An unprecedented year of flood, fire, elections, and more made 2018 a year to remember It doesn’t matter who you ask, 2018 was filled with the unexpected. Natural disasters swept homes and lives away in moments as the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flows punctuated the beginning of the year. And months later, as Santa […]
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No age limit: Senior substance abuse presents unique challenges and concerns for those seeking to get them support and treatment
At around 10:30 a.m. in a small room at the SLO County Veteran’s Memorial Building, Colin Quennell was telling a story. The story was a personal one. Quennell, a licensed therapist and program supervisor for the SLO County Health Agency’s Drug and Alcohol Services Department, was talking about an elderly family member that fell on […]
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Wishes DO come true: Local nonprofits share the donations they need most
There are only a few days left in the year, all the precious hours that remain to give one last tax-deductible gift to your favorite local nonprofit. Organizations are in need this year, they told us. In the hopes of connecting benevolent readers and some of Northern Santa Barbara County’s nonprofits in need, the Sun’s […]
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Local poets find their voice in North Santa Barbara County
It’s a dark space that’s standing-room only. The only sounds come from behind the podium, a quiet stirring from a winery tasting room worker as she slowly pours another glass for a patron at the bar. The audience is hushed, eager for the moment when it starts. “I worshiped dad’s tale– the middle son seeking […]
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Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide: Santa Maria library makerspaces let you create a personalized gift
MAKE TO GIVE Makerspace programs at the Santa Maria library can help you create a last-minute holiday gift By Joe Payne • Photos by Jayson Mellom It was Saturday morning and things were already getting messy. But that’s OK at the Santa Maria Public Library’s weekly makerspace sessions, where kids and parents assembled cards and […]
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Local fire artists find peace in the middle of infernos
Engulfed in flames
Engulfed in flames Local fire artists find peace in the middle of infernos “Don’t try this at home,” Shayne Mastriano says before guzzling a mouthful of highly refined lamp oil. He’s careful not to swallow the liquid that his peers claim tastes like a combination of candle wax and coconut oil. Mastriano sidles over […]
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Battery-powered addiction: Vapes may be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, but prevention specialists say the electronic devices are addicting youth to nicotine
Vapes may be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, but prevention specialists say the electronic devices are making youths addicted to nicotine
A few years ago, Hattie Bermudes didn’t even know what vapes were. Now she asks her kids about them nearly every day. As a mother of two San Marcos High School students and a member of the Parent Teacher Student Association, Bermudes spends a lot of time on school grounds, and within the past year […]
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Holloway’s Christmas Tree Farm keeps business fresh with a family focus
It’s early and it smells like pine as Carl Holloway inches his John Deere tractor across the Nipomo property where his family has sold Christmas trees for decades now. Calling over the sound of the chugging engine, Holloway gives some direction to his two farmhands, local kids he’s hired to help him prepare for the […]
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It’s holiday time!
It’s the time of year again, when you dust off those boxes full of lights and tinsel and deck the halls with festive cheer. No matter how you celebrate the season, the Sun has your back with its annual Holiday Guide. Learn about an opportunity to make your own greetings cards, a Christmas tree farm […]
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SLO Jewish community to hold annual ‘Hanukkah Downtown’ in wake of Pittsburgh massacre
Mission San Luis Obispo may be best known as a landmark of Catholicism, but for eight nights in December, Mission Plaza transforms into an ecumenical hub. The 5-foot-tall wooden menorah holding burning candles stands right next to a towering lit-up Christmas tree. A “spin the dreidel” station is steps away from Santa Claus’ house. Traditional […]
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Christmas without kids
As difficult as it is to admit, I understand that holidays are mostly meant for young children. I don’t mean that fourth serving of your mother’s stuffing or that bowl of rum-heavy eggnog your uncle whips up every year. Clearly that’s the stuff we adults put up with all the insanity of the holidays for. […]
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Season’s greetings: Local workshops celebrate the art of holiday card crafting
There are only two kinds of people in this world—those that start listening to Christmas music after Halloween and those that wait until Thanksgiving is over. I’m a card-carrying member of the former, and I’m pretty sure most of the participants of Suzy McBride’s Stampin’ Up workshops are too. Well, at least the one I […]
