Cover Story
Central Coast organizations and families honor the dead in the ancient tradition of Dia de los Muertos
A skull is always smiling. While people all over the world recognize the skull as a sign of death (when else do you see one?), not everyone shrinks away from the sight. A celebration known as Dia de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead—actually looks to the human skeleton as a symbol of the people…
What has been your greatest victory in life?
Jason Utter with daughter Claire radar operator “Marrying my wife. She gave me this one and two more.” LeAnn Barber McDonald’s employee “Being able to move out on my own at 18 when I was told I couldn’t.” Nicolas Mariscal student “Making it to Michigan and succeeding in an internship.” Keagan Kelly window cleaner “Helping…
Cottonwood Canyon Winery presents the Haunting Halloween Bash
There’s nothing quite like a large group of zombies, werewolves, vampires, superheroes, and fantasy characters bumping and grinding on the dance floor. Halloween, a day largely anticipated by kids waiting for a day of free candy, is still popular with kids over the age of 18. Local dance band Steppin’ Out has been invited to…
Check out the Vaquero show and sale
The Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum is hosting the annual Vaquero Show and Sale, a popular event of Western style art and objects, during the weekend of Nov. 7 through Nov. 9. The event will include several special events happening as part of the show and sale. A Viva los Vaqueros Preview and Dinner event…
Celebrate Bill
The Boys and Girls Club of Santa Maria Valley is celebrating the retirement of longtime Executive Director Bill Libbon on Nov. 5 at the Elks Club in Santa Maria. The event begins with no host cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. A presentation will follow dinner. The Santa Maria Elks Lodge is…
Los Padres Artist Guild offers Christmas show and sale
The Los Padres Artists Guild presents its annual Christmas show and sale event, The Colors of Christmas, on the weekend of Nov. 7 though 9. Proceeds from raffle drawings at the event go toward supporting the guild’s art student scholarships. Hand crafted items and fine art will include paintings, jewelry, photography, collage, ceramics, stained glass,…
Buena Vista Beautifiers holding meeting
The Buena Vista Beautifiers is a grassroots committee that formed to preserve the beauty of Buena Vista Park located on Morrison Street across from Santa Maria High School. The committee welcomes members of the community to join a meeting on Nov. 6 where the focused theme of a talk will be “Play/Learning.” The Buena Vista…
Knott’s Scary Farm offers nighttime frights and fun
Knott’s Scary Farm–the Halloween event that begins after the sun goes down over Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Vista–is not a theme park event to take a young child to, trust me. The special program runs from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. through Nov. 1, and more than just the lights are dimmed at the…
Scarecrows take over the Santa Ynez Valley
The scarecrows—a man and his dog—in front of Wandering Dog Wine Bar in Solvang are made out of corks, bottle caps, and wine bottles. At least, those items are visible to passersby. Underneath that outer layer are the items which make up the scarecrows’ bases, such as an old gift card rack and crates. These…
Getting old with AARP
I wish I could say I did it for the free tote bag. I almost wish I really was part of the 50-plus club. Almost. I really wish I could say I sent out my AARP membership dues out of some Pollyanna penchant for making lemonade out of lemons. The truth is I did it…
Bite into this!: Local families are flocking to kid-friendly Chomp in Solvang
When Aaron Petersen decided to open a restaurant in the building he owns on Solvang’s main drag, his children chimed in on the name. “I was going to call it something like the American Grill or the American Tavern,” Peterson said. “And my college-aged kids said, ‘Dad, you’re a complete nerd. You cannot call it…
Discovery Corner: Dia de los Muertos celebrates life, death
Skulls–both sugar and regular, old bone–seem to have taken over popular culture lately, showing up most noticeably in fashion, but also in the baking and toy isles of local supermarkets and stores. There’s no doubt these skulls are cool to look at and even a little repulsive because we all know where they come from…
Hancock gives the answers to questions about college transfers
Allan Hancock College is holding a University Transfer Day on Nov. 4 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Santa Maria campus Student Center. College Night—similar to Transfer Day—is geared toward high school students and their families and will be held in the Student Center from 6 to 8 p.m. Attendees will get the…
Santa Maria High School gets dramatic
On Nov. 7, a variety show will settle into place on the stage at Ethel Pope Auditorium and spotlight the talents of Santa Maria High School’s drama department. Students have prepped almost a dozen skits that include mysteries, comedies, and choreographed dances for the Fall Drama Showcase. Act One is called Queen of the Screen…
Girl Scouts donate costumes to CASA
In the spirit of Halloween and the spirit of the upcoming holiday season, Girl Scout Troop 283 donated costumes to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). For most children in foster care, Halloween costumes don’t make the list of essentials, which is why when CASA volunteer Cortney LaMere heard her daughters Girl Scout Troop was hosting…
Spotlight on: Taino Sweets
Delicate round cookies with a topping of baby-blue colored white chocolate and clear sugar crystals are bagged in groups of five on the Kurokawas’ kitchen table. The family just moved into their new house in Santa Maria, and on Oct. 24, the downstairs is bare except in the kitchen area. Chicken wings are in the…
Community Notebook 10/30/14-11/6/14
MONDAY, NOV. 3 • The Solvang Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. TUESDAY, NOV. 4 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara.…
Hobnobbing with Helen
Hard work and passion can pay off. Take the case of the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society, the pending demise (to quote or paraphrase Mark Twain) of which has been greatly exaggerated “We are,” board member and violinist/pianist/teacher Lynne Garrett told me, “in the black.” Can you hear the collective sigh of relief rippling throughout the…
Community Corner: County gets grant to monitor repeat DUI offenders
A nearly $130,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety will give the Santa Barbara County Probation Department the resources to make sure that the worst-of-the-worst DUI—driving under the influence—offenders are complying with court orders. A press release from the Probation Department said that felony and repeat misdemeanor DUI offenders make up a large…
Weigh your ballot options before you vote
Maybe by now, you’re sick of the election talk, especially the commercials that have taken over radio and television air-time–you know the ones: those commercials that only tell half the truth or stretch the reality of what your vote on something actually means—but the big day is still ahead of us. This campaign season is…
Guadalupe homicide hearing continued to Oct. 31
Three suspects arrested in connection with the murder of 37-year-old Javier Alcantar Limon of Santa Maria are being charged with murder with several special allegations tacked on, including lying in wait, kidnapping, torture, and committing the crime for criminal street gang purposes. Gregorio Agustine, 26; Yesenia Granados, 24; and Arturo Granados, 22, all of Santa…
Sheriff’s deputies report arresting a Lompoc officer
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department recently reported that they had arrested 29-year-old Matthew Lee Hill, a Lompoc Police officer, on suspicion of assault. According to a press release from department spokesperson Kelly Hoover, sheriff’s deputies assigned to the Lompoc substation responded to a call made by Vandenberg Village residents concerned about a domestic disturbance…
Officers arrest 37 people in SLO County prostitution sting
In a three-night sting operation conducted by the San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, and Arroyo Grande police departments, officers arrested 37 people, booking them on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution. Two of the people detained were also arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. While the majority of arrestees are from SLO…
The county opens a new children’s health center in Lompoc
Children and adults in Lompoc should see improved access to quality mental health services with the recent opening of a new children’s Behavioral Health Center. The dedicated children’s center opens up space in the Santa Barbara County Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Services (ADMHS) facility already in Lompoc, expanding the agency’s space and, therefore, its…
BIA finds no significant impact with Chumash Indians’ Camp 4 plans
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is one step closer to realizing its goal for Camp 4: putting the land into trust with the federal government so the tribe can move forward with housing development plans. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) announced on Oct. 22 that it had issued a finding of no…
The most wonderful time of the year?
I know, I know. You’re sick of hearing about Measure P. You’ve been battered by the letter, over and over, like you were cast as a helpless Muppet in a particularly aggressive episode of Sesame Street and now you’ll never forget it. The letter will haunt your dreams: P … P … P … P…
Huckfest was no great benefit
This year, Huckfest was better, because last year it was a real disaster. Yet, Matt Fountain didn’t speak out on The Tribune last year to sympathize with Oceano residents who had their driveways and streets backed up a mile along Highway 1, nor with Mesa residents who had to breathe extra PM10 caused by the…
Fracking fears are unfounded
Measure P first drew attention through the petition process as an “anti-fracking” measure. Fast forward months later, it’s been confirmed for a while now that fracking is not a process used in Santa Barbara County. Yet even this week, just days before the election, there are still opinion letters urging residents to vote yes on…
Yes or no on Measure P?
Stating there is no need for Measure P, many letters have repeated the tired refrain by the energy producers’ coalition that “there is no fracking in Santa Barbara County, and no plans for its use in the future.” Such shallow reasoning is similar to stubbornly insisting that because there is no fire in a building…
We need new faces in office
I once believed government officials represented U.S. citizens; they were “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Yet Gov. Jerry Brown signed laws allowing noncitizens to serve as poll workers, to apply for professional state licenses, to obtain driver’s licenses, in-state tuition, student loans, and legal aid for thousands of undocumented illegally…
I’ve got one word for the propositions
Once again Californians are being inundated with a plethora of “propositions” on which we are admonished to vote. The basic premise of these propositions is increasing taxes and spending, reduction of personal freedom and choice, or a combination of both. This fact persists despite the misleading rhetoric, outright lies, and emotional appeal. (It’s for the…
I do not approve Capps’ message
I am very upset that the local media have not done journalistic inquiries into our local races in light of the revelations that were exposed on the Andy Caldwell show as of Monday, Oct. 27. It was my unfortunate duty to have to explain to my high school son how low and despicable politics has…
Let Capps’ signs stay
Who is taking down Lois Capps For Congress signs? My husband put up 20 signs around the Orcutt/Santa Maria area and within a few days, many of them were gone. In a recent week, he put up about 40 Lois Capps and Heidi Harmon signs in some of the same areas, and the Heidi Harmon…
Proposition 47 could be devastating
As our county’s chief law enforcement officials, we urge the people of Santa Barbara County to vote no on Proposition 47. Despite being referred to as the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” we believe this measure will actually make our neighborhoods and schools less safe. Reducing the penalties for gun theft, possession of date rape…
What’s On Deck 10/30/14-11/6/14
Thursdsay, Oct. 30 Football SJHS vs. Cabrillo @ LHS, 7 p.m. Boys’ Water Polo SMHS vs. PVHS @ PVHS, 3:30 p.m. Girls’ Volleyball SYUHS vs. LHS @ LHS, 5:30 p.m. SJHS vs. SLO @ SLO 6 p.m. SMHS vs. NHS @ NHS, 3:30 p.m. RHS vs. Mission Prep @…
Hancock coach honored for dedication
Head coach of the Allan Hancock College women’s basketball program, Cary Nerelli, was inducted into the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section’s Hall of Fame on Oct. 23. Nerelli accepted the award in Long Beach along with 10 other inductees. Neralli took over Bulldogs’ basketball in 2013, after establishing himself as a well-known high school coach…
Here comes wild turkey season
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is opening wild turkey season just in time for Thanksgiving, of course. From Nov. 8 through Dec. 7, hunters can search for a feathered bird to feast on for the holidays. The daily limit is one turkey of either sex. Want to bag a different sort of bird?…
Santa Maria softball players will go to bat for people in need
The Santa Maria Softball Players Association will host its Thanksgiving 2014 Food Drive Tournament at Hagerman Sports Complex on Nov. 1 and 2. Each player will be required to bring packaged food valued at $10. All food proceeds will go to the Santa Maria Food Organization. The registration fee is $165 per team, plus a…
Yoga for Mankind Studio offers free Halloween yoga
When the doors to the paranormal are opened, you’ll still be able find your center–at least you will with a little yoga help. The Yoga for Mankind Studio is offering a free Halloween yoga class on Oct. 31. All members and non-members are invited to participate in the one-hour monster mash yoga class. Space is…
Sarah Fouratt
The Ernest Righetti High School varsity girls’ golf team finished second place this season when it was outscored by San Luis Obispo High School, 456-490, on Oct. 23 at the Dairy Creek Golf Course in San Luis Obispo. Even though the Warriors couldn’t repeat claiming the league championship this season, their youngest player, Sarah Fouratt,…
Happy Birthday, Death!
Halloween’s a scary time, which is no surprise, as the morbid side of life can be seen all around us. It’s creepy because the holiday is decorated with death—and there’s a small part in all of us that really likes that unnerved feeling we get after a good scare. But we see death in more…
