The holidays are a time when lots of chocolate will be both given and eaten. Chocolate is ubiquitous, one of the most widely consumed foods on the planet. You can find some of the most decadent candies at drug stores or local markets. It’s possible that the chocolate you buy at the store is made […]
DAVID MINSKY
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Guadalupe to allow ‘adult oriented’ businesses
The subject of “adult oriented” businesses is once again on the agenda for the Guadalupe City Council, which was scheduled to discuss the issue at its Dec. 8 meeting. Instead of banning adult businesses, including strip clubs and stores that sell adult sexually-oriented merchandise, the city is recommending that the council allow the placement of […]
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Santa Maria Police Department investigates 18-year-old’s death as city’s 11th homicide
Detectives from the Santa Maria Police Department are investigating the homicide of an 18-year-old man who was found shot to death on the west side of the city on Dec. 4. According to SMPD Sgt. Paul Van Meel, police received a call at 9:34 p.m. of shots fired in the 500 block of West Sonya, […]
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Spotlight on: CALM
Scott Whiteley, Ph.D., director of prevention and treatment
CALM, or Child Abuse Listening Mediation, is a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit with a satellite office in Santa Maria. Establishing a North County branch in 2010, CALM recently moved its Santa Maria headquarters to a bigger office on Enos Drive. The nonprofit’s mission is to assess, prevent, and treat child abuse in Santa Barbara County. […]
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Santa Maria Area Transit system is in line for fare and route changes
As he patiently waited for the bus at the Bradley Road stop in front of Allan Hancock College, Darryl Rojas recalled his service in the Navy. The 77-year-old man barely missed both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. “I was aboard the USS Wasp participating in the blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis,” Rojas said. The […]
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Jordan Farms in Lompoc put under agricultural conservation easement
Santa Barbara County has a long tradition of agriculture, and some groups want to keep it that way. The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County and The Trust for Public Land (TPL) came to an agreement with Jordan Farms owner Steve Jordan to preserve the 780-acre farm near Vandenberg Air Force Base. The announcement was […]
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Lompoc drops exclusive negotiating contract with California Space Center
The city of Lompoc ended a plan to build a $460 million space-themed multiplex on city-owned land. Lompoc’s City Council members voted to end the exclusive negotiating contract with Eva Blaisdell and the California Space Center (CSC) at their Nov. 17 meeting. The one-year contract, which was signed between Blaisdell and the city in June, […]
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String of gang-related shootings in Santa Maria leaves 17-year-old dead
Several people were shot and one teenager is dead following a series of Friday night shootings in Santa Maria on Nov. 20, according to the Santa Maria Police Department. According to the SMPD, there were three separate shootings spread throughout various parts of the city. The call for the first shooting came just before 6 […]
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Vacant Neverland Ranch property for sale
The long-vacant buildings that sit at 5225 Figueroa Mountain Road—formerly known as Neverland Ranch but renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch—may soon get a new resident now that the property has hit the market. The property has sat virtually unoccupied since 2003, when it was searched by at least 70 police officers from the Santa Barbara County […]
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Lawsuit alleges Santa Barbara County Main Jail inmate denied mental health screening
For the second time in less than a week, a former inmate at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail has filed a lawsuit against Corizon Health, the Tennessee-based company contracted to provide medical services for inmates at the jail. This time, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia alleges that he was denied an adequate mental health […]
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Development firm criticizes California Space Center project
The California Space Center (CSC), the proposed $460 million space-themed educational center intended to bring tourism to Lompoc, is drawing some criticism from a California-based real estate development firm. Eva Blaisdell, the Polish national and chief executive officer of CSC, wants to build a complex—essentially a theme park—consisting of a rocket launch viewing facility, a […]
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Third suspect charged in connection to homicide near Allan Hancock College campus
Santa Barbara County district attorneys charged a third suspect in connection to the murder of a man near Allan Hancock College. Two former Hancock College basketball players have already been charged. Deputy District Attorney Tim Covello confirmed to the Sun that Justin Armwood, 21, was charged with accessory after the fact of murder. Armwood’s charge […]
