The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department recently announced that a county resident in her 20s died in early January due to complications from influenza. This is the first influenza-related death reported in the county this season. Department representative Susan Klein-Rothschild told the Sun that hospitals are required to report to the public health department […]
AMY ASMAN
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Lompoc City Council appoints a new city administrator
Moving from the Raisin Capital of the World to the City of Arts and Flowers, Patrick Wiemiller recently left a decades-long career with the city of Fresno to become Lompoc’s new city administrator. The Lompoc City Council appointed Wiemiller—who went up against nearly 60 other applicants for the position—at its Jan. 7 meeting. Also at […]
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Spotlight on: Central Coast Panera Bread
First Picks Management, owners
If you need help keeping your New Year’s resolution of eating healthier—and, let’s face it, most of us probably do—there’s a local restaurant chain that’s got your back. While Panera is typically a place people associate with fresh-out-of-the-oven bread and mouth-watering pastries, the franchise’s Southern California cafés have started offering some additional low-fat, high-protein items. […]
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A Child Hunger Corps member helps fill the ranks at the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
In the fall of 2011, Emory University student Emily Altman travelled to Chile to do some independent research on the country’s school food program. “I grew up loving food, and I had started to get interested in nutrition and the issue of food insecurity,” Altman told the Sun in a recent interview. Food insecurity has […]
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Sheriff’s deputies bust cockfight near Santa Maria airport
While many average citizens went to church on Sunday, Jan. 5, or spent time working around the house, several dozen people fled from law enforcement during a mid-day cockfighting bust in Santa Maria. Rural crimes investigator Deputy John McCarthy with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said this is the first bust of a cockfight […]
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Spotlight on: Coffee a la Cart
Pam Rowan, owner
After playing a long game of soccer in the mid-day sun, most kids are in the mood for a treat. Well, if Pam Rowan’s mobile coffee shop, Coffee a la Cart, is nearby, they’re in luck. And if they know the “secret menu,” they’re in for something extra special. In a recent interview with the […]
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Vandenberg officials honor firefighters who died in the Honda Ridge fire
On the morning of Dec. 20, 1977, high winds reportedly caused a power line pole to snap, igniting the dense chaparral in a canyon on the southern portion of Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc. According to information from base officials, firefighters responding to the incident attempted numerous tactics to suppress the flames. While many […]
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The Sun genie helps local nonprofits get their wishes granted
Genies are mythical creatures most people associate with warm Arabian nights, not sparkling evergreen trees and the hustle and bustle of the holidays. But this year, the Sun staff decided that now is the perfect time to pull the cork on the genie bottle and grant some local nonprofits’ wishes, big and small. So take […]
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Spotlight on: Vintage Veranda Antiques and Mall
Merry Feliz and Babe Evans, owners
Antiquing is a very community-oriented endeavor, whether you’re a customer on the hunt for something special or an entrepreneur peddling your wares. Merry Feliz and Babe Evans, owners of Vintage Veranda Antiques and Mall in Old Town Orcutt, have been part of this old-is-new community for several years. Feliz used to own Veranda, a nearby […]
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Community Corner: ‘Tis the season for giving!
Some well-known Northern Santa Barbara County organizations are in the giving mood this month. Thanks to Wells Fargo and local residents, the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County distributed 2,075 turkeys and 2,000 chickens to families in need this Thanksgiving. The community also donated $26,100, which Wells Fargo generously matched with $25,000. “At Wells Fargo, we […]
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A former Lompoc prison guard will go behind bars
Timothy McNally, 33, was sentenced Dec. 11 to 25 years to life in prison for murdering his friend Gary Bent in a Lompoc hotel room. A Santa Maria jury in October found McNally, a former guard at the Lompoc Penitentiary, guilty of second-degree murder with use of a firearm. This was McNally’s second trial; the […]
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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department gets some new hires and some potential funding
It’s been a busy month for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. In addition to fighting crime, department officials recently announced they’ve hired five new deputies. Adam Alegria, Tyler Manley, Aaron Kanes, Derek Spears, and Cameron Ferrell graduated along with 20 other recruits from the Allan Hancock College Law Enforcement Academy on Dec. 12. They […]