The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld a $5,000 settlement awarded to a Santa Maria senior citizen couple, Hope and Javier Bravo, and more than $1 million in attorneys’ fees stemming from a 2006 civil rights lawsuit that the city fought for nearly a decade. According to court records, the opinion was […]
Santa Maria loses $1.1 million settlement lawsuit after 10-year fight
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
JoJo Walker
JoJo Walker, a junior at St. Joseph High School, didn’t know if he’d ever play basketball again after breaking his leg two years ago during his freshman season. “I thought I was done,” Walker told the Sun. “I was thinking, ‘I’m not going be the same. Everything’s going to change now.’” Walker took solace in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Benchwarmer: The pain of the game
It was colder than usual this morning when I got out of bed. I sat up, letting my eyes adjust to the light and threw my legs over the side of the bed. As I began to stand up, my knees felt stiff, as though the bones were grinding together. My right knee gave out […]
Posted inFood & Drink
How joining a wine club changed my life: Buellton-based Club W makes waves online
Last year, I graduated from college the world’s youngest wino. It was a little sad, really: I was supposed to be this bright-eyed, pretentious recent college graduate, tackling the hectic world of overpriced cappuccinos and overrated bachelor’s degrees. But that simply wasn’t the case. Instead, I wasted my first postgraduate summer lazing through a lame […]
Posted inOpinion
Change is in the air, and sea, and on land
Oh, how our coastline is changing. In a big way. I understand that what happens at the coast doesn’t have the most immediate effect on most of Northern Santa Barbara County, but it also kind of does. It affects the overall picture of our lives as Central Coast residents, not to mention our ability to […]
Posted inOpinion
Focus on grassroots solutions
A columnist’s article in the Santa Maria Times on Feb. 4, “It’s the same story, same principle,” pointed out so many of the areas where “politics and finances take precedence over humanity and justice.” I recommended follow-up articles on solutions where grassroots actions, from the bottom up, are “flipping the equation.” This is happening big […]
Posted inOpinion
Holy books like Quran divinely command violence
As a non-Muslim I sincerely wish the greatest success to Mr. Saifi and his “True Islam and the Extremists” campaign in convincing Muslims that the Quran does not sanction “any form of violence towards humanity.” Unfortunately he faces three huge barriers: 1) millions of past and present Muslims differ from his interpretation of the Quran; […]
Posted inOpinion
Rail spur jobs argument is a smoke-and-mirrors ploy
I’m writing to share my disgust about the pro-Phillips 66 signage in the Five Cities area. Basically the thrust of the signage message is “if the Planning Commission doesn’t approve the addition of rail tracks and the resulting horrendous delivery of volatile tar sands oil from Canada and its air-polluting refinement on the Nipomo Mesa, […]
Posted inOpinion
Capps has earned her retirement
Eighteen years ago I voted for a UCSB professor named Walter Capps for Congress. He was elected but unfortunately died soon afterward. His young, attractive nurse bride, Lois, took his place and has been re-elected 10 times since. She’s probably the only nurse in Congress. At 78 she now needs a rest and plans to […]
Posted inOpinion
Diminution of religion is true cause of evil
Recently a Central Coast resident wrote a letter to the editor in another paper titled: “Religion is a Problem” (Jan. 3, Santa Barbara News-Press). In his letter the writer attributes the atrocities, killings, and social mayhem in the world to religion. Recognizing the perverted attempts of radical Islamists directed by a tenet of Islamic Sharia […]
Posted inOpinion
Balancing tribal needs and moving forward–as neighbors
The struggle over Camp 4 and making it virtually part of the Chumash reservation through the “fee to trust” process has pitted neighbor against neighbor here in the Santa Ynez Valley. The struggle has played out in the courts, in county and state government, in the executive offices of the president, and even in the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Growing Grounds Gallery & Gifts includes special exhibit
The Growing Grounds Gallery & Gifts in Santa Maria is part of Transitions-Mental Health Association, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating prejudice and promoting recovery and wellness for people with mental illnesses. The gallery shows and sells the work of members regularly, but it also welcomes artists for short exhibits, with the latest event […]