Allan Hancock College is offering nearly 80 short-term classes for its spring 2017 semester, and registration is open now through March 26. Hancock’s short-term classes run at or under eight weeks, and many only go for one or two days, sometimes over a weekend. Available short-term classes include anthropology, dance, global studies, art, business, early […]
BRENNA SWANSTON
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Lompoc Unified School District revises travel regulations
A revised travel policy will loosen restrictions on work-related travel expense reimbursements for Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) educators, after a report from the Santa Barbara County grand jury said the district had a “lack of oversight” in the payment of travel expenses. Previously, the district’s policy on travel expenses mandated that if a district […]
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Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office online crime reporting now available
Santa Barbara County residents can file incident reports to the Sheriff’s Office online, following the office’s Jan. 10 release of its citizen online reporting system. The system, which is available on the Sheriff’s Office’s website, only allows for users to file certain types of incident reports. A press release from the office said residents can […]
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Prominent Lompoc man pleads guilty to child molestation
Anthony Durham faces 45 years to life in state prison after pleading guilty to 17 counts of child molestation, according to a press release from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office. Durham was arrested on Sept. 18, 2016, and he entered his pleas on Thursday, Jan. 5—not four months after his charges. Those charges […]
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Sewing support: Angel Gowns for Dignity offers comfort to grieving mothers
It all began with a Facebook post. In April 2014, Micci Robertson used the social media platform to share her personal story: She had miscarried three times, and wanted other mothers who’d gone through similar heartbreak to know she was there for them. Robertson lost her first two pregnancies, a boy and a girl, at […]
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Santa Barbara County budget faces surprise problems in new year
For most of us, the new year means a clean slate—but for the county budget, not so much. The county’s looking at a rough fiscal year ahead, mostly thanks to an unexpected spike in pension costs for 2017-18. In October, the county Board of Retirement approved a decrease in the assumed rate of return on […]
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Lompoc braces for wrongful conviction lawsuit
The city of Lompoc is preparing for a lawsuit from Joel Alcox, who alleges he was falsely arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated for 26 years for shooting and killing Thakorbhai Patel at the Lompoc Motel. Alcox denies ever committing the crime. After a decade of litigation and three petitions for habeas corpus, Alcox’s third petition was […]
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Larrabee Recycling Center in Santa Maria closes
The Larrabee Recycling Center in Santa Maria closed its doors on Dec. 30, citing increased operational costs and decreasing profits and support from CalRecycle for shuttering the longtime recycling center. CalRecycle, a state government program that aims to bring together recycling and waste management programs in California, announced in December that it would cut some […]
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Will Smith loses fight for revoked teaching credential
A court of appeal has issued its ruling, and Will Smith—Santa Maria mayoral candidate and former Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member—won’t be seeing the return of his revoked teaching credential. Smith, who conceded the mayoral seat to incumbent Alice Patino in November’s election, lost his teaching credential in 2009 after four years of work […]
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Firefighters knock down Christmas Day house fire in Santa Maria
Santa Maria’s Smoke Tree Lane faced some cruel irony on Christmas Day, when four engines responded to a structure fire at a residence on its 1300 block. According to a news release from the Santa Maria Fire Department, emergency crews responded to multiple reports of a house on fire at 5:46 p.m. on Dec. 25. […]
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Pesticide mixtures could pose increased risk to farmworkers, pollinators
Environmentalists and farmworker rights advocates are standing up to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about the latest point of concern in the world of pesticides: synergy, or the mixture of pesticides with other chemicals that enhance their toxic effects. On Dec. 21, 15 conservation and farmworker advocacy groups wrote to the EPA urging the agency […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The year we as a nation ate our feelings: A look back on 2016’s best foodie spots
This past year was, for many of us, heartbreakingly divisive. A tumultuous election season landed family and friends on opposite sides of the political fence, straining relationships and narrowing Facebook friends lists. Natural disasters ravaged some parts of the world; perpetual violence drove millions from their home country; far too many iconic, beloved celebrities died; […]
