Thursday, September 9, 2010     Volume: 11, Issue: 26
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So is the economy recovering or isn't it?

It is! Obama and economists said so!
I guess. The private sector's hiring, right?
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Looking for the light

Cover Story

Looking for the light

BY SHELLY CONE

A woman in black slacks, high heels, and a billowy top cinched at the waist briskly walked out of a Santa Maria temporary employment agency. She looked up only long enough to push open the door and breeze through it. Then she dropped her head once again and brushed imaginary crumbs—or possibly wrinkles—from her blouse, avoiding ... [ Read More ]

Top 5 Articles

News: Political Watch 09.09
News: Cafeteria boot camp shapes up workers and menus
News: Fire departments honor 9/11
News: Changes to sign ordinance will head to Planning Commission
News: Community Notebook 09.09
 

News

Study: Organic strawberries are better

BY JEREMY THOMAS

Organic strawberries are not only more nutritious than their conventionally grown counterparts, but in some cases, they taste better, too. Th...

Cabrillo High teachers stay home during student's return to class

BY JEREMY THOMAS

Nearly half of Cabrillo High School’s teachers skipped work on Sept. 2, the day of the return of a student allegedly involved in a physical a...

Conoco-Phillips agrees to clean up Nipomo oil spill

BY JEREMY THOMAS

More than seven years after a spill was first discovered, oil giant Conoco-Phillips has agreed to excavate and clean up the 300-foot oil spill from...

Changes to sign ordinance will head to Planning Commission

BY JEREMY THOMAS

Revisions to an ordinance regarding sandwich boards and other temporary signs for Santa Maria businesses will go to the city’s Planning Commi...

Fire departments honor 9/11

BY RYAN MILLER

This Sept. 11 marks the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In remembrance of the tragedy, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department will hold ...

Cafeteria boot camp shapes up workers and menus

BY HENRY HOUSTON

When students went to the cafeteria for lunchtime in the old days, they pretty much looked forward to it only because it wasn’t class. The S...

Hobnobbing With Helen

PHOTO BY HELEN ANN THOMAS

A sun-drenched afternoon on a lovely hillside patio. Stupendous views. Music floating over the buzz of the crowd. Ice-cold Chardonnay and just...

Community Notebook 09.09

MONDAY, SEPT. 13 The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E...

Political Watch 09.09

• Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) was recently on the Central Coast to talk about “text4baby” (text4baby.org), a free mobile informatio...

Commentary

Get me to the airport on time

BY ARIEL WATERMAN

I hate airports. I loathe them not because of the long lines for tickets, security screening, and check-in. Nor do I hate them for the noise, solic...

Sports

What a drag!

BY JEREMY THOMAS

Since the 1950s, when drivers in souped-up cars first roared down a lonely stretch of asphalt now known as Foster Road, drag racing has enjoye...

Gary Pintor

BY HENRY HOUSTON

Mixed martial arts newcomer Gary Pintor gave an electrifying performance during the Battle in the Vines, hel...

School Scene

A penny saved is a penny earned

BY HENRY HOUSTON

Saving and money are usually two things teens have trouble putting together, and when the former doesn’t become a habit, trouble usually...

Relive the '60s, but in a good way

BY HENRY HOUSTON

Whether it was the primordial stage of today’s rock n’ roll, or Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” program, the 1960s w...

Canary

It all has to count for something

I’m looking down my beak, and it’s looking pretty bleak. As I put together my column each every-other-week, I scan headlines, browse w...

Street Talk

What business do you wish had a drive-thru?

Angie Sandoval Sean Reed Victor Limón Robert Gonzales

Arts

When life hands you clams ...

BY ASHLEY SCHWELLENBACH

If you’ve been looking for a copy of Luther Whiteman’s Central Coast classic The Face of the Clam, you should know you could expec...

Lenses squared

BY SHELLY CONE

The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission is presenting “6x6: A Photographic Exploration” at the Betteravia Gallery through Oct. 22...

Call for circles and sticks

BY SHELLY CONE

The C Gallery in Los Alamos is launching its third annual fall group show. The themed show is “Circles and Sticks,” the most elemental ...

Don't wait to audition

Auditions are coming for the Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s Wait Until Dark, a play written by Frederick Knott and directed by Johannes S. Beals...

Listen to the valley

The Valley Speaks, an event sponsored by the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society and the Santa Maria Public Library, will feature George Majoue a...

Film

The quiet American

The titular American (George Clooney) is an international assassin, alternately called “Jack,” “Edward,&...

Eats

Celebrate wine

BY K. REKA BADGER

As harvest begins in earnest, Santa Barbara County wineries want to remind us what all the fuss is about. While workers gather grapes for the ...

Hot Dates

Let them shine

The Santa Maria A’s Ford Club will be celebrating its annual All Ford Car Show and Swap Meet for the eighth year. The club will feature some of Ford’s earliest car...

It's all for them

The Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation hosts the Cause 4 Paws Pledge Walk and Pet Fair, all the proceeds of which will go to benefit the h...

Believe in art

Lynn Duron’s paintings show our world in a stylized light with bursts of passionate color. Her paintings, as well as greeting cards and coasters, are on view at Coffee a...