Noontime Rotary did it again! Their California Dreamin’ beach-theme “fun raiser” on Saturday evening, Nov. 6, at the Fairpark was a super, smashing success and, as promised, sooo much fun. Ticket sales chairman Scott Dunn reported, “This is the largest crowd we’ve ever had.” It was 450 compared to last year’s 380—almost a 20 percent […]
Hobnobbing With Helen
Posted inNews
Things they left behind
Construction workers clearing space for a new recreational area in the Los Padres National Forest came across an unnerving find. Barely concealed in the brush was a big heap of nastiness: a meth dump. On Nov. 4, crews found a large cache of solidified chemical compounds—known by authorities to be byproducts of methamphetamine production—loosely wrapped […]
Posted inNews
Prepare for a new installation
Pacific Gas & Electric is gearing up to expand its industrious-yet-controversial Smart Meter project into Santa Maria in late November. In anticipation of the change, the utility will begin to send letters to its customers in the city, notifying them of the upcoming switch. According to PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno, installations are expected to begin […]
Posted inNews
Give thanks
The First United Methodist Church of Santa Maria will host the 10th annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve Service on Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. Located at the intersection of Cook Street and Broadway, the church invites everyone to attend for a night of music, prayer, and fun. The event was established a decade ago by Nipomo […]
Posted inNews
Fatal Santa Maria house fire investigation continues
Santa Maria police and fire officials are still trying to determine the exact cause of a fatal house fire that killed a 4-year-old boy in the northwest part of the city on Nov. 10. With bystanders and anguished family members looking on, city fire crews and units from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties […]
Posted inNews
Orcutt school district board meeting sees mild unrest
Minutes after the Orcutt Union School District Board of Education wrapped up the charter school-related portion of its Nov. 10 meeting—where topics focused on the successes of the system and upcoming fieldtrips—parents walked in, ready to fight for their public schools. The district has been in the midst of a financial crisis: Student populations have […]
Posted inNews
Locals remember former Santa Maria Police Chief John Sterling
John Sterling, who served as Santa Maria’s police chief from 1998 to 2003, died Nov. 14 at Stanford Medical Center due to complications from a liver condition. He was 60 years old. City Councilmember Mike Cordero, who worked under Sterling at the Police Department, confirmed his former boss’ passing to the Sun on Nov. 15. […]
Posted inNews
Local students have music in their hearts
The Santa Maria-Bonita School District band program needs your help to win a $50,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. The district, with help from the Santa Maria Boys and Girls Club, recently submitted a band instrument grant request called “Music In Their Hearts.” If selected as a winner, the district would be able to […]
Posted inOpinion
See that 500-pound gorilla?
We are a small-town coffee klatch: One guy is a tea bagger, two others are very conservative Republicans. Two are moderate something-or-others, and I am the lone progressive. We are talking about the federal budget deficit and the burgeoning national debt. We all agree something has to be done, and it would be immoral to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Dancers prep for Nutcracker
Santa Maria Civic Ballet and Everybody Can Dance will present their annual performance of the Nutcracker on Nov. 27 and 28 at 3 p.m. at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks, in Arroyo Grande. The show goes on even as founder and artistic director for the last 25 years, Diane Zink, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Guillermo Medina
At age 36, Santa Maria’s Guillermo Medina isn’t running away from anything. In fact, he’s running toward something. Medina hopes to become the first 100-year-old to run a 26-mile marathon—and he’s still got plenty of time to practice. So far, Medina has run a total of 18 marathons, beginning when he accompanied his wife in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Big excitement in little Nipomo
For the students at Common Era Ministries (CEM) Judo, one of the best things in life is free: judo. In fact, so many people have been attracted to the dojo that it’s been propelled into the top-20 most active clubs in America—out of about 1,000 total. And because of its great success, Gary Goltz, president […]