Who says there’s nothing to do in unincorporated Arroyo Grande on a Sunday morning? Police raided an alleged cockfighting tournament south of Arroyo Grande on the Nipomo Mesa on Jan. 31, sending more than 300 participants fleeing into the adjoining countryside. San Luis Obispo sheriff deputies, Arroyo Grande police, and California Highway Patrol officers moved […]
Suspected cockfighting ring busted; 123 fighting cocks likely to be euthanized
Correction
In the Sun’s Jan. 28 cover story, “Where have all the wood shops gone?” the number of students enrolled in career and technical classes in 2007 was misstated. Enrollment jumped from 9.6 million students in 1999 to 15.6 million students in 2007. News Briefs is compiled by Sun staffers from staff reporting and local and […]
A local politician aims to reverse a Supreme Court campaign financing ruling
Assemblyman Pedro Nava is sounding the bugles against the U.S. Supreme Court. The Santa Barbara Democrat recently announced he’s planning to ask Congress to pass a constitutional amendment overturning the head court’s Jan. 21 decision to grant corporations the right to make campaign contributions through political action committees, or PACs. The 5-4 ruling in Citizens […]
Santa Barbara County District Attorney retires due to health problems
After serving almost three years as Santa Barbara County’s district attorney, Christie Stanley is retiring. “Given the uncertainty of her health, Christie Stanley will formally retire within the next two weeks,” acting District Attorney Joshua Lynn announced in a press release on Jan. 25. The decision was set to be confirmed at the Santa Barbara […]
Betteravia Center expansion gets county OK
Despite a worse-than-expected budget forecast, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Feb. 2 to move forward with a planned expansion of the Betteravia Administration Building. According to 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno, “the climate is right” for the project because interest rates and bids for construction projects have never been lower. […]
Almost, but not quite
On Jan. 31, the Missile Defense Agency conducted a flight test of its ground-based ballistic missile defense system. A target missile was launched at around 3:40 p.m. from the U.S. Army’s Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Approximately six minutes later, an interceptor missile was launched from Vandenberg […]
Daytripper: La Purisima Mission
To escape the incessant buzz of technology and tumult of society, a trip to a place of solace is a good and necessary thing. Hey, not even Superman was capable of juggling journalism and crime fighting without retreating to his Fortress of Solitude. But where to go? If I could, I would buy my own […]
A new way to picture it
Whether you’re an artist or just enjoy beautiful things, a few rules apply when it comes to art. First, the choice of frame can make or break an image. And second, art can’t be considered good, bad, or excellent if no one ever gets to see it. As a photographer and owner of Gold Coast […]
The Scottish play comes to PCPA
PCPA Theaterfest will present the William Shakespeare play Macbeth in the Marian Theatre Feb. 18 through March 7. The tale of a Scottish heir’s fall from grace, through spellbound seduction and the unrestrained pursuit of power, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most popular tragedies. The play follows Macbeth’s triumph, the bloody assassination that gains him […]
Brush up for this one
Brush and Palette will host its 10th annual exhibit from noon to 4 p.m. on Feb. 7 at the Foxenwood Tennis and Swim Club, 1087 Clubhouse Drive. The eight artists involved will be giving demonstrations during the event. Brush and Palette is a professional art group formed 12 years ago to bring quality art to […]
Beer pong is on
I love big events: the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, even Wimbledon. Really, I like any big sporting event where I get to eat potato chips and drink beer. I just enjoy the intensity of a championship bout regardless of what the sport is (I am secretly looking forward to watching curling in the Winter […]
Surveying firm appoints board member
Penfield and Smith, a Santa Barbara-based surveying firm with a regional office in Santa Maria, announced the appointment of the firm’s Regional Survey Manager Jim Wilson to its Board of Directors. Wilson began his tenure with Penfield and Smith in 1989 and boasts nearly 30 years of experience in the surveying profession. He’ll retain his […]

