The word “frack”—a shorthand phrase for hydraulic fracturing—lends itself well to puns on picket signs. Opponents of the controversial oil extraction process have no problem taking advantage of this, as they did last week at a protest outside the Pacific office for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). More than 80 people demonstrated at […]
BRENNA SWANSTON
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Santa Maria Police Department increases enforcement to protect cyclists and pedestrians
The Santa Maria Police Department is continuing to ramp up its patrol of locations where pedestrian and bike collisions have occurred relatively frequently. The department began implementing new enforcement operations this month, and it stepped up enforcement yet again starting Dec. 20, according to a news release. The department has added extra officers to patrol […]
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‘Puppy mill’ protest erupts at Santa Maria Town Center Mall
Members of No More Pet Store Puppies 805 gathered at Animal Kingdom’s Santa Maria location on Dec. 18 to protest the Central Coast-based pet store chain. The business has met recent pushback from animal rights activists for allegedly obtaining and selling dogs from Midwest “puppy mills”—an allegation the Santa Maria storeowner flatly denied. According to […]
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Federal government recommends preservation of 34,000 acres for tiger salamander
The U.S. government is saying “I’m sorry” to endangered California tiger salamanders, and—in true federal-government-apology fashion—returning a bunch of land to them. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved a final recovery plan for Santa Barbara County’s population of the salamander on Dec. 12, recommending the purchase and preservation of 34,000 acres of habitat. The […]
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Oil in the woods: Forest Service embarks on new environmental review of oil development in Los Padres
Oil companies eyeing drill sites in Los Padres National Forest will have to take their business elsewhere, following a move by the U.S. Forest Service to indefinitely suspend its leasing plan for new oil drilling in Los Padres. After a decade of litigation and pressure from environmental groups, the Forest Service is starting from scratch […]
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Santa Barbara County’s warming centers to open more frequently this winter
Santa Barbara County will extend warming shelter opportunities this winter for residents experiencing homelessness, following a vote by the Board of Supervisors at its Dec. 13 meeting. Typically, warming shelters open when the weather forecast predicts a 50 percent or greater chance of rain for two consecutive days, or temperatures dropping below 35 degrees at […]
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Offshore fracking could ramp up again in Santa Barbara Channel
Hydraulic fracturing may resume in the Santa Barbara Channel for the first time since federal agencies lifted a moratorium on offshore fracking in May. Oil company DCOR completed an application on Dec. 6 to frack from Platform Gilda in the channel for a period of 30 days, starting on Sept. 1, 2017. As of press […]
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Falcon 9 rocket scheduled for launch from Vandenberg
SpaceX has scheduled is first launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since one exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., in September. The next launch is slated to take place on Dec. 16 from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB). The VAFB press office confirmed with the Sun that the rocket is expected to […]
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The locals who stood at Standing Rock: Three Central Coast residents reflect on their week protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline
Hundreds of people stood on a bridge, praying. They did so in the wake of violence: The previous night, on that very bridge, demonstrators tried to dismantle a police barricade. Law enforcement officers responded with rubber bullets, tear gas, mace, armored trucks, and fire hoses—in below-freezing temperatures. And yet, the following morning—on Monday, Nov. 21—the […]
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Cities sign on for project aimed to extend Tajiguas Landfill lifespan
Cities participating in the Tajiguas Resource Recovery Project are getting the ball rolling on the operation, which aims to reduce the amount of trash going into the Tajiguas Landfill. The project consists of a materials recovery facility, which will process solid waste from the Tajiguas Landfill as well as recyclable and organic material collected from […]
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Wine as usual: Santa Barbara County opts to stick with current winery ordinance
The status quo will remain—for now—for Santa Barbara County vintners, after the Board of Supervisors voted to set aside more than five years of negotiations over the county’s winery ordinance. The 4-1 vote came as a relief to local winemakers who had spoken out strongly against a proposed amended ordinance, which would have required conditional […]
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Sheriffs put stop to Santa Maria cockfight tournament
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies busted up a cockfight on Nov. 27 at a farm just east of Santa Maria, in response to an anonymous tip to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies, along with officers from the Santa Maria Police Department and California Highway Patrol, arrived at an in-progress cockfight at approximately 10:45 a.m., according to […]
