Got a little cash to throw around? The 2,700-acre property north of Los Olivos that was once Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch is officially on the market for a cool $100 million. But the late pop superstar’s former home at 5225 Figueroa Mountain Road is listed as Sycamore Valley Ranch on real estate firm Hilton and […]
DAVID MINSKY
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Spotlight on: El Padrecito Ministries
Masseo Gonzales, president
Father Masseo Gonzales’ two brothers are entrepreneurs. His older brother, David, founded a popular toy company, and his younger brother, Daniel, runs an apparel company in Chico. Gonzales is a businessman too, but his business is with God. He’s a Franciscan monk who runs a nonprofit ministry in Guadalupe called El Padrecito Ministries. His profits […]
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City of Lompoc debuts its own FM radio station
Lompoc is now even more media savvy. Gregg Ratcliff, studio manager for the city’s Public, Education and Government [PEG] access television said that the city’s new FM radio station, 100.9 FM-LP, is operational. Ratcliff made the announcement before the City Council meeting on May 19, adding that the city received its broadcasting license one week […]
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Vandenberg AFB test-fires third ballistic missile
Air Force officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base test-fired an unarmed Minuteman-III ballistic missile during the early morning hours of May 20. Launched toward the Pacific Ocean at around 3:30 a.m., the purpose of the test launch was to “validate and verify the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system,” according to the Air […]
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Nipomo declares Stage III water shortage conditions
In the face of the ever-continuing drought, the Nipomo Community Services District issued a Stage III water shortage declaration on May 21. According to NCSD Public Information Director Jessica Matson, the declaration is based on a report known as the Key Wells Index—which measures the level of water in eight wells scattered across the Nipomo […]
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Second chances: Veterans services in Santa Maria help those who’ve served adjust to life outside the military
On the afternoon of Friday, May 22, Department 7 of the Santa Maria courthouse was packed with people. Most of them were U.S. veterans and their friends and family. Everyone stood and faced the U.S. flag. With hands over their hearts, the crowd recited the Pledge of Allegiance in unison. The court was officially in […]
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Spotlight on: Curt’s Plumbing and Heating
Curt Lanini, owner
Ever heard that phrase: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down?” What does it mean? Think the contents of a toilet bowl. And now that Gov. Jerry Brown ordered mandatory water restrictions in California, it’s got people thinking seriously about that phrase and various other ways they can conserve water. […]
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Bug vs bug: A foreign predatory wasp is released in Santa Maria to help fight citrus tree-loving pest
When you see the fruit on a citrus tree turn from orange or yellow to green, the tree isn’t growing limes. It’s most likely a sign that the tree has a disease called Huánglóngbing (HLB), otherwise known as citrus greening disease. According to entomologist David Morgan, the disease is carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, […]
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Man found shot to death in parked car in Santa Maria
Several reports of gunshots on the night of May 16 led authorities to a residential area in the 400 block of West Williams Street, where police said they found a man inside a parked car who was shot several times. Santa Maria police responded to the scene shortly before 8:30 p.m. City fire fighters and […]
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Nipomo will be getting its supplemental water this summer
The first phase of a multi-million dollar pipeline project will be delivering water to thirsty Nipomo residents by mid-summer. Michael LeBrun, general manager of the Nipomo Community Services District, said the initial Nipomo Supplemental Water Project pipeline will be finished in June, and operational testing will begin later that month. “Physically, it will be done […]
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Santa Maria company dissolves after paying $1 million in fines
A Santa Maria landscaping company paid $1 million to the federal government to settle an allegation that it fraudulently obtained federal contracts by claiming ownership by a disabled veteran. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Stephanie Yonekura announced on May 15 that Veterans of the Land shelled out the hefty civil penalty […]
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Is Santa Barbara County’s largest city getting serious about water conservation?
More than a month has passed since Gov. Jerry Brown ordered a mandatory 25 percent water reduction for the state’s urban areas, and Santa Marians are about to get hit with the surging wave of conservation efforts it created. At the May 5 Santa Maria City Council meeting, councilmembers proclaimed May as Water Awareness Month. […]
