Valley Art Gallery in Orcutt announced Jill Iversen as the featured artist of the month for April. Iversen’s collection, Down on the Farm, is available for view in the gallery from April 3 through 29. Iversen graduated from the Art Center School of Design at Pasadena and works in oil, acrylic, and watercolors. She is […]
Valley Art Gallery features Jill Iversen
Posted inOpinion
Locals speak out on some serious problems
I get called jaded on a good day, but there are some serious problems coming to light across all levels of our society. From the national to the local spheres, the news cycle is like a traffic jam of systematic problems, incompetence, and scandal. The big issue across the nation and on our own streets […]
Posted inOpinion
Not the NRA
The recent March for Our Lives rallies around the country focused their ire on guns and the National Rifle Association (NRA). The violence in schools and other public places is the result of deranged people who have some hidden or public agenda and think killing is a way to express that agenda. These break down […]
Posted inOpinion
Agriculture: backbone of the Central Coast
From the vineyards to the strawberry fields, the Central Coast is host to world-class agribusiness. Agriculture contributes more than $3.8 billion to our district’s economy and accounts for more than 40,000 local jobs. Our history here at home is deeply rooted in agriculture. It’s more than just an industry. It is a culture—a way of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria Swim Club
The Santa Maria Swim Club sent eight swimmers to Orlando, Florida, on March 13 for the Next College Student Athlete Junior National Championships, an intense competition where many young athletes are scouted by college coaches for the first time. More than 1,600 swimmers from across the nation competed at the meet. Central Coast New Tech […]
Posted inNews
Hobnobbing with Helen: March keeps moving
Well, wasn’t this special? I’m referring to the month of March in Santa Maria. So much going on! Among the events of note were the OASIS Center’s annual fundraiser organized around the theme “Forever Rooted in Our Community.” Then there was the Minerva Club’s recently minted Furs and Spurs event. The Women’s Network’s eagerly awaited […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch 3/29/18
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) joined a bipartisan group of senators in announcing the inclusion of election security funding in the Omnibus Appropriations bill on March 22, the day before the bill was signed by President Donald Trump. The bill gives $380 million for states to improve election security, including cyber security guidelines and replacing […]
Posted inNews
Highway 101 widening project in South County receives $226 million in state funding
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) recently approved funding for the Highway 101 widening project in south Santa Barbara County. The decision allocates $226 million to help add another lane in sections of the highway between Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, according to a release from the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG). SBCAG Executive Director […]
Posted inNews
Former Lompoc Mayor John Linn accuses local papers of libel
A retired Central Coast city politician is crying foul following the publication of an article he claims is both defamatory and libelous. Former Lompoc Mayor John Linn, through attorneys at the law firm Lynberg and Watkins, sent a letter—obtained by the Sun—to the Santa Maria Times, the Lompoc Record, and local columnist Ron Fink alleging […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Gallery Los Olivos hosts three artists in April
Jo-Neil Boic, Sheila Underwood, and Patricia Watkins are all artists featured at Gallery Los Olivos in April. Boic is a fine artist, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, who lived and taught in Santa Cruz County before moving to Arroyo Grande. Her work features watercolors of landscapes and flowers. Watkins, a 10-year […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria residents complete Peoples’ Self-Help Housing’s Neighborhood Child Care Licensing Project
Elvia Salazar and Guadalupe Mendoza sat at a small table inside the Los Adobes de Maria II Education Center and smiled as they discussed their future plans. They’d both love to own houses one day—they currently rent Los Adobes apartments in Santa Maria through Peoples’ Self-Help Housing—but Salazar laughed as she said a vacation would […]
Posted inNews
Culinary creator: Chef Steven Snook brings Michelin star skills to Solvang at First and Oak
On the day I meet Chef Steven Snook, he’s trying to manage a serious crisis in the kitchen. The refrigerator, undoubtedly one of the most vital tools in a restaurant, “decided to stop working,” according to Snook, who is settling in across the table from me, wiping away tiny beads of sweat as he gracefully […]