The sound of glasses clinking and silverware scraping against plates died down as Lompoc City Manager Jim Throop took the stage at the Dick DeWees Community and Senior Center April 4. Throop was there to give a brief introduction of Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne, who gave an annual presentation on the state of the city. […]
CHRIS MCGUINNESS
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Yearbook employee had more young victims, sheriff says
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office investigators said they have identified more victims in connection with a 53-year-old Buellton man accused of committing sexual crimes against area minors. The Sheriff’s Office initially arrested the man, identified as Gregory Scott Ray, on April 9 in association with various charges related to sex involving minors. According to department […]
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Inmate dies two days into stay at SB County Jail
A 62-year-old man died after two days in custody in the Santa Barbara County Jail, marking the second death at the facility in 2019. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office officials identified the deceased inmate as Eduardo Rodriguez, a Santa Barbara-area transient who had been in custody since April 10. Officials believe Rodriguez may have died […]
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Sheriff’s Office receives DEA grant to combat illegal cannabis in Santa Barbara County
When it comes to tackling illicit cannabis grows in Santa Barbara County, 2019 has been a busy year for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Since the beginning of the year, the Sheriff’s Office—its cannabis compliance team specifically—has carried out at least nine operations to shut down cannabis production and grow operations, seizing plants, bud, […]
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Appeal denied for teen mom’s infanticide conviction
California’s 2nd District Court of Appeals denied an appeal for a Santa Maria teen found guilty of killing her newborn son in January 2016. The court upheld the second-degree murder conviction against the teen, identified only as M.S., who was found guilty and sentenced to confinement in a group home. The court handed down its […]
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Woman charged with murder in Lompoc stabbing death
A 35-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of a 55-year-old man in Lompoc in March. Lompoc Police say they believe the woman, identified as Darlene Rachelle Ybarra, stabbed Lompoc resident Eric Larsson to death on March 24. Ybarra is currently in custody and is facing a charge of felony […]
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The transformation: How Lompoc cleaned up the Santa Ynez Riverbed
In a generic shopping center in the northern section of Lompoc, the smooth black asphalt of a parking lot abruptly gives way to a swath of yellow-brown scrubland that cradles a bend in the Santa Ynez River. There doesn’t seem to be anything special about the area today: It’s just dirt and brush dotted with […]
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Santa Maria now provides dispatch services for Guadalupe
Calls for police, fire, and emergency medical services from Guadalupe are now officially being routed to dispatchers in Santa Maria. The city of Santa Maria announced that the transition took place the week of March 21. In a written statement, the city said the transition will reduce response times and increase police and firefighter safety. […]
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Santa Maria supports ExxonMobil’s oil trucking proposal
The Santa Maria City Council put its support behind a proposal to truck crude oil through Santa Barbara County, bucking two other Central Coast city councils that have voted to oppose it. The Santa Maria City Council voted 4-1 at a March 19 meeting to support ExxonMobil’s oil trucking proposal, which is currently under review […]
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Lompoc, Guadalupe police investigate deaths
Both the Lompoc and Guadalupe police departments are investigating recent deaths in their jurisdictions. Law enforcement agencies have yet to make arrests in the two separate investigations into the deaths, which have been described as a homicide in Lompoc and a suspicious death in Guadalupe. The death in Guadalupe was discovered after officers responded to […]
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Inmate health care complaints are down at Santa Barbara County Jail, but advocates say there’s more work to be done
“Despite allergy tests and a special food diet, patient continues to have hives and rash.” “Needs antidepressants.” “States they are not receiving medication and want to see an outside doctor for X-rays and an ultrasound.” These are just some of the complaints related to mental and medical health care filed by inmates in the Santa […]
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Supervisors support Carbajal’s bill to ban offshore drilling
A divided Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted to support a bill to ban future oil and gas drilling in the waters off the California coast. The board voted 3-1 on March 19, with 4th District Supervisor Peter Adam absent, to support the California Clean Coast Act, a bill authored by former county supervisor […]