Do you like orchids? Did you know that Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties are home to two species of native orchids? According to Doug Jenzen, executive director of the Guadalupe Dunes Center, they aren’t the type of big and colorful flowers you’ll see at the grocery store, yet they are still important enough […]
DAVID MINSKY
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Diablo Canyon evacuation plans inadequate, report says
After an earthquake-triggered tsunami damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan on March 11, 2011, causing the release of radioactive material, it got some people thinking: Could people be adequately evacuated if the same thing happened at Diablo Canyon Power Plant? In a report issued on March 10, Washington D.C.-based watchdog group Disaster […]
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The hot seat: The 24th District Congressional seat is open for the first time in 18 years, and it has attracted a bevy of candidates
It’s 2016, and it’s an election year. Not only does that include a presidential race, but also one for California’s 24th Congressional District, which is completely up for grabs. In April 2015, Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) announced her retirement, leaving open a seat she’s held for the Democratic Party for the past 18 years. She […]
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Bonipak lays off hundreds of workers amid ICE investigation
Bonita Packing Company (Bonipak) fired nearly 300 farmworkers last week following a visit by agents from the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, according to Central Coast Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) Community Organizing Director Hazel Davalos, who confirmed the firings to the Sun. Messages left with Bonipak by the Sun were […]
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Vandenberg Air Force Base protestor Dennis Apel refuses to obey probation sentence
Arrest, jail, and even probation aren’t enough to keep Dennis Apel from protesting against the use of nuclear weapons around the world. On March 17, a federal judge sentenced Apel to six months of supervised probation and 200 hours of community service. Apel made his appearance at the federal bankruptcy court in Santa Barbara, where […]
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SMPD investigate March 13 ‘gang-related’ shooting on Newlove
The Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) is investigating a shooting in the Newlove Drive area of Santa Maria that occurred during the evening of March 13. According to SMPD Sgt. Andy Magallon, officers were called to investigate a report of gunshots heard in the 300 block of Newlove around 9:20 p.m. When they arrived, they […]
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Seven detained at Vandenberg missile protest
View a slideshow of the Mar. 6 protest at Vandenberg. Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) security detained seven people after they refused an order to leave base property on March 6. They were a part of a larger group of roughly 30 people who gathered at the base that afternoon to protest the military’s use […]
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Spotlight on: American Self Storage
Paula Hubbard, resident manager
On the evening of Aug. 11, Paula Hubbard received a phone call from her kids telling her that American Self Storage was on fire. The fire, which filled the immediate area with clouds of black smoke, started around 7:40 p.m. and was out in about an hour. It didn’t touch Hubbard’s living quarters, although American […]
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Santa Maria Police Department-led Operation Matador results in the arrests of 16 suspected MS-13 gang members
In the pre-dawn hours of March 3, at least 150 police officers and federal agents from eight state and federal agencies simultaneously served warrants at 12 locations in cities that spanned Santa Maria to Columbus, Ohio. Dubbed Operation Matador, the tightly coordinated effort led by the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) resulted in several confiscated […]
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Santa Maria community, police search for answers in December homicide
View photos from the Feb. 29 memorial walk. Detectives from the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) and members of the community walked with the parents of Brayan Mejia-Molina through the area of West Sonya and South Thornburg streets during the evening of Feb. 29, distributing fliers in the hopes of finding the person responsible for […]
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Spotlight on: Maya Mexican Restaurant
Teresa and Manuel Paredes, owners
Think about everything that’s happened in the world in the last 50 years, and the Maya Mexican Restaurant has witnessed most of it: the first moon landing, 9/11, the Michael Jackson trial, and everything in between. On Feb. 16, Maya Restaurant owners Teresa and Manuel Paredes celebrated a half-century of Mexican cuisine as they rolled […]
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Santa Barbara County DA settles pollution case with Lompoc mining operation
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office reached a settlement with a Lompoc mining company accused of polluting a nearby river, according to Deputy District Attorney Kevin Weichbrod. In a lawsuit filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Feb. 16, Imerys Minerals, which mines diatomaceous earth, is accused of polluting the San Miguelito Creek […]
