Shots rang out in Santa Maria’s northwest side during the early morning hours of Dec. 22. Several people made 911 calls in response, and when police arrived, they found a man inside of a parked car along the 1000 block of W. Morrison. He had been shot several times. The calls came in around 5:22 […]
DAVID MINSKY
Posted inNews
An alleged robber turns himself in after watching the news
When the Santa Maria Police Department sends out press releases to the news media asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect, the officers usually do so in the hopes that someone is reading or watching the news. The method worked in a recent case—except the suspect was the one who helped the police […]
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Judge rules that Phillips 66 news media policy violates the law
In late 2012, amid labor negotiations between management and employees at the Phillips 66 refinery in Santa Maria, the company emailed a news media policy to employees prohibiting them from speaking to reporters. But on Nov. 25, a National Labor Relations Board administrative law judge found that the policy violated federal labor law. The ruling […]
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County supervisor wants to help resolve Santa Maria property dispute
A dispute between neighbors on Pennsylvania Street in Santa Maria over property boundaries recently got the attention of a Santa Barbara County supervisor. A story published in the Sun’s Nov. 18 issue, “Challenge Thy Neighbor: Santa Maria’s Pennsylvania Street lies at the heart of a 40-year-old dispute,” reported on the story of a decades-long feud […]
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Hancock applies for four-year degree program
Nancy Acheoual finished her studies at Allan Hancock College a year ago and left to pursue a nursing degree at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, but she went back to Hancock this December to see what had changed. Touring the campus over Christmas break, the 30-year-old student wanted to see what the campus looked […]
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Spotlight on: Santa Maria Raceway
Mike Kappmeyer, promoter
The stands of the Santa Maria Speedway have been comparatively empty in the last few years. But Mike Kappmeyer plans to change that. The owner of MRK Motorsports, Kappmeyer was hired in November as the racetrack’s new promoter. He wants to bring it back to the glory days of Doug Fort, who founded the track […]
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DA clears Lompoc City Council of Brown Act violation allegations
Talk of Brown Act violations–real or suspected–dominated the election debates in the races for Lompoc City Council seats and mayor this year. And while the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office announced in July that it was investigating the Lompoc City Council for allegedly violating that open-meeting act, the office didn’t release its findings until […]
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Police consider connections in Santa Maria kidnappings
The Santa Maria Police Department is investigating two incidents in which victims and their children were allegedly abducted and forced to hand over cash and jewelry. The incidents occurred within months of each other, with the most recent one on Dec. 4. Police are unsure if the abductions are related, but both involved a diamond […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Local artists offer a way to preserve your pet’s memory without photographs
Pets are family, and much like we do for family, we tend to take photographs to preserve the precious moments with our pets. But photos, even framed, might seem a little cliché these days. For those who are looking for a more artsy alternative, pet portraits may be the way to go. Marilyn Benson, acrylic […]
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Spotlight on: UCode
Scott Mueller, owner
Serving as the headquarters for some of the most valuable companies in world such as Google, Apple, and Facebook, it’s no wonder that California has become one of the most tech-central states in the country. The future of the tech economy has, in some cases, outpaced what the public school curriculum can offer students. UCode […]
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Be a hero by donating blood this season
Earlier this year, the Red Cross issued an urgent notice that the world was experiencing a severe blood shortage. In response, there was an uptick in donations: The number of donors giving blood increased by 9 percent, according to a report on its website. This time of the year is stressful for a lot of […]
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Lompoc leaders will review applicants for the vacated council seat
The Lompoc City Council will soon begin reviewing applications for the council seat vacated by now-mayor Bob Lingl. The four-member council, including Mayor Lingl, couldn’t move past a 2-2 vote during the Dec. 2 meeting to appoint Anne Ruhge in the vacated spot—which has two years left in the term. They instead accepted applications from […]