Cover Story
Cuesta writers conference inspires best selling novels, Netflix shows
She was so scared she couldn’t even bring herself to get out of the car. So Teri Bayus sat in the parking lot at Cuesta College until she summoned the courage to get out and walk over to registration to sign up for the Central Coast Writers Conference. After all, her husband had double-dog dared…
Espresso a-go-go: Coffee a la Cart comes to you with best coffee drinks in town
I’ve been saying it for what feels like years now: The best coffee shop in Santa Maria isn’t even a shop. If you’ve never seen the light-roast-with-cream-brown trailer pulled by the dark-roast-hold-the-cream-black pickup truck cruising around town, it’s time to let you in on the best kept caffeinated secret in the valley–Coffee a la Cart.…
Hobnobbing with Helen: September socialite
Tis the season to try new things, and the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum did just that at its annual fundraiser event. Instead of “heavy appetizers” served on trays at a buffet bar, they staged a Sunday afternoon sit-down, family-style dinner for 142 at the Museum on Jones Street, on the Sunday afternoon of Oct.…
Spotlight on: A Heart’s Desires Bridal
It’s been a confusing couple weeks for A Heart’s Desires Bridal and its newest location at 2125 S. Broadway (suite 103). Upon first moving into their Santa Maria office, manager Ashley Pacheco discovered that some customers were being directed by Google and other search engines like Yelp! to a store that no longer exists. “There’s…
Lompoc triage center set to close on Oct. 10
They had arrested three by the first week. Lompoc Police Chief Pat Walsh told the City Council members on Sept. 18 that the individuals had been found roaming the borders of the homeless triage center on the north side of River Park. They were charged with trespassing. A few days later, officers made their fourth…
Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes violinist Amy Sze to the main stage for Tchaikovsky concerto
Amy Sze isn’t old enough to vote in the midterms, but this kid already has one impressive resume. A 17-year-old violinist who grew up in Pismo Beach, Sze now studies at the Crossroads School of Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica and violin at the Colburn School. Her list of awards, recognitions, concert credits, and…
Minita Gandhi brings her one-woman show ‘Muthaland’ to PCPA
Minita Gandhi was always drawn to acting, even as a young girl. But she never thought she would one day be on the stage, telling her own story to a room full of strangers. “I didn’t grow up with the arts as a possible career choice,” she said. “It wasn’t until later in life that…
Parrots and police chiefs
Spend enough years at a newspaper and you get really good at smelling canned PR statements. You don’t even need to be in the business that long to smell something real fishy, like Staff Writer Kasey Bubnash did at a recent hearing in Santa Maria to consider a merger between Dignity Health and Catholic Health…
Lompoc to declare ‘shelter crisis’
In a bid to mitigate costs for its extensive homeless cleanup and relocation project, Lompoc’s government is prepared to declare it is in a “shelter crisis.” The announcement is expected to come at the next City Council meeting on Oct. 2 and will open the door for tens of thousands of dollars from the state’s…
U.S. Department of Justice to fight ban on chlorpyrifos
It’s been a chaotic few days for chlorpyrifos, and several state and federal agencies are taking totally different stances on the pesticide’s use. Just days after the California Department of Pesticide Regulation announced on Sept. 19 a proposed regulation that would further restrict the use of chlorpyrifos on California crops, the U.S. Department of Justice…
Mackenzie Webb
When it comes to running, Orcutt Academy High School senior Mackenzie Webb goes the distance. Webb’s natural athletic ability and competitive personality have led her to great achievements throughout her fruitful cross country career, according to head coach Frank Mata. She often leads the pack at meets, and Mata said she holds nearly every school…
City Council approves application for grant needed to fund field trips
At Los Flores Ranch Park, naturalists use the park’s native oak woodlands to show kids that science really does rule. “It’s just amazing how many of these kids never get out to an open space or to our forests,” said Susan Tuttle, education coordinator at Los Flores Ranch. “So they really don’t understand how important,…
Proposed Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives merger met with questions
Dignity Health may be aligning its services with Catholic Health Initiatives, and community members across California are worried about what that might mean for women and the LGBTQ community. The nonprofit health care providers announced plans to merge in December 2017. The move, if approved, would make the aligned organizations the second largest nonprofit hospital…
Solvang City Council fine with accessory dwelling units, but will regulate
Solvang’s housing stock will be bolstered by accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for the foreseeable future, but first the city must grapple with how best to regulate them. “This is a big discussion happening all around the United States,” said Holly Owen, the city’s Planning and Community Development director. Owen told City Council members on Sept.…
Nipomo environmental activist Dill Deneen dies at 93
The self-described “eco-hooligan” and retired Santa Maria Valley biology teacher Bill Deneen passed away on Sept. 24 at the age of 93. A resident of Nipomo, Deneen was well known at Central Coast public meetings and newspaper opinion pages, including the Sun’s, for his stances on environmental preservation, access, and other issues. He taught biology…
Local community organizer to run for Santa Maria-Bonita Board
Local community organizer to run for Santa Maria-Bonita board Surrounded by about 20 supporters, Abraham Melendrez formally announced his candidacy for the Santa Maria-Bonita School District governing board at Veterans’ Memorial Park on Sept. 24. Melendrez, a Santa Maria native and nonprofit community organizer for Central Coast United for A Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), said that…
Political Watch 9/27/18
• Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill into law authored by Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) and state Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) that directs the California Public Utilities Commission to approve an $85 million settlement with PG&E to help offset effects of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant closure. “This is a major step…
Mosby’s misrepresentation of fact, again
Very good report in the Sun on upcoming Santa Maria and Lompoc elections (“District showdown,” Sept. 20); I doubt that this level of detail will be seen in any other media outlet. One statement from Mosby needs some clarification; he told you “Mosby also argued that recent increases in wages to Lompoc’s public safety sector…
Slow down on Highway 1, people!
I would like to urge drivers using any part of Highway 1 between Orcutt and Lompoc: slow down! The highway is not your own personal race track. I understand the California Highway Patrol is keenly aware of this and will be watching Highway 1 closely, especially between Orcutt and the Vandenberg Air Force Base entrance.…
Women are tired
Women are tired of working for less pay doing the same job as a man. Women are tired of men making laws for their bodies and families. Women are sick and tired of sexual harassment, treatment as less than, and disregard for what they want. We’ve seen men failing, cheating, lying in high offices. This…
Housing First can help the homeless
Lompoc is in the process of evicting the homeless from the riverbed. Apparently we are faced with a serious crisis. People in the riverbed are being hurt, even killed. Something must be done now. In the face of the seriousness of the situation the city has made the decision to clean out the riverbed by…
Howard Ramsden uses infrared and black and white photography to document nature
It was a contest in a Boys Life magazine that started Howard Ramsden on his long journey as a photographer. “If you sold so many Christmas cards, you earned enough points to exchange them for a number of different items,” he said. “The one thing I was interested in was a box camera.” Today the…
Hasset Foundation fundraiser honors local business owners
The Ian M Hassett Foundation’s annual fundraiser, titled Form Over Function, will honor Becky and Dave Corey of CORE Winery (pictured below). The Coreys have used their winery in Orcutt to host numerous arts and cultural events, including poetry nights, art classes, musician showcases, and art shows. Becky Corey is a representative for the 4th…
Lompoc Christmas parade now accepting applications
The annual Lompoc Valley Children’s Christmas Season Parade is currently accepting applications to take part in the event, which is scheduled for Dec. 7. Following an online survey, the theme selected for this year’s parade is Miracle on H Street. The parade starts at 6 p.m. A gathering is planned after the parade at Centennial…
