An unoccupied building on the 800 block of West Church Street in Santa Maria was destroyed by a fire on April 1. The building, which has been used for various purposes in the past, was reportedly fully engulfed in flames when the Santa Maria Fire Department arrived on scene at about 6:30 a.m. that day, […]
Kasey Bubnash
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Teen arrested in connection with carjackings, another suspect at large
A 15-year-old was arrested on March 30 during a Santa Maria Police Department investigation into several reports of carjackings and robberies that day. Another suspect thought to be involved in the incidents has not been apprehended as of March 31, according to the department. The 15-year-old suspect was arrested by police after a resident reported […]
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Nipomo High School students and faculty happily stranded on Ag Island
Community members watched as Christine Ready, an agricultural science teacher at Nipomo High School, poured acetic acid into a glass flask containing sodium bicarbonate. The ingredients—more commonly referred to as vinegar and baking soda—combined to create carbon dioxide, a gas that Ready said can smother flames. “It’s actually the same principle used in fire extinguishers,” […]
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Second sexual assault lawsuit filed against Church for Life and former pastors
A second civil lawsuit was filed against two former Santa Maria residents and pastors on March 7, accusing them of sexual battery, harassment, assault, and gender violence. The suit, which was filed in Santa Maria Superior Court anonymously by three women, also claims that Santa Maria’s Church for Life failed to appropriately investigate the women’s […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria Swim Club
The Santa Maria Swim Club sent eight swimmers to Orlando, Florida, on March 13 for the Next College Student Athlete Junior National Championships, an intense competition where many young athletes are scouted by college coaches for the first time. More than 1,600 swimmers from across the nation competed at the meet. Central Coast New Tech […]
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Santa Maria residents complete Peoples’ Self-Help Housing’s Neighborhood Child Care Licensing Project
Elvia Salazar and Guadalupe Mendoza sat at a small table inside the Los Adobes de Maria II Education Center and smiled as they discussed their future plans. They’d both love to own houses one day—they currently rent Los Adobes apartments in Santa Maria through Peoples’ Self-Help Housing—but Salazar laughed as she said a vacation would […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Jennifer Ballesteros
Despite several serious injuries to her forearm and shoulder, Santa Maria High School senior Jennifer Ballesteros battled her way to this season’s California Interscholastic Federation Girls Wrestling Championships. There, according to Jose Torres, head coach of Santa Maria High School’s girls wrestling team, Ballesteros took first in her league and second at regionals. Ballesteros fought […]
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Local students participate in National School Walkout despite weapon scare
Tears welled up in Gretchen Harrelson’s eyes as she watched 16-year-old Jenna Santana belt out an emotional rendition of “Rise Up” by Andra Day. A technology issue had caused Santana’s accompanying music to unexpectedly stop, but she continued on—singing acapella—despite the glaring musical halt. The audience, mostly made up of Santana’s classmates and teachers, gave […]
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Guadalupe Union School District Superintendent Ed Cora announces resignation
The decision to leave Guadalupe Union School District wasn’t an easy one to make. “Any time you have strong relationships, it’s always hard,” Ed Cora, superintendent of the Guadalupe Union School District, said. “But then you think about new opportunities and the opportunity to make a difference for a larger group of students.” That possibility […]
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Five-year contract between Dignity Health and workers expected to protect jobs
Roughly 15,000 healthcare workers in California ratified a five-year contract on March 16 with Dignity Health, a nonprofit health care corporation that announced plans to merge with another nonprofit, Catholic Health Initiatives, in December 2017. The agreement, which will apply to 708 workers at Marian Medical and Marian Extended Care centers in Santa Maria, will […]
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Santa Barbara County Commission for Women to host listening sessions in Guadalupe and Santa Maria
Fears of deportation, sexual harassment, rape culture, and discrimination are just some of the topics that will be welcomed and up for discussion at the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women’s upcoming Women Speak Up events. The Commission for Women, which hosted four Women Speak Up events in southern Santa Barbara County earlier this month, […]
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Outside expert health care reports echo previous investigation into Santa Barbara County Jail conditions
Several documents, including medical and mental health care reports on the Santa Barbara County Jail, were filed in court on March 6 as part of a federal class action lawsuit against Santa Barbara County and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the jail. The complaint, which was originally filed on Dec. 6 last […]
