The men and women on Bering Sea Gold are miners, but not in the stereotypical dusty, toothless, “panning for gold” sense. Instead, they quest for the precious metal by diving to the bottom of the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. One of those miners is a Santa Maria resident, albeit he only lives […]
AMY ASMAN
Posted inNews
Santa Maria Planning Commission approves a development permit for an ICE facility
After 4-1/2 hours of public comment and discussion at its Feb. 5 meeting, the Santa Maria Planning Commission voted 3-1, with Commissioner Robert Dickerson dissenting, to approve a planned development permit for construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility in Santa Maria. More than 2,000 people showed up to the meeting—the majority […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria Planning Commission approves development permit for an ICE facility
After 4 1/2 hours of public comment and discussion at its Feb. 5 meeting, the Santa Maria Planning Commission voted 3-1, with Commissioner Robert Dickerson dissenting, to approve a planned development permit for construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility in Santa Maria. More than 2,000 people showed up to the meeting–the […]
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Locals talk about a new law giving transgender students access to school facilities
Bathroom. Restroom. Toilet. Loo. The place in which people do their business has many names, but one universal purpose. Most of us don’t think twice about using this facility, it’s such an everyday occurrence: When nature calls, we make our way through one of two doors, depending on our gender, and that’s that. But imagine […]
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Questions abound over whether an ICE office will come to Santa Maria
Go big or go home. That’s the motto behind a decision to hold the next Santa Maria Planning Commission meeting at the Santa Maria Fairpark. “There will be 1,100 seats,” Larry Appel, the city’s director of community development, told the Sun in a recent interview. “I went ahead and secured that so there will be […]
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Spotlight on: Frame Gallery
Heidi and Robert Gruetzemacher, owners
The Frame Gallery in Orcutt is experiencing a renaissance. And while patrons won’t find any paintings by Michelangelo or da Vinci on its walls, they will find breathtaking pieces by local, modern artists, such as Roxanne Kucera-Sachs and Betsy Jones. “Very often, when work is on a website, it doesn’t look anything like [what you […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Melodrama’s ‘The Bachelors’ is a kooky, time-traveling romp at the theater
The last time I went to the Great American Melodrama in Oceano, I had to have my appendix out. My husband and I went with some friends to see Drac in the Saddle Again, and halfway through the first act, I knew something was wrong—not with the performance, but with my vestigial organ. In fact, […]
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Spotlight on: Mr. Backflow
Matt Graef, owner
It’s a little after 9 a.m. on a Monday, and Matt Graef is looking for the Sun’s backflow prevention system. “This is what I spend about half of my time doing,” Graef says with a smile. Graef also goes by the name Mr. Backflow and owns a backflow-testing and installation company by the same name. […]
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A Santa Barbara County public health official talks about H1N1, this season’s dominant flu strain
Read a county report about the impact of H1N1 on Santa Barbara in 2009 (.pdf). As of mid-January, Santa Barbara County had three confirmed cases of the H1N1 strain of influenza, also known as “Swine Flu.” “Of course, that number only represents the number of confirmed cases based on a small number of laboratory tests […]
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Abel Maldonado isn’t running for governor anymore
Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado announced Jan. 16 at a press conference in his hometown of Santa Maria that he is no longer running for governor of California. Flanked by his wife and children on one side and his political mentors on the other, Maldonado told reporters outside City Hall, “now is the time for […]
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Community Corner: Celebrate Underwater Parks Day!
Looking for a way to enjoy this gorgeous, unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having lately? Well, on Jan. 18, you can celebrate the 6th annual Underwater Parks Day with a series of events happening along the coast. Underwater Parks Day was created by Southern California aquaria in 2009 to introduce California residents and visitors to […]
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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department aids local law enforcement by driving arrestees down south
At the beginning of the month, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department launched its temporary North County jail transport unit. The two-person team receives recent arrestees from local law enforcement agencies and drives them down to the county jail in Goleta—saving valuable time and resources, and keeping police officers on the streets. In a Jan. […]
