Cover Story
Winning Images 2015
Wielding a camera—whether digital or film—is all about capturing light. The rays of sun as it sets. The pops of brightness that midday brings. The soft glow of a cloudy day. For 20 years, the New Times Media Group has invited local photographers to show us the way they see the light of day or…
Betting with booze: Santa Ynez’s Chumash Casino will start selling alcohol on the gaming floor
No matter what they do, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians can’t seem to escape the ire of their critics. There’s the issue with Camp 4—the 1,400-acre piece of land that the tribe is trying to get placed in a federal trust, but faces opposition from county leaders who have qualms about land-use issues…
What are you studying at Allan Hancock College and why?
Adam Jackson AHC student “I’m kind of studying history, but I’m also studying mixed martial arts.” Diego Peinado AHC student “I’m going for electrical engineering because I love computers. I like how most electronics tick.” Jounelle DeRidder AHC student “Recreational and business management. When I was little, I was always into sports. I like the…
Community Notebook 11/5/15 – 11/12/15
MONDAY, NOV. 9 • 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. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at…
Political Watch 11/5/2015
On. Oct. 29, Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) issued the following statement upon the election of Paul D. Ryan (R-Wisc.) as Speaker of the House of Representatives: “Today, I congratulate Paul Ryan on being elected as Speaker of the House. It is an incredibly powerful position, but one with great responsibility to work not only…
Chumash make donation to Solvang School
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians presented a mobile Chromebook cart with 40 Chromebooks for students, and 20 Dell Latitude laptops for teachers on Monday, Nov. 2, at Solvang Elementary School in Solvang. The tribe raised $120,000 with the 11th annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic. The proceeds were donated in the form of tech…
Saints alumni join student band for a night
The music never stops for some people. More than two dozen alumni musicians proved it when they marched to the field and into the stands with the Santa Maria High School Saints Band during the school’s last home football game on Friday night, Oct. 30. Prior to the game, the student musicians and alumni shared…
Hancock College launches mentor program
Allan Hancock College officially launched a mentor pilot program with a meet-and-greet event Oct. 28, at the Children’s Discovery Museum in Santa Maria. The program pairs 11 Hancock students (mentees) with two mentors. Each student will be mentored by one college faculty, staff, or administration member, as well as by one community volunteer. Hancock’s Associate…
Pioneer Valley High School marching band earns trophies in L.A. competition
The Pioneer Valley High School Panther Pride marching band and color guard proved to be “FANTASMIC” during competition in the Los Angeles area recently. “FANTASMIC” is the name of the 2015 field show that nearly 100 Pioneer Valley High School students performed. It featured music from the “Disney Spectacular!” production. The students competed against 28…
Spotlight on: Taylor Defense Firm
You hear the term “veteran attorney” and what do you think? It actually carries two meanings. One image that comes to mind is that of a legal eagle with years of experience and vast knowledge of the system the saltiest of salts who’s represented many a client and won the hearts and minds of judges…
Vernon Construction Inc. to begin work on Skyway Center
The drab, boxy buildings that stand at the corner of Broadway and Skyway Drive may be torn down by the end of the year, said Vernon Construction Inc. Business Operations Manager Julie Sanchez. Sanchez told the Sun that the Santa Barbara-based developing firm is currently awaiting final permitting to begin the demolition process and begin…
Blind pit bull found on Santa Maria park bench is adopted
A blind pit bull abandoned on a park bench in Santa Maria has found a new home. Poly, a 3-year old female red nose pit bull, was left in Santa Maria’s Armstrong Park on Oct. 14, according to Jennifer Wales, president and founder of Los Angels-based Foreverhome Pet Rescue. Santa Barbara County Animal Services took…
21-year-old man shot to death in Santa Maria
Detectives from Santa Maria Police Department are investigating a shooting on the evening of Oct. 30 that left one man dead. According to SMPD Sgt. Paul Van Meel, officers were dispatched to the area of Cook and Smith streets at approximately 7:39 p.m. for a report of a gunshot victim. When they arrived, they found…
Police investigate murder-suicide in Santa Ynez
The son and estranged wife of Santa Ynez resident Steve Pappas were found dead Oct. 31, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. According to Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, sheriff’s deputies and the California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a solo traffic collision in the 1500 block of Refugio…
Drinking it all in
It’s been a week of fire and rain, preparedness and a little mudslinging. Fire consumed 70 acres in the hills above Montecito Oct. 29, days before Mother Nature sent a brief deluge of rain that gave us a taste of the storm waters to come, but was just a tad late to the fire. I’ll…
From bad to worse
I was arrested at the entrance to Diablo in 1978 because they did not know what they were going to do with their nuclear waste that lasts for 10,000 years. Here we are 35-plus years later, and this deadly waste is being stored on site. At 90 I am too old to move or get…
What will you choose?
The idea is not new. Several years ago major corporate employers rated the five employee traits that are most and least important to them. The highest rankings were all “work ethic” items: arriving on time, not stealing, putting in a full day’s work, being reliable. Interestingly, the lowest-rated items were academic pedigree, knowledge, and experience. …
Christy TaJalle
When it comes to getting fit, Christy TaJalle says, “One cannot rely on a single routine.” “Fitness is a lifestyle,” said TaJalle, who is now a newly certified spinning instructor at In-Shape gym on Broadway in Santa Maria. “You can be your own mad scientist.” What exactly is spinning? It’s an exercise that involves peddling…
The basics and beyond: For Jason Ramirez, coaching youth baseball is a rewarding experience
Anyone who has tried to recruit parents to coach youth sports knows it can be a challenge. With so many other pressing family obligations, and sometimes multiple children participating in sports, a parent’s time is premium. Then there are parents like Jason Ramirez, who spends seven days a week coaching three different teams. The Sun…
Collector or hoarder?
Some people actually think garages are for parking automobiles. Fools. Garages are for storing parts of automobiles, junk from the house nobody wants to deal with, and notebooks filled with dismal poetry from that time you had a broken heart in high school. Pro tip: Don’t let your significant other find that notebook. If she…
Sibling songsters: The Brothers Reed bring tight folk-rock to Lompoc
Straight out of the mountains of Ashland, Ore., brothers Aaron and Phil Reed are going on tour, with their next stop coming up in Lompoc, at the D’Vine Wine Bar and Bistro on Nov. 14. Transplants to Oregon, the two brothers have connected musically over the past several years, culminating in their duo The Brothers…
Wildling Museum auctioning original Wyland painting
The Wildling Museum held a 15th anniversary celebration event that honored guest James “Bud” Bottoms with the Wilderness Spirit Award. The event raised funds for the museum and included a raffle of donated fine art. One piece remains, however—an original Robert Wyland painting titled Ocean Colors—and the museum is currently offering the piece to the…
Lompoc’s Creative Crossings project calls for artists
Healthy Lompoc Coalition announced the Lompoc’s Creative Crossings project’s phase II, which includes a call for local artists to submit digital samples of work for consideration in providing beautiful, artistic street crossing designs for two new crosswalks in Lompoc. The program is supported with a grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation, and is part of…
Los Padres Artist Guild holds Christmas art show
The Los Padres Artist Guild (LPAG) celebrates the season with the 39th annual The Colors of Christmas show and sale event on Nov. 6, 7, and 8, featuring a wide range of art created by guild members. Fine artwork includes paintings, silk paintings, jewelry, photography, collage, ceramic, and even stained glass; and handcrafted items include…
Where art meets the ocean: Vanessa Venegas of Nipomo uses surfboards as her canvas
Surfboard in hand, Vanessa Venegas braves the foggy chill of morning as often as she can to catch the best waves of the day at Pismo Beach. But it wasn’t always this way. She didn’t even like the ocean when she started working at Pancho’s Surf Shop about three years ago. A surf lesson from…
Allan Hancock College Fine Arts faculty enjoy annual art exhibit of their work
Allan Hancock College’s Ann Foxworthy Gallery was buzzing with the excitement of longtime friends and colleagues, all coming together to share their work with each other and students at the opening reception for the annual Fine Arts Faculty Art Exhibit on Oct. 28. The exhibition shows through Nov. 30 and features various media by teachers…
Take a drive to Guadalupe for some unforgettable food at El Tapatio
There’s a gentle winding road that exits Orcutt and twists its way through the hills and farm fields toward the coast. The road eventually meets Highway 1 and rolls slowly through the city of Guadalupe. The street has a retro feel with building facades that harken to the past. I can’t imagine Guadalupe looks much…
