Cover Story

Few people, if any, refute that there are achievement gaps in academic performance among American students. There are students who succeed, and there are students who fall into a void of low test scores, poor academic performance, and disinterest in learning. The reality of the gaps isn’t really up for debate. The factors that have […]

In D.C., many people anxiously started the day, greeted by cold weather and huge crowds with only the tops of people’s heads visible for what seemed like miles and miles ahead. As early as 3 a.m., I could see people begin to walk up toward the National Mall to line up for their place in […]

Small-scale manufacturers of children’s products are afraid, and they’re connecting with each other online, one by one, to discuss their fears, trade research, and commiserate. Their common worry? That they’ll soon have to close up shop, put the kids in daycare, and find another means of making ends meet. A broadly written law requiring lead […]

Wood chips are flying. Smoke billows everywhere. Grandma, a 1929 American LaFrance fire engine, sits in wait as Guadalupe Fire Capt. Rick Galindo hacks his way out of a wire-strung box as part of a training exercise. It’s just another Tuesday night for the Guadalupe Fire Department.     Guadalupe is one of the last “paid […]

“Challenge and change” was the theme for Santa Barbara County in 2008. Firefighters, government officials, and local nonprofits worked together to confront two wildfires and their aftermath. A changing economy and political climate ushered in new leadership at both the county and city levels. County residents voiced their opinions-“both at the polls and on the […]

Ever since the term “furry” was born sometime during the 1980s, media outlets have made a sport of poaching it for their own uses. Consult the likes of MTV, Vanity Fair, or Wired, and you’ll get a description of a kinky subculture in which socially awkward, computer-interested humans—who, for whatever reason, missed the sci-fi/anime bus—join […]

Caleb Lopez is one of the lucky ones.    With several big development projects on his plate and a steady flow of smaller, private jobs coming in, Lopez might be considered a rarity when it comes to being a contractor in today’s economy. Following the overall downturn of the nation’s economy and the collapse of […]

If you drop by the Addamo Wine Tasting Room and Bistro on East Clark in Old Orcutt at lunchtime, chances are you will see a tall, blond, young-looking woman in her late 30s. She will no doubt be swathed in a large, dark green apron. While she delivers water or buses tables in the two […]

In her tiny shop filled with books both new and used, Sheila Butterworth busies herself by pushing racks outside and moving novels around. In some ways, the preparation in her small space on Betteravia Road is all about catching sales on Black Friday—the historic shopping day after Thanksgiving—but in other ways, it’s just the average, […]

“When they announced it, I had just ordered a hamburger and I think I took a bite, but I had to put it down,” grinned Addie Singleton, 80, a retired Lompoc teacher. “I couldn’t eat it. I just sat and cried. It’s the most wonderful thing I’ve seen in ages.” Clarence Willis of Vandenberg Village […]

When the Sun’s ode to geekdom, “Let your geek flag fly,” hit stands in July, we reveled in the chance to gush about our favorite sci-fi and fantasy obsessions. In describing fantasized outer space adventures or wizarding world fixations, that issue pretty much announced to the greater Santa Maria area that the Sun’s editorial staff […]