Guadalupe city employees were suddenly informed last year that they would no longer be eligible for merit-based salary step increases. Now the city is fighting an unfair practices charge filed by union representatives of those employees, and both parties are awaiting a judge’s decision on the case. The complaint, which is being handled by the […]
Kasey Bubnash
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Athlete of the week
Dominic Marshall
He may be just 7 years old, but Dominic Marshall can already kick through a slab of wood a few inches thick. It’s a feat that could seem almost impossible to most, but for kids like Marshall, who trains for about three hours a week at Rising Sun Martial Arts Academy, breaking barriers is all […]
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Hancock president discusses future without Measure Y
Allan Hancock College lost out on millions of dollars on Election Day, and although officials are already working to find backup funding, renovations are going to be a challenge. Despite an extensive campaign effort and what appeared to be vast community support, Santa Barbara County residents voted against Hancock’s proposed $75 million bond on Nov. […]
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County adoption celebration event highlights issues faced by foster care community
Not every child who needs a family gets one. That was the sentiment Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Arthur Garcia said he hoped community members would remember at an adoption celebration on Nov. 14, when nine former foster children were officially adopted by six families at the Santa Maria Juvenile Courthouse. The ceremony acted […]
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Chumash and Luiseño tribes file lawsuit against SoCal card rooms
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians released some of the details in a lawsuit that it and another tribe recently filed against several Southern California cardrooms, which the tribes say are operating games illegally. The complaint, filed in San Diego County Superior Court by the Chumash and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, alleges […]
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County to implement recommended restrictions on chlorpyrifos
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced recommended restrictions on a controversial pesticide on Nov. 15, and growers in Santa Barbara County will have to comply. The recommendations–including buffer zones, application guidelines, and discontinued use on most crops–further restrict the use of chlorpyrifos, a chemical insecticide used on California nut trees, and fruit, vegetable, […]
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Battery-powered addiction: Vapes may be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, but prevention specialists say the electronic devices are addicting youth to nicotine
Vapes may be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, but prevention specialists say the electronic devices are making youths addicted to nicotine
A few years ago, Hattie Bermudes didn’t even know what vapes were. Now she asks her kids about them nearly every day. As a mother of two San Marcos High School students and a member of the Parent Teacher Student Association, Bermudes spends a lot of time on school grounds, and within the past year […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Karli Huguenard
Ernest Righetti High School junior Karli Huguenard is more than just an outstanding cowgirl, she’s a mentor to other students hoping to show animals or compete in rodeos. Huguenard, a member of Righetti’s Rodeo Club, is also a part of the school’s Warrior Goat Group, a program designed to help kids with special needs and […]
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Guadalupe takes input on LeRoy Park repairs at community workshop
After a workshop on Nov. 11 where Guadalupe community members discussed the needs and future of LeRoy Park, it’s back to the drawing board for city staffers working to lay out plans for the park’s coming $4.5 million rehabilitation. Roughly 60 residents filled Guadalupe City Hall on Sunday to take part in the workshop, according […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Jarred Torres
Lompoc High School’s water polo team might not even exist today if it weren’t for senior Jarred Torres. Torres, who started playing water polo his freshman year, according to head coach Carl Thacker, has always been a committed athlete. But Torres went above and beyond last school year, when Lompoc High School officials failed to […]
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Hancock’s new ag club announces plans for trip to Sacramento
Allan Hancock College has a new club for students hoping to learn more about the local agricultural industry and legislation that affects it. The Young Farmers and Ranchers Club became an officially recognized college group on Hancock’s campus just this fall, according to Hancock ag instructor Erin Krier, who spent nearly a year working to […]
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Community Colleges chancellor visits Hancock to discuss system-wide changes
Community colleges throughout California have seen big, systematic changes in the last two years, and while many of those are still being implemented, even more are coming. In an effort to ease some of the “angst” spurred by recent modifications to the California Community Colleges system’s goals, funding formula, and student placement assessments, Chancellor Eloy […]
