As of Aug. 16, 53 Department of Motor Vehicles offices—including the Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara offices—will suspend service on Saturdays because of the delayed state budget and staffing restraints. For more information and service updates, visit www.dmv.ca.gov.
AMY ASMAN
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Farmworker deaths prompt fines, more investigations
After a three-month-long investigation, the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health has issued six citations and $262,700 worth of fines against Merced Farm Labor Contractor, the Atwater-based employer of a 17-year-old farm worker who died of heat stroke in May. The fines are the largest assessed to an agricultural firm […]
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Santa Maria will get ‘specific’ about goals for downtown
Want to make an impact on community development in the downtown Santa Maria area? Staff members from the Santa Maria Community Development Department are holding an Aug. 14 meeting to update the public about the city’s Downtown Specific Plan. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Minami Community Center, 600 W. […]
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Plan your detours: Multiple road construction projects are slated for August
Remember to drive extra safely around Santa Maria for the next few weeks—there are three big road construction projects in the works. The city’s annual street maintenance chip seal program, which began Aug. 11 and is scheduled to last for four weeks, will treat approximately 100 street segments and cost about $800,000. Chip sealing involves […]
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Trial by peers
Santa Barbara County offers teens a second chance through its Teen Court program
The door opens, and the judge, draped in legal-grade black, enters the room. A bailiff gruffly commands everyone present to “please rise,” and proceeds to swear in the jury members. Silence settles on the courtroom as a fresh-faced youth and his mother are ushered in and seated at the defendant’s table. The trial is about […]
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Santa Maria Council appoints committee members, opposes governor
The Santa Maria City Council had a busy evening at its Aug. 5 meeting. Council members voted on several key items, including the appointment of new members to the city’s block grant advisory committee and a resolution opposing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent budget proposal. The Santa Maria Block Grant Advisory Committee is responsible for assessing […]
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New device is a real ‘lifesaver’
Santa Barbara County starts a tracking program for people suffering from Alzheimer’s
During December of last year, the Pismo Beach Police Department needed help locating a missing 73-year-old man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Officers contacted the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department, which, after reviewing some background information about the man and his lifestyle, recruited the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. Luckily, the man’s family had recently […]
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Got camp?
Know any children who want to go to summer camp, but might not be able to afford it? Limited funding is still available for recreation “camperships” for the 2008 summer day camp program, according to a press release from the city of Santa Maria. There are only three weeks remaining in the summer camp program, […]
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Union Valley Parkway project ready for public review
On Aug. 12, a public hearing will be held in the Radisson Hotel’s Enterprise Ballroom from 5:30 to 8 p.m. to address the proposed Union Valley Parkway Extension/Interchange Project. The California Department of Trans-portation (Caltrans), along with the city of Santa Maria and Santa Barbara County, are proposing to extend Union Valley Parkway west from […]
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Santa Maria blood drive is coming up
They vant to drink your blood! Well, more like harvest it for medical use. The city is hosting its third blood drive this year from noon to 5 p.m. on Aug. 7, in the parking lot between the lawn bowling green and Paul Nelson Aquatic Center along South McClelland Street in Santa Maria. The public […]
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Opposition groups say Proposition 2 is something to cluck about
Come November, farm animals will be front and center on the ballot. Proposition 2, also known as the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, would outlaw veal cages, pig gestation crates, and battery cages used to hold egg-laying hens throughout California. If passed, all farms would have to be cage-free by 2015, and violators would […]
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County gets gold for waste
On July 7, the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department proved the old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” when it received the 2008 Gold Excellence Award from the Solid Waste Association of North America for Integrated Waste, in recognition of the county’s waste management program. SWANA’s national awards program recognizes excellence in […]