Cover Story
Holiday Guide 2019
� Toymaker Tom Merrin builds toys in memory of his father BY WILLIAM D’URSO Even 23 years later, the grief remains a silent passenger in Tom Merrin’s life, prodding him now and then, stirring those memories of long ago. As the holidays draw near, and the toymaker builds wooden planes, trucks, and trains in Arroyo…
Just a short trip up the 166, a visit to the Cuyama Buckhorn Restaurant and Bar will leave you feeling all kinds of autumn
Since its establishment in 1952, the Cuyama Buckhorn Restaurant and Bar has been serving meals to locals and travelers passing through alike. But this fall season, the New Cuyama staple is switching things up with its first seasonal offerings: the Fall Harvest Menu. “There’s going to be a huge culinary focus on connecting the food…
Being one out of an estimated 250 at this month’s candlelight vigil for Kristin Smart
Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:31 p.m.—“Wear purple if you have it tomorrow,” reads a text from one of my best friends. The following afternoon, I put on my striped burgundy T-shirt—the closest thing I own to purple—and await the anticipated “we’re here!” text from the group chat. It’s nice of my friends to pick me up…
Faculty exhibition at Ann Foxworthy Gallery shines new light on Hancock College fine arts teachers
Sculpture, painting, and photography are some of the more traditional media featured in Allan Hancock College’s Fine Arts Faculty Art Show—currently on display through Dec. 12. But spectators of the exhibit can look forward to experimental works as well, including Transgressions, a digital video art series created by faculty member Nancy Jo Ward. “I have…
Santa Barbara gallery highlights North County artists
A Crimson Holiday, an annual pop-up studio in Santa Barbara’s La Cumbre Plaza, will be exhibiting works from more than 40 local artists through Wednesday, Jan. 15. The fine artwork and crafts on display are also available for purchase. Santa Maria-based artist Chris Boroquez will be showcasing his blown-glass works, which include salt and pepper…
Santa Maria Library showcases artist Patricia Lipscomb
The Santa Maria Public Library hosts a new art exhibition showcasing the art of Patricia Lipscomb in the library’s Shepard Hall Gallery, starting Thursday, Dec. 12. The show will run through Thursday, Jan. 30, and is part of an ongoing series curated by the library’s Art Advisory Committee. Library patrons and art enthusiasts are encouraged…
Skyview Los Alamos launches Artist in Residence program
Skyview Los Alamos recently announced its new Artist in Residence program, in which the hotel displays a collection of original works from local artists. The running theme of the featured pieces is “the allure of the California road trip and the halcyon nostalgia of the American motel,” according to press materials. The exhibit’s inaugural lineup…
Lompoc Pops Orchestra heralds in the holiday season with annual Christmas concert
Special guest vocalist Christopher Bengochea is set to accompany the Lompoc Pops Orchestra during their annual holiday concert, The Spirit of Christmas. Lompoc’s First United Methodist Church will host the show on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. A former student of renowned tenor Gianni Raimondi, Bengochea began studying opera during his time at Montana…
Carbajal backs California’s Kamala Harris for president
U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) endorsed California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris for president, supporting the state’s former attorney general who’s currently struggling in the polls. A joint statement released on Nov. 22 said that Carbajal is the fourth Congressional Hispanic Caucus member to put his weight behind her. The announcement also mentions Carbajal’s career…
Political Watch: November 28, 2019
• Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) and Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) held a joint hearing Nov. 20 examining California’s Paid Family Leave Program. The hearing, described as “informal” in a news release from Jackson’s office, was held between the Senate Select Committee on Women, Work, and Families and the Assembly Select Committee on Women…
Correction
In the Nov. 21 Sun, the Spotlight “Change of scenery,” incorrectly reported the assets of CoastHills Credit Union and when CEO Paul Cook suggested a third floor for the new building. Its assets are worth $1.2 billion, and Cook made the suggestion in 2015, when he joined CoastHills as the chief information officer. Cook became CEO…
Newsom’s new oil policies could affect Orcutt Oil Field
The state’s temporary moratorium on new permits for oil wells that use high-pressure extraction methods might affect any future production expansion plans for the Orcutt Oil Field, and it lays the groundwork for more stringent regulations to come. There are essentially three parts to an announcement made by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration through the Department…
Lompoc changes tactics on Bailey Avenue annexation
As Lompoc enters the final stretch of an application process to expand its boundaries for the first time since 1999, City Council has tasked its city attorney with taking a leading role. The city’s inability to expand its boundaries for the last two decades has stifled the number of new homes built in the city…
Santa Ynez Valley bike plan clears another hurdle
The earliest stages of a bike plan that would likely link all the municipalities of the Santa Ynez Valley came a step a closer to approval at the last Santa Barbara County Association of Governments meeting. The board voted unanimously to pass the Santa Ynez Valley Bicycle Master plan forward to an eventual hearing in…
County Planning Commission approves wind energy project near Lompoc
By the end of next year, an energy developer is slated to build 29 wind turbines in a largely undeveloped area about 5 miles south of Lompoc. During a meeting on Nov. 20, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit that allows Strauss Wind LLC—which international company BayWa owns—to move forward…
CANARY: For the birds
Are you guys ready for the “systemized killing of an enormous number of birds”? Well, according to Mark Holmgren from the Santa Barbara Audobon Society, that’s exactly what a recent Santa Barbara County Planning Commission decision is going to enable. Not the birds! Those are my people. Is it a cell or radio tower? Because…
The need to fight and work for freedom hit close to home
Something happened that has caused me to do something I never intended to do, and that is declare my candidacy to be your representative in Congress. It all has to do with Ronald Reagan’s famous words, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the…
Using a single source of energy is impractical, shortsighted
You can laugh at the guy who wears a belt and suspenders, but it has been a practice to multi-source critical components for the military, aerospace, and anything that involves security, defense, and infrastructure. Now that electrical blackouts are to be considered the new normal, consumers are being enticed to get their own backup power…
Santa Maria bans flavored tobacco amid national concerns over vaping
In an attempt to curb the number of kids using electronic cigarettes or vaping, Santa Maria has banned businesses in the city from selling flavored tobacco products starting next July. While the main target of the move is the assortment of flavors vape shops sell for e-cigarettes that officials say kids find appealing, the measure…
