The title “business of the year” might draw to mind images of a fancy restaurant or a high-end jewelry store. The winner of this year’s 35th Assembly District Small Business of the Year award, however, has a much more practical purpose. Since 1961, Larrabee Recycling Center has been one of Santa Maria’s largest recyclers of […]
AMY ASMAN
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Life’s a carnival
Workers share what it’s like behind the scenes at the Santa Barbara County Fair
There’s heat, and then there’s heat. This summer might be blazing, but it doesn’t hold a candle to a jalapeño ice cream sundae with hot fudge or strawberry sauce. That’s one of the featured items on the menu at Judy Henbury’s ice cream stand at the Santa Barbara County Fair, set for July 10 through […]
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Hungry babies, happy moms
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is really good at teaching new mothers how to breastfeed. That’s according to the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and the International Lactation Consultant Association, which recently recognized the department for excellence in lactation care. Winners of this award have a high number of professionally certified staff, […]
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Bill aims to prevent victims from being fired
A bill that would prevent employers from firing or discriminating against employees who’ve been victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking passed out of the California Assembly Judiciary Committee on June 28. If signed into law, Senate Bill 400 would also require employers to make reasonable efforts to protect victims from their abusers or […]
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Spotlight on: Another Bread Company
James Sparks, owner
Solvang resident James Sparks learned to bake bread from the best: his mother, Kaye. “I assisted my mother at her bakery in Idaho where I grew up. I was probably about 12 or 14 years old, maybe younger. We had milk cows and a bakery because I grew up on a farm,” Sparks told the […]
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Welcome to LaPAWS
The Lompoc Animal Shelter will from now on be known as La Purisima Animal Welfare Services, county officials announced at a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 24 at the newly renovated facility on Central Avenue. The name is just one change to the shelter, which is owned and operated by the county of Santa Barbara […]
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The show will go on … eventually
While most Central Coast residents were scrounging around for a flashlight the evening of June 23, audience members at PCPA Theaterfest in Solvang were treated to a candlelit, a cappella rendition of “Sunrise, Sunset” by the cast of Fiddler on the Roof. The actors were just walking on stage for the wedding scene near the […]
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Senate reverses changes to the California Public Records Act
Faced with harsh criticism from media professionals and government watchdogs, the California Senate voted June 24 to undo changes to the state’s Public Records Act that could have made obtaining government documents more difficult. Earlier this month, the Legislature approved a bill included in the state budget that would have made responding to public records […]
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Carbajal’s arraignment is postponed until July
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Santa Maria resident Cristian Iban Carbajal in connection with the five-vehicle collision that claimed the life of Santa Maria High School graduate Jade Dodson on June 18. Carbajal appeared in court on June 20 facing one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and […]
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Lost and found
The Yosemite Search and Rescue Team strives to keep hikers, campers, and even pilots safe
On Dec. 17, 2012, local resident Nicol Wilson boarded his small, white plane and took off from the Santa Ynez Airport. He was on his way to the Mammoth Lakes Airport to join his family for the upcoming holiday. He never arrived. Around 12:30 p.m. that day, as Wilson was flying over Yosemite National Park, […]
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That’s a tasty pic-a-nic basket!
Community Corner 6/20/13
On the menu for lunch June 14 at Santa Barbara County Foodbank’s Picnic in the Park kickoff event was a chicken sandwich with chips, a nectarine, carrots, and milk. When the Sun stopped by Veterans Memorial Park on Pine Street in Santa Maria, Foodbank staffers had already served more than 185 lunches to hungry local […]
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Longtime court executive officer Gary Blair will retire in July
Gary Blair—the Santa Barbara County court executive officer whose varied career includes such highlights as unifying the county’s court systems and managing the infamous Michael Jackson trial—is retiring in July after 37 years. He is the longest serving court executive officer in California. The Board of Supervisors recognized Blair for his work at its June […]
