Law enforcement agents arrested a Los Alamos man on Friday, March 20, after a brief standoff that prompted a Highway 101 shutdown for several hours in both directions, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The standoff began around noon after sheriff’s deputies responded to a call that 56-year-old Ronald Carrari allegedly made threats […]
DAVID MINSKY
Posted inNews
Pioneer Valley High School coach and teacher pleads no contest to sex with student
Brian Thomas Hook, former Pioneer Valley High School basketball coach, pleaded no contest in Santa Maria court on March 18 to four counts of having sex with a minor, according to Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Brandon Jebens. Hook, 54, was arrested in February 2014 after it was discovered one month earlier that he […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria city manager overrules arbitrator’s decision to reinstate Ast
Dan Ast, a former police lieutenant with the Santa Maria Police Department, won’t be rehired by the city, according Alison Bernal, one of Ast’s attorneys working the case. City Manager Rick Haydon overruled a decision issued in January by Sacramento-based arbitrator Catherine Harris, who found no wrongdoing by Ast in a scandal that led to […]
Posted inNews
Drone republic: As drones invade California air space, two bills try to set limits on their use
View a slideshow of drones from around the Central Coast. Jordan Tolentino is your normal Santa Maria teenager with a busy schedule. Standing at 5 feet 11 inches, he’s a linebacker on the varsity football team at St. Joseph High School, a member of both the National Honor Society and 4-H, and president of the […]
Posted inNews
Uber’s looking for drivers in Santa Maria
When San Francisco-based Uber first launched in Santa Barbara County as part of its Central Coast operations, drivers were mainly confined to downtown Santa Barbara and the university areas. That was in October 2013. Now, the company is actively recruiting drivers in Santa Maria, according to Uber spokesperson Tatiana Winograd. More people in Santa Maria […]
Posted inNews
Police want state grant money to rid unwanted activity in Santa Maria and Santa Ynez riverbeds
The Santa Maria River stretches more than 20 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. The drought has caused the riverbed to become a dusty, dry landscape that acts as a cover for clandestine activity such as target practice, illegal off-roading, and graffiti vandalism. The Santa Ynez River has been a source of similar problems for […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc writes off $2 million worth of unpaid utility fees
An audit presented at the March 3 Lompoc City Council meeting showed that the city has written off nearly $2 million in delinquent utility fees going back more than seven years. Even though the lost revenue is a drop in the bucket compared to what the city makes in revenue every year—more than $100 million, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Hancock basketball takes a conference title, but doesn’t make playoffs
With a quick huddle before the start of the game, players from the Allan Hancock College men’s basketball team get their bearings straight. The huddle breaks, and the players march toward the center of the court. “Let’s go brothers,” said Hancock sophomore guard Lawrence Johnson as he gives a low five to one of his […]
Posted inNews
Community organizers eye Santa Maria for a possible voting rights lawsuit
View a slideshow of opposition to the ICE facility in Santa Maria. A win last week for plaintiffs in a lawsuit to create voting districts in Santa Barbara has community organizers considering a similar course of action for the city of Santa Maria. Filed last July, the lawsuit against Santa Barbara alleged that the city’s […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: Cue Ball
Clifford Kiser, manager
Rochelle Stephens racks billiard balls in a triangle, stands at the corner of the pool table, and takes aim with her cue stick. With a solid crack, she sends the cue ball toward the center of the pool table and colors break out in all different directions. Feb. 25 was her first time playing pool […]
Posted inNews
A reform group says Santa Maria small businesses are being targeted for ADA violations
Bill’s Take Out is a Santa Maria landmark that’s been serving cheeseburgers and fries to the public for more than 60 years. Manager Mario Barragan estimates he gets about 130 orders on any given day; at around $8 per order, that’s roughly $1,000 in revenue. The small restaurant makes enough to pay its bills and […]
Posted inNews
DJ Farms development breaks ground in Guadalupe
Guadalupe, a city with a government that was on the verge of declaring bankruptcy last year, is making a bit of a comeback with a major retail and residential development project that was scheduled to break ground on March 4. The new project holds the potential to not only expand the city’s population, but also […]