There was a time in the distant past when bus systems and rail systems were privately owned and could operate at a profit. The cost of labor, government regulations, equipment, and right-of-way has driven most of these out of business. The privately owned Greyhound Bus service has to operate on a for-profit basis. For this […]
Local public transportation is socialism at work
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Kylie Mugg
This young and aspiring senior at Valley Christian Academy is only a few months away from graduating and moving toward a new chapter: life as a college student. Kylie Mugg started playing sports when she was 9 years old after joining a recreational soccer team. “I’ve always been a klutz, so naturally my parents were […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lady Knights are on a mission
When St. Joseph High School basketball coach Ron Barba brought his varsity girls’ team together in Phoenix after a Nike summer tournament loss to Burbank’s Bellarmine-Jefferson High School, the motto became his team’s mantra. “We had to get these kids to buy into this thing,” Barba said. “We’ve said it in every practice, and we’ve […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Five Hancock hoopsters earn All-Conference accolades
The Western State Conference recently recognized Allan Hancock College sophomore guard Jonathan Ramirez and four other Bulldog basketball players with All-Conference honors. Conference coaches named Ramirez, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer and distributor, first team All-Conference. In addition to Ramirez, who averaged 11 points and 7.5 assists during the regular campaign, freshman forward Scott Dixon and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Have a taste
Nearly a century ago, a hardy band of Danes immigrated to the Santa Ynez Valley, where acorns and venison dominated the culinary scene. The newcomers built barns and planted fields, and as they settled in, their cooking filled the air with aromas of smoked sausage, pickled vegetables, and baked confections. Eighty-odd years later, a group […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Arts Briefs
A local artist gets anthologized Artist Joan Jones of Vandenberg Village will show varied styles of work—as will 11 other members of the Artists’ Guild of Santa Ynez Valley—in Art: An Anthology, showing at the Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center, 1118 E. Cabrillo Blvd., in Santa Barbara through March 27. The group chose the theme because […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Reaching for his dreams
Apparently, muses don’t wear watches. At least that’s the case for artist Rocky Stroup, whose muse is a bit of a night owl. The painter, sculptor, and photographer said his inspiration comes to him in the twilight state between dreaming and waking. In that way, his art becomes his tangible dreams, which have given birth […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The show will go on
Beauty and the Beast. Othello. Les Miserables. They aren’t just world-class productions in London or New York City—they’re productions delighting audiences in the Santa Maria Valley, courtesy of PCPA. Like many other theaters in the country, however, PCPA may not be able to produce such shows for much longer. In fact, the recession has trickled […]
Posted inNews
Let’s get ready to garden
Got a green thumb? It’s not too late to sign up for Allan Hancock College’s Green Gardener class, co-sponsored by the college and the Santa Barbara County Water Agency. It runs in Santa Maria for nine weeks. Green Gardener is a bilingual class offered through the college’s Adult Education Program. It’s open to anyone, but […]
Posted inNews
It’s Bandarama time!
On March 14, more than 400 student musicians will gather in the Santa Maria High School gymnasium for Bandarama!. The annual event features music played by bands from every junior high and high school in Santa Maria, Orcutt, and Guadalupe, as well as the Allan Hancock College band. Each band will perform one piece, and […]
Posted inNews
Hancock welding teacher honored with statewide award
Rayvell Snowden, a longtime welding instructor at Allan Hancock College, was recently named the 2009 winner of the California Community College Association for Occupational Education Excellence in Teaching Award. The win came as no surprise to Anne Cremarosa, dean of academic affairs, who nominated Snowden for the statewide honor. “Ray is well respected within […]
Posted inNews
The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more
The Santa Maria Valley is full of young students ready to work, and thanks to the State Department of Education and Marian Medical Center’s Workability program, they get the chance to do so. Marian Education is serving the community by providing job opportunities for high school students from Santa Maria High School and Pioneer Valley […]