Third-graders from two counties and a big handful of elementary schools will descend on the Elks Unocal Event Center May 30 to see something nobody else will get to see: the Minetti Mini Rodeo. The event kicks off the big rodeo show, which runs from May 30 through June 2. The Mini Rodeo is specially […]
Camillia Lanham
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From vine to label
The Santa Maria Valley name is gaining traction in the wine industry
Fog creeps uninterrupted into the Santa Maria Valley. Every morning and evening, it’s funneled from the Pacific Ocean into vineyards by the hills that run from east to west. The wind that blows off the coast and kicks up dust on strawberry fields helps keep the climate mild and prevents mildew from resting on the […]
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Lawsuit forces Nipomo district’s financial hand
Perhaps everything was legit as far as the April-approved Nipomo water pipeline financing proposal was concerned, but when faced with a lawsuit, the Nipomo Community Services District decided to go the safe route and find an alternative to finance $4 million of the $17.5-million project. The financing in question is a portion of the proposal […]
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Santa Maria-Bonita sets a date for new school construction
The name of Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s newest facility won’t be known for a while, but the district does know that the first shovel will hit the dirt on June 5. On April 24, the Board of Education awarded the construction contract to AMG & Associates Inc. from Santa Clarita, which entered a bid of […]
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Fire season starts with an early burn
The hills around Lompoc look like they should in mid-July: dry and windswept, without a hint of green. Landscapes throughout Santa Barbara County bear the signs of those same conditions. At a May 8 press conference, county fire officials said the recent Camarillo Springs fire that burned 28,000 acres in Ventura County is an early […]
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Entrepreneurs compete for business recognition at Hancock
Teams from Allan Hancock College pitched their business concepts to the “Shark Tank” on May 15, competing for the New Venture challenge grand prize of $1,000. The sharks—also known as judges—picked a winner from seven teams of entrepreneurs from Hancock’s New Venture Laboratory class. Last year’s winning new business idea was Central Coast Honey. The […]
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City announces water awareness poster winners
Four Santa Maria-Bonita School District third-graders won awards for the city’s fourth annual Santa Maria Utilities Department Water Awareness Poster Contest. First place went to Dylan Kelly, second to Ruben Salinas, third to Ariana Diaz, and Jose Castro received an honorable mention. They were presented with their awards at the Santa Maria City Council meeting […]
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Santa Maria FFA horse judging team takes state title
With the California championship tucked firmly under their saddles, the Santa Maria High School light-horse judging team is headed to Kentucky for FFA Nationals. The high school’s FFA chapter hasn’t won the state horse judging championship since 1977. According to FFA team advisor, Caroline Sherry, what makes the team’s feat on May 4 in San […]
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Local high schools win big at welding contest
Students from Ernest Righetti and Pioneer Valley high schools earned top honors at the 16th annual Allan Hancock College high school welding contest on April 27. They competed in beginning and advanced levels against almost 100 students from 10 high schools from Paso Robles to Santa Ynez. Eric Alvarez from Righetti took first place in […]
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Righetti film fest headlines on campus
More than 30 student films will make their debuts at the 15th annual Ernest Righetti High School Film Festival on May 10 and 11. Music videos, dramas, and everything in between will be judged at the competition. The films run from 60 seconds to 15 minutes, and student filmmakers can enter up to two films […]
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Laps for Boston
Loud. That’s the best way to describe Miller Elementary School’s field on May 2, when almost all 800 students ran and shouted their way around a course set up for a Boston Marathon fundraiser. Each student didn’t run his or her own marathon, but at least 26 students per class ran one mile each, which […]
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Ready for another round?
The Santa Maria-Bonita School District rings the bell after the latest bout of litigation surrounding Will Smith
It appears that nothing can hold Santa Maria Bonita School District Board Trustee Will Smith back. He’s determined to speak his piece, even after a cease-and-desist order was handed down by the California Public Employment Relations Board. Administrative Law Judge Eric Cu, with the employment relations board, issued the order on April 18, telling Smith—and, […]
