There are two Browns on the June 3 ballot for Santa Barbara County Sheriff, but they couldn’t be more different—a fact both incumbent Bill Brown and his opponent, Sandra Brown, have worked hard to emphasize. Here’s a selection of the Sun’s interview with the incumbent sheriff. Next week we’ll talk to Sandra. What’s the current […]
AMY ASMAN
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The Santa Maria levee project is finished
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed upgrading the Santa Maria River Levee earlier this month after five years of construction and many additional years of planning. Local, state, and federal officials celebrated the milestone at a May 16 ceremony on the levee. “The new standard of design and construction really adds a level of […]
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Guadalupe officials talk money and affordable housing
Finances and housing were two of the big-ticket items that recently came before the Guadalupe City Council in both public and closed-session meetings. At the council’s May 13 meeting, City Manager Andrew Carter presented the council with a grim city budget forecast that predicts a $185,000 general fund deficit for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. The […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Catching up with Corey Jones
One of the most memorable things about former PCPA resident artist Corey Jones is his voice. That deep, silky bass-baritone helped bring to life numerous characters at the Marian and Solvang Festival theatres, including the titular Moor of Venice in Othello, the lovable fool Bottom in A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and Booker T. Washington in […]
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Economists say Northern Santa Barbara County’s growth is ‘slow, but steady’
Local business owners and community leaders listened to economists predict Northern Santa Barbara County’s economic future on May 9 while dining on a continental breakfast of coffee, eggs, and toast at the Santa Maria Radisson Hotel. Peter Rupert, executive director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project, told audience members the county is seeing “slow, steady […]
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Community Corner: Thank you, nurses!
Nurses are an integral part of the health-care system. National Nurses Week, May 6 through 12, honors those individuals’ vast contributions to the health and safety of their communities and the nation. “Nurses are recognized for their role as expert clinicians in diverse care settings and as leaders who can dramatically influence the quality of […]
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New therapeutic foster care program helps children in need
Children in the Santa Barbara County foster care system who have experienced developmental trauma now have an extra, specially designed resource on which to rely. The county’s department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services (ADMHS)—in collaboration with the department of Social Services and Family Care Network Inc.—recently launched Intensive Therapeutic Foster Care (ITFC), a […]
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Zoning wars: Lompoc resident Jim Mosby sues the county over the denial of his recreation complex
On May 3, Lompoc resident Jim Mosby welcomed paintballers back onto his property for the first time in several months. After listening to Mosby talk about the importance of paint gun safety, excited men and women donned helmets and goggles and prepared their weapons for long-awaited battle. The day before, on May 2, the local […]
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Mulling Measure M: Supervisors Peter Adam and Steve Lavagnino share their differing opinions of the county maintenance initiative
The Brown v. Brown sheriff’s race—incumbent Bill versus sergeant Sandra—is arguably the biggest political face-off in Santa Barbara County’s June 3 primary, especially for residents living north of the Gaviota Tunnel. But there’s another item on the ballot that could greatly impact county coffers, roads, and parks: Measure M-2014. Last year, 4th District Supervisor Peter […]
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Operation: GoodJobs helps put Central Coast veterans to work
Abel Quintela served in the U.S. Navy from October of 1997 to December of 2012. “I went in a little older than most—I was 27,” Quintela told the Sun in a recent interview. The Ventura County resident worked hard during his 15-year career in the military, but all of that work didn’t translate very well […]
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Hancock holds public workshops for its 2014-2024 plan
Want to help plan for Allan Hancock College’s future? College officials are inviting Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Santa Ynez Valley residents to participate in two community forums on May 1. The first will be held at the Lompoc Valley Center from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; the second will be at the Santa Maria campus from […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Santa Maria Arts Council awards $13,000 in grants to local artists and performers
Allan Hancock College student Kaden Howard has been using the same tablet, a Wacom Intuos 3, to draw cartoons and character sketches for the past nine years. “It’s a little baby tablet,” Howard told the Sun in a recent interview. Now, thanks to a $1,500 first-place visual arts grant from the Santa Maria Arts Council, […]