After its most successful season in years, the Allan Hancock College baseball team was rewarded with a postseason berth for the first time since 2004. “This is what we’ve been working towards all season, and our players have earned this,” said Hancock head coach Chris Stevens. The Bulldogs enter the regional playoffs as Southern California’s […]
JEREMY THOMAS
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Basketball and bad blood
Ron Barba exits as a St. Joseph basketball coach under strained circumstances
After five successful seasons as head coach of the St. Joseph High School girls’ basketball team, Ron Barba won’t be coming back for another run at the California Interscholastic Federation sectional championship. The dismissal, Barba claims, came after school principal Joseph Myers received complaints from a small group of players’ parents about Barba’s aggressive coaching […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Josh Marzett
When the starting gun fires and Santa Maria High School’s Josh Marzett bursts out of the blocks with his short and stocky frame, it’s something to watch. Just don’t blink. At a dual league meet against St. Joseph on April 28, Marzett set his personal best mark in the 100-meter-dash at a blazing time of […]
Posted inNews
Panda Express comes to Lompoc
Quick and tasty Chinese cuisine is headed for Lompoc. Hayes Commercial Group announced that Panda Express, a fast-food chain specializing in wok-cooked gourmet-style food, will be moving into a location at 1405 North H St. on March 31 of 2010. The group announced the sale of the property to CFT Development, which will redevelop the […]
Posted inNews
Teens, get to work
Local businesses and agencies in Santa Maria will be distributing applications and conducting formal job interviews at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, which hosts its sixth Teen Job Fair on May 7. The fair is sponsored by the Families for the First Decade Project Collaborative and will take place at the center, located at […]
Posted inNews
Propane facility gasses up
Local and family-owned propane marketer Delta Liquid Energy recently announced that its newly constructed rail facility in Santa Maria is now fully operational. The site, which will be used to import propane from Texas and Canada, includes more than 300 feet of private railroad track, a propane storage capacity of 90,000 gallons, and an office […]
Posted inNews
Uncle Sam wants you for 2010
The Los Angeles Regional Census Center, comprised of 19 counties in California—including Santa Barbara County—is looking to hire help for its 2010 census counts. The 26 local census offices in Southern California will open in the fall of 2009 to direct field operations for the region’s population count. The focus of the Regional Center is […]
Posted inNews
It’s bleak right now
Northern Santa Barbara County and California are in for long, difficult recovery
The North County’s recovery from the economic recession won’t begin until 2011 at the earliest, according to a report by the UCSB Economic Forecast Project. And that’s only because things can’t get much worse for the area, according to Bill Watkins, the project’s executive director. “The North County is in its fourth year of recession, […]
Posted inNews
Health officials take swine flu seriously
As fears of a potential swine flu pandemic traveled from media outlets to water-coolers all across the country, Santa Barbara County health officials took measures to get the word out about the outbreak. According to Michele Mickiewicz, spokeswoman for the county’s Public Health Department, all the talk isn’t just hype. “This is something that the […]
Posted inNews
Salon raises funds to fight cancer
Jantay Salon and Day Spa, in conjunction with Community Health Centers and American Mobile Sound, is raising money for the American Cancer Society on May 5. Haircuts, blow-dries, conditioning treatments, eyebrow waxes, manicures, and pedicures will be offered at half-off discount prices, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. Anyone wishing to donate […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Meet baseball’s new chiefs
With the Indians out for the summer, College Wahoos will feature homegrown baseball talent
Baseball fans saddened by the news that the Santa Maria Indians won’t be taking the field this year, take heart. There’s a new tribe in town. When the California Collegiate League begins play in June, the upstart College Wahoos will take the field as a last-minute replacement for the financially troubled club. Team organizer Vince […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Out for trout at Lopez Lake
Anglers of all ages will be fishing for cash prizes at the eighth annual Reel ’Em In Trout Derby set for May 2 and 3 at Lopez Lake. The grand prize for the most tagged trout is $3,000. Second place wins $1,000, and $500 will be awarded for third. Kids 15 and younger and adults […]
