Cover Story

Great music is forever. Whether written today or nearly three centuries ago, it will resonate in people and throughout time. And some musical pieces, depending on their potency, will come to epitomize an ideal and personify an experience or feeling. Such is the case with the great oratorio Messiah by George Frideric Handel. Having long […]

It’s not alive. You know it’s not alive. There is no way some glued-together wood frame and old, shredded sweaters will ever be alive. And yet there it is, that almost random assemblage, hopping and wiggling around, just like a real, panting, lovable dog would. I mean, there’s clearly a guy holding it, and it’s […]

It’s a well-known fact that history repeats itself. The idea of eating only locally made products is quite the rage, but just 150 years ago in this county and worldwide, it would have been the primary option. Antonio Varia, owner of Buona Tavola in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, has never thought that making […]

In the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary alone there are more than 150 documented shipwrecks. Of those, only 30 have been located and surveyed. Robert Schwemmer’s job is to go find the rest of them. As cultural resources coordinator for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Schwemmer is equal parts historian, detective, and wreck diver. […]

It’s an old saying, and a popular one: “ ’Tis better to give than to receive.” When it comes to the arts, many people would probably say they’re more likely to donate to them than to gain any monetary benefit from them. However, a new study from the national organization Americans for the Arts shows that […]

It was foggy on Feb. 10, 2012. Correctional officer Ryan Vargas showed up for work at the Lompoc federal prison for a 6 a.m. shift. He’d been back on the job just more than a month, fresh off of an extended leave for depression and stress. Less than two hours later, Vargas was dead, his […]

For little ones, Halloween is all about the candy, but for many adults it’s about blood, guts, gore, and having a good time. There’s nothing quite like a good scare—a goose-bump raising, adrenaline-inducing frightfest. That’s why the Sun decided to feature some of the Central Coast’s most intriguing and bone-chilling haunted houses. So sit back, […]

Lauren Berns was browsing Talking Points Memo when he saw an ad with President Obama’s face. “Stop the Reckless Spending,” the ad read, and in smaller print, “Paid for by Crossroads GPS.” Berns was surprised. Why was Crossroads GPS, a group that powerful Republican strategist Karl Rove helped found, advertising on a liberal-leaning political website? […]

The sun hangs low as 5 p.m. traffic overtakes the Donovan overpass in Santa Maria. Westbound cars slow, and drivers squint into the sun while cars on the freeway below honk, puzzled by the young man dancing on the bridge. The man continues to move and mouth lyrics to a song as another young man […]

The campaign for Santa Maria City Council is shaping up to be one of the most competitive political races on the Central Coast. Three incumbents and four challengers will face off to represent a city burdened by tough economic times and a controversial police department. Current City Council members Alice Patino and Mike Cordero are […]

Navigating his dusty pickup truck along the winding highways and washboard byways in some of the county’s most remote backcountry, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy John McCarthy certainly gets around. It’s all part of the job. As the only full-time deputy manning the department’s Rural Crime Unit, McCarthy is tasked with tackling the county’s breadth […]