Cover Story
Food on the go
When George Zarate pulls into the parking lot of an industrial complex, everyone knows it. It’s the familiar honk of his El George Grill truck horn. Employees in nearby buildings quickly come milling out of their offices, and George opens for business. He flips up the side of the truck and a line quickly forms…
What’s the best first date you’ve ever been on?
Rubin De Leon retired “Went to a dance; it was a blind date.” Joanna De La Cruz bus driver “Dinner and a movie.” Danielle Chanley engineering consultant “A high school football game.” Dave Eckenrode gymnastics coach “Spent the day at Pismo Beach and watched the sun set.”
The Music Center invites high school artists
Students attending high school in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles-area counties are invited to apply to the Music Center’s Spotlight Program for students studying the performing and visual arts. Now in its 24th year, Spotlight is one of the nation’s premier arts education and scholarship programs for teens, providing arts training by professional artists…
We’ve got Spirit!
See a special gala performance of Blithe Spirit, written by Noel Coward and directed by Alan H. Foster, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Santa Maria Civic Theatre, 1660 N. McClelland St., Santa Maria. Tickets cost $50 and include champagne, wine, and hors d’oeuvres before the play. Novelist Charles Condomine…
Help for headwear
Santa Barbara County artist Margie Bowker will have her artwork on display and for sale at the Santa Maria Country Club Oct. 3 through 31 to benefit Hats for Hope. The group will receive 10 percent of all proceeds from the sale of Bowker’s artwork. Bowker enjoys painting in watercolors, pastels, and oils. Her art…
Rulers of rhythm
Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! presents its new 2011-2012 season of free cultural and educational performances with debut performer Chino Espinoza y Los Dueños del Son, Los Angeles’ hottest salsa singer and orchestra. The group is slated to perform at three venues in Santa Barbara County: a show at Isla Vista School on Sept.…
Travel hassle
In August, my wife and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Wine Country. When I say “Wine Country,” I am referring to the Napa Valley. I specify this because people who have seen the film Sideways are under the impression that Wine Country is in Buellton. Other folks think that Wine Country is…
Led by spirit
While some people gain inspiration from a muse, Santa Maria artist Julie Jensen finds her work is guided by spirit—something internal that drives her artistic passion. In fact, she calls herself a spirit artist, and many of her paintings reflect that theme. Her latest exhibit features a series of paintings that reflects on the Ghost…
On the roster
• Boys and Girls Club Basketball: Boys and girls in first through sixth grade are invited to sign up for the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Maria’s basketball league. Registration will be held at the Boys & Girls Club on Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon; Sept. 21 from 5 to 7 p.m.;…
Learn to golf with First Tee
First Tee Central Coast, a nonprofit youth development organization, is looking for golfers aged 7 and up for the fall session to take part in its Junior Golf program, held at Sunset Ridge Golf Course in Santa Maria beginning Sept. 20. The program teaches youth appreciation for the game of golf, basic golf rules, play,…
Walk for life to benefit nonprofit
Care Net Pregnancy & Resource Center of Santa Maria will be holding its annual Walk for Life fundraiser at Waller Park on Sept. 24, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event kicks off with a rally, followed by a 1.5-mile walk around the park and a barbecue lunch and celebration with a bounce house,…
Santa Maria teen wins big at BMX Nationals
Righetti High School freshman Brandan Pita was at it again at the National Bicycle League’s Grand Nationals, held in Louisville, Ky., Sept 2 to 4. Competing against top riders from all over the country, Pita won the Cruiser class main event and captured the overall title, placed second in the 14/15 Open class main event,…
Lavon Coleman
If there were any Lompoc High football fans worried about how the team would replace last season’s top rusher Marcel Blow, they can worry no more. There’s a new No. 1 at running back for the Braves, and junior Lavon Coleman looks like the real deal right out of the gate. In his first-ever start…
Waterworld
There’s a sea change happening at Santa Barbara County parks, as county officials relax several long-standing watercraft regulations, aiming to expand recreational options and draw in more visitors. It all started earlier this year at Cachuma Lake, when the county completed its Resource Management Plan with the Bureau of Reclamation and decided in April to…
A new military, a new day?
On Sept. 20, the U.S. military will officially end its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The repeal has already started to happen locally. A media representative for Vandenberg Air Force Base said all individuals required to get training at the base have done so. “The training consisted of informing personnel of the policy change and…
Spotlight on: Sprinkles and Scoops
What’s red and yellow and filled with coffee, pastries, candy, and ice cream? It’s the newest place in town. Sprinkles and Scoops opened its doors in the Evergreen shopping center on Aug. 31. This ice cream/candy shop/coffee house is already making a splash. Jeff and Sonia Howard have been working on Sprinkles and Scoops for…
Orcutt Academy students are recognized for academic achievement
Officials at Orcutt Academy High School recently announced the College Board has named some of the school’s students Advanced Placement (AP) Scholars. Exams are conducted every May for students in AP classes. Many colleges and universities award credits to incoming freshmen who scored a three or higher on the tests. AP Scholars at Orcutt Academy—students…
Bullying is officially against the law
Earlier this month, the California State Senate approved Seth’s Law (AB 9), legislation designed to address the pervasive problem of school bullying. The bill is named in memory of Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old gay student from Tehachapi who took his life in September 2010 after facing relentless harassment at school. Once it’s enacted, the bill…
Have fun–and even learn something–after school!
Need a safe place to send your kids after they get out of class for the day? The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department is encouraging families to sign up for its Fun, Recreation, Education, and Enrichment (F.R.E.E.) After School Program, offered to children ages 6 to 12. It’s designed to provide recreation and enrichment…
Mother’s milk
Since the first birth, children have been consuming their mother’s milk. Yet it seems that the modern world needs reminding about the ancient, nourishing practice. Marian Medical Center recently received the International Board Certified Lactation Consultants Care Award, a recognition that’s only been given to 16 hospitals in California. The award was bestowed because of…
No Amgen Tour for Lompoc–this year
Lompoc city officials won’t pursue playing host to a segment of the Amgen Tour of California for 2012 after all, following a lack of support by the majority on the City Council. But the issue of bringing the internationally renowned bicycle tour to the city will likely come up again very soon. On Sept. 6,…
Local man threatens his family with a knife, and attacks police
Some Santa Maria police officers had an unusual encounter with a local resident the morning of Sept. 11. According to a press release from the department, officers responded to a distress call around 10:25 a.m. in the 1100 block of West Robert Lane to find an “out-of-control adult” brandishing a 12-inch straight blade knife at…
Nicholas Bendle pleads guilty to murder
On Sept. 8, Santa Maria resident Nicholas Bendle, 22, pleaded guilty to murdering 68-year-old Frederick Holgate. The case has received national attention because of the brutal way Holgate died: On Aug. 1, 2009, Bendle attacked Holgate with a hatchet while the elderly man was going for a morning walk near his Santa Maria home. The…
Grocery workers’ strike looms for local supermarkets
As the clock continued to tick on negotiations between three major grocery chains and employee unions, labor groups inched closer to a strike that would impact supermarkets throughout Santa Barbara County. The United Food and Commercial Workers, the union representing thousands of grocery employees from Paso Robles to the Mexican border, continued daily, around-the-clock talks…
County supervisors appoint new Santa Maria airport director
After Santa Maria Public Airport District directors failed to elect a fifth member to their board, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors decided to fill the vacancy with a familiar face, thereby avoiding a possibly expensive special election. The supervisors unanimously voted on Sept. 6 to appoint Santa Maria industrial welder Donald Lahr to…
Fall fun
With great fanfare every autumn, the acting state governor proclaims September to be California Wine Month. Whether prompted by a drive to boost late-season tourism, highlight the riotous spectacle of harvest, or simply celebrate the love of fine vintages, the move serves to showcase the state’s vinous bounty. For the past seven years, just as…
It’s hard to breathe, Obama
Where is the Obama I voted for? Where is the Obama I campaigned for? Where is the Obama who brought tears of relief to the eyes of my 82-year-old father on election night, 2008? This latest decision to disregard the EPA’s air quality rules leaves Bush’s smog standards in place. His false rhetoric that safeguarding…
Put a moratorium on beach and dunes driving
We residents of Oceano and Nipomo attended the public hearing the Air Pollution Control District (APCD) and State Parks held about the particulate matter (PM10) emission from Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA). We clearly heard the State Parks’ expert announce that the PM10 emission from the area on which driving is allowed is…
You’re still doing it
I think I got the point (“Our voices mattered on the worst bill ever,” Sept. 8). The bill (H.R. 2584 or Worst. Bill. Ever.) is bad. It should not pass. Please tell your representative. In fact, I agree that it’s a bad bill, and I’m glad to hear it’s gone away. However, no bill is…
American workers deserve respect
“The middle class would not exist without organized labor,” Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed, more than once, during his recent speech at the AFL-CIO 25th annual Labor Day picnic. He is entirely right. With our nation’s unemployment stuck at more than nine percent, with millions of Americans futilely looking for good jobs, the need for…
