Two men were found guilty on May 18 in what’s being described as one of the county’s first human trafficking trials. A jury found both defendants, 24-year-old Humberto Carranza and 27-year-old Cameron Joseph Jones, guilty of trafficking a then-16-year-old female in October 2015, according to court records. Carranza was found guilty on all counts, which […]
DAVID MINSKY
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Spotlight on: Glopak Wine and Spirits
David Addamo, owner
Local wineries will soon be able to order bottles locally. David Addamo is opening Glopak Wine and Spirits, a new 20,000-square-foot wine bottle distribution center in Santa Maria. It’s Addamo’s latest venture in the local wine industry. Out of the past 16 years he’s spent in Santa Maria, 12 of them were spent making wine. […]
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Santa Maria searches for another company to convert wastewater biogases into electricity
Besides treating the city’s wastewater to make it reusable, Santa Maria’s Wastewater Treatment Plant also has a secondary function, part of which is collecting methane gas from the biosolids and converting it into useful electricity. It’s called cogeneration and it helps the city maintain its role in contributing to a healthy environment. Or at least […]
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Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s custody deputies injured in jail fracas
On May 11, two custody deputies from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office were injured at a court holding facility on Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara, according to Todd Johnson, vice president of the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Johnson said the incident occurred when the two deputies were transporting an inmate for a […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Green Jellÿ’s Bill Manspeaker talks about being a dad, franchising his band, and how to be the best at being the worst
If you ever feel like you don’t have any talent, consider Green Jellÿ (pronounced green jello). In the late 1980s, Bill Manspeaker drove from Buffalo, New York, to Los Angeles for an appearance on The Gong Show, and set out to prove that you can still be the best at being the worst. The Gong […]
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Vacationland: Will a Santa Barbara County ordinance regulating short-term vacation rentals benefit everyone?
Santa Barbara County has always been a tourist attraction. With its Mediterranean climate, ocean views, and mountains speckled with orange poppies and oak trees, it’s not hard to see why. And you can’t forget about the hundreds of wineries that attracted more than 860,000 unique visitors to the county in 2013, according to a report […]
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Santa Maria woman denied Section 8 housing voucher because of DUI conviction
A woman who moved from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Santa Maria was denied a Section 8 affordable housing voucher because she failed to complete probation, according to court documents. In a writ of mandate filed in the Santa Maria Cook Division of Santa Barbara Superior Court on May 3, Suzie Kanakanui alleges that the Housing Authority […]
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Guadalupe City Administrator Andrew Carter to leave this summer
Andrew Carter, Guadalupe’s city administrator, is leaving the job. Carter, 59, told the Sun that he’ll tentatively depart on July 1, or when the city begins its budget cycle for the next fiscal year, although he could be there as long as Sept. 1. Hired in February 2013, Carter managed the city through its budget […]
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Santa Ynez Chumash slam Capps on marine sanctuary endorsement
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians isn’t happy with Rep. Lois Capps’ (D-Santa Barbara) endorsement of the Chumash Marine Sanctuary on May 2. Newly minted tribal chairman Kenneth Kahn blasted Capps in a letter sent to her on May 4. “The Santa Ynez Band of Indians recoil in disbelief about your public display of […]
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Spotlight on: Wings of Freedom Tour
Michelle Leiphardt, coordinator
They were the planes that helped win WWII and have since been put out of commission. But they haven’t been forgotten. The Wings of Freedom Tour will help you remember. The tour is bringing a unique display of WWII-era vintage military aircraft to the Santa Maria Public Airport from May 16 to 18. Touring more […]
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County seats: Seven candidates vie for the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors 3rd and 4th District positions
This year, three positions are up for grabs on the five-member Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors: the 1st, 3rd, 4th Districts. First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal is leaving to make a run at Congress, with term-limited California 37th District Assemblymember Das Williams and current Santa Barbara County Investment Officer Jennifer Christensen running to fill […]
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Santa Maria Ashley Furniture customers will get their furniture, attorney says
An attorney representing Santa Maria Decor Inc., the company that owns Ashley Furniture in Santa Maria, said that customers will get the furniture they paid for. The furniture store, which is independently owned and has a registered trademark agreement with the parent company, Ashley Furniture Homestore, filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec. […]
