Last March, the Sun wrote about the ubiquity of drones (“Drone republic,” Mar. 19) in California and a bill written by a state senator from Santa Barbara County who intends to curb their use in some instances. Senate Bill 142, authored by Democratic Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, would create a “no fly” zone over private property […]
DAVID MINSKY
Posted inNews
Lawsuit alleges teaching assistant bullied special needs students at Lompoc Valley Middle School
While students in the Lompoc Unified School District began a new year of school on Aug. 18, a recently filed lawsuit awaits school officials in Santa Barbara County Superior Court. Filed on Aug. 13, the lawsuit alleges that a student—identified as Jane Doe due to privacy reasons—at Lompoc Valley Middle School “engaged in bullying, assault, […]
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Spotlight on: Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company
Jaime Dietenhofer, owner
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company is in the spotlight once again. This time, the brewery made Inc. magazine’s annual list of the 5,000 fastest growing, privately held companies in the United States. The list may only seem like someone’s trivial opinion, except that the New York City magazine has been putting out similar lists since 1982. […]
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Zodiac Seat Shells fires and sues its former CFO
Last October, then-Santa Maria City Planning Commissioner Etta Waterfield and commercial realtors were handing out free hotdogs and tacos to employees of Zodiac Seat Shells in the parking lot of its new factory. At the time, Waterfield was campaigning for a spot on the City Council that she eventually won. Former Zodiac Chief Financial Officer […]
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Father shoots knife-wielding son during altercation
On Monday, Aug. 17, the Santa Maria Police Department reported a shooting at 11:10 p.m. in the 3400 block of Greenacre Drive, where they say a father reportedly shot his 24-year-old son in self-defense. According to Sgt. Russ Mengel, the father and son were having an argument that evening. It’s not clear why they were […]
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Marilyn Pharis murder sparks dueling protests on immigration policy
View a slideshow of the dueling protests. On the same day that Victor Aureliano Martinez Ramirez and Jose Villagomez were arraigned the murder of 64-year-old Marilyn Pharis, groups armed with signs and chants took to the corner of Cook and Miller streets around noon on Aug. 13 to protest her death. But the groups weren’t […]
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Murder charges announced in July 24 Santa Maria slaying
Marilyn Pharis wasn’t immediately killed on July 24 when Victor Aureliano Martinez Ramirez and Jose Villagomez allegedly broke into her home, raped, strangled, and struck her repeatedly in the head with a hammer. The 64-year-old military contractor and Air Force veteran died several days later in a hospital. The coroner determined that Pharis died as […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Papa Jay’s Cajun and Creole Quezine serves Louisiana fare in Guadalupe
Louisiana is 2,000 miles from the Central Coast, but somehow Jerome Stevens brought a little slice of the Pelican State to Guadalupe. Inspired by his roots in Lafayette, La., Stevens opened a small joint in Guadalupe dishing out both types of popular Louisiana food: Cajun and Creole cuisine. Calling it Papa Jay’s Cajun and Creole […]
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Lompoc establishes formal ties with Santa Ynez Chumash
In what appears to be the narrowing of a rift between local government and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, the Lompoc City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 4 to formally establish ties with the tribe. Steve Pepe, a member of the city’s economic development committee, brought a recommendation before the council during the […]
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SBTAN offers transgender training to Marian intern doctors
A Santa Barbara support group that offers training throughout the county on how to properly deal with transgender individuals is also training doctor interns at Marian Regional Medical Center. According to Max Rorty, Santa Barbara County Transgender Advocacy Network (SBTAN) has been offering training to medical staff at county hospitals for the last two years, […]
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Santa Maria homicides double from 2014
Santa Maria enjoys a relatively low homicide rate compared with the rest of the county. Last year, the entire county of Santa Barbara had 11 homicides, according to statistics from the Uniform Crime Reports (UCRs). Santa Maria experienced a total of three homicides last year, according to UCRs, and their first homicide didn’t occur until […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Penny Delacruz and Justin Cortez
When Lance Glynn teaches Brazilian jiu jitsu at his gym in Santa Maria, he tells his students to immediately submit their opponents. That’s exactly what two of Glynn’s students did at the Kids World BJJ Championships on July 25 in Ontario, Calif. Penny Delacruz, age 14, and 8-year-old Justin Cortez tapped-out every single one of […]
