Yes, the holidays are over. Santa Maria residents can put their Christmas trees on the curb for collection on regular residential collection days Jan. 5 through 9. Santa Barbara County residents who get service from Health Sanitation Services can also follow the same schedule for curbside tree collection. Christmas trees must sit on their curb […]
Until next year, Christmas trees
Posted inNews
Sea rescue attempt finds no victims
Santa Barbara County Fire Department officials had a busy holiday on Dec. 25 after bystanders at Goleta Beach reported a capsized boat floating about a quarter-mile offshore east of the Goleta pier. The county deployed an emergency response team made up of a water rescue team, three engine companies, and an air operations helicopter with […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Welcome cyclists from around the globe
The French are coming! And the Italians! And the Belgians, the Dutch, the Danes, and whatever you call people from Luxembourg. Amgen Tour of California officials recently released the 2009 team roster, made up of cycling groups from around Europe and the United States. The list includes Ag2r-La Mondiale (France), Astana (Luxembourg), Garmin-Slipstream (U.S.A.), Liquigas […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
It’s not too early to start thinking softball
Though Curtis Dulay has been involved with Santa Maria Girls Softball Inc. for six years, this is his first year as president, and he’s not dawdling in his efforts to build up the program. The group has suffered in the past from a lack of awareness in terms of registration and preparation, he feels, so […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Athlete of the Week
Sure, everyone wants to win, but one of the true measures of athletes is how they carry themselves during the lows as well as the highs. Twenty-year-old Irene Maldonado’s optimism and team spirit during a rough season for Allan Hancock College’s women’s basketball team is quite telling. “She’s a great teammate, just gives and gives, […]
Posted inOpinion
Get home buyers back in the market
With our nation in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, Congress must be willing to take bold, decisive action to spur a housing and economic recovery. Unless we halt the slide in home prices, the nation’s housing and economic woes will grow even worse. This is why a robust housing component must be […]
Posted inOpinion
Stop state-mandated housing
No one wants state-mandated housing in their backyards, Montecito to Orcutt. The difference between the two areas is this: Montecito residents have money to keep this government-sponsored ghetto out of their neighborhoods. Some do not like this. In fact, Montecito did not tell the county or the state to put these houses in Orcutt or […]
Posted inOpinion
What will we do on first Fridays now?
As we begin the process of closing the David Ryan Gallery, we wish to thank the Santa Maria Sun for its coverage of the many events at our gallery over the past seven years. Our artists too are grateful for the positive exposure you have given them during this time. We especially want to thank […]
Posted inOpinion
David Ryan Gallery will be but a memory, though a fond one
It will soon be just a memory. And a very pleasant one, too. Ron and Terri Thatcher opened the David Ryan Gallery in Old Town Orcutt several years ago, redesigning a rather notorious building into a most appealing space for an art gallery. Who would ever have thought such a place of fine art would […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t just read letters to the editor
Mr. David E. Basket of Santa Maria (“Eliminate cement from your life,” Dec. 18) proves the point, how cemented one gets to ascribe to others the point of view never made? Show, where, even once, the issue was to completely get rid of all cement? Please study—not just read—the letters published in our respected weekly, […]
Posted inNews
Grant ‘Bridges’ science gap between Hancock and four-year universities
Staffers at Allan Hancock College and Cal Poly recently partnered with an aim to increase the number of minority students who successfully transfer from the community college to biomedical and behavioral sciences programs at the four-year university and others like it. Funded by a “Bridges to the Baccalaureate” grant from the National Institutes of Health/National […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch
• Santa Barbara County officials recently released a statement reminding the public that county employees are taking a 64-hour pay cut as part of a furlough program approved by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in October. The furlough is meant to help balance the county’s budget and preserve key programs and services during […]