Cover Story
Canine lives: Santa Barbara County Animal Services is getting reports of dog owners taking their contagious animals home without treatment
There’s one section of the Santa Maria Animal Center dedicated to sick dogs. While animals with contagious diseases are often isolated, this section of the facility has a few indications that the virus being contained is a bit more serious than most. One telltale sign? A tub of bleach and water, with which visitors must…
If you could change the ending to a movie or book, which would you choose?
Audra Gunn Kohls cashier “The After School Nightmare (book), because it made the rest of the series pointless.” Jenny Franco JC Penny cashier “The Notebook. I’m sad her memory was gone.” Kyleigh Cooley waitress “Lucy. I would leave the ending more open ended. I’d let others get the stuff.” Stephen Hanrey ice cream shop owner…
Comfort cuisine: Comfort Market in Arroyo Grande serves up feel good food, local wines, and cooking classes
Five months after opening its doors, Comfort Market is filling a niche, in addition to filling stomachs with satisfying house-made soups, fresh salads, unique sandwiches, local wines, and the ultimate comfort food—the downright delicious macaroni and cheese. Located in the village of Arroyo Grande, Comfort Market combines a bistro, specialty food and wine market, and…
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society offers a concert featuring a string ensemble and soprano
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society is gearing up for the opening concert of its season—the first full concert season the Philharmonic has offered since it underwent restructuring over a year ago. A variety of performances will be offered throughout the season, including some concerts with smaller ensembles, and a showcase of the orchestra’s full might.…
Santa Maria singer wins Star Voice
Santa Maria resident, PCPA student, and singer Annali Fuchs took the first place spot in the Star Voice competition at the Chumash Casino Resort on Oct. 19. The event included 12 competitors, narrowed down to four finalists, with Fuchs winning out over Luther Richmond of Santa Barbara, Djoir Jordan of Thousand Oaks, and Jineanne Coderre…
Gallery Los Olivos welcomes two artists for November
Gallery Los Olivos is offering an art show for the month of November that showcases the works of Mirella Z. Olson and Lindy Kern. The two artists and longtime friends will demonstrate their influence from nature in the show The Painter and the Potter. A reception event with the artists happens on Nov. 1 from…
City offers Halloween party to elders
The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department is inviting adults aged 50 and older to the annual Active Living Halloween Party event on Oct. 26 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. The free social event invites active older adults to co-mingle with high school students at Pioneer Valley High School, 675 Panther Drive, Santa Maria. The…
Sing with the Adelines
The Tri City Sound Chorus, Santa Barbara County’s chapter of the Sweet Adelines International, is gearing up for its Christmas concert, and welcomes all local ladies who enjoy singing to join them at some upcoming rehearsals. The ensemble sings in traditional barbershop style with all female voices and teaches interested singers how to blend vocal…
Movie night gets spooky
The Santa Maria Public Library is hosting a movie night in the spirit of the Halloween season on Oct. 29. Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, rated PG, will be shown at 5:30 p.m. in the library’s Shepard Hall. The Santa Maria Public Library is located at 421 S. McClelland, Santa Maria. More information is available at 925-0994,…
Local groups converge to celebrate Make a Difference Day
Make a Difference Day was started by the magazine USA Weekend in 1992 in order to put a spotlight on nonprofit organizations. The informal holiday is held on the fourth Saturday of October, and has caught on with nonprofit organizations across the country, including some close to home. WonHeart is a local nonprofit organization founded…
The Lompoc Civic Theatre produces a play that pulls from local history
The further back into the past we turn our attention, the more tenuous the details become. Honest research can reveal plenty about how cultures from the past lived and related, and first-hand accounts can give us details into daily life, but that which is left undocumented can only be guessed at. One tool that has…
How the Giants destroyed my liver and lost all my friends
October is a time for falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, and post-season baseball. I love October baseball because it’s time for the playoffs and the World Series. And I especially love October baseball when my Giants are playing. Yes, I said “my” Giants. No, I’m not a shareholder of the team, I’m certainly not on the pitching…
Discovery Corner: An homage to the Master of Fright
“Samantha Byrd is a klutz—an accident waiting to happen. She’s the laughingstock of the girls’ basketball team. And that mean, rotten Judith Bellwood is making her life miserable on and off the court. “But all of that is about to change. “Sam’s met someone who can grant her three wishes. Too bad Sam wasn’t more…
High school FFA reaches out to younger students
Ernest Righetti High School FFA’s Kinderpatch will be open for business on Oct. 24, when more than 500 elementary school students will learn the ropes of agriculture. The program, which has been a part of the community for the past 20 years, gives kids a chance to learn about plants, crops, and animal care. Students…
Teachers are flipping burgers for McMoney
Some Santa Maria-Bonita School District schools are participating in McTeacher’s Night at local McDonald’s restaurants in October. Staff members from the schools, including teachers and classified employees, will take orders, cook, and serve as part of a fundraiser sponsored by McDonald’s. On Oct. 23, Tunnell Elementary School staff will be at the McDonald’s on Fesler…
Pumpkins take over Guadalupe elementary school
A truck full of pumpkins dropped its load on the lawn outside of Mary Buren Elementary School in Guadalupe during the second full week of October. For years, Frank Almaguer and his family have surprised Guadalupe’s elementary students with about 1,000 pumpkins. The students, who choose their own pumpkin from the patch, decorate them with…
Spotlight on: One Way Boardshop
Going up against the big box stores is hard to do if you run a small business in any town with a Walmart or a Target, and Santa Maria happens to have both. “Our biggest hurdle is we aren’t funded by Wall Street,” Dan Pankratz of One Way Board Shop said with matter-of-factness and perhaps…
Political Watch 10/23/14
• On Oct. 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $7.8 million in funding for Central California tribes to invest in environmental programs, water infrastructure development, community education, and capacity building. “The federal government is committed to protecting human health and the environment in Indian country,” said Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA’s Pacific Southwest regional administrator,…
Community Notebook 10/23/14-10/30/14
MONDAY • The South County Advisory Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Nipomo Community Services District Headquarters, 148 S. Wilson St., Nipomo. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at cityofsolvang.com. TUESDAY • The Guadalupe…
Community Corner: Santa Barbara County Animal Services offers adoption specials
A donation by Tolman and Wiker Insurance Services of Santa Maria to Community Health Centers of the Central Coast Inc. (CHC) will put new smiles on the faces of three local students. The $10,000 donation will be used to provide free braces to selected Santa Maria High School students. The students will be selected during…
Local species teeter between threatened and endangered under federal act
The Vandenberg monkey flower is a tiny, low-to-the ground, bright yellow trumpet of color with spots of orange, and it only grows on the Burton Mesa—that’s 1,000 acres of sandy, hilly, windswept chaparral habitat stitched together between patches of residential development. Denise Knapp, the director of conservation and research at the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden,…
Mayoral candidates face off in Lompoc
Brown Act violation allegations being investigated by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office represented a hot topic during the Oct. 16 mayoral candidate forum in Lompoc. How could the subject not be on everyone’s mind? It’s been in the news since April and indicates there are suspicions that the City Council is somehow trying…
Nipomo pipeline construction will trigger Santa Maria road closures
The city of Santa Maria announced on Oct. 17 that there would be a series of road closures due to construction on a supplemental water pipeline that will eventually carry much-needed water to Nipomo. The first closure was anticipated to start on Oct. 20 from the intersection of Darbeton Avenue on Pacific Place to Hidden…
Unmanned spacecraft lands at Vandenberg
After nearly two years in orbit, the U.S. Air Force’s Boeing-built miniature–and that means it’s still big–spacecraft landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Oct. 17. The 29-foot-long, 11,000-pound, unmanned X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle just finished a 674-day test mission—which is top secret, by the way. Diana Ball, with the Boeing Network and Space Systems…
Measure P
Ed. note: The following are all of the letters about Measure P received between our Oct. 14 press deadline and the deadline for this, the issue of Oct. 21. This opinion section–and its regular commentaries and Canary columns–will return to normal after the election season ends. What will Measure P supporters attack next? My family…
What’s On Deck 10/23/14-10/30/14
Thursday, Oct. 23 Girls’ Tennis RHS vs. Mission Prep @ Mission Prep, 3:30 p.m. SYUHS vs. LHS @ LHS, 3:30 p.m. SJHS vs. SLO @ SJHS, 3:30 p.m. Girls’ Volleyball SMHS vs. THS @ SMHS, 3:30 p.m. RHS vs. AHS @ RHS, 6 p.m. SYUHS vs. OAHS @ OAHS,…
The Central Coast Sharks are looking for new fish
The Central Coast Sharks Youth Rugby team continues to sign up new players at the Santa Maria Town Center Mall on Oct. 29 and Dec. 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Sharks’ season opens in January, and 2015 will be the team’s fourth official season. Other sign-up dates and locations will also…
The walking and running dead
The Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation unleashes the Zombie Glow Run 2K Fun Run/Walk on Nov. 8 to raise money for Santa Barbara County Animal Services shelters. The event starts at 6 p.m. at the Santa Maria Animal Center, where participants will be dressed up in zombie glow gear. The Glow Run is more…
Return of the Spartans
Spartan races are coming to Sacramento. The West Coast Age Group Championship round of the 2014 Reebok Spartan Race Triple Crown will be held at the 10,000-acre Van Vleck Ranch in southeastern Sacramento County on Oct. 25. The Reebok Spartan Race is the first championship series in obstacle racing. Competitors run over 8 miles, and…
Ben Wulfestieg
During its pre-game huddle, the Cabrillo High School varsity boys’ water polo team doesn’t shout their team name. Instead, they simply say, “work.” The team’s motto showed when the Conquistadors overtook Santa Maria High School in Saints’ waters on Oct. 8. The Conquistadors’ team captain, Ben Wulfestieg, scored four goals to help conquer the Saints,…
Huckfest brings trucks and an economic boost to Oceano Dunes SRVA
Salty ocean air mixed with the smell of gasoline at the Oceano Dunes on Oct. 18, as the ripping sound of engines overpowered the steady sound of the waves. Thousands of off-road enthusiasts converged at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) for the annual truck-jumping competition known as Huckfest. Spectators and competitors camped…
