few years ago, Hattie Bermudes didn’t even know what vapes were. Now she asks her kids about them nearly every day. As a mother of two San Marcos High School students and a member of the Parent Teacher Student Association, Bermudes spends a lot of time on school grounds, and within the past year…
Spotlight on: EcoWatch Movie Nights
To close out the year, four Central Coast companies are holding three separate screenings of environmentally conscious themed films. “We choose films that may cover ‘eco’ or ‘green’ topics, including water quality issues, natural resource preservation, animal protection, waste issues, globalization, recycling, and sustainable agriculture,” said Mikel Robertson, co-owner of Green Goods. He told the…
County adoption celebration event highlights issues faced by foster care community
Not every child who needs a family gets one. That was the sentiment Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Arthur Garcia said he hoped community members would remember at an adoption celebration on Nov. 14, when nine former foster children were officially adopted by six families at the Santa Maria Juvenile Courthouse. The ceremony acted…
Ladies Recovery holds Dining in the Dark fundraiser
The Ladies Recovery 4 Life organization in Lompoc presents a special fundraiser event, Dining in the Dark, featuring a full dinner, reception, and auctions on Dec. 1 at the Hilton Garden. The event begins at 5 p.m. and continues into dinner at 6 p.m., when diners will wear masks and will eat with assistance. The…
Shared history: The Wine History Project takes a delicious journey back in time with Ian McPhee and Gary Eberle
When a red wine glass is on the table in front of you, the waitress is handing you a glass of Eberle Mill Road Viognier, and it’s not even noon yet, you know you’re in for a good Sunday brunch. Pecans, bacon, and apples coated in poppy seed vinaigrette are forthcoming as Gary Eberle launches…
An heirloom instrument is a meaningful gift to receive
As long as I have been aware of and played guitars, those made by Martin Guitars have always caught my ears and eyes. My 90-year-old great aunt is the same way Darlene Andreoli (I’ve always called her Aunt Dee) is the last living of my grandmother’s siblings, and she studied guitar at Cuesta College in…
Fairy-dusted fun: Pacific Conservatory Theatre flies with family-friendly production of ‘Peter Pan’
Every year the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) reserves its holiday production for the big, colorful shows that attract families and groups of friends. And this year, they’ve sprinkled in some fairy dust. The conservatory opened the production of Disney’s musical rendition of Peter Pan in mid-November, and continues the high-flying show straight on till Dec.…
Water agency donates turkeys to Catholic Charities
Dozens of turkeys were donated to local families in need on Nov. 16, when Golden State Water Company staff in Santa Maria transferred the frozen birds from a company truck into one owned by Catholic Charities that morning. Food donations are an important part of the services that Catholic Charities provides in the community, explained…
Final H2-A meeting filled with opposition to city’s current plan and timeline
The final of five community meetings held by Santa Maria city officials focusing on seasonal farmworker housing was met with fierce opposition from the local ag community on Nov. 15. Of greatest concern among the several dozen residents gathered that night in a small room at the Minami Community Center was how quickly the city…
Chumash and Luiseño tribes file lawsuit against SoCal card rooms
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians released some of the details in a lawsuit that it and another tribe recently filed against several Southern California cardrooms, which the tribes say are operating games illegally. The complaint, filed in San Diego County Superior Court by the Chumash and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, alleges…
County to implement recommended restrictions on chlorpyrifos
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced recommended restrictions on a controversial pesticide on Nov. 15, and growers in Santa Barbara County will have to comply. The recommendations–including buffer zones, application guidelines, and discontinued use on most crops–further restrict the use of chlorpyrifos, a chemical insecticide used on California nut trees, and fruit, vegetable,…
Orcutt artists collaborate on beautification project
When longtime children’s art teacher Lynnae Lane moved to Orcutt from the Fresno area earlier this year, something caught her eye immediately. It was at JJ’s Market, a display incorporating cactus and birdhouses along the side of the market, which she said was “an amazing, eclectic collage.” “That just grabbed my attention,” Lane said. “I…
Santa Ynez Scarecrow Fest names winner
The Santa Ynez Valley Scarecrow Festival celebrated with its Harvest Cup event at the Solvang Festival Theater on Nov. 15, and named the winner of the annual festival. The competition saw businesses and residents in Solvang, Santa Ynez, Buellton, Ballard, Los Olivos, and Los Alamos set up scarecrow displays in storefronts and other areas. Locals…
Lompoc Pops dedicates upcoming concert to Alice McGonigal
The Lompoc Pops Orchestra will honor longtime flutist Alice McGonigal, who passed away in late August, at its upcoming holiday concert on Dec. 2. McGonigal served as the principal flute for the Lompoc Pops, and was a member of the flute sections of the Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Luis Obispo Symphony. She…
Warning, no serviceable parts
Back in the “olden days,” when your TV started acting up and a couple of good thumps didn’t fix it, you would take off the back cover and pull out the “tubes” (if I’ve lost you, find an old person and ask them, “What is a tube?”). The next step was to go to the…
Thanks for supporting Measure U
Thank you Santa Maria voters for supporting Measure U. Your generous support will allow our city to continue to provide professional public safety services and keep up with the ongoing growth we experience. As vice chair of the Measure U Citizens Oversight Committee, I will continue to work to ensure your hard-earned tax dollars are…
Voters, thanks for supporting Measure U
On Election Day, Santa Maria voters sent a clear and strong message about their priorities and willingness to fund local municipal services and quality of life programs, as an impressive 72.33 percent enacted Measure U2018. Thank you, voters, for extending and increasing this local sales tax from a quarter-cent to the 1-cent rate. We are…
Vape in my eyes
We only have one rule at my family’s Thanksgiving table, and it’s got nothing to do with political conversations. No vaping! All my middle school- and high school-aged extended family who are too old to sit at the kids’ table can hardly serve themselves cranberry sauce without puffing out a giant plume of vapor right…
Political Watch 11/22/18
• Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Kamala Harris (D-California) joined Sens. Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Bill Nelson (D-Florida), and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) in introducing the Hurricanes Florence and Michael and California Wildfire Tax Relief Act on Nov. 16. The legislation would allow more…
Karli Huguenard
Ernest Righetti High School junior Karli Huguenard is more than just an outstanding cowgirl, she’s a mentor to other students hoping to show animals or compete in rodeos. Huguenard, a member of Righetti’s Rodeo Club, is also a part of the school’s Warrior Goat Group, a program designed to help kids with special needs and…
Santa Barbara County collects first pot taxes while tightening enforcement
It’s still a long and windy road before commercial cannabis regulations are set in stone in Santa Barbara County, but officials are already seeing dividends in the form of tax revenue. According to Assistant CEO Dennis Bozanich, the county’s lead on cannabis enforcement, compliance, and regulation, around $1.8 million in taxes were collected from 30…
