The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Maria promises a fun-filled day on the links at its 11th annual AG for Youth Golf Tournament on July 26. The tournament is a four-player scramble and will be held at Santa Maria Country Club, 505 W. Waller Lane. Registration opens at 10:30 a.m. A barbecue lunch will […]
Golf, golf, …
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Alfred Plaza
Alfred “Alfie” Plaza began skateboarding not because of the hit video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, but because his uncle influenced him. “I started skateboarding when I was 9,” Plaza said amid loud bangs and thumps from nearby skateboarders. “He got boards for me, and he showed me everything.” Once inspired, Plaza knew there would […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
An excuse to horse around
Sure, I played my fair share of video games as a child (R2, R2, L1, R2, left, down, right, up, two times, and it accesses all of the weapons in Grand Theft Auto III). Despite my love for video games, though, I always had fun playing a game of horseshoes. It all began during a […]
Posted inOpinion
Create a path to local jobs
As a mayor and a businessman who cares deeply about his city and county, I am concerned about our economic situation. On a state and national level it is bad, but on the local level, where we can really feel and see it, it is even worse. I gauge my opinion on the fact that […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Buy from the farmers
As the summer season ripens, so do the fruits and vegetables that thrive in Central Coast soil. Growers work year round to put fresh food on our tables, and now’s the perfect time to take advantage of the region’s many farmers markets. With alfresco markets held in Nipomo, Santa Maria, Orcutt, and Lompoc, shoppers can […]
Posted inNews
Portrait of a picker
Strolling through citrus groves, his feet treading the soil where he’s made his living for almost 20 years, Domingo Atilano contemplates his circuitous path from a young child in Mexico to the shade of a Nipomo lemon tree. Since 1991, Atilano has been a fruit picker and supervisor on a local rancho, a plot of […]
Posted inOpinion
What are your plans for the 4th of July?
Pat Sparrow minister “I am going to a local picnic and fireworks.” Alice McGonmigal Arroyo Grande Symphony and Santa Maria Philharmonic musician “I am a musician and will be participating in a musical ensemble playing marches and other songs for the flag.” Patti Bracamonte accounts payable “Going to Pismo Beach.” Nathan Lipscomb retired “We stay […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch 07.01
Get out the American flags and tea bags, Santa Maria Valley Republicans, Inc., and the Santa Barbara County Republican Central Committee are hosting a 4th of July Tea Party celebrating “One Nation Under God,” the organizations announced in a press release earlier this month. The party will be held on July 3 from noon to […]
Posted inNews
Community Notebook 07.01
TUESDAY, JULY 6 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. Agendas are available at santabarbara.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx#current. • The Vandenberg Village Community Services District has its regular board meeting at 7 p.m. in the District […]
Posted inNews
Hobnobbing with Helen
Wow! I have never seen as many wine and beer vendors at one fundraiser as I did on Saturday afternoon, June 19, at St. Joseph’s seventh annual Knights, Wines, and Roses event. More than 30 wineries and breweries were on hand to pour their libations. I’m guessing that everyone had his or her choice of […]
Posted inNews
Local hospital talent offers ease of mind
With the recent addition of a new doctor for an Intensive Center and Critical Care Unit, and a nurse who has passed the Certified Breast Care Nurse examination, Central Coast hospitals are proving themselves to be a place of refuge for the ill. Dr. Robert Hinds will now be working at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital […]
Posted inNews
Not quite ‘safe and sane’
“John” leans toward the tube with a lighter. Flick, flick, flick. Nothing. “This is why we use punks,” he mutters under his breath. After the sixth or seventh try, the fuse lights and John comes sprinting back across the street with a maniacal grin on his face. With a not-so-muffled thump, the shell shoots upward. […]