Cover Story
The Awareness Issue 2019
This week we shine a light on what we should be paying attention to year round: breast cancer and domestic violence. This year, in the Sun’s Awareness Issue, Staff Writer Zac Ezzone writes about one family’s move to “save the ta-tas” while taking back their powerlifting tradition. Staff Writer William D’Urso speaks with Domestic Violence…
SipMusic Club presents folk artist Tom Brosseau at Lompoc Wine Factory
I remember immediately Googling “We Were Meant to Be Together” after hearing the song in the first episode of Netflix’s romantic comedy series Love. Hearing the tune set against a montage cutting back and forth between central stars Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust was my fond introduction to folk singer-songwriter Tom Brosseau, who’s set to…
Drac in the Saddle Again spoofs cowboys and vampires at the Great American Melodrama
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Fannie Farmer (Jocelyn Lonquist) notices a mysterious bat-shaped figure approaching her family’s ranch. The creature appears more and more anthropomorphic with each glance. Batman? Unfortunately not, although he is wearing a cape. The non-Batman introduces himself as Norman Zinfandel, Farmer’s uncle visiting from Atascadero. We—the audience—know that’s not true, as we’ve just…
PCPA Casting Director Erik Stein discusses new step-by-step guidebook on preparing for auditions
From starring opposite Tim Curry on Broadway to performing in countless PCPA productions over the last two decades, local thespian Erik Stein still considers teaching theater arts the most rewarding aspect of his career. “Of all the things I do, nothing compares to feeling like I might be making a difference in a young actor’s…
Orcutt Community Theater presents ‘The Haunting of Hill House’
Orcutt Community Theater presents its production of The Haunting of Hill House, adapted from Shirley Jackson’s 1959 gothic horror novel, at Klein Dance Arts Studios in Santa Maria, starting Friday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. Performances continue every Friday through Sunday, at 7 p.m., through Sunday, Oct. 20. The story centers on Dr. Montague, a…
Lompoc Recreation Division holds annual photo contest
Photo submissions to the annual Lompoc Valley Photography Contest are being accepted through Friday, Oct. 18. The contest is open to both adults and children (ages 5 and older). The competition is divided into five categories: Youth (grades K through eight); Teen (grades nine through 12); Adult Amateur (ages 18 and older); Adult Professional (ages…
John Cody hosts stone carving demo at Elverhoj Museum
The Elverhoj Museum of History and Art hosts a stone carving demonstration with featured artist John Cody on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cody’s sculptures are currently on display at the museum as part of the Crossing Paths exhibition, which runs through Sunday, Nov. 3. The exhibit can be viewed during…
CANARY: Mad scalawags
Well guys, the local oil company everyone—even the righty-tighties—loves to hate tried to have its bankruptcy proceedings on the other side of the United States, but Santa Barbara County wasn’t having none of that! When HVI Cat Canyon, better know ’round these parts as Greka Energy, filed for bankrupcty in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in…
Every piece of legislation costs taxpayers more money
Our state elected representatives are at it again. They produced a blizzard of new bills in the 2019 session. Just who of the everyday Joes on the streets are going to know anything about any of these? These bills are for the biggest paying supporters or the biggest attention getters. Most of these bills are…
This makes no sense
What a sweetheart deal. A developer is getting a taxpayer guaranteed loan of $300,000 per unit to “refurbish” apartments and to bridge a rent gap for low-income residents subsidized by the taxpayers for 50 years, plus a property tax exemption (“Lompoc housing update,” Sept. 26). Ironically, some friends recently did a budget on a market-rate…
Solvang hires company to plan, manage Julefest
Solvang is continuing to adjust after parting ways with its tourism promotion arm, the Solvang Conference and Visitors Bureau (SCVB). The city sought bids to manage its Julefest event, and Solvang City Council members fielded responses during a special meeting on Sept. 25. The proposals came from IDK Events, Pink Cadillac Entertainment, and Daniel Lahr.…
Cash for College workshops help students apply for aid
Upcoming Cash For College workshops co-presented by Allan Hancock College are just what they sound like. The events—there are 42 in all—are presented along with Central Coast California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP) and Cuesta College. Their aim is to get high school seniors to fill out applications that will get them money for…
County moves forward with relocating fire, EMS dispatch
Santa Barbara County is planning to relocate its fire and emergency medical services (EMS) dispatch and to create a regional fire communications facility. At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Oct. 1, county staff presented supervisors with two different options that would create a separate location for fire and EMS dispatch, which are both currently…
Jackson plans to reintroduce bill to keep guns from repeat DUI offenders
State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) plans to renew her efforts to restrict gun access to people with “repeat alcohol convictions.” Her Senate Bill 55 ran aground in the Assembly Public Safety Committee this year, but she hopes to try again early next year. According to her office, there is a new study that Jackson…
Jack’s Restaurant and Bakery in Old Orcutt serves the most important meal with creative twists and classic hits
As a person who loves sleep, my weekday mornings are usually a mad dash of toothbrushing, laundry digging, lunch prepping, and coffee swilling. I usually grab a banana for the road and call that breakfast. Sometimes I have a few minutes to spare for toasting bread, but morning meals are generally a luxury I just…
HVI Cat Canyon bankruptcy case shifts to California court
The bankruptcy case for HVI Cat Canyon, formerly known as Greka Energy, is on the move—at least geographically. #img15143 After filing for bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York U.S. Bankruptcy Court on July 25, HVI Cat Canyon’s case was transferred first to Texas and then to California. On Aug. 14, Santa Barbara County…
Balance Treatment Center offers mental health services in Santa Maria
A new mental health clinic in Santa Maria is designed to give patients short-term, intensive care. #img15141 Balance Treatment Center offers an intensive outpatient program (IOP), which for most patients means a nine- to 15-hour weekly commitment. Coraline Robinson, the program director at the new location, which opened in early September, said it’s meant to…
The biggest reason to impeach
There are many good reasons to impeach President Donald Trump, but the one I find most compelling that’s never mentioned is his commitment to obstruct any progress that would help fight the inevitable, currently occurring, climate change crisis. He and his appointees, many of them former fossil fuel industry lobbyists, have done their best to…
