I am responding to the letter “Too much Kool-Aid” (Aug. 16) by Justin Ruhge. There seems to be a pattern to his frequent letters and this one is no exception. First, he insults the person who wrote the commentary he is responding to (Ken McCalip’s “Misdeeds in La-La Land,” Aug. 9) and then proceeds to […]
Fact checking Justin Ruhge
Posted inOpinion
No excuse for Trump
Some opinions regarding politics or politicians in general never change among many individuals, even in view of the behavior of those politicians and their policies. Such is the case of a recent letter in the Sun‘s Aug. 16 Opinion section (“Too much Kool-Aid”) that still attempts to give some credit to the erratic performance of […]
Posted inOpinion
The public good and oil profits
Recent letters and articles in local papers have promoted more oil development over and through the Santa Maria groundwater basin. Who will profit and who will be hurt by these new high-pressure intrusions through our diminishing drinking water aquifers? Aera Energy and ERG Resources, two oil companies, have recently been flooding the media with promises […]
Posted inOpinion
Veterans deserve better
The late Sen. John McCain will be remembered for his integrity, most notably demonstrated by his penchant for straight talk. There was a great irony locally when Bruce Porter wrote a column in the Sept. 2 Santa Barbara News-Press, simultaneously praising Sen. McCain’s integrity while contorting the truth and assailing 3rd District County Supervisor Joan […]
Posted inOpinion
Boycott In-N-Out, really?
California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman is calling for a boycott of In-N-Out because they donated $25,000 to the Republican party. What has California come to? I know that California is a Democratic “controlled” state, but to boycott a company because they donated a modest donation (for a national company) to an opposing party is […]
Posted inOpinion
Blame game
Let’s play a game. Here are the rules: Pick whatever it is that bothers you about a community, and blame it on something you hate! It seems like a lot of Central Coasters are playing that game right now. You don’t have to look much farther than the pages of the Sun to see what […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Chase Artopoeus
The St. Joseph Knights were down 24-30. Only seconds remained. But in his typical fashion, quarterback Chase Artopoeus (pictured, No. 9) remained calm and helped his team gain 82 yards in less than 50 seconds. The Knights beat out Bakersfield Garces Memorial High School with a tie-breaking kick on Aug. 31, and head football coach […]
Posted inNews
California universities may be required to offer abortion medications
Each month, roughly 519 UC or CSU students seek medication abortions at off-campus clinics. And since 2000, more than 1.5 million women in the United States have terminated pregnancies through the use of abortion medication. That’s all according to a fact sheet released by the office of state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino), the author of […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: The Terroir Project
Local beer lovers will have a chance to taste seven different one-off beers on Sept. 29 at West Ranch in Los Olivos as part of Firestone Walker’s Terroir Project, led by its craft Buellton location, Barrelworks. The event, which runs from noon to 4 p.m., will feature beers created from a recipe that draws both […]
Posted inNews
Panelists debate necessity of increased public safety sales tax at community forum
Things got heated–and a little off-topic–at a recent debate on the city’s proposed sales tax increase. At the forum, which was hosted on Sept. 6 by the League of Women Voters of Santa Maria Valley, panelists debated the benefits and costs of Measure U2018, a ballot measure that, if approved, would increase the city’s sales […]
Posted inNews
Library and city staff celebrate Library Shop’s reopening
Roughly 15 community members were all smiles at the Santa Maria Public Library’s grand reopening of its used bookstore on Sept. 11. The bookstore, which recently changed management amid controversy, is stocked with roughly 2,500 donated or discarded books, DVDs, magazines, encyclopedias, and art, according to Mary Housel, director of the Santa Maria Public Library. […]
Posted inNews
YMCA to take over GenSpan programs in October
After struggling to find volunteers, the GenSpan Foundation recently announced plans to dissolve its operations by the end of this month. GenSpan, a nonprofit that has provided social and educational programs in schools throughout Santa Maria since 2001, will continue many of its most popular programs through the Santa Maria Valley YMCA, according to GenSpan […]