Outside, the smell of greasewood rides the wind. Ragged wood and old-time architecture take observers back to the ’80s. The 1880s. Inside, the floor is uneven—scuffed in some places and polished to a shine by countless feet in others—and creaks just about everywhere. Knickknacks and bric-a-brac from days of old adorn the place. It’s just […]
JEREMY THOMAS
Posted inNews
Uproar over Vandenberg briefing spurs Air Force mandate on ‘religious neutrality’
One month after the U.S. Air Force suspended a controversial class taught to launch officers at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the branch’s top officer issued a memo warning leaders to avoid promoting particular religious views. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz sent the memo to units nationwide on Sept. 1, calling on officials […]
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Santa Maria teen wins big at BMX Nationals
Righetti High School freshman Brandan Pita was at it again at the National Bicycle League’s Grand Nationals, held in Louisville, Ky., Sept 2 to 4. Competing against top riders from all over the country, Pita won the Cruiser class main event and captured the overall title, placed second in the 14/15 Open class main event, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Waterworld
In an effort to draw more visitors, Santa Barbara County adds more bang for the buck at local parks
There’s a sea change happening at Santa Barbara County parks, as county officials relax several long-standing watercraft regulations, aiming to expand recreational options and draw in more visitors. It all started earlier this year at Cachuma Lake, when the county completed its Resource Management Plan with the Bureau of Reclamation and decided in April to […]
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Grocery workers’ strike looms for local supermarkets
As the clock continued to tick on negotiations between three major grocery chains and employee unions, labor groups inched closer to a strike that would impact supermarkets throughout Santa Barbara County. The United Food and Commercial Workers, the union representing thousands of grocery employees from Paso Robles to the Mexican border, continued daily, around-the-clock talks […]
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Pirate power
Santa Ynez’s skilled seniors aim to propel the girls’ volleyball squad to new heights
The last time the Santa Ynez girls’ volleyball team lost a game in the Los Padres League, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was on trial, Kelly Clarkson topped the Billboard charts, and nobody on the block had an Xbox360 yet. Yes, you’d have to go back to Nov. 1, 2005, to find the Pirates coming up […]
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Fast(er) food
Central Coast ag group’s mobile slaughterhouse fills demand for local and fresh meats
At Rancho San Julian near Lompoc, and at other cattle ranches throughout the Central Coast, a new method for getting beef from the farm to the market is now a reality. It’s called a “mobile harvest unit,” a 28-foot-long slaughterhouse trailer made entirely of aluminum, and it’s been the dream of the Central Coast Agriculture […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Fall football preview
Let’s wipe the slate clean�
Summer’s almost gone, the preseason practices and scrimmages are a fading memory, and it’s time to put on the pads for real at high schools across the Central Coast. Last season, for the first time in nearly 20 years, no Santa Maria-area football teams made the CIF playoffs. This time around, local schools will be […]
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Land of opportunity?
Santa Ynez Valley residents are wary of a Chumash fee-to-trust deal
There wasn’t an empty seat in the house. Even finding a few feet of space against the wall of the Veterans Memorial Building was a chore. For hours, a standing room-only crowd of local residents packed the musty hall in Solvang on Aug. 26—a Friday night, no less—to hear why they should do everything in […]
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DA charges daughter of Lompoc police officer in fatal crash
Following a months-long investigation, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office on Aug. 26 leveled a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter against the 18-year-old daughter of a Lompoc police officer. While he wouldn’t discuss specifics of the case, Chief Deputy District Attorney Gordon Auchincloss said prosecutors found enough evidence to charge Lacey Strange, daughter of […]
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Playing a new game
Central Coast Sharks look to spread rugby throughout the Santa Maria Valley
Northern Santa Barbara County isn’t known as a hotbed for rugby, but if Central Coast Sharks league president James Gentry has his way, it someday will be. Gentry’s involvement in youth football spans nearly 20 years. He coached for the Nipomo Football League, winning several league championships, and later served as a line coach for […]
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Santa Barbara County DA drops misdemeanor charges against Jeff Lind
On Aug. 11, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office dropped misdemeanor charges of threatening a witness against Orcutt resident Jeff Lind. The charges stemmed from a 2010 courthouse encounter between Lind and a Guadalupe police officer. Deputy District Attorney Brian Cota said he motioned for Superior Court Judge Jean Dandona to dismiss the case […]
