Cover Story
Culture counts: Local schools are working, slowly, to increase representation in the teaching force
After 25 years in the U.S. Navy, Peter Flores had heard all the meritocratic mantras in existence, and “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” was by far his favorite. Hard work was the constant focus of his life as a command master chief, and as a new naval sciences teacher in the early 2000s, he…
Places to play: Local blue-collar acoustic groups see more chances to perform in the Santa Maria Valley
For the musician who makes the leap from studying their instrument and playing in jam circles to actually starting a group and getting paid to perform, that milestone can be a formative one. But for local singer and banjo player Wendy Stockton, starting a band didn’t begin in high school for her, like for so…
CORE hosts poetry reading with David Dominguez and Raina J. León
CORE Winery in Orcutt will feature two poets, David Dominguez and Raina J. León at its monthly poetry reading series on Oct. 13. León, Ph.D, has written three collections of poetry, including Canticle of Idols, Boogeyman Dawn, and sombra: (dis)locate. She is a member of the Carolina African-American Writers Collective as well as founding editor…
Barrelworks Terroir Project invites brewers from all over the world to create beer wine hybrids
Here on the Central Coast, every sip of wine or beer bears a hint of the region that produced it. So what happens when you combine them both? Don’t go dumping your beer into that glass of chardonnay because that’s not what I’m talking about. Beer-and-wine hybrids are making a name for themselves all over…
Lasting impressions: Irina Malkmus’ surrealist metal embossings pay tribute to her homeland
Irina Malkmus vividly recalls the details of spending part of her youth in Crimea, at her grandparents’ home, picking wild mushrooms. “I spent lots of time with my grandmother and grandfather,” she said. “Often I would walk to the forest to find some mushrooms. I remember how they smell and how they are beautiful.” She…
Truth hurts
“Why is everyone so sensitive?” We hear it so often in the Opinion section, often from those mad at letters they disagree with or at reporting they’d have rather never learned about. Take a look at the critical response we received from a reader (page 14) for some news reporting done in the Oct. 4…
Hancock partners with private university to offer bachelor’s degrees
In a little more than three months, Santa Marians will be able to get four-year degrees at Allan Hancock College. Representatives of Hancock and the University of La Verne met at Hancock’s Santa Maria campus Oct. 8 to ratify a contract that will launch three bachelor’s degrees on Hancock’s campus. The degrees, in public administration,…
Spotlight on: Space VR
A new company in Solvang is offering potential customers a chance to step into an alternate reality. Jamie Baker, the owner and operator of Space VR, a virtual reality video arcade right across the street from the town’s motorcycle museum, told the Sun he got into the business because of his son. “He’s 12 years…
Measuring up: Local groups back county and city ballot measures
While internet ads, mailers, and radio commercials inundate voters with information about state propositions and national candidates, there’s still a number of local ballot measures vying for attention. With early voting open since Oct. 8, the Sun examined local measures that could change the landscape of supervisorial districts and others that will outline local cannabis…
Solvang shores up smoking ordinance
City administrators and council members tried to clear the air permanently in Solvang by tightening its smoking regulations. On Oct. 9, the Solvang City Council gave tacit approval to restrict smoking to streets and parking lots. The public’s response was largely positive. “It will be nice to not walk through a cloud of smoke or…
Santa Maria high school district and Faculty Association declare impasse
After more than a year of negotiations, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District and its Faculty Association declared an official impasse on Oct. 3. The main sticking points? Salaries, of course, and the district’s voluntary transfer program. District officials said in a press release that while the district offered faculty members a 2…
Vandenberg site of historic booster landing
It was a night for the history books. And it definitely wasn’t aliens. First, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully blasted out of Earth’s atmosphere from Vandenberg Air Force Base a little after 7 p.m. on Oct. 7. Conditions were relatively clear as the craft carrying an Argentine radar satellite arced across the Southern California…
Iliad-ict: PCPA delivers a haunting rendition of Homer’s epic poem
If the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the Iliad by Homer is the 2004 movie Troy starring Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom–well, for crying out loud, read a book or something because I don’t think I can help you. But a new performance at the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA)…
Lompoc hosts Art Hunt event
The Lompoc Valley Art Association is hosting Art Hunt, a free local art-themed event from Oct. 18 through 21. The event offers participants a chance to find free art work through a scavenger hunt. Clues to the hunt can be found on social media including Instagram and Facebook. On Instagram, a photo of a painting,…
Commentary 2: John Linn endorses the Lompoc City Council triad
John Linn, who was the object of two historic Lompoc election losses to his opponent, is endorsing a triad of Lompoc City Council members who have consistently supported his agenda. Following his last defeat, Linn promised to “remain active” in Lompoc politics; since then he told me that he “lives two weeks a month in…
Irresponsible reporting
My respect for your paper has quickly diminished based on your article about Father Timothy Lane published Oct. 4, 2018 (“Local priests named in California sexual abuse report”). The 18-year-old adult was in a consensual relationship with him and the “sexual assault” was not more than a French kiss. She still lives in our community…
Vote yes on Measure U
This is the first time in my life that I am willing to promote a tax. I like Measure U for four reasons: This is local money that stays here for local programs–Sacramento cannot get their greedy paws on it; it supports Santa Maria police and fire services; it attracts people to our city by…
Help the animals
When you see the long list of initiatives on your ballot, don’t overlook Proposition 12 at the end. A yes vote levels the playing field for California’s farmers and improves the lives of millions of chickens, veal calves, and pigs across the U.S. Ten years ago Santa Barbara County voters supported Proposition 2 by a…
Lowering the bar
Congressional Republicans, by not considering attempted rape a deterrent for elevating a man to the Supreme Court, made their daughters, sisters, and granddaughters marks for sexual assault who will be fearful of coming forward. I hope never again have to see the likes of Trump, Kavanaugh, and the heinous people running our country. Drain the…
Future of the Central Coast depends on immigration reform
One of the greatest moments of my life was the day I took my oath of allegiance and became a citizen of this great nation. When I was elected to serve the Central Coast in Congress, I began a tradition of honoring newly naturalized citizens in our community for their patriotic achievement. Recently, I held…
Trevor Cole
No matter what happens on the football field, St. Joseph High School head coach Pepe Villasenor always has his secret weapon, his Swiss Army knife: Trevor Cole. Cole, a senior, truly can do everything. He’s a starter on both offense and defense, where Villasenor said he runs, catches, blocks, and works the field better than…
Kermit McKenzie placed on lockdown due to threat
Students and staff at Kermit McKenzie Intermediate School in Guadalupe were placed on lockdown for an hour Oct. 9 after law enforcement discovered a social media post threatening the school. Carlos Limon, interim chief of the Guadalupe Police Department, said that although he couldn’t say exactly who threatened the school or via which social network…
Political Watch 10/11/18
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California), the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement after the Senate confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as next Supreme Court justice. The contentious confirmation process was the source of national controversy after allegations of sexual assault made by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford were held by Feinstein’s office in…
