Cover Story
Republican push: In the age of Trump, local GOP members and candidates organize in preparation for the 2018 elections
The crowd buzzed under a long, shady barn in Los Alamos. An old flatbed truck served as an impromptu stage where a performer strummed an acoustic guitar and sang cowboy songs. Attendees sat or stood, eating catered food and sipping drinks, chatting while they waited for the scheduled speakers on the warm August afternoon of…
What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
Joseph Tucker legal secretary “Stuffing, duh!” Shelia Guge manager at Central City Candy “Cranberry salad that we make ourselves with pineapple, condensed milk, and Cool Whip.” Anna Galindo baking manager “Stuffing.” Mick Miguel technician “Turkey notwithstanding, I think it would have to be pumpkin pie with either whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.”
HUMOR: All things begin and end with bruschetta for Krider
My wife loves bruschetta. I mean she really loves it. Like, if it came down to sex or bruschetta, well, I’d be a very lonely guy every time. The problem with bruschetta, besides its being more popular than sex with me, is that it goes on bread. It turns out bread has something inside it…
LOCAL NOTES: Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra and Allan Hancock College Singers join forces to Rejoice!
Maestro Michael Nowak’s baton swished back and forth, leading the music with a brisk rhythm. But he wasn’t directing the violins and cellos of the Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra, but rather a four-part chorus, the Allan Hancock College Singers. His arms dropped, ending the polyphonic passages of “And He Shall Purify the Sons of Levi”…
Julefest in Solvang adds new activities
Solvang’s 2017 Julefest Holiday Celebration, which happens from Dec. 1 through Jan. 5, 2018, this year, will debut some new free activities including The Nisse Adventure, Solvang by Candlelight Walking Tours, plus free Live Music in Solvang Park. There will also be strolling musicians and carolers around the village. This year’s theme is A Danish…
Lompoc Library offers local authors collection
The Lompoc Public Library debuted a new local authors collection for children and adults. The collection features both fiction and nonfiction works, all written and illustrated by Central Coast authors and illustrators who donated their works to the library. Local Authors will be a permanent collection of the Lompoc Public Library. Lompoc Library Director Sarah…
DAYTRIPPER: Exploring the desolate ruins of Knapp’s Castle
To quote Flynn Rider (voiced by the talented Zachary Levi) from Disney’s Tangled, “Guys, I want a castle.” Technically located in Los Padres National Forest, the remains of Knapp’s Castle is just one of the Central Coast’s scenic destinations for adventuring, a place to let your inner child come out to play. Perched upon a…
‘Freaky Friday’ at PCPA is the perfect comedy romp for families
It dawned on me about halfway through the first act of the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) production of Freaky Friday that the company was doing something I had never really had a chance to see in a theater before—they were entertaining kids. I have seen about a year or so’s worth of PCPA performances and…
Devin Diaz
Of all the sports to choose from as a kid, Nipomo High School junior Devin Diaz said he was always drawn to running. His father is a former professional baseball player for the Milwaukee Brewers and his mother is an avid runner; Diaz gravitated toward his mom’s pastime. But he inherited both his parents’ competitive…
BENCHWARMER: Health begins in the brain
I’ve been staring at the cursor on my computer screen for the last 10 minutes, willing my brain to think of some creative and amusing sports topic for my column. But nothing comes to mind. It seems strange to ascribe a physical feeling to my brain, but it’s tired. Those who know me and are…
Solvang Elementary School District fills twice-vacated seat on board of trustees
The Solvang Elementary School District appointed a local health care provider and U.S. Army veteran to its board of trustees at a board meeting on Nov. 14, a seat that has been vacated mid-term twice this year. Benjamin Olmedo, a physician assistant for the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic, lieutenant with the U.S. Public Health…
Solvang Elementary students present science and technology research
Some of Solvang’s budding scientists had the opportunity to present research projects involving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to their classmates and community members at Solvang Elementary School on Nov. 15. Solvang Elementary fourth and fifth graders, also known as the All Are Scholars Academy, have been researching STEM related topics all year through…
Spotlight on: Marian Regional Medical Center
Marian Regional Medical Center recently added two new state-of-the-art devices to its heart program’s resources. On Nov. 14, the hospital announced Marian’s Sue J. Sword Heart Center will now offer a new type of heart device—one they described as “the world’s smallest pacemaker,” for patients with slow or irregular heart rhythm, otherwise known as bradycardia.…
Political Watch 11/23/17
• After the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Republican tax plan along party lines on Nov. 16, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) spoke out against the legislation in an interview with Bloomberg the following day. Brown said that Republicans could see losses in the 2018 midterms and the 2020 elections if the legislation is passed.…
Hobnobbing with Helen: Season of tree
It’s that time again. The Christmas tree raffle season opened with the noontime Altrusa Club’s Festival of Trees sponsor reception, which was also the Chamber of Commerce’s November monthly mixer. Held on Thursday evening, Nov. 16, on the lower level of Santa Maria Town Center East mall, the event attracted more than 100 people. Everyone’s…
Santa Barbara County law enforcement agencies change emergency response protocol to battle opioid overdose deaths
Opioid overdoses caused more than 33,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2015 alone, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC estimates that opioids—ranging from heroin to prescription painkillers—cause nearly 91 overdose deaths in the country each day. The CDC’s website labels the misuse of opioids as a…
Lawsuit targeting county Housing Authority says excessive home inspections violate Fourth Amendment
In a cramped 323-square-foot apartment off G Street in Lompoc lives the architect of a lawsuit who says her case contesting governmental warrantless home inspections is but one of thousands. Marsha Waldau, gray haired and bespectacled, peers up from the stack of case files and documents obscuring the wood surface of her kitchen table from…
Santa Barbara Supervisor Janet Wolf won’t seek re-election
After more than a decade of continuity, the seat for Santa Barbara County’s 2nd District supervisor is now a question mark. Supervisor Janet Wolf announced on Nov. 16 that she would not seek re-election next year, citing a desire to spend more time with family. Her move to step down could change the political balance…
Tourist killed crossing street in Lompoc
A Hungarian tourist was killed on Nov. 17 in Lompoc after she was struck by a car while crossing North H Street. According to the Lompoc Police Department (LPD), the pedestrian was struck in the middle of the roadway. The tourist’s injuries were so severe she was flown to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The driver…
Guadalupe teacher placed on administrative leave after allegations of lewd conduct surface
A teacher with the Guadalupe Union School District was recently placed on administrative leave after he was arrested on suspicion of engaging in lewd conduct in San Luis Obispo. James Ungricht, a math teacher at Kermit McKenzie Junior High School, was arrested after Cal Poly San Luis Obispo police investigated reports of the suspect committing…
Murder suspect killed by Lompoc officers in shootout
Gunfire shattered a quiet Sunday morning in Lompoc on Nov. 19. In just under an hour, two men were dead, one from an officer-involved shooting. According to Sgt. Kevin Martin with the Lompoc Police Department (LPD), a city patrol unit responded to reports of a homicide victim in the Santa Ynez riverbed at just after…
Etta Waterfield announces bid for re-election
Santa Maria City Councilmember Etta Waterfield announced her bid for re-election on Nov. 20 in front of the Santa Maria Public Library, where a group of roughly 40 supporters and colleagues gathered to hear the councilmember speak. “The desire to make a difference still burns within my soul,” Waterfield told the crowd, which included Mayor…
Off to the races
Ugh, I can’t believe we have to talk about elections again already. Just when we’ve got over the nausea of the 2016 election, we’re already talking about the midterms! Politics has never been so divisive, it seems, and I’m not just talking about nationally! The fight over Santa Maria’s City Council got nasty earlier this…
Oceano needs a break from vehicles
Forbidding driving on some areas of the Oceano Dunes will definitely benefit the lungs of Mesa residents who are breathing the dangerous PM10 being generated at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. However, it will not help the lungs of people like me who live, do business, and/or vacation on Pier Avenue and in…
America’s self-imposed financial conundrum
Just think about these numbers. Our federal government outlays for 2017 are $3.980 trillion, while the tax income revenues for 2017 is $3.315 trillion. That is a deficit of $665 billion for this year alone. The total federal debt is $20 trillion after eight years of President Barack Obama. Each year we have had a…
Put your money where your mouth is
I wish to first preface: I love sports, I am a minority, and I am not a veteran. Recently, NFL player Chris Long pledged his entire 2017 salary to benefit educational inequality. Chris Long has put his “full wallet” where his mouth is, instead of pennies where his “full mouth” is. While so many pro…
Lompoc residents concerned over cannabis referendum
Following a series of one-sided hearings on a proposed cannabis use ordinance in Lompoc, many locals are very concerned at the policy that was adopted by council members Jim Mosby, Jenelle Osborne, and Victor Vega. Following a campaign promise in 2016, Councilwoman Osborne led the crafting of the ordinance over the last several months. The…
Orcutt’s Old Town Mexican Cafe delivers on flavor
There is good news for restaurateurs and chefs on the Central Coast. If you put soup on your menu, I guarantee you will have at least one loyal customer who will order it every time: me. I won’t bore everyone with too many details (as I have before) about why I think soup is the…
