Cover Story
Sheriffs’ dive team members recount a harrowing call-out to the Conception boat fire at the Channel Islands
As soon as the news broke on Labor Day, Sept. 2, Scott Smith of Nipomo started anticipating the call. Earlier that morning, the Conception, a 75-foot commercial dive boat, had caught fire off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, killing all 33 passengers and one crew member on board. The charred vessel—and the remains of…
I see, hear, and smell dead people at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights
I can literally smell marshmallows as I proceed cautiously down a corridor in Universal Studios’ Ghostbusters maze. Well lo and behold, who’s waiting for me right around the corner? Just the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, nothing to freak out about. A few guests in front of me stop and stare at the jolly cream giant…
Local conspiracy theory podcast ‘Wait, Whaaat?’ finds local and global popularity
The moment that co-workers Elaine Chaney and Paula McCambridge met at their local nonprofit job, they had instant comedic chemistry. “We were always bantering, going back and forth,” McCambridge told the Sun. “Elaine and I had started carpooling together because she’s in Los Osos and I’m in Morro Bay. Elaine literally walked up to me…
Five local acts headline Woodstock Tribute Concert at the Great American Melodrama
Back in the summer of ’69, 32 musical acts came together under one roof—well, it was outdoors, so one sky—for the Bethel Rock Festival, aka The Aquarian Music Festival, double aka WOODSTOCK. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the generation-defining event. To celebrate the occasion, the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville in Oceano have put…
Anti-cannabis sentiments are rooted in bigotry
It has become evident that local NIMBY watch groups (arguing against land-use rights) need an education on the history of cannabis as a medicine in America and as a modern weapon of bigotry. I’m happy to oblige. Spanish colonists with trading ties to the African continent brought cannabis to New Spain for use as a…
Artist and author Chelsea Ward signs new book in Solvang
The Book Loft in Solvang hosts a book signing with author and art teacher Chelsea Ward on Friday, Nov. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. Copies of Ward’s new book, Modern Colored Pencil, will be available for purchase, but admission to the signing is free. The book covers a wide range of basic, easy-to-follow concepts…
Santa Maria Inn hosts live script reading of ‘Titanic’
Central Coast Live Read presents a live reading of writer-director James Cameron’s screenplay for his 1997 blockbuster, Titanic, at the Historic Santa Maria Inn on Friday, Nov. 8, from 7 to 10 p.m. Entry to the show is free, but donations will be accepted to benefit the Ian M. Hassett Foundation, which provides scholarships and…
Local literary club holds annual fashion show
The Alpha Literary and Improvement Club of Lompoc hosts its annual Fashion Show and Luncheon—themed You’ve Come a Long Way Baby!—at the Lompoc Elks Club on Saturday, Nov. 2. The event begins with a social hour at 11:30 a.m., followed by the luncheon at noon, and the fashion show at 1 p.m. This benefit show…
CANARY: Topsy-turvy
I’m not sure what’s weirder, the fact that CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy) is actually being CALM about a recent Santa Maria Police Department use-of-force incident or the fact that Solvang politics seems to be full of people who don’t know how to act their age. Honestly, CAUSE Santa Maria organizer…
Political Watch: October 31, 2019
• On Oct. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent PG&E CEO William Johnson a letter demanding the utility company improve how it handles public safety power shutoffs. Utility companies initiate these shutoffs to reduce the risk of their infrastructure sparking wildfires. Newsom sent his letter to Johnson a few weeks after PG&E initiated widespread shutoffs in…
Guadalupe begins after-school arts, sports programs
Since he took over as superintendent of the Guadalupe Unified School District in 2018, Emilio Handall planned to establish after-school programs in Guadalupe. Now he’s done it, and he found an anonymous Santa Barbara donor to help. First, Handall had to connect with Roberto Rodriguez, the COO of the Boys and Girls Club of Mid…
Lompoc residents discuss concerns, solutions amid youth violence uptick
More than 50 Lompoc community members spent their Friday night at the Dick DeWees Community and Senior Center on Oct. 25 to find answers to an increase in violence that’s plaguing the city. Seven homicides have taken place in the town of roughly 44,000 residents so far this year. In response to a recent shooting…
Solvang’s fight with its tourism bureau winds down
Solvang City Attorney Chip Wullbrandt wore a bowling shirt to the last City Council meeting, explaining that it had been a long day. “First, I’ll apologize for not having more formal wear this evening. I’ve actually been here at City Hall all day,” Wullbrandt said during the Oct. 28 meeting. “We’ve been working on trying…
Group demands police transparency, accountability following arrest video
Protestors holding signs that read “We Want Justice” and “Police Accountability Now” gathered at the corner of South Broadway and Cook Street on Oct. 25 in response to a video circulating on the internet showing Santa Maria police officers using force while arresting a suspect. In the video, filmed by a resident who watched the…
Power shutoff is a state crime!
How could you politicians put 40 million Californians in such peril as to deliberately shut off our power? There is absolutely no justification for that. We all stand to lose by the actions of our state governor. Our lives and property are at risk by these actions. A fire is not a disaster unless you…
State Parks is not doing its homework
On Oct. 18, 2019, State Parks gave its first quarterly report to the California Coastal Commission on the Public Works Plan under which Pismo Beach State Park and Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) will operate in the future. It was obvious to the commission that State Parks had not done its homework. At…
The local Salvation Army changes the way it asks for money
Patricia Torres began her charitable work with the Salvation Army 14 years ago, serving hot lunches to the broke, homeless, or down on their luck. She’s been in Santa Maria the last six years at the organization’s 200 Cook St. location. But the Salvation Army and its mission have seen a dramatic drop in Red…
Guadalupe starts fresh with a new city administrator who will help finish its current development projects and contribute to the future
Guadalupe will begin November with a new city administrator to help set them up for the new year. The City Council selected Todd S. Bodem, one of five semi-finalists for the position, which begins Nov. 1. The selection was made in mid-October after what the city called a nationwide search. The hiring of Bodem comes…
Aera Energy proposes a Cat Canyon project alternative with about 100 fewer wells
Situated among the rolling hills southeast of Santa Maria, the East Cat Canyon oil field produced oil for more than 100 years before being decommissioned in the 1990s. About six years ago, Aera Energy began trying to restore this production. As the California-based oil and gas company has gone through its application process with Santa…
Presqu’ile Winery hires new executive chef to create tasting room wine and food pairings and implement new organic garden
Presqu’ile Winery, located in the lone valley of Santa Maria, has grown into an established staple in the Santa Maria community since purchasing its vineyard land back in 2007, offering cool-climate pinot noir, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc wines. But starting this month, the small, family-owned tasting room is shaking things up with a new executive…
