Starting this month, expectant and new mothers can get some important information about pre- and postnatal health on local radio waves. First 5 Santa Barbara County, in partnership with Emerald Wave Media and local OBGYN Dr. Robert McGhie, is producing a series of radio spots educating mothers on subjects such as breastfeeding and postpartum […]
First 5 starting radio campaign on pregnancy health
Posted inFood & Drink
Barbecue, California style
I first heard about the excellent food at Rancho Nipomo from winemaker Ardison Phillips of McKeon-Phillips winery. Sometime later, I was reminded of it by winemaker Ariki “Rick” Hill of Labyrinth, who spoke highly of it. Then I read a glowing review by Teri Bayus in Grover Beach, and I thought, “I’ve got to try […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
School rules
My kids went back to school recently, which means we can finally clean the living room. There was really no point cleaning it during the three months of summer. As soon as we picked up the 75 DVD cases (each with the wrong DVD in it) and pushed aside the Wii accessories to clear a […]
Posted inOpinion
Please consider this
Let’s get it straight: When it comes to health insurance, the United States has the most misinformed, fearful, gullible, short-sighted, and short-changed population among developed nations. The private insurance industry has made fools of us. Please consider this: If you view your life and health as above all means for private profit and […]
Posted inOpinion
Parents have more influence over their children
To the parents who were concerned about President Obama’s speech addressed to their school-age children: I would like to address all of the parents of this county who didn’t want their children to hear Obama’s speech because of its possible political content. First: From what I have read and observed, parents have a […]
Posted inOpinion
Make the parents pay
Public school districts across the United States are disbursed funds from the state governments for children attending school, and funds are withheld for those who are absent. The hundreds or thousands of paranoid extremist parents who kept their children home from school on right-wing hysteria surrounding President Barack Obama’s speech urging kids to “stay in […]
Posted inOpinion
I have a question for the protesters
The Tea Party Conservatives are attempting to rip a page from the ’60s protest movement. The question is: Where were they when millions of their fellow Americans were protesting a multi-trillion-dollar war?
Posted inNews
Help for the job hunters
Job seekers and workers looking to get promoted are invited to a free employment workshop on Sept. 18 and 19. The event’s facilitator is Gregg Follett, career services consultant at Arbor Education and Training. Follett is a communication skills trainer with experience in sales and marketing and a reputation for coaching individuals to enhance […]
Posted inNews
Mall welcomes flower shop
Established more than 80 years ago in Lompoc, Avenue Flower and Gift Shop now has a second home in Santa Maria’s Town Center Mall. Featuring fresh flowers and bouquets, Avenue Flower creates custom floral designs and offers contemporary, traditional, dried, and silk arrangements, as well as gourmet gift baskets, greeting cards, and candles. […]
Posted inNews
Join a ladies’ night
Celebrating its sixth anniversary, Orcutt’s InSPArations Salon is bringing awareness to breast cancer with a ladies’ night on Oct. 22. Raffle tickets will be sold for $3 apiece at the salon beginning Sept. 21, with all proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Entrants can win gift certificates for wine, spa […]
Posted inNews
What’s old is new again
Vintage dolls, commemorative plates, Chinese art, and original watercolor paintings are just a few treasures to be discovered at Chez Jeanía, a new antique shop recently opened in Santa Maria. Store owner Barbara Spencer named the shop in honor of her mother Jane, who died in January 2001. Barbara and her mother traveled the […]
Posted inNews
Winning the Peace
Before the sun rises each day over Baghdad, the predawn silence is broken by the muezzins’ calls to prayer, bellowing from electric loudspeakers throughout the city. For soldiers of the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion, the new day begins much like the last. Some of the reservists—most of whom have trained one weekend per month and […]
