Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with your friends and family and keep up to date on world events. It’s not such a good thing when your boss catches you using it on the job—unless you work for the social media giant itself. According to a 2009 study conducted by Boston-based Nucleus […]
DAVID MINSKY
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Thirsty for solutions: Residents and growers are at odds over how to protect groundwater sustainability in Cuyama
The Cuyama Valley is remote. It’s so remote, that it’s isolated by at least 25 miles in any direction, and newspaper distribution is limited to one or two publications. It’s so remote, that its residents have to rely on one source of water—the Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basin, a precious resource that is rapidly disappearing. […]
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Santa Maria man sues sheriff and Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for forcing him to sleep on jail floor
Normally, inmates are assigned a bed during their time in the Santa Barbara County Jail, but former inmate Johnathan Brislane alleges that he was forced to sleep on the floor for several months, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court on Aug. 11. Brislane, 46, was arrested on Dec. 6, 2015, in Santa Maria […]
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Spotlight on: Naughty Oak Brewing Company
Stephen Kitts, co-owner, brewer
It all started in the early 1990s in Colorado when Stephen Kitts’ parents were home brewing their own beer. That’s when he caught the bug. Being in an Air Force family, Kitts eventually moved to the Santa Maria area as teenager and attended Righetti High School. Even after earning his pilot’s license and a commission […]
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Guadalupe hires interim city manager
As Guadalupe begins its search for a new city administrator, the City Council voted on Aug. 1 to appoint J. Edward Tewes to fill the spot temporarily until a permanent replacement is found. Tewes replaces former administrator Andrew Carter, whose last day was July 29. According to the employment agreement with the city, Tewes is […]
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Police arrest armed robbery suspect inside Orcutt restaurant
Diners at Jack’s in Old Orcutt were witness to an unusual breakfast on the morning of Aug. 7 when police officers systematically filed into the restaurant to arrest an armed robbery suspect. According to Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) Lt. Marc Schneider, his department received a tip that wanted suspect Joseph Castillo Ramos, 30, was […]
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Santa Maria approves bus fare increases, schedule change
On Aug. 2, the Santa Maria City Council approved fare increases and schedule changes to the city’s bus service. The fare increases take effect Feb. 13, 2017. Regular Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) rider fare will rise from $1.25 to $1.50. Students will start paying $1.25 and disabled riders will pay $0.75. Riders who utilize […]
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Spotlight on: Marian Regional Medical Center
Kerin Mase, president and CEO
Is your heart fluttering? You may not be in love, but you might have an arrhythmia. Arrhythmia is the medical term for a heart with an irregular beat, according to health information website WebMD.com, and it could be an indication of ailments such as atrial fibrillation. It’s the most common type of heart arrhythmia […]
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Crossroads of confusion: How to navigate some of Santa Maria’s most complicated intersections
Santa Maria is big, but not that big, and most of the streets here are relatively easy to figure out. Ask anyone who’s driven through this city and they’re likely to point out some intersections or portions of the roadways that give them either heartburn or heart attacks because of aloof drivers and near-miss collisions. […]
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Mistrial declared in attempted murder case
On July 25, Santa Barbara County Judge John McGregor declared a mistrial in the trial of 27-year-old Sterling Ranft, a Lompoc man who is accused of attempted murder. According to Adrian Galvan, Ranft’s court-appointed attorney, the jury was hung twice on whether to convict Ranft of trying to kill 29-year-old Michael Hernandez in what Galvan […]
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Vandenberg airman charged with possession, distribution of child porn
A senior airman stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) is facing charges of allegedly distributing and possessing child pornography, according to 2nd Lt. William Collette, public affairs officer with the 30th Space Wing at VAFB. The charges against 27-year-old Nicholas Linton were referred on June 20, Collette told the Sun. Specifically, Linton is being […]
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California Space Center could get second consideration in Lompoc
Eva Blaisdell, the entrepreneur behind the California Space Center whose exclusive negotiation agreement was terminated by Lompoc last November, told the Sun she wants city leaders to consider the project one more time. The project is a theme park/educational center that would be built on an 82-acre piece of land adjacent to Lompoc’s Allan Hancock […]
