The City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department is offering weekly sports camps starting now through Aug. 1. The Summer Sports Experience camps meet from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. At the camps, boys and girls, ages 6 to 12 will be introduced to a variety of sports, such as soccer, […]
Sign up for Santa Maria Summer Sports Experience camp
Marshallia Ranch sees golfers in the swing
The Junior All-Star at Marshallia Ranch golf tournament came to a conclusion with no Central Coast athletes in the top spots, but with plenty of good rounds played. Patrick Grimes of Palo Alto took his first ever American Junior Golf Association win with a tournament total of 2-over-par 118. Yueer Cindy Feng of Orlando, Fla., […]
Athlete of the Week
Rachael Wahl approached her first time at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Neb., feeling only a bit tense. With 10,000 people in the stands gazing at her, it would be hard for this member of the Santa Maria Swim Club to rid herself of the butterflies in her stomach. Fortunately, this swimmer wanted […]
What sort of incentives would lure you to buy a house?
Jeff Hendrickson farmer “No down payment.” Elizabeth Beyea flower and succulent vendor “The location and size, such as the square footage and the yard. Also, carpet versus hardwood floors. I like hardwood.” Dave Connuely professional fruit salesman “Just to be a homeowner. It’s the greatest investment you can make.” Terri Castrellon cashier “If prices in […]
Get smart about oil
Lois Capps needs to get past her 1969 oil spill mentality and embrace modern technology and science. Energy and oil are for everyone, not only for the elite who fly to Washington weekly on planes using oil. Our economy needs the oil. With increased drilling, prices will decrease because the oil producing counties will no […]
Communism flourishes in environmentalism
How has communism flourished in so many countries? Two philosophers, Georg Hegel and Karl Marx, in the mid-19th century decided that the working man did not have any choice when working for his employer, and had to accept whatever demands his employer made of him. In subsequent years, unscrupulous politicians used this philosophy to gain […]
You call those stories ‘winners’?
Once again, your selection of winners of the 55 Fiction contest (July 3) is the same old schlock. If you received 863 entries, why did you have to use the same few authors multiple times? Your editorial blurb claims that “you just can’t dispute the instinctive, irrational glow that quality reading material produces.” It’s too […]
Stand up for cattle and health
It’s time we all took our heads out of the sand. As most of us have known for a long time, the meat industry does not stand up to the rigid standards it is supposed to, and there are loopholes in those standards. The Humane Society has been documenting abuse of laws and abuse of […]
Avoid animal fat for health reasons
The June 12 issue of the Santa Maria Sun featured an extensive article on beef production (“Here’s the beef”), including a reference to cholesterol and a claim that the American Heart Association “has determined that cholesterol is controlled by hereditary factors and genetics.” This is only part of the story and is very misleading. A […]
Arts Briefs
Central Coast band takes Refuge at MotionZ Central Coast middle school band Refuge will perform from 5 to 7 p.m. on July 13 at MotionZ in Santa Maria. The band will take the stage to play originals as well as covers. Though they’re still young, the band members have been gigging since they were 10 […]
Musical roots
His name may ring a bell because of his acting credits, but Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is also accomplished at striking another note—with his musical composition. The actor’s violin sonata will be part of a benefit performance for the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society, which will also feature a violin sonata by his father, violinist Efrem Zimbalist, […]
Mixed metal
When it comes to painting, Barbara Alloway can’t help herself. She likens the art to tying her shoes: It’s something that has to be done, although she admits, “Tying your shoes isn’t as much fun.” Alloway is a Central Coast abstract painter who likes to mix acrylics, metals, and foil. Her collections have been shown […]

