Cover Story
Generation ag
If there were a reality television show called “America’s Next Top Farmer,” Brenda Farias would definitely be a contender for first place. The 29-year-old is the executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. Based in Santa Maria, the office acts as a USDA liaison for farmers in Santa Barbara and Ventura…
Is daylight savings time a good idea or bad?
Liz Peña cashier “It’s good because it saves energy and power.” Valerie Johnson Jamba Juice team member “I’ve never really thought about it.” Ryan Barr laborer “I really don’t mind. It kinda sucks having to change the clocks all the time.” Milt Oglesby disabled veteran “It’s OK.”
What’s on Deck?
Thursday, Nov. 3 Boys’ Water Polo LPL Finals @ Paul Nelson Pool TBA Pioneer Valley @ San Luis Obispo 4:30 p.m. Righetti @ Paso Robles 4:30 p.m. St. Joseph @ Arroyo Grande 4:30 p.m. Cross Country PAC 7 Finals @ Pioneer Valley HS 2 p.m. Girls’ Golf CIF Playoffs TBA Girls’ Tennis Pac 7 Preliminaries…
On the roster
• Santa Maria Valley Bike Run: Motorcycle enthusiasts will be riding high on their hogs at the eighth annual Santa Maria Valley Bike Run on Nov. 12. Activities include raffles, 50/50 drawings, a barbecue, and more. The cost to participate is $25 per person and a new, unwrapped toy for a child. Proceeds will benefit…
Go where eagles dare at Cachuma Lake
From now until Feb. 1, Santa Barbara County Parks Department naturalists will be leading cruises focused on bald eagles and other migratory birds at Cachuma Lake every weekend. The “Eagle Cruises” are offered every Friday through Sunday morning from 10 a.m. to noon. There will also be cruises from 2 to 4 p.m. on Fridays…
Take a hike at Las Flores
Local residents can find nature in their own backyard during docent-led walks at Los Flores Ranch Park, held on the second Saturday of every month. Docents will lead attendees along the park’s beginner and intermediate trails from 10 a.m. to noon, pointing out plant life, geology, and wildlife. The walks start promptly at 10 a.m.,…
Driver memorialized with golf tournament
Allan Hancock College is gearing up for the 15th annual Blaine Johnson Memorial golf tournament, held this year on Nov. 16 at the Santa Maria Country Club. The $150 cost to enter the tournament includes green fees, golf carts, lunch, and beverages. An awards banquet for teams finishing in the top three in low gross…
DEVON GARCIA
The school day was over. All across campus kids were causing a ruckus. Sports teams were assembling for their respective practices, yelling to friends and being generally wild teens, but at the pool it was calm as coach Kevin Jauregui spoke highly of his water polo players. That day, he was extolling the virtues of…
The city of karts and dragsters?
The concept of a multipurpose auto racing complex in Lompoc isn’t a new one, but for the next few months, supporters of the Lompoc Valley Motorsports Park will be driving their best laid plans into the final lap. The park has become the pet project of Carl Creel, a lifelong racing fan who envisions it…
Study outside the box
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s Independent Study teachers want you to know they’re here to help—here being the Santa Maria Public Library. Two years ago, the independent study program moved into library classrooms left vacant after the adult education program was cut from the budget. This has allowed the independent study program…
Chemistry is powerful
Allan Hancock College’s Friday Night Science is back, and this time the experiments are so big and the explosions so loud, that the science department is providing earplugs free of charge. The first of two Friday Night Science events will take place on Nov. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., starting in room M-310 on…
Hobnobbing with Helen
Aaaaaagh! Aaaaaagh!! Aaaaaagh!!! Intermittent screams pierced the soft buzz of dinner conversation. The screamer—Lady Sherringham (Georgia Shore)—stole down the curved staircase, away from the clutches of her possibly wicked attendant, Nurse Maude (Pat Haley) and her physician, Dr. Anna Freud (Nancy Amidon), to frighten the dinner “guests” by brandishing a knife. A very large knife,…
Brighten a life by brightening your smile
A big, brilliantly white smile can go a long way. You know, the kind that gets the light reflection and the little Hollywood ping. What’s even better is knowing that getting that smile will also help others have something to smile about. Pacific Coast Smiles in Santa Maria will be taking part in the upcoming…
Spotlight on: Farm Supply
When business is just about the dollars and cents, it gets cutthroat. When business is about the customers and community, it becomes something better. Farm Supply has kept that in mind as it grow its business, recently opening a new store in Buellton. The Farm Supply Company grew out of one store established in San…
Got spice?
On a recent afternoon, 17-year-old Santa Maria resident John* sat on his mom’s porch, sipping from a gigantic soda every now and then, never really focusing. He was explaining what it’s like to smoke “spice.” “It’s not natural,” he said. “When you’re using it, you can just tell.” Spice—the generic term for any of several…
Welcome to Bannertown
After two years in business, Core Wine Company in Old Town Orcutt still has a temporary banner draped across its building to attract customers. Core’s co-owners, Becky and her husband Dave Corey, would like to get a more permanent sign for their building, but say they can’t afford the nearly $2,000 in fees Santa Barbara…
Correction
The Sun printed the wrong address for Temple Beth El in its Oct. 28 Calendar listings. The correct address is 1501 E. Alvin Ave., Santa Maria. News Briefs is compiled by Sun writers from staff reporting and local and national media. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
Lompoc police reopen a 2007 homicide case
On Nov. 1, Lompoc Police Department detectives announced they are reopening the homicide case of 25-year-old Michael Jason Spradling, who was shot to death in 2007. Police officers responded to a 911 call the evening of June 11, 2007, where they found Spradling lying in an alley in the 400 block of North M Street…
Santa Maria City Council looks into citizens’ review of complaints against police
The Santa Maria City Council was scheduled at its Nov. 1 meeting to consider moving forward with a Police Citizens Review Board, a proposed panel of city residents tasked with oversight of complaints alleging police misconduct. Mayor Pro Tem Alice Patino requested the council look into the possibility of establishing the board at its Aug.…
Police investigate Santa Maria street clashes
Police are still investigating what may have led to two large brawls, which happened separately in mid-October, sending one man to the hospital with a stab wound. Investigators are searching for another man who fired shots in a Santa Maria neighborhood. While officials suspect both incidents may have been gang-related, nobody—including the victim—is talking, said…
Strange enters a plea in the Lompoc vehicular manslaughter case
Lacey Strange, the 18-year-old daughter of a Lompoc police officer, entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of vehicular manslaughter in a Santa Barbara courtroom on Oct. 25. Strange, who faces one misdemeanor count in connection with the death of Lompoc resident Becky Vegas, was not in court for the hearing. Her attorney,…
Vandenberg launches its last rocket of the season
Vandenberg Air Force Base’s launch of a Delta-2 rocket during the early morning hours of Oct. 28 was a bittersweet moment for those on the ground who have followed the trustworthy program over the years. Disappointment that it could be the reliable-yet-older rocket program’s last contracted launch was mixed with optimism about the brand-new Earth-observing…
Chasing velvet
Four decades ago, he was a young Vietnam veteran with a vision: to plant Pinot Noir vines where there were only bean fields. His grape gamble paid off, and now, decades later, his peers are celebrating his contribution to the state’s wine industry. Buellton wine producer Richard Sanford is the first Central Coast resident chosen…
Beethoven lives
The first four notes of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony have become virtually unmistakable, even to the most ignorant of listeners. But Beethoven was as industrious as he was creative, and while there are some pieces that loom large in his legend, there are also some masterpieces, just as glorious, that aren’t as universally recognized.…
Peek into Santa Ynez artists’ studios
The seventh annual Santa Ynez Valley Artists’ Studio Tour will run from Nov. 18 to 20, allowing art patrons to tour the unique and private studios of 30 area artists. The tour kicks off on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. with a reception at the Wildling Art Museum in Los Olivos. The reception is…
See work by Sharon Tate
November is a month for Sharon Tate, whose work will be on display in the Guild Room at 2920 Grand Ave. in Los Olivos. The space is dedicated to members of the Artists Guild of the Santa Ynez Valley. She’s a UCLA graduate with a major in apparel design, which led to her spending several…
Burton Mesa exhibit reception
The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission will be host to a dedication and reception on Saturday, Nov. 5, for Allan Hancock College photography and graphics instructor Kam Jacoby’s installation, titled “Burton Mesa: A Closer Look.” The public is welcome to attend this community event, where, after a brief dedication ceremony at 3 p.m., everyone will…
Looking back
Photographer Mel Felix has a rebellious streak. He likes to break the rules. It’s an urge he’s had his whole life, but fortunately he keeps his rule breaking to his artwork. With a background in advertising design and marketing, Felix made a career of staying within the lines, so to speak. Now that his art…
Knowing when to quit
A couple of weeks ago, I started feeling this slight knocking against my temple. It slowly built in intensity until suddenly it was a stinging slap upside the head. It was my Sense of Self-Respect, and it asked me, “Why aren’t you over this Facebook thing already?” Dazed, I replied, “I’m still having fun with…
The Cubist affair
The first thing to strike you about “Picasso and Braque: The Cubist Experiment, 1910-1912” may well be Pablo Picasso’s enigmatic Man with a Clarinet, which greets viewers upon entry. Or it may be the exhibit’s unorthodox color scheme, which eschews a sterile white cube aesthetic in favor of the palette and style of the artists’…
What is more important: prosecuting BP or prosecuting medical marijuana providers?
I made a bet, after 11 rig workers died from the grossly negligent BP explosion on the oil-drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, that Attorney General Eric Holder would throw around the phrase “criminal investigations” to appease the public for a while, but with time would pretend the largest oil spill in history, and…
