On Jan. 3, the Santa Barbara News-Press published a front page story about AB 60, a new law that gives undocumented immigrants the opportunity to obtain a valid ID and legally operate a car in the state. The headline: “Illegals line up for driver’s licenses.” Those six words didn’t sit well with Hispanics and others […]
DAVID MINSKY
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Cool Hand Luke’s reports a robbery by diners
On the night of Jan. 5, business was chugging along like it would on any other night at Cool Hand Luke’s Steak House, but a cell phone message changed that business-as-usual hum into a particularly harrowing night for one manager, who suddenly found herself the unwilling subject of an alleged robbery at work. According to […]
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Lompoc continues to allow safe and sane firework sales
Residents of Lompoc will be allowed to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks once again this year. In a 3-2 vote, the City Council voted against banning the sale and use of “safe and sane” fireworks—which are typically fireworks that don’t fly or explode. During a joint session between the City Council and the […]
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Two Hancock basketball players are arrested in connection with a shooting death
Detectives from the Santa Maria Police Department arrested two Allan Hancock College basketball players Jan. 10 in connection with the death of Terence Richardson, who was killed on the night of Dec. 30 near the campus. Richardson, 23, was shot a short distance from the college on the 1000 block of East Jones, according to […]
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Defense contractor cuts 92 jobs at Vandenberg AFB
L-3 Communications, a New York-based contractor, is laying off 92 employees at Vandenberg Air Force Base, according to Jennifer Barton, a company spokesperson. The job cuts at Vandenberg are part of a greater number of layoffs within the company, including 136 at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, which sits along the Space Coast just […]
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Rugged Rescue: Santa Barbara County’s volunteer search and rescue team saves lives in all terrains
View a slideshow of the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue Team. On the night of April 5, 2014, the residents of Isla Vista witnessed a party scene become a full-fledged riot. By 10 p.m., the informal spring break celebration known as Deltopia devolved into a violent mob of 15,000 people. Wedged in between the […]
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Spotlight on: Casa Bonita Furniture
Maggie Ferrer and Juan and Rosa Gascon, owners
When you walk into a furniture shop and notice empty spots where merchandise once stood, that’s a good thing and here’s why: It means they get lots of business. Which is saying something about customer loyalty. And the place hasn’t even been open for more than two months. Casa Bonita Furniture departs from the business-as-usual […]
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Santa Maria police investigate second killing in eight days
Detectives from the Santa Maria Police Department are investigating a shooting that occurred on Dec. 30 near the corner of Jones and Bradley streets, just a stone’s throw away from Allan Hancock College. The shooting happened around midnight, police said. The victim, indentified as 23-year-old Santa Maria resident Terrence Richardson, was driven to Marian Hospital […]
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Santa Barbara County Fire Department radio dispatch impersonator strikes again
An impersonator hijacked the Santa Barbara County Fire Department radio waves once again, causing the department to suspend its Twitter account in late December. The impersonator has been hijacking the radio waves since October, said Joe Ayala, the dispatch supervisor for the Santa Barbara County’s Sheriff’s Office. The impact has been relatively low, according to […]
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Spotlight on: El Toro
David Bonilla, owner
When scoping out a location to open another El Toro restaurant in Santa Maria, owners David Bonilla and Ralph Moran came across an empty building on the corner of one of the busiest intersections of town. They both peeked inside the windows and decided it was going to be the spot. Fast-forward to now, and […]
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Santa Maria sues a man over the condition of his home
The neighborhood immediately surrounding North Thornburg Street consists of one-story homes, manicured hedges, and mothers pushing their babies in strollers down the sidewalk. But one house on the block seems out of place. The windows are broken, boarded-up from the inside. The lawn is covered with weeds. The half white, half pastel-green-colored house looks abandoned, […]
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A fiery auto wreck on 101 in Santa Maria leads to one death
One person was killed and two people–including the driver–were injured in a car wreck that occurred the evening of Dec. 28 in Santa Maria, according to an officer from the California Highway Patrol. The wreck happened at approximately 5:30 p.m. when a 1999 Chevrolet Blazer driven by 22-year-old Travis Dashek heading southbound on Highway 101 […]