Bicycle motocross fans have a chance to see skilled riders from all over California compete for trophies when the Santa Maria BMX track hosts a state qualifier race for the first time on April 4 and 5. The race, held at the Elks-Unocal Event Center, is sanctioned by the National Bicycle League and will help […]
JEREMY THOMAS
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Junior golfers tee off at Vandenberg
About 100 top young golfers will compete for their futures in the sport when the American Junior Golf Association holds its Golf World Preseason Junior tournament March 27 through 29. Of the 78 California golfers participating in the event at Vandenberg’s Marshalia Ranch Golf Course, three are from Santa Maria: Righetti High School junior Cody […]
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High school’s not such a drag after all
Racing class puts Santa Maria High School students on the fast track to graduation
Santa Maria High School junior Angel Espinosa was bored with schoolwork, and his grades showed it. He was looking for a reason to stick with his studies. He found motivation when his automotive shop teacher got him involved in a unique after-school program: drag racing. In 2007, the Santa Maria Police Department was looking for […]
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Nipomo Swapmeet gives bucks away
Sundays from March 29 to April 12 mean free Easter bucks for kids at the Nipomo Swapmeet. Children can use the coupons like cash at any participating vendors. To pick up Easter Swapmeet Bucks, visit the Swapmeet office at 263 North Frontage Road in Nipomo at noon on Sundays. There’s a $3 charge for parking. […]
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Get a blossom for all seasons
Owner and CEO of All Seasons Flowers, Benno Dobbe, announced he’s changing the name of his Nipomo company to Holland America Flowers, effective March 31. Dobbe moved to America from the Netherlands in 1980 and started the cut flower company in Nipomo in 1986. Now headquartered in Washington state, Holland America grows lilies, snapdragons, and […]
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Buellton gets drive-thru coffee
Coffee drinkers in a hurry can grab their morning cup of joe at Coffee Cabin, a new drive-through kiosk open at 264 East Highway 246 in Buellton. The kiosk’s founder, Jennifer Houck, is a former Oregon restaurant owner. “When I moved to the Santa Ynez Valley five years ago, I was surprised that the drive-thru […]
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Santa Maria Human Resources gets new board of directors
The Santa Maria Human Resources Association has announced its new board of directors, installing Tanya Astrosky as president and naming Jennifer Christiansen of Byars Thompson Buchanan Insurance and Financial Services as vice-president. The board includes Lisa Walker of VTC Enterprises as secretary, and Colleen Pyle of Central Coast Urgent Care as the group’s treasurer. Program […]
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California ag secretary speaks at Foodbank luncheon
Farmers and food banks need to cooperate to improve the food infrastructure, educate the public about nutrition, and secure the future of food production, according to California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura. “We’re seeing an enormous crisis in the food arena,” Kawamura said. “The nutrition programs in the country really can be […]
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Santa Maria’s hit-and-run dilemma
The city is cracking down on unlicensed drivers to help curb its chart-topping car accidents
It’s 6:30 p.m. on a Friday evening on Main Street. A woman driving a sedan pulls a sharp U-turn in front of a group of 14 Santa Maria Police Department officers and various onlookers. She speeds off down Pine Street with orange safety cones lodged in the car’s wheel-well, and a patrol car soon tracks […]
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Ghostbusting on the coast
Spend a day or two chasing spirits from Santa Maria to San Francisco
It might have been him. The man I saw in a trenchcoat with an upturned collar smoking a cigarette on Geary Street. It could have been Jack Kerouac, if only in spirit. Something lured me to the second floor of a drafty and dilapidated motel on a chilly Saturday night. I’d decided that morning to […]
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Kenna Wolter
Allan Hancock College sophomore Kenna Wolter is a rising star in women’s track and field. At a recent meet in Ventura, Wolter broke the school record in the long jump by more than seven inches with an 18-foot, 7-inch leap, winning first place in the event. Wolter also won the 100-meter and triple jump events […]
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Harlem Wizards hit Santa Maria for a spell
Basketball shenanigans are on the menu when the Harlem Wizards come to Righetti High School to take on the local Law Enforcement All-Stars on March 31. The Wizards, known for their on-court antics and high-flying dunks, have toured worldwide since 1962, playing in more than 6,000 games in 22 countries. Making their inaugural appearance in […]