AMY ASMAN

Riley paws maniacally at his kennel door, his cute puppy-dog whine occasionally exploding into a deep baritone bark. “Hey. Hey. I know, buddy,” Santa Barbara County firefighter Eric Gray admonishes the 5-year-old Labrador retriever in a calm, reassuring voice. “The center of his world is this toy,” Gray says as he holds up what looks […]

Responding to reports of an alleged cockfighting ring in the area, San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers served a search warrant at a rural property on Orchard Road in Nipomo on March 8. They reported finding 233 roosters in cages. According to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department, evidence collected […]

A boat carrying at least $1 million worth of marijuana that washed up on Wall Beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base on March 7 is a panga, U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed on March 8. Dave Wales, the ICE agent in charge of the investigation, said the contraband marijuana weighed in at approximately […]

Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Edward Bullard—arguably the anchor of the Santa Maria criminal court division—died suddenly on March 10 of complications from heart surgery. He was 59 years old. Superior court executive officer Gary Blair said Bullard suffered a heart attack earlier this month, but was expected to make a full recovery. He […]

Much like Santa Maria’s City Council, the Planning Commission is also undergoing some changes in leadership. Planning Commissioner and local dermatologist Michael Moats announced his resignation from the commission after its Feb. 20 meeting. In a letter to the city, Moats said it was time for him to focus on his private practice, Moats Laser […]

After 3 1/2 hours of tense deliberation, presentations from 14 applicants, and Q-and-A sessions with four candidates, the Santa Maria City Council finally filled its vacant council seat on Feb. 19. Willie Green, currently a part-time instructor at Allan Hancock College, will serve a two-year term on the council. Green also worked for 19 years […]