By leaping lightly and bounding gracefully across the stage, a good ballet dancer makes a story come to life through dance. Muscles flex and bodies stretch, making light of months of repetitious practice and extreme discipline. For ballet dancers, tying on toe shoes to perform muscle-burning movements is worth the reward of a perfectly executed […]
On their toes
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Portrait of a lady
A painter’s soul is hardly ever at rest. Goaded by a need to create and a desire to manifest the source of driving inspiration, an artist finds only temporary reprieve in completing a work of art before inspiration takes over once again. Henry Asencio is an artist driven by contrasts. He hails from Santa Maria, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
It was leaving her breathless
The other day I came home from work, and when I went in to give my wife a kiss, she made a sour face and turned her head away. I was shocked. “What’s up, Baby?” “Your breath smells like a sweaty garbage can is what’s up.” “A sweaty garbage can? Really?” “Yes, it’s part rotten […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Hancock baseball camps are a hit
Bunt. Or not. How do you decide? How do you even bunt in the first place? Allan Hancock College’s baseball coaches will lead Sunday hitting camps on Feb. 22, March 15, and April 5. All three camps run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Players ages 8 to 18 will work on swing mechanics and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
From Bulldog to Husky
Basketball, admitted Dorson Boyce, was the sport everyone played while growing up in Queens and Brooklyn. Boyce, however, has been playing football since he was 7. He said he played both sports in high school, but ultimately bucking tradition by just playing football seems to have been a smart move: Come March, Boyce will be […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Liquid investments
Home to mild weather and moderating ocean breezes, Santa Maria enjoys a fairly even climate all year round. But with temperatures on the rise across the globe, local wine collectors may want to take another look at the storage conditions that will best protect their precious galleries of liquid art. Unlike spirits, such as bourbon […]
Posted inOpinion
Kick smoking out of city parks
I would like to express my views on smoking in our public parks. This refers to all types of tobacco use in all of our parks. It has been proven that secondhand smoke is as damaging or more so than smoking itself. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is the fourth largest killer in the USA! This, […]
Posted inOpinion
Property owners should be able to build what they want
Just who appointed Mr. McCalip as czar of development in Santa Barbara County (“Just say no to leapfrog developments,” Jan. 29)? His comments on the proposed La Purisima Resort project at the La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc are inflammatory and misleading. We don’t mind that he has a personal opinion, but when the Santa […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch
• On Jan. 28, more than 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting the United States take immediate action to address the situation in Gaza. “The violence in Israel and Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis calls for […]
Posted inNews
Community Notebook
MONDAY, FEB. 9 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. TUESDAY, FEB. 10 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Betteravia Government Center’s Board […]
Posted inNews
A wired wish comes true
Kyle Shea knew there was some sort of surprise coming—he just had no idea how big it would be. The 15-year-old Pioneer Valley freshman who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease saw his wish come true, thanks to the Make-a-Wish foundation. “It was very shocking,” Kyle said. “I had an idea [there was something planned], but […]
Posted inNews
The wheels on the bus need someone in control
Through Feb. 22, Student Transportation of America is holding an online job fair to fill school bus driver positions throughout the United States and Canada. The company is providing what officials in a press release called “recession-proof jobs” in these tough economic times. “Kids have to go to school despite the ups and downs of […]