The long-delayed launch of an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base has been rescheduled for Sept. 13, base officials said. With a top-secret National Reconnaissance Office payload onboard, the United Launch Alliance-built rocket is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 3, pending final testing of the Mission Flight Control Center. The control […]
JEREMY THOMAS
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County park commission decides against beach parking fees
The people spoke, and the Santa Barbara County Park Commission listened, deciding unanimously on Aug. 23 to not support charging fees to park at eight county beaches. After two public hearings in Santa Barbara drew scores of residents opposing the idea, the commission held its third and final, decisive meeting at the Betteravia Government Center […]
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Boom or bust?
Oil companies look to expand onshore drilling in Santa Barbara County, but resistance remains strong
Santa Maria Energy spokesman Bob Poole and production manager Kevin Yung stand side by side on a grassy hillside overlooking the Orcutt Oil Field, admiring the view. The vista before them reveals a land of many uses; traditional “grasshopper” pumps and steam injection wellheads coexist alongside vineyards, herds of cattle, and neighboring oil company Pacific […]
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Scott named North County’s chief deputy DA
In the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Santa Maria office, Kelly Scott is in the process of settling in as the North County’s new chief deputy district attorney, replacing the retiring Jerry Lulejian. Santa Barbara County DA Joyce Dudley announced Scott’s appointment on Aug. 17. Scott will handle cases dealing with real estate fraud, consumer […]
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Solvang pursues 2013 Amgen Tour cycling stage
After passing on this year’s event, Solvang will attempt to bring the Amgen Tour of California back for a fifth time in 2013, applying as a host city prior to the Aug. 17 deadline. The Solvang city council voted 4-0 on Aug. 13 to submit the proposal, which is open-ended and includes applications for an […]
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Combined task force destroys large-scale pot grows in Los Padres National Forest
Over several days earlier this month, a consortium of law enforcement agencies destroyed several large marijuana grow operations in the Los Padres National Forest, eradicating more than 11,000 plants valued at $30 million. Most notably, investigators destroyed a grow southwest of Cuyama, yielding about 10,500 plants. Another near East Camino Cielo Road contained more than […]
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Get outside!
San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival celebrates best in food, spirits and song
All weekend long, the trademark San Francisco fog bank rolling in off the sea rarely lifted from Golden Gate Park, but no one was complaining. For the fifth time, the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, a celebration of wine, cuisine, and of course, music, laid down stakes in the Bay Area’s most famous urban […]
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Bad blood
Dana Adobe project deepens divide between nonprofit and Northern Chumash Tribal Council
It looked like a done deal. Plans for a visitor center, Chumash village, and amphitheater at the Rancho Nipomo Dana Adobe looked to be in its final stages, with SLO County supervisors set to decide on two key permitting steps on Aug. 7. However, that very same day, the Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos (DANA) board […]
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Governor Brown appoints McGregor to judgeship
On Aug. 9, California Gov. Jerry Brown announced the appointment of John McGregor to a judgeship in the Santa Barbara County Superior Court System, replacing the retiring Judge James W. Brown. The 58-year-old McGregor is a resident of Arroyo Grande and has served the previous eight years as a Santa Barbara County court commissioner in […]
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Alleged victim sues Covarrubias’ estate and the city of Santa Maria in federal court
A former Santa Maria police explorer filed a lawsuit in federal court on Aug. 7, alleging deceased police officer Albert Covarrubias Jr. raped and threatened her on multiple occasions over the course of a month. The plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, is suing the Covarrubias estate, the city of Santa Maria, […]
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A thinking person’s sport
With the founding of a Los Olivos club, fencing draws interest among Santa Ynez Valley youth
Some call it aristocratic. Some call it nerdy. But whatever reference point you have for fencing, be aware: It’s gradually carving its niche here in the United States. Before attending Cal Poly, Santa Maria fencer Walter Goodwater had never been exposed to the sport. As a young soccer enthusiast, he quickly found the balance of […]
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Atlas V launch from Vandenberg delayed
The scheduled launch of an Atlas V rocket, the fifth such launch from the West Coast, has been delayed until Aug. 14 at the earliest, Vandenberg Air Force Base officials said. The launch was originally set for Aug. 2, but has been postponed due to a malfunction that occurred in Vandenberg’s Mission Flight Control Center […]