A chain of Central Coast pet stores announced it would no longer sell puppies in early April, and now it’s closing store locations in Santa Maria and Pismo Beach. On April 25, Animal Kingdom Pet Shop closed its store in the Santa Maria Town Center Mall after six years in that location, leaving behind an […]
Kasey Bubnash
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Future Leaders call for changes to graduation requirements in rowdy forum
A community forum hosted by Future Leaders of America (FLA) went awry on May 13, after students presenting on university entrance requirements cut off a school board member’s comments and attendees shouted her down. The forum was similar to one the organization hosted at the same time last year, where students presented data on the […]
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Locals and park goers workshop draft plan to reduce dust emitted by Oceano Dunes
It’s been more than 50 years since Jim Suty’s family first started traveling from the Bay Area to the Oceano Dunes. Since then, he can only remember three Thanksgiving dinners he’s spent away from the beach. To Suty, the debate over the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area is about more than just riding dirt […]
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Camp 4 bill passes House after months of volatility
It’s been a crazy few months for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and the tribe’s long-standing effort to get Camp 4 officially placed into trust is starting to seem like a never-ending rollercoaster. The Chumash got over another hump on that coaster on April 29, when the U.S. House of Representatives passed a […]
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Santa Maria resident offers emergency bystander training in wake of Oceano shooting
It’s been about a year since Santa Maria resident Scott Hunter retired after 30 years in firefighting and started offering free classes to Central Coast residents on ways to block massive bleeding injuries during violent incidents. The classes are part of a national awareness campaign called Stop the Bleed, which Hunter said was first launched […]
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New law aims to thwart use of ‘puppy mills,’ but loopholes have made for slower progress than animal advocates hoped for
A few quiet conversations halted as Commissioner Leslie Kraut re-entered the Grover Beach courtroom with a coffee mug in hand. It had been a long morning for the courthouse staff. Since 8 a.m. on April 26, they’d been intently listening to the contrasting allegations—some backed, others seemingly baseless—strewn about by a number of enraged Central […]
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County probation receives national training to improve juvenile justice system
Santa Barbara County has been working for years to better aid at-risk youth and their families through its juvenile detention system. Now the Probation Department is getting help in that work—it recently announced that its staff were chosen to attend a national training dedicated to reimagining juvenile justice. On April 17, the Santa Barbara County […]
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Some local growers face new regulations in wake of E. coli outbreaks
Several Santa Barbara County lettuce farmers will soon have to adhere to a new set of food and safety standards that were adopted in response to recent outbreaks of E. coli in romaine lettuce. The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA), a voluntary membership program that was formed to ensure the safety of California-grown leafy […]
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Joseph Domingues
Not everyone gets to attend their dream college, but last week, St. Joseph High School student and track athlete Joseph Domingues landed himself a guaranteed slot at his. On April 24, Domingues signed his letter of intent with the U.S. Naval Academy, an event that was the culmination of nearly four years of hard work, […]
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Working parents face child care issues over spring break
The week of April 22 to 26 was one of relaxation and fun for many of Santa Maria’s kids, most of whom were on spring break. But for many working parents in the Santa Maria Valley, spring break—and school breaks in general—can bring on different emotions. It’s not always easy to get time off of […]
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Guadalupe residents share ideas for improvements
A group of a dozen or so Guadalupe residents trailed slowly behind Josh Meyer and Michael Moule as they walked down Guadalupe Street on April 22. Moule, a traffic engineer, seemed to study every aspect of the street as he walked, peering over sidewalk curbs into gutters, pushing on street sign posts to check for […]
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CAUSE releases data from ‘hard to reach’ residents
Housing and access to higher education are the key issues addressed in a recently released report, the product of nearly a year of surveys and town halls to gather input from what CAUSE calls “hard to reach residents.” Leaders from CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy) called a press conference outside […]
