The Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara was awarded nearly $5.2 million in funding to continue its Head Start program, which currently serves approximately 1,300 families in Santa Barbara County. The aim of the Head Start program is to provide health, nutrition, and education services to low-income families with children younger than 5. Head Start […]
JASON BANANIA
Posted inNews
Health is what’s on the menu
In honor of National Nutrition Month, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) visited Adam Elementary School on March 14 to witness first-hand what the Santa Maria-Bonita School District is doing to make school meals healthier. The district has teamed up with local growers and the federal government to implement menu changes aimed at reducing childhood […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Athlete of the Week: Ryan McNeil
Here’s a tip: If you see our Athlete of the Week, Ryan McNeil, anywhere around town, get his autograph. Quick. There are three main things to look for when trying to spot the high school baseball prodigy. First is his height; he stands about 6-foot-4, making him hard to miss. Also, look for a swarm […]
Posted inNews
A barbecue for ‘Binky’
Help a fighter keep fighting
Jason Melena Flores, 8, has masses of cancerous tumors throughout his brain. One tumor sits on his hypothalamus, which affects his pituitary gland, causing an early onset of puberty. Another tumor has damaged his optic nerve, which has made him lose his vision in his left eye. He was born with a genetic disorder called […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria’s over-pup-ulation problem
Local animal groups are creating more ways to help control the pet population
Dogs are considered man’s best friend, and for good reason. What other animal rushes toward the door to greet his owner at the sound of jingling keys and the scent of a long day at work? Sadly, however, thousands of dogs in Santa Maria don’t have owners to greet. Santa Maria animal shelters house about […]
Posted inNews
Howerton enters the race for Santa Barbara County supervisor
Former Lompoc mayor and community activist Joyce Howerton announced March 9 that she’ll be running for 4th District Santa Barbara County Supervisor. Her main goal is to connect the office with the community—something she says has been missing as of late. “I think that the problem is that there’s been a disconnect between the 4th […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Vanessa Gudino
Santa Maria High’s Vanessa Gudino is one of the Saints’ top wrestlers and an aspiring artist. She uses chalk, paint, pencil, and pastels to express her creative side. But her favorite thing to put down on a canvas? Her opponents’ faces, of course. With only two years of wrestling experience, Gudino completed the regular season […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Athlete of the Week: Jacob Rodas
Though Santa Maria High School’s saintly mascot may not be the most menacing, a wrestler from the school is working hard to make sure that he is. Meet Jacob Rodas, one of the school’s top wrestlers and our Athlete of the Week. “I want to bring pride back here to Santa Maria,” Rodas said. “Back […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria City Council mulls an apartment ordinance
City officials are considering passing an ordinance that would give owners of motels scattered around Santa Maria the option to convert the properties into small permanent apartments. The 30 or so motels have been around since the 1920s, when Santa Maria was once used as a rest stop for travelers going up and down Broadway, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Athlete of the Week: Christina Ozzimo
Christina Ozzimo has played a large role on her soccer team this year, helping the Nipomo Titans end their season with a 13-8-2 record and their first trip to the CIF playoffs since 2005. She’s been kicking soccer balls around since she was 5 years old. By the time she turned 8, her friends were […]
Posted inNews
Give green TV a chance
After encountering many people who have almost a phobia toward anything pro-environment, Jeanne Sparks and her like-minded friends created the North County Green Team to change the negative stereotypes of environmentalists with a television show. “We’d like to highlight the wonderful, positive environmental actions going on in the North County,” Sparks wrote in a statement. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Stuart Malm
Righetti High School’s Stuart Malm is humble, soft-spoken, and hesitant to admit any hint of his prowess as a wrestler. “I don’t think I’m that good,” he said of his wrestling abilities. However, a short video on Youtube that shows Malm in the heat of battle is confirmation of the old adage “actions speak louder […]