Walmart and I feel that it’s necessary to give back to the community as we are a functioning member of it.” This is how Marcos Cruz described the opening of the new Walmart Neighborhood Market on South Blosser Road in Santa Maria. The ceremony will take place bright and early on June 12 at 7:30 […]
FRANK GONZALES
Posted inNews
Scott Cory to become superintendent of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District
After working in education for 24 years, 18 of which were as an administrator, Scott Cory will be returning home to the Santa Ynez Valley as the new superintendent of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District. “I grew up in the Santa Ynez Valley, and my parents still live there as well,” Cory […]
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A taste of the American dream
Carnicerias reach out to new customers as they grow and expand
Carne fresca 100% de res, puerco, chorizo, pollo, chivo, cabeza de res*. The fresh meat sits neatly arranged at a counter in Abad Barrera’s Carniceria El Amigo Abad in the Williams Bros Shopping Center on Main Street in Santa Maria. His is one of several carnicerias—Mexican butcher shops—that can now be found all over Santa […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The masterpiece of American motorsports
Inside the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is a decadent and depraved festival of speed. I mean that in the best possible way. Every year a refreshing cloud of racing fumes blankets the normally clear coast of Long Beach, energizing the faithful over three days of vehicular mayhem. While the race might seem like a […]
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Spotlight on: Deckers
As the manager of Deckers, a popular burger joint in Santa Maria, Patrick Corbo knows a thing or two about what goes into his spectacular version of America’s favorite sandwich. “We [use] locally grown fresh ground beef and turkey. When you get a burger, it’s actually a meat ball [that] we actually cook right there […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Athlete of the Week
Nathalia Powell
Because of the central role pitchers have on a team, the success of Allan Hancock College’s Bulldogs softball this season would not have been possible without starting pitcher and first year player Nathalia Powell. She leads the league in wins, with 18, in saves, and in strikeouts, with a whopping 107. She has also had […]
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Energizing communities
Moving to renewable resources to create energy has been a major focus recently for many in government and for individuals who are concerned about the environment. The Central Coast is no exception and on April 25 the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club was awarded with the 2013 Anthony Grassroots Prize for Organizational Stewardship […]
Posted inOpinion
Love, immigration, and Congressional representation
Explore with me the visa process for my foreign fiancée
While I was studying medieval history at the University of Oxford, I met the girl of my dreams. Although we met as students in England, she was from the Netherlands and I was from California. Over two years in Europe and the two summers in the United States we spent together as a couple, I […]
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Spotlight on: The Animal Kingdom Pet Shop
Adam Tipton, co-owner
If Adam Tipton is the king of The Animal Kingdom Pet Shop, then the animals his wife Mickie and he have been selling for 19 years are the princes and princesses. Of all the pet shops that dot the cities and neighborhoods of California, only a select few have the clear, open layout, the spotless […]
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Vandenberg missile test postponed
News broke on April 6 that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had ordered a planned missile launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base be postponed in light of the escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula. The decision to postpone the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) test that was planned for April 9 came as part of […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: Rizzoli’s Automotive
Kyle Rizzoli, general manager
I’m not very good at turning, so I just go straight really, really fast,” a laughing Kyle Rizzoli said. He was talking about racing, and he has good reason to be happy about it. In addition to being the general manager at Rizzoli’s Automotive, the Cal Poly mechanical engineering graduate recently won the NHRA Pacific […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Athlete of the Week: Jeff Burr
This is Sparta(n tennis)! With a current record of 9-4, Orcutt Academy’s boys’ tennis team has fought hard for its good record, and junior Jeff Burr has been central to the success so far. Playing No. 1 singles, Burr has helped his team advance with his great ground strokes. “My forehand and my slice, I […]