Where Esteban Perez lives in Guadalupe, he can simply walk to the Marian Community Clinic in the Plaza de Guadalupe along Main Street. The 72-year-old former nightclub bouncer relies on the clinic for medication to treat his diabetes. But soon, he’ll have to depend on his wife to drive him to Santa Maria, because the […]
DAVID MINSKY
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Bull shot by CHP officer after getting loose on Hwy. 101 near Buellton
Duties of a California Highway Patrol officer include maintaining safety on public highways, enforcing traffic laws, and apparently attempting to wrangle angry bulls, which happened after one got loose from a ranch near Buellton on June 23. According to the CHP Public Information Officer John Ortega, Patrolman Adam Hrehor responded to a call of […]
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Thousands evacuated as brush fire burns near Lompoc
More than 1,000 residents in the Mission Hills area were evacuated as a brush fire scorched hundreds of acres on June 29. According to Santa Barbara County Fire Department Public Information Officer Dave Zaniboni, the department responded to a call of a fire near 1550 Burton Mesa Blvd. at 1:16 p.m. Fire crews from Lompoc […]
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Spotlight on: R Taco Truck
Cesar Gutierrez, owner
The length of Highway 166 between Guadalupe and Santa Maria is skirted by quintessential California agricultural land. Farmland stretches for miles on either side of the road as workers fill crates of produce in the fields. Coming from the east, near the corner of Salinas Road and 166, an oasis emerges. It’s the R Taco […]
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A tale of two jails: Will the Northern Branch of the Santa Barbara County Jail system finally get built?
There are at least a couple of ways to get into the Santa Barbara County Main Jail. One is, obviously, getting arrested. Another, less dubious option, is to go on a guided tour of the jail with Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Laz Salinas. Salinas walks the jail on a recent Thursday, snaking […]
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Spotlight on: Hwy 246 Wine & Brew Tours
Dennis Avila, owner
When taking a wine and beer tour with Dennis Avila, he may keep you longer than expected. Maybe it’s because he worked as a custody deputy (he worked at the jail) for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for 27 years. Or maybe it’s because he really enjoys taking people on tours through wine country […]
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Sheriff’s Office investigates diesel fuel spill in Buellton
Officials from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office are looking for the identity of a driver who they say is involved in a diesel fuel oil spill in Buellton on June 19. According to Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, the Sheriff’s Office said a person driving a light-colored Chevrolet SUV pulled into Buellton from southbound […]
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Santa Barbara County officials voice concerns over Camp 4 bill in Washington, D.C.
Santa Barbara County officials were in Washington, D.C., on June 17 for a U.S. House subcommittee hearing to voice their opposition to HR 1157, a federal bill that would allow the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to annex a 1,400-acre piece of land—also known as Camp 4—from Santa Barbara County. The bill, introduced by […]
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Two Pioneer Valley students killed in car wreck near Ventura
Members of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District are mourning the deaths of two Pioneer Valley High School students who were killed in a car crash near Ventura during the early morning hours of June 22. According to officers with the California Highway Patrol station in Ventura, the 2013 Honda Accord driven by […]
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Spotlight on: Lawnlift
Mike Morales, owner
When Mike Morales rolls up to your house in his green, late-model Mercury Cougar, gets out, opens the trunk, and dons his backpack sprayer, he means to liven up that grass. Morales owns a small business called Lawnlift. Going from home to home, Morales gives brown lawns a touch of green paint to make them […]
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Officials say the unavailability of prescription painkillers is leading to a rise in heroin use on the Central Coast
On June 4, a 27-year-old Lompoc man was found dead inside his home; that same day, a 32-year-old man was found dead inside a Solvang hotel room; and three days later, a 31-year-old Solvang woman was found dead in her home. Following investigations into all three deaths, officials from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office […]
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Man found dead from apparent hit-and-run in Nipomo
An unknown male who was found dead near the intersection of Highway 101 and Tefft Street in Nipomo on June 13 may be the victim of a hit-and-run accident, according the California Highway Patrol. The collision report states that a driver collided with the male, who was in the southbound lane of 101, and drove […]
