The 2010 elections have come and gone, and the impact of the results on local businesses will be discussed at a combined meeting of Santa Maria Valley business organizations on Nov. 9. During the luncheon, Trent Benedetti, certified public accountant with Benedetti and Associates Inc., will present his analysis of the election and its effects […]
JEREMY THOMAS
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Bonqo: competition for Craigslist
Buyers and sellers on the Central Coast now have an alternative to Craigslist in Bonqo.com, a free online classified advertising site claiming to manually check every advertisement for legitimacy before it’s posted. According to its local creators, ELLA Internet Technologies, Inc., Bonqo is a family-friendly online marketplace; adult content and personals are forbidden, and every […]
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Community West hires consultant
Community West Bank announced the hiring of Dan Koski as senior loan consultant in the mortgage division of the bank’s Santa Maria branch office. Before joining Community West Bank, Koski was a branch manager for Oak Tree Lending and later owned and operated Pinnacle Lending, a Santa Maria-based brokerage company. In addition to his mortgage-lending […]
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Walmart appeals Lompoc ruling
On Oct. 27, retailer Walmart appealed a Lompoc Planning Commission ruling that denied the company’s application to expand its Lompoc store by more than 40,000 square feet. In the appeal to the Lompoc City Council, filed on behalf of Walmart by Los Angeles-based law firm Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, the company contends the project’s Environmental […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Paul Avila
There’s been at least one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing debut season for St. Joseph in the Pac-7: Knights starting quarterback Paul Avila. Just a junior, the Lakeview Junior High product has consistently proved his poise at the helm, most recently evidenced by the team’s first-ever league win on Oct. 30, a 41-13 whipping […]
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Santa Barbara County beaches reopen with warnings in wake of fatal shark attack
Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Surf Beach reopened Oct. 25 after a three-day closure, the result of a shark attack that claimed the life of a 19-year-old UCSB college student. The attack occurred Oct. 22, just before 9 a.m. According to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, Lucas Ransom, a chemical engineering major from Romoland, Calif., and […]
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Gordies grills up Nipomo
Gordies BBQ and Grill, a new barbecue restaurant in Nipomo, opened its doors on Oct. 1. Offering barbecue chicken, tri-tip steaks, ribs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and burritos, Gordies owner Jonathan Chavez and manager Gilberto Chavez promise great food. Located at 277 W. Tefft St., Gordies is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days […]
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Community Bank posts quarterly profits
Community Bank of Santa Maria released its third quarter financial statements Oct. 18, showing a large increase in net profits over the same period in 2009. For the period ending Sept. 30, net profits for the bank were $308,967, a 169-percent increase over the $114,587 reported for the period ending Sept. 30, 2009. Total assets […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Orange crush
An annual pumpkin-tossing competition goes medieval with trebuchets
Who said pumpkins can’t fly? For the second straight year, Orcutt’s McLean family is prepared to prove the feat is possible, hauling a homemade trebuchet—a medieval device used for castle assaults—to Arroyo Grande High School’s Pumpkin Catapult competition on Nov. 13. There, they’ll attempt to defend their long-distance launching title against the AGHS Eagle Robotics […]
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Lompoc planners deny Walmart Supercenter expansion
Much to the chagrin of big-box retailer Walmart, the bell finally tolled—at least for the moment—on a protracted battle over a proposed Supercenter store expansion in Lompoc. On Oct. 13, after meeting for more than an hour, the Lompoc Planning Commission denied a proposal that would have expanded the Walmart location on Central Avenue by […]
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The family that lifts together …
The ‘First Family of Weightlifting’ breaks world records and turns heads
In competitive weightlifting, rarely do three world champions hail from the same hometown, much less the same home. But that’s exactly what makes Los Alamos’s Tawzer family so unique. Between dad Kenny, mom Mary, and son Clay, the “First Family of Powerlifting” holds more than 20 national, state, and world records in the bench press […]
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Field testing
The Farm Worker Health Act will require employers to report pesticide-related test results to state agencies
Field laborers who apply toxic pesticides to crops can now breathe easier, a result of the Farm Worker Health Act signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sept. 27. Authored by Assemblymember Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara), chair of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, the legislation—also known as AB 1963—addresses workers […]
