Shopping is usually a must when it comes to preparing for the holiday season. Fighting crowds at stores, the numberless card swipes, and the seemingly infinite drives—it’s all so exhausting. Wouldn’t it make more sense to put a bunch of local businesses together in an area, and, since it’s the holidays, put a portion of […]
A bazaar Christmas
Posted inNews
Meet Santa Maria’s Orthodox
No, it’s not a mosque. Beginning Dec. 5, the edifice on which the cupola sits will be the new home for the congregation of the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, the only Orthodox Christian parish in Santa Maria. Church members say the sanctuary is literally a godsend. “It’s beautiful,” said parishioner Helen Manolas. “I didn’t […]
Posted inNews
California Supreme Court upholds AB 540, but plaintiffs vow to appeal
A group of out-of-state students and parents opposed to a California law granting undocumented individuals access to in-state tuition has announced it will appeal its case to the United States Supreme Court. In November, the California Supreme Court unanimously voted to uphold AB 540. The bill, which was signed into law in 2001, qualifies undocumented […]
Posted inNews
Warming centers open in Northern Santa Barbara County
November’s heavy rainfall and drop in temperature, combined with a prolonged bitter economic climate, prompted a couple of local homeless shelters to open their doors early to provide a place for the Central Coast’s homeless population to come in from the cold. Two shelters in the North County—the Bridge House in Lompoc and the Good […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Listen to the Valley
The December Valley Speaks presentation, sponsored by both the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society and the Santa Maria Public Library, will feature Victor Tognazzini as its guest speaker. Tognazzini, a native Santa Marian, will talk about his memories of a small town. The Valley Speaks, a free event, is scheduled to take place on Dec. 11 […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Off to Paris
The UCSB Chamber Choir really has something to sing about this season. Founded in 1995 by current conductor Michel Marc Gervais, the group is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and members have a chance to celebrate in a unique way. The ensemble was invited to travel to France for a major collaboration with the famous choir […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Life on film
Like many others, John Larson went to Vietnam in the 1960s. He didn’t spend his months on the front lines, however. As a photographer for several military news outlets, he wasn’t bound to one place. Larson often snapped the usual “grip and grin” shots—posed officials and leaders shaking hands and smiling—but he also had opportunities […]
Posted inNews
City organizations offer holiday fun for children home from school
The holiday season is fast approaching. School-aged children will soon be on vacation. To help families with working parents, some local organizations are offering Winter Break camps. The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is inviting children ages 5 to 12 to “explore their dramatic side” in weeklong drama workshops held at the museum Dec. 27 […]
Posted inOpinion
Help repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
After years of talking about how the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy must end, it has finally come down to the next couple of weeks. If the Senate is going to act to repeal this law, they must act now, before a more conservative Congress takes over in 2011. A recent Pentagon […]
Posted inOpinion
Pick the most loving path
Our founders wrote in the Preamble of the Constitution “in order to form a more perfect union.” What did the mean by that? Did they mean a union with more control, more fear, more manipulation, more war, more dropouts, more poverty, more pollution, more genetically modified food, more global warming, more drug use, more corporate […]
Posted inOpinion
Sophisticated defense doesn’t come cheap
Regarding the commentary, “See that 500-pound gorilla?” (Nov. 18): The ending by James M. Duenow was the most appropriate statement in it. “We probably don’t know what we’re talking about.” It is disappointing that the Sun would allow such naivety on such an important subject as this commentary displays. Yes, the Defense Department has a […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t forget to blame corrupt corporations
“See that 500-pound gorilla?”—the opinion piece by Jim Duenow in the Nov. 18 Sun—is a timely reminder of a major reason for our national deficit … as far as it goes. I’d like to add an “800-pound gorilla,” and that is the rapacious corporate sector with its unending appetite for megabucks with its gazillions in […]