Rayvell Snowden, a longtime welding instructor at Allan Hancock College, was recently named the 2009 winner of the California Community College Association for Occupational Education Excellence in Teaching Award. The win came as no surprise to Anne Cremarosa, dean of academic affairs, who nominated Snowden for the statewide honor. “Ray is well respected within […]
AMY ASMAN
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Oh, baby
A Santa Maria fertility expert explains the Suleman case and its possible impact on the future of medicine
The Suleman family—33-year-old Nadya and her octuplets—has been at the center of a raging media storm ever since the babies’ controversial birth a little more than a month ago. On Jan. 26, Suleman gave birth to six boys and two girls—weighing between 1 pound, 8 ounces, and 3 pounds, 4 ounces—at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical […]
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Santa Barbara County supervisors consider a change to CEO’s job responsibilities
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is one step closer to reassuming the power to hire and fire county department heads. On March 3, the board voted 3-2, with 4th District Supervisor Joni Gray and 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno dissenting, to temporarily take back that duty from County Executive Officer Mike Brown. Brown […]
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First 5 just says no to tooth decay
First 5 Commissions throughout Southern California are tackling the health care needs of low-income children one tooth at a time, according to a recent study. The First 5 Southern California Alliance for Learning and Results study found that funds disbursed by local First 5 commissions over the last several years have made quality oral health […]
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Turn groceries into funds for local schools
A tough economy might be forcing people to tighten their belts when it comes to making charitable donations, but local school officials said there are still ways to support education. One easy way to help support local schools is to save “Box Tops for Education” labels and Campbell’s soup can labels, Maggie White, a spokeswoman […]
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McCoy traffic median is up and running
After several months of community meetings and construction, Santa Maria has completed modifications to the traffic median on McCoy Lane. The changes—including a second left turn lane on McCoy turning onto northbound Broadway—are designed to allow better access into and out of the Kohl’s Shopping Center, city officials said in a recent press release. Other […]
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Santa Barbara County and Santa Maria receiving funds for preventing homelessness
Locals facing homelessness because of recent economic hardship are set to receive a boost from President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. On Feb. 25, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated more than $10 billion to HUD programs throughout the country. According to the HUD website, hud.gov, approximately […]
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Local organizations remind the public ‘Parents Are Teachers Too’
On March 7, experts in child development, education, health, and family dynamics will share their knowledge with hundreds of local parents at the 33rd Annual Parents Are Teachers Too Conference in Lompoc. “The main message of the conference is that parents are their child’s primary teacher, especially during the first five years, which are some […]
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Santa Barbara county supervisors flip on mandated affordable housing
After initially voting in January to reject an affordable housing mandate from the state, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1, with 4th District Supervisor Joni Gray dissenting, to reverse the decision during its Feb. 24 meeting. The board also selected two parcels in Orcutt—Key Site 3 along East Clark Avenue and Key […]
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Land Conservancy of SLO seeks volunteers to help restore land near Nipomo Creek
Beginning this month, several acres along Nipomo Creek will be getting a makeover from the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County as part of a native plant restoration project aiming to install more than 10,000 native shrubs and trees on the property over the next three years. In a recent interview with the Sun, […]
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Justice for all
Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County celebrates 50 years of providing justice to local residents
In 2005, Santa Maria resident Melissa’s* daughter, Stephanie*, was a happy and healthy 16-year-old. She went to school, hung out with friends, and spent time with her family. “She was always a happy-go-lucky child. She was always very spirited,” Melissa said of her daughter. All of that began to change when a relative moved in, […]
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Calling all Panther parents!
On Feb. 26, Pioneer Valley High School will host “Parent-Teacher Night” from 5 to 7 p.m. in the school’s gym. During the event, parents will receive their children’s progress reports. Attendance profiles will be available upon request. Teachers will also be on hand to answer questions about course curriculum. For more information, call the school […]
