Earlier this month, St. Joseph High School senior Jessica Bonilla traveled to Tecate, Mexico, to assist Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) ophthalmologist Jeffrey Rutgard as he performed cataracts surgery on people living in the region. Members of the expedition were able to perform 12 sight-restoring surgeries. Bonilla recently volunteered at the fifth annual SEE International MSICS […]
AMY ASMAN
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ASES keeps the lights on after school
On Oct. 20, the Santa Maria Valley ASES (After School Education & Safety) program will hold Lights On Afterschool open houses from 4 to 6 p.m. at each of the 19 ASES sites in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District and the program at Los Adobes de Maria. The events will highlight three of the significant […]
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Impounds prohibited
AB 353 will stop law enforcement agents from seizing sober, unlicensed drivers’ cars at DUI checkpoints
Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed off on a controversial bill that will greatly affect the lives of California’s immigrant population, though it might not appear to at first glance. Assembly Bill 353 prohibits cities and law enforcement from impounding the cars of sober, unlicensed drivers who are stopped at sobriety checkpoints. Under the new law, […]
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Gov. Brown expands the Dream Act to include state financial aid
After months of lobbying and debate, a bill that will qualify undocumented students for government financial aid in California is finally on the books. On Oct. 8, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 131, also referred to as the California Dream Act, into law. The bill allows academically successful students to apply for college financial […]
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A multi-million dollar lawsuit sheds light on LHCDC’s money woes
A local bank recently filed a hefty lawsuit against the soon-to-be-defunct Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation (LHCDC). The low-income housing nonprofit has been struggling financially since 2008. According to court documents filed on Sept. 28, Solvang-based Pacific Western Bank filed a temporary restraining order against LHCDC for failing to pay more than $5 million […]
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Federal grant will help Hancock expand its math and science curricula
Students interested in studying math and science now have a new program available to help them achieve their goals. Allan Hancock College recently received a multimillion-dollar federal STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grant to help boost its science and math curricula. The STEM grant will help create a pathway from local high schools to […]
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Boys & Girls Club employee named Santa Maria Peace Builder
For 15 years, Santa Maria resident Eddie Galarza has been helping children at the Boys & Girls Club in Evans Park overcome the poverty and gang violence that have come to plague the neighborhood. On Sept. 30, Galarza’s work earned him the Peace Builder Award—the top prize during Santa Maria’s annual Peace Week. He was […]
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The Santa Maria River Bridge is getting wider
A construction crew has started the years-long process of widening the Santa Maria River Bridge. They’ll widen the traffic artery connecting Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties by one lane in each direction, for a total of six lanes. Politicians from the local, state, and federal level joined Caltrans and California Highway Patrol officials […]
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Lompoc roundabout controversy continues
Caltrans officials are confident they’ll be able to move forward with plans to build a roundabout in Lompoc, despite opposition from local government officials. The Purisima Road Safety Improvement project calls for the construction of a single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Highway 246 and Purisima Road. Construction costs are estimated to be $2.6 million. […]
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Spend Sundays at the Dana Adobe
Starting in October, members of the public will be able to visit the Dana Adobe in Nipomo on Sunday afternoons to see the ranch’s restoration in progress. Because the adobe has become a major construction site, many end-of-the-year events have been postponed. The public last had access to a tour of the adobe before the […]
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Powwow with the Chumash!
Join the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for a weekend of fun, food, and healing at the 16th annual Intertribal Pow-Wow at the Live Oak Campground on Oct. 1 and 2. Though powwows aren’t traditionally part of Chumash culture, other Native American tribes have gathered for decades to dance, sing, socialize, and heal. “The […]
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Lompoc school is on a mission
Mission Valley School, an independent-study and home-schooling charter in Lompoc, is offering dual or open enrollment for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. According to the Lompoc Unified School District’s website, lusd.org, Mission Valley School offers students an alternative learning environment designed to inspire youth, empower parents, and promote a lifelong love of learning. And […]
