Cover Story
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
People of all different ages and ethnicities stand together in a semi-circle, clutching clear plastic Starbucks cups filled with flickering white tea lights. A young man in a pastel dress shirt steps before a microphone set up in front of the crowd. Over the gentle murmur of conversation, he starts to speak: “I’d like to…
Community Notebook – 11.04
MONDAY, NOV. 8 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. TUESDAY, NOV. 9 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Betteravia Government Center’s…
Hobnobbing with Helen
More than 800 tickets were sold for the Foodbank’s annual “Empty Bowls” event held on Wed., Oct. 27, from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., at the Fairpark. Freelance event coordinator Shana Medrano was the in-charge lady for the day. This whirlwind of energy told me 900 bowls had been produced for and donated to the…
If you could have anyone get rid of a bully for you, who would it be?
Jan Bloom housewife “My husband. He has experience with bullies and has a way with people that is just amazing.” Manuel Aguilar letter carrier “Police officer. That’s what they’re there for: to serve the pubic and protect our interests.” Kory Cox grocery store supervisor “Chuck Norris. The only person who could be a bully to…
A rally beyond the Valley
Members of the Colbert Nation and rabid Daily Show groupies rallied together at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 30 to “Restore Sanity and/or Fear.” The celebrity-studded spectacle was the faux liberal media’s response to Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally held in late August. However, there’s been plenty of media speculation over whether…
Angels seeking angels
Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara recently opened a new office in downtown Orcutt. The agency is a nonprofit that recruits, screens, and trains foster parents from Santa Barbara County to care for infants and toddlers who have been detained by Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. The new…
Luncheon discusses elections’ impact
The 2010 elections have come and gone, and the impact of the results on local businesses will be discussed at a combined meeting of Santa Maria Valley business organizations on Nov. 9. During the luncheon, Trent Benedetti, certified public accountant with Benedetti and Associates Inc., will present his analysis of the election and its effects…
Bonqo: competition for Craigslist
Buyers and sellers on the Central Coast now have an alternative to Craigslist in Bonqo.com, a free online classified advertising site claiming to manually check every advertisement for legitimacy before it’s posted. According to its local creators, ELLA Internet Technologies, Inc., Bonqo is a family-friendly online marketplace; adult content and personals are forbidden, and every…
Community West hires consultant
Community West Bank announced the hiring of Dan Koski as senior loan consultant in the mortgage division of the bank’s Santa Maria branch office. Before joining Community West Bank, Koski was a branch manager for Oak Tree Lending and later owned and operated Pinnacle Lending, a Santa Maria-based brokerage company. In addition to his mortgage-lending…
Walmart appeals Lompoc ruling
On Oct. 27, retailer Walmart appealed a Lompoc Planning Commission ruling that denied the company’s application to expand its Lompoc store by more than 40,000 square feet. In the appeal to the Lompoc City Council, filed on behalf of Walmart by Los Angeles-based law firm Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, the company contends the project’s Environmental…
Student gets started in politics
Allan Hancock College student Emma Patterson is beginning her tread in the waters of politics. Patterson, a full-time Allan Hancock College student from Arroyo Grande, was sworn in as the new student trustee on Oct. 19. She’ll serve as a representative for Hancock students on the Board of Trustees until June 2011. Patterson is a…
Retreat for a weekend
Intuitive Drawing is set to host a quaint intimate weekend workshop retreat Feb. 4 through 6 at the Rancho Alamo Camp 1. Surrounded by redwood, oak, and cypress trees, attendees will form groups of six and stay in a three-bedroom, two-bath cottage while exploring art making at The C Gallery. Intuitive Drawing requires no preliminary…
Take a field trip with Allan Hancock College
The Allan Hancock College Fine Arts Department is sponsoring a field trip to two premiere art centers in Pasadena. Students, staffers, and the general public are all welcome. The trip will be held Saturday, Dec. 4. Participants will meet in front of Allan Hancock College’s Joe White Gymnasium at 6:45 a.m., with the bus set…
See Lompoc Museum’s new project
The Lompoc Museum has announced the receipt of a $4,900 mini-grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation in collaboration with the Hutton Foundation to develop a detailed landscape design for an outdoor educational garden. The garden will aim to provide an easily accessible “living exhibit” space to educate the surrounding community about the area’s rich history…
Sunlight and water
It may take sunlight and water to grow wine grapes, but it takes hard work and passion to produce wine. Knowing that, Mark Robert Halper couldn’t help but try to capture images of the chefs, executives, entertainment moguls, and others in the diverse crowd of this area’s vintners. Halper and his wife Jennifer were traveling…
Interpretive thinking
The C Gallery in Los Alamos is getting a reputation for its contemporary art and creatively themed shows. Calls for submissions of works with the theme “pink” or “pop” have stretched the imaginations of artists near and far as they angle for unique adaptations of the theme. This time, gallery owner Connie Rohde has challenged…
Paul Avila
There’s been at least one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing debut season for St. Joseph in the Pac-7: Knights starting quarterback Paul Avila. Just a junior, the Lakeview Junior High product has consistently proved his poise at the helm, most recently evidenced by the team’s first-ever league win on Oct. 30, a 41-13 whipping…
The Bleacher Bum Chronicles Vol. IX
Nobody could have predicted this—not even Paul the Psychic Octopus, the famed World Cup prognosticator, may Neptune rest his slippery soul. Like a lot of people, my reaction to the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants facing off in the World Series went something like, “Whaaaaaaaat?” For the Giants, their last sip of champagne came…
YMCA holds youth volleyball clinic
The Santa Maria Valley YMCA is offering a volleyball clinic for all athletes ages 10 to 13 interested in learning more about the fundamental skills of the sport. The clinic will be presented for all skill levels from Nov. 15 to Dec. 13 on Mondays or Wednesdays depending on grade level. The registration deadline is…
Find old-fashioned fishing at Cachuma
The Cachuma Lake Nature Center is inviting young anglers between 5 and 15 years old to participate in Old Fashioned Fishing Day on Nov. 6 at the lake’s swimming pool. From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., children will be able to fish for rainbow trout using bamboo poles, bobbers, and bait. Experienced local anglers will…
Falling in love with fall
Did you feel it? That chill in the air, dense with the mist of morning fog? Did you smell it? The scent of burning leaves, cinnamon and vanilla, and pumpkins lit on a Halloween night? Did you taste it? The heat of spiced cider taking the chill off your innards and the rich warmth of…
Autumn on the trail
Believe it or not, summer has slipped into history and the mid-winter holidays loom just around the corner. Rather than resist the inevitable flipping of the calendar pages, why not grab a wine glass and get a head start on the celebration? Aiming to ease oenophiles into the next round of festivities, the members of…
Clubs & Meetings
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Spiritual
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Farmers Markets
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Barbecues
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Health
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Art
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Learning
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Recreation
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Kids & Family
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Dance Lessons
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Stage
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Night Life
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Concerts
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Special Events
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