On Sept. 23, News-Press & Gazette Company announced, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission, the purchase of KKFX/FOX11 in San Luis Obispo and the CBS and Telemundo news affiliates in Monterey from Cowles California Media Company. The two companies have also agreed to co-own KCOY-TV, the CBS news affiliate in Santa Maria. According to […]
AMY ASMAN
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Villalpando is ordered to pay restitution to one of his victims
A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge has ordered former St. Joseph High School student Shane Villalpando to pay more than $36,000 in restitution to one of his victims and her family. A jury convicted Villalpando in July of three felony counts of unlawful sex with a minor. He was sentenced to one year in […]
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Spotlight on: Wild West Pizza and Grill
Hanging on the wall at Wild West Pizza and Grill in Lompoc is an autographed photo of Stuart Whitman. Best known for playing Marshal Jim Crown in the 1960s TV Western Cimarron Strip, Whitman also owns the shopping center in which the restaurant is located. “When he found out it was going to have a […]
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Careers and charisma take center stage at Hancock
Santa Maria Valley locals can learn how to get ahead in the job market by taking two courses, Your Leadership Charisma and The Career of Your Dreams, in September and October at Allan Hancock College. The Community Education classes with instructor Cary Gray are offered Saturdays on the Santa Maria campus in room S-109. In […]
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Happy 75th, St. Mary!
St. Mary of the Assumption School kicked off a year’s worth of 75th anniversary celebrations this week with a pep rally, open house, and dinner. The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity welcomed children on Sept. 14, 1938 to St. Mary of the Assumption School, the first Catholic school in the Santa […]
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Community Corner: Get healthy in Buellton
Are you or someone you know interested in getting a discount on screenings for diabetes, heart disease, or prostate cancer? If the answer is yes, look no further than the Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital 31st annual Health Fair on Oct. 5. The free fair runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Santa […]
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‘Green’ energy is key at the Chumash Casino and Resort
It’d be near impossible to cram information about all of the Chumash’s green energy initiatives into one article. The tribe has developed an impressive array of programs designed to make its casino, resort, and reservation as energy-efficient as possible. From solar thermal heating to LED lighting, to biofuel to waste management, the Chumash have it […]
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Officers catch 18 people attempting to smuggle pot into Santa Barbara County via panga
Seven of the 18 people arrested for allegedly transporting more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana via panga to Arroyo Quemada Beach in Goleta were scheduled to appear in a Los Angeles federal courtroom Sept. 16. According to an affidavit provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Cortez-Garcia, Carlos Cortez-De La Cruz, Manton Pine, […]
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Deja Vu Antique Mall at The Loading Dock
Wendy Steller, owner
Wendy Steller’s career in antiquing started almost by accident. She owns Old Town Market in Old Orcutt with her husband, Mark. About eight years ago, she started decorating the corner store with antiques just for fun. “And people wanted to buy them,” she said during an interview on the porch of her newest business, Déjà […]
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Santa Barbara County’s “AVOID the 12” campaign nets 171 drunk drivers
An 18-day crackdown on people driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol resulted in 171 arrests, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department announced in a recent press release. That’s seven arrests more than during the same period last year. “Any one of those could have turned fatal. It’s just pure luck that they didn’t,” […]
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Lompoc City Council grants Valley Haven an extension on construction of its new adult day-care facility
If everything goes according to plan, Valley Haven employees expect to move into their new Lompoc location by Halloween weekend, said Sandra Knight, the nonprofit organization’s executive director, while taking the Sun on a tour of the 1920s home. Based in Solvang, Valley Haven runs adult day programs for area seniors who are suffering from […]
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Dignity Health hospitals launch a new therapy dog program
Chloe is Marian Regional Medical Center’s newest celebrity; with her platinum blond hair, soulful eyes, and heart-melting smile, there’s no wonder why. The 5-year-old Golden Doodle is one of the first canines in the hospital’s new therapy dog program, called Healing Paws. On Sept. 10, Chloe and her owner/trainer Barbara James will start visiting patients […]
