JEREMY THOMAS
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No changes planned for license checks

Santa Maria rejects a Latino rights group’s request to modify police checkpoint policies
by JEREMY THOMAS

Denying a civil rights group’s claims that drivers’ license and sobriety checkpoints target Latino members of the community and hurt downtown businesses, Santa Maria officials said the police operations would continue unchanged. Latino rights group PUEBLO presented eight recommendations to City Council members at a public forum on April 22, proposing changes to the city’s […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Corey Dotzler

by JEREMY THOMAS

School’s out for summer, but former Allan Hancock College catcher Corey Dotzler is as busy as ever. Within two weeks of graduating from Hancock, Dotzler found out he’d been awarded a baseball scholarship to Cal Poly, SLO, and began playing for the semipro Santa Maria Packers. He was immediately a hit with his new team, […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Goal-oriented girls

A local soccer club finds success on and off the field
by JEREMY THOMAS

It’s a perfect sunny and clear Saturday, and on the soccer field at Allan Hancock College, a group of teenage girls is getting their kicks in. They’re auditioning for the premier under-18 girls’ soccer club in the region: the Katana, which is looking to reload by recruiting the top high school talent available on the […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

ATV safety course

by JEREMY THOMAS

Youth ages 6 to 17 can receive free safety training for all-terrain vehicles during a half-day course at the Santa Maria Elks Training Range. The program, called RiderCourse, is a hands-on session from the ATV Safety Institute that includes a pre-ride inspection and teaches skills in starting and stopping, quick turning, hill riding, emergency stops, […]

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Show us the money

Federal stimulus money to fund Santa Maria Rive Levee repairs, other city projects
by JEREMY THOMAS

Funding from the federal government’s economic stimulus plan is beginning to trickle in and Santa Maria residents will be some of the state’s biggest beneficiaries. Of the $46 million pegged for much-needed repairs to six miles of the city’s levee system, $41.6 million will be paid for by money granted from the American Recovery and […]

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New Lompoc coffee stop

by JEREMY THOMAS

Earth-friendly and health-conscious are the buzzwords for a new coffee and smoothie shop just opened in the lobby of Lompoc’s In-Shape City at 501 W. Central Avenue. “I Need Coffee” is the brainchild of a local couple, Lindsay Manzo and Joshua Cossman, who sought to open a business that would be accountable to both its […]

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The show must go on

by JEREMY THOMAS

During these turbulent financial times, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is in desperate need of sponsors in order to produce this year’s Fourth of July fireworks show.  The show, which takes place at the Santa Maria Fairpark, will cost the city about $15,000. So far, Rabobank, the Santa Maria Times, People for Leisure […]

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Mayors Ball celebrates Motown

by JEREMY THOMAS

Put on your dancing shoes, kick up your heels, and enjoy 50 years of Motown sounds at the 3rd annual Mayors Ball on June 13. This year’s ball, a “Plain & Fancy” affair, takes place at the Santa Ynez Marriott in Buellton and honors all five North County mayors.  The event raises money for the […]

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City of Santa Maria seeks committee members

by JEREMY THOMAS

From now until July 2, the city of Santa Maria will be searching for representatives to serve on three local committees. Applications for the Block Grants Advisory Committee, Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens, and the Library Board of Trustees will be accepted until 5 p.m. on the day of deadline. The city will appoint […]

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Somber service

by JEREMY THOMAS

Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joni Gray (4th District) speaks at a Memorial Day ceremony May 25 at the Guadalupe Cemetery. “We want to talk about remembering the guys we went to school with that aren’t here anymore that fought and died, the moms who stayed home and worried, and the wives whose husbands didn’t come […]

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