Ernie Garcia, head softball coach at Pioneer Valley High School, said that there’s one player on his team who, after every game, without fail, garners unsolicited praise from attendees. “Anybody who comes to watch our games always comments on our second baseman,” Garcia said. “They don’t even know who she is, but they notice her. […]
Maxine Lopez
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Ready for championships: Chock-full of talent, St. Joseph’s track and field team is peaking at the right time
Track and field is a sport of inches and milliseconds. Just ask St. Joseph High School senior shot putter Kaitlyn Jarret, who slings a 9-pound iron ball (called the “shot”) 37 feet—a distance good for first place at the Russell Cup on April 16 and second place at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational on April 8. […]
Posted inNews
Cycle of uncertainty: ICE worksite inspections in the Santa Maria Valley disrupt farmers and laborers and put a fragile economy at risk
It was after 5 p.m., a time for dinner and recreation. Families began their evening routines, and somewhere nearby, someone could be heard practicing a tuba. On the west side of Santa Maria, Amale and Jose, two Latino undocumented migrant farm laborers, have finished work for the day and just arrived home to their apartment. […]
Posted inNews
Orcutt educators and school district aim to work through salary negotiations impasse
It’s a California classic: Underpaid and underappreciated public school teachers are demanding a big raise from their district, whose board members swear they don’t have the money for it. The story has been rehashed by school districts up and down the golden coast—and now, Orcutt Union School District is doing its own rendition. Salary negotiations […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes facing closure for the next 15 years
Surf Beach isn’t the only public beach access along the Central Coast that’s facing closure. Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge could be closed when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) completes its comprehensive conservation plan, which will dictate management of the refuge for the next 15 years, according to Michael Brady, who’s leading the […]
Posted inNews
Plans soured for Libertine’s Brewing Company’s Santa Maria tasting room
The Santa Maria Planning Commission deadlocked, voting 2-2, on allowing a proposed tasting room at Libertine Brewing Company’s new facility during a meeting on April 6. Owner Tyler Clark recently acquired warehouse space at 2325 A Street in the southwest portion of the city, just slightly north of the Santa Maria Airport. Libertine would make […]
Posted inOpinion
What’s your position on legalizing recreational marijuana in California?
Manuel Ortiz gas plant operator “It leads to harder drugs.” Sinan Eken business owner “It’s not a good example for kids.” Michael Bryant sales “It’s not that bad. We could definitely use the tax money. Have you seen Santa Maria lately?” Samantha Sanchez creditor “Less people will buy it if it’s legal; but if it’s […]
Posted inNews
Farmworker housing in Nipomo burns down, arson suspected
UPDATE 4/13/16 The Mads Place development will no longer go forward as temporary farmworker housing, according to a news release from Mads Berry Farms owners Greg and Donna France. The Frances were purchasing the development to house workers for their strawberry farm, but following last week’s fire and a series of threats via comments on […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A rocking first
I love a good rock song. Or blues. Definitely punk. Sometimes hip-hop. And on occasion, classical. I like a song that reaches out and smacks you on the backside prompting a surprised gasp. Music should make you feel something—alive. Other than that requirement I’m pretty lax on the packaging. It’s a good thing too because […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Lompoc Pops Orchestra and new conductor Brian Asher Alhadeff revel in America’s music
There are very few orchestras in the United States that are strictly pops orchestras. That’s mostly because the majority of symphonic ensembles get their bread and butter by performing hits from across the Western tradition of classical music, from Beethoven to Debussy. But this is not so for a pops orchestra. Founded under the model […]
Posted inNews
Fire destroys farmworker housing structure in Nipomo
A Nipomo house fire last night destroyed an unfinished structure intended for farmworker housing under H2A, a government program for temporary foreign farmworkers. The cause of fire is still under investigation, but Cal Fire said they suspect arson. Cal Fire said the incident was reported at 11:25 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, and the […]