You’ve probably heard: Year five of the drought is upon us, and it’s bringing along a flurry of state-mandated water conservation measures. California Gov. Jerry Brown is signing executive orders, the California Department of Food and Agriculture is pushing for efficient irrigation systems, and the California Water Commission is passing groundwater basin regulations. But for […]
BRENNA SWANSTON
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Betteravia Farms aims to build facility to house farm laborers
Betteravia Farms has applied for a conditional use permit to build a 30-unit “farm labor camp” on nearly 400 acres of land along Highway 1 west of Orcutt, vying to house up to 600 guest laborers under the federal H-2A program for temporary foreign farmworkers. Principal Planner David Swenk told the Sun that if “all […]
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Lompoc City Council votes to continue motorsports park discussion
Lompoc City Council changed course in a vote on May 17 to continue discussion on the controversial Lompoc Valley Motorsports Park. Councilman Jim Mosby told the Sun the motorsports park will return to the City Council’s agenda at its next meeting, scheduled for June 7. The decision was prompted by a passionate public comment period […]
Posted inFood & Drink
DIY wine: From backyard to bottle with Fred Carbone
Obsessed with wine? Maybe you should make some. Because as it turns out, that’s actually a thing normal people do. They realize they’ve got nothing to put in that ol’ drainage basin that’s just sitting on their property, so they decide to grow a bunch of grapes in it. And then they use those grapes […]
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Santa Maria rolls out new fireworks rules
Memorial Day is fast approaching, ready to kick off the season of daytime barbecues and nighttime fireworks. And while barbecuing remains encouraged in Santa Maria (always), residents will need to slow their roll with the fireworks plans—the city is implementing its new “safe and sane” rules. The City Council voted in favor of the tighter […]
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Santa Maria Joint Union High School District educators on verge of strike
Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) teachers will likely move forward with extreme measures after rejecting the district’s final offer to address educators’ grievances on May 11, effectively ending five months of negotiations between the district and its Faculty Association. Faculty Association President Mark Goodman said those extreme measures could include a strike, […]
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Plains All American Pipeline indicted in Refugio oil spill
A California grand jury indicted Plains All American Pipeline and one of its employees for alleged violations of state law in connection with the Refugio oil spill. The charges came on May 16, just three days before the spill’s first anniversary and narrowly within the one-year statute of limitations for criminal filing. The indictment comprises […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Be healthy, not bored: The best spots in Santa Maria to cheat on your diet without totally ruining it
Diets never fail to fail. You know what I’m saying, because it’s happened to you, too: You make a big deal out of your new commitment to plan out meals and pack healthy lunches for work. Come noon on Monday, you pop the lid off your food container to a reveal a bed of crisp […]
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Jade’s Filipino Food in Santa Maria doesn’t disappoint
I am a woman who counts calories, and as such, I really love writing the Eats column because it means I can cave in to some of my worst cravings and pretend it’s “for work.” So the other day, when it came time for me to tackle this week’s food review adventure, I knew exactly […]
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The Refugio oil spill, one year later
When Steve Gonzales’ boss heard about an oil spill in Santa Barbara County, he put Gonzales and his teammates on a plane from Sacramento that night. They arrived at the spill site around 10 p.m., when it was too dark to see the incident’s visual impact. Gonzales’ first memory from that night: He asked his […]
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Orcutt seventh grader loses fight against cancer
Lexi Brown, a 12-year-old from Orcutt whose battle with cancer drew nationwide attention and support, died on May 4, according to a Facebook announcement by St. Louis de Montfort Catholic School. Brown was diagnosed with fibroblastic sarcoma nearly two years ago, after which she and her family waged a public and well-supported war against her […]
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Retired Righetti teacher charged with embezzlement
Former Ernest Righetti High School teacher Clint Hinkle is facing felony charges of embezzlement for allegedly appropriating $1,544.84 worth of tools from Righetti. Hinkle pleaded not guilty to his charges at a hearing on May 6. Attorney Michael Scott, who is representing Hinkle in this case, said Hinkle ordered 20 tools for Righetti’s woodshop class […]
