Five local organizations known for giving recently received gifts of their own from The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation. The Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center, Santa Ynez Valley Youth Recreation, Friends of the Library of Santa Ynez Valley, the American Heart Association, and the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum were honored with $5,000 service […]
AMY ASMAN
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A Santa Marian travels to Kazakhstan to spend time with some of its student leaders
Santa Maria businesswoman Lawnae Hunter’s journey to the Kazakh-American Free University (KAFU) in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, started over lunch with friends. While eating and chatting, Marshall Christensen—who happens to be KAFU’s provost—suggested that Hunter visit the school to speak about her experiences as a woman in the business world. “I said, sarcastically, something like, ‘oh, I […]
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Thirsty for more: The Nipomo Community Services District pushes ahead with its water pipeline project
The current construction site for the Nipomo Supplemental Water Project makes anyone who walks its grounds thirsty. Perched atop the bluffs overlooking the Santa Maria River Levee, the bustling spot looks like a beach without its ocean. Every piece of equipment—from a simple hand wrench to the elephantine drilling rig—is covered in a layer of […]
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Spotlight on: Pure Natural Juice
Erik Lachino, owner
A woman walks into Pure Natural Juice in Santa Maria and greets owner Erik Lachino warmly in Spanish. She’s a regular—at least for the three months the juice bar has been open—who likes to stop by a couple of times a week. Today, she needs a juice that will help reduce inflammation. Lachino recommends something […]
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Community Corner: Marian hospital’s dog therapy program is expanding
The canine-human family just keeps growing at Marian Regional Medical Center! When the Sun wrote about the hospital’s new pet therapy program in September, there were four people and their dogs working only one to two days a week. Now there are nine teams working three to four days a week, according to Dignity Health […]
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Contractors are almost done drilling under the Santa Maria River Levee for the Nipomo pipeline
Water was the topic of the day at an Oct. 25 event highlighting the ongoing construction of the Nipomo Supplemental Water Project, which will pump a combination of state and Santa Maria city water to Nipomo via an inter-tie pipeline. “[This project] is a lifeline to the Nipomo Mesa,” Nipomo Community Services District General Manager […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Ride 2 Recovery soldiers cycle their way through the Central Coast
Watch a video of Ride 2 Recovery by Amy Asman A voice shouts, “There they are!” People stop what they’re doing and move to the sidewalk, their toes close to the concrete edge, their eyes trained on the horizon. The red-white-and-blue-clad cyclists move up the hill like a giant amoeba, the late afternoon sun bouncing […]
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Lompoc could soon have a tourism district of its own
The Lompoc City Council voted unanimously at its Oct. 15 meeting to adopt a resolution declaring the intention to launch a Lompoc Tourism Improvement District. More than 80 percent of the hotel owner/operators in Lompoc signed a petition in favor of the district, which would be funded via a 2 percent assessment fee on hotel […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Frank Lopez
Santa Maria High School water polo
It’s not often that a freshman is cherry-picked from a club water polo program to play goalie for a varsity high school team, but that’s exactly what happened with Frank Lopez. When the former goalie graduated last year, Santa Maria High School’s varsity water polo coach Antonio McNeil started scouting for new talent. There were […]
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Eco-art: Santa Maria craftsman makes wine barrels into beautiful furniture
View additional photos of the Eco-Wine Santa Maria Workshop. Watch videos of the Eco-Wine crew at work. Jose Pedro Meza Santos has intimate knowledge of wine’s lifecycle. When he moved to the United States from Mexico 27 years ago, he picked grapes as a field hand. Four years and several college courses in English later, […]
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Community Corner: Employees laid off by Union Bank merger can get help
The Workforce Investment Board of Santa Barbara County recently launched a project to help former Santa Barbara Bank & Trust employees find new jobs. The Santa Barbara County-based bank merged with Union Bank last year. Executives called the move a win-win for customers, but it also resulted in 300 employee layoffs. The Workforce Investment is […]
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Timothy McNally is convicted of murder
A Santa Maria jury convicted former Lompoc prison guard Timothy McNally of second-degree murder on Oct. 10. This was the second jury trial for McNally, who shot and killed Gary Bent, a friend and fellow prison guard, in a Lompoc hotel room last year. The jury also tacked on an enhancement charge for using a […]