The warehouse on Frontage Road is conspicuously empty and quiet. At 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, a group of women will spread through the large space, running through a variety of karate workouts, maybe kicking at the three long black bags that hang near one wall like ominous cocoons. But for now, the room is still, […]
Keep your healthy New Year’s resolution
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Stefanie Clark
Stefanie Clark is training for a smoker. There’s not necessarily one in her immediate future—none have been scheduled that she knows of—but she’s training nonetheless. Clark practices Muay Thai (essentially Thai kickboxing), and a smoker is an unsanctioned fight. Despite the mysterious-sounding name and description, there’s not any back-alley brawling involved. A smoker is simply […]
Posted inOpinion
Walls will always divide people
Ronald Reagan’s perhaps finest moment came when he stood next to the shameful Berlin Wall and challenged the Soviet premier: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Not too long thereafter, the wall did come down, and with it the Soviet Empire. Now, two decades later, it is the U.S. Empire erecting or supporting shameful walls […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t give bike-riders a break
The federal bike-to-work tax break is a subsidy to the physically healthy who already make a good living and a tax on all others, including physically handicapped, who cannot ride a bike to work. This stupid tax break should be stopped or else anyone who rides on public transportation or in car pools should get […]
Posted inOpinion
Speak up about transit needs
The Unmet Transit Needs season is once again upon us. This is an annual reminder that the holidays are over, a new year underway, and state money for public transportation will be fought over: $14 million in Transit Development Act (TDA) sales taxes for Santa Barbara County. The South Coast transit agency, MTD, will receive […]
Posted inOpinion
Let housing prices settle back down
I agree with the government affairs director of the Homebuilders Association of the Central Coast that we are facing “the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression” (“Get home buyers back in the market,” Dec. 25). Although the Homebuilder’s lobbyist and I agree that there is a problem, I strongly disagree with his organization’s statement […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Healthy comfort
The roast turkey, glistening ham, and juicy prime rib are just a memory, and the holiday pies and frosted cookies have been eaten down to the last crumb. With the new year well underway, many revelers feel the urge to simplify not only their social calendars, but their diets, too, by incorporating lighter fare, along […]
Posted inNews
Hobnobbing with Helen
Food, glorious food.” That refrain, from one of the songs in the musical Oliver, reminds us that food can sometimes be hard to come by and that basics like rice, beans, and bread are beyond glorious when you are hungry. Thanks to the Northern Santa Barbara County United Way, hundreds of pounds of food were […]
Posted inNews
Hobnobbing with Helen
What is the Christmas season without a trip to the Madonna Inn? A holiday must is checking out the elaborate decorations at the popular San Luis Obispo hotel and restaurant. Thanks to the Santa Maria Valley Friendship Club, which had its December luncheon meeting on the 17th at the inn, I got to meet some […]
Posted inNews
Can’t sleep? Allan Hancock College is here to help
Allan Hancock College is set to offer a four-week class on shut-eye health. The free class, titled “Sleep Wellness: Using Relaxation to Alleviate Sleep Disorders,” is designed especially for people suffering from sleep disorders, including veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or other stress conditions. Allan Hancock College Community Education is repeating the class three times […]
Posted inNews
Parents: It’s time to head back to school
Parents in Orcutt and the Santa Maria area are invited to go back to school for a series of parent education sessions provided by the Orcutt Union School District Parent Education Program and the Santa Maria Valley Council of PTAs. The first class in the series, titled “Effective Solutions to Common Parenting Dilemmas,” will be […]
Posted inNews
Let Peoples’ Self-Help Housing allay your fears
Worries of questionable mortgages may plague homebuyers in today’s market, but Peoples’ Self-Help Housing is helping put those fears to rest with a predatory lending seminar on Jan. 14. Brian Kerrigan, housing counselor for Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, will lead the free event, sponsored by Bank of America, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, and Rabobank. The seminar runs […]