Since Stix Hooper and the Universal Guild for Jazz and Progressive Music began the Solvang Jazz Festival three years ago to promote the genre to a wider audience, the event has only grown, attracting more audiences, spilling an educational component to the schools, and providing a stream of talented jazz artists to the community. […]
All that jazz
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Saved at the last minute
The atmosphere at Cuesta College’s Sept. 2 Board of Trustees meeting was tense—and understandably so. Nine jobs were at stake outright, and another three dozen staff members stood to take substantial losses in pay. People were losing their homes, insisted Allison Merzon, president of the Cuesta College Federation of Teachers. In an 11th-hour save […]
Posted inOpinion
What’s your favorite war film?
Aaron Wexler retire “Sink the Bismarck or The Longest Day. They’re both highly dramatic, but in war that’s how it is: life or death. It’s the most exciting drama around.” Alicia Ramirez dental assistant “I don’t really watch war movies, but someone had told me about Life is Beautiful. I really liked it because it […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Wake up and audition
The Santa Maria Civic Theatre announced auditions for the second show of the 2009-2010 season, the comedy, Wake Up, Darling, written by Alex Gottlieb and directed by Meg Smith. Auditions will be held on Sept. 21 and 22 at the theater at 7 p.m. Santa Maria Civic Theatre is located at 1660 N. McClelland St., […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Artists open their studios
The inaugural Lompoc Valley Artists Studio Tour will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 3. Lompoc artists—including Linda Gooch, Vicki and Gil Andersen, Tonya Schultz, Debby Fuller, and Elizabeth Monks Hack—will open their studios for a first-hand chance to see where and how they create. Ten studios will be open […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A lovely ghost story
It’s one of the most intriguing and captivating ways people communicate. A primitive and yet enduring method of teaching, storytelling continues to be a favored way to pass along information and teach about the world. As a young Latina in East L.A., listening to stories was a way for Olga Loya to connect with […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Audit the action
Yes, the middle word in the title is sex. Do we even need some kind of catchy introduction to get your attention? Actually, Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s latest show is mostly about over-the-top comedy. Premiering in 1979, it was the first of 23 plays written by the team of Billy Van Zandt and Jane […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch 9-17
• Let the campaigning begin! Earlier this month, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown announced his endorsement of Senior Deputy District Attorney Joyce Dudley in her bid for District Attorney. “Joyce Dudley is an outstanding prosecutor who has the experience, toughness, and integrity we need in a District Attorney,” Brown said in a release to […]
Posted inNews
Community Notebook 9-17
FRIDAY, SEPT. 18 • The Santa Maria City/County Coalition for the Homeless has its regular meeting from 10 a.m. to noon at the Betteravia Government Center conference room, 511 East Lakeside Parkway. • The Lompoc City/County Coalition for the Homeless has its regular meeting from noon to 1 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Conference […]
Posted inNews
Help stuff the bus
What’s metal, painted black and yellow, rolls on wheels, and is coming to Santa Maria? If you haven’t heard, Gus the Bus will stop in the parking lot of Wal-Mart in Santa Maria (2220 South Bradley) on Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gus will be there as part of a […]
Posted inNews
Aaagh! Swine flu!
Little about swine flu is routine, particularly when it comes to vaccines. This year, unlike in previous flu seasons, people older than 65 will be turned away from vaccination clinics. Historically, elderly people have been encouraged to get vaccinated early in the flu season because they’re at greatest risk. This year, they’ll be told […]
Posted inNews
District Attorney Christie Stanley endorses Josh Lynn as potential successor
After serving almost three years as Santa Barbara County’s District Attorney, Christie Stanley has announced she won’t be running for a second term. Instead, the county’s top attorney has endorsed Chief Trial Deputy Josh Lynn for the job. Lynn confirmed the endorsement in a recent interview with the Sun, explaining that Stanley, who is […]