When he was 16 years old, Matt Kokkonen emigrated from Finland to the United States. Kokkonen said he knew he wanted to live in America shortly after his father died. “I dragged my mother down to the U.S. Embassy at Helsinki and went [abroad] by myself,” Kokkonen recalled in a recent interview with the […]
Kokkonen to race again
Posted inNews
Book teaches people what to do If Love Hurts
Santa Barbara County nonprofit Domestic Violence Solutions recently published the book, If Love Hurts, in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Written mostly by survivors of abuse living in Santa Barbara County, the book is a collection of stories designed to tell the truth about the effects of physical and emotional violence on children, […]
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Hancock development workshop is open to all local contractors
On Nov. 6, Allan Hancock College will be hosting a free contracting workshop where participants can learn more about the upcoming capital improvement projects being developed as part of the college’s facilities master plan. This includes the Student Services Center set to break ground early next year. Sponsored by the college and the Santa […]
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Vandenberg schedules controlled burn to collect air quality data
Vandenberg Air Force Base engineers are planning to conduct two separate controlled burns on land near the base in Lompoc from now until Nov. 13, base officials recently announced. The burns will take place from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in two different locations. The Grant Burn includes more than 300 acres north of […]
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Waterfield leaves Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce to focus on Assembly race
After almost six years of service, Etta Waterfield is stepping down as head of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Committee to focus on her campaign for the 33rd District Assembly seat. Her last day at the chamber was Oct. 30. “The reason I am stepping down from this wonderful organization […]
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SLORTA gives up on $900,000 green dream and goes back to diesels
The hybrid vehicle movement had finally come to public transportation on the Central Coast. At least that’s the way it was advertised when the San Luis Obispo Regional Transportation Authority (SLORTA), the consortium that operates more than 40 buses on routes between San Simeon and Santa Maria, bought two hybrid-electric buses a few years ago […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Bridget Wilson
After Bridget Wilson scored the “winning goal” on Dr. Jose Ortiz, Allan Hancock College president, during the unveiling of the new soccer scoreboard, I approached her with utmost caution: It’s not wise to make the school president look like a bad goalie. Wilson has no recollection of when she started playing soccer. From what […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Soft tip, dead aim
Think you’ve got the chops to put plastic on target inside a space the size of a quarter from six feet away? There are some people at DJ’s Saloon in Lompoc who want to have a word with you. DJ’s hosts an open soft-tip dart tournament every Sunday starting around 1 p.m. and running […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Sports Shorts
This week’s Sports Shorts was compiled by Intern Henry Houston. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
Posted inOpinion
My denture adventure
Dental insurance through my job is expensive but well worth it. Twice now it’s completely paid for a comprehensive exam and full set of x-rays that have definitively established I cannot afford to have my teeth fixed. Both estimates for the work I need came in around $12,000 with the good news that the insurance […]
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Everybody wins at Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s 15th annual bowl-a-thon
Everybody wins at Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s 15th annual bowl-a-thon Groups of middle-schoolers stood in clusters around ball returns at Rancho Bowl in Santa Maria on Oct. 28 at the 15th annual Dick Wicks’ Memorial Strike a Partnership Bowl-A-Thon, waiting for their turn to knock down some pins. After each student bowled, people […]
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Orcutt Academy opens a new science lab
Students attending biology and other life science classes at Orcutt Academy High School now have a new facility in which to do their experiments. On Oct. 29, the Spartans hosted a grand opening ceremony to show off the charter school’s brand new classroom and lab on the Orcutt Junior High School campus. Associated […]