Donations from a small group of community members, foundations, and businesses allowed Allan Hancock College to announce at a press conference on Dec. 13 the start of its five-year, $10 million endowment campaign to support the Hancock Promise program, which will give local high school graduates a free first year of tuition and fees at […]
Kasey Bubnash
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Lawsuit seeks court-ordered reforms for treatment of inmates in Santa Barbara County Jail
From September 2016 to January 2017, at least 12 prisoners in the Santa Barbara County Jail attempted to kill themselves while inside isolation cells, according to court documents. That’s more than one suicide attempt every two weeks. One inmate, Hector Higareda, died on Oct. 16, 2016, after hanging himself in one of the jail’s isolation […]
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Local homelessness support organizations merge
The Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness (C3H) Policy Council voted on Dec. 14 to consolidate its services with Home For Good Santa Barbara County, a community-led action plan aimed at ending homelessness that will effectively replace C3H. The vote signals an effort to improve the core functions of C3H, an alliance of government agencies and […]
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SMPD arrests man for alleged Christmas tree arson
A Guadalupe man was arrested outside the Santa Maria Police Department on Dec. 17 after he allegedly ignited the department’s lobby Christmas tree, causing major damages to the building. Steven Minami, 23, arrived at the police department a little before 4 a.m. that morning, according to Lt. Terry Flaa, where the suspect used the lobby […]
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FDA clears new valley fever diagnosis process
A Utah-based molecular diagnostics company, DxNA, began the process of manufacturing equipment for its new testing process for rapid detection of valley fever after the company announced on Dec. 6 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the test for marketing. The test, according to DxNA Vice President of Marketing and Sales Lori […]
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Smoke from wildfires spurs school closures
The particles of drifting smoke and ash from the Thomas Fire did more than ominously rain down from the sky and pile up on cars on Dec. 10 and in the days following—it caused air quality so poor that schools across Santa Barbara County closed mid-December and local fire departments distributed free N-95 facemasks to […]
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You better watch out: Santa Maria Police and county organizations use state support to battle impaired driving
It was nearly midnight, and Todd was drunk again. His addiction to drinking had cost him almost everything over the years, including his marriage, several jobs, and four driving under the influence (DUI) citations, which he said cost about $10,000 each. By Jan. 18, 2016, his parents were fed up, too, and they kicked him […]
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Allan Hancock College refinances Bond Measure I as projects move forward
Allan Hancock College recently refinanced Bond Measure I, which was passed by voters in 2006 and used to fund $180 million in facility and technology improvements on the college’s campus. The refinancing process is expected to save taxpayers nearly $10.3 million over the bond’s lifetime. The bond refinancing process is similar to home mortgage refinancing, […]
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Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians donates laptops to local schools
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians recently delivered laptop computers and mobile charging carts to two Santa Barbara County schools as part of its Technology in Schools Program. The Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy and Cabrillo High School each received 35 Google Chromebooks and a mobile charging cart, which were wheeled into class by […]
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City officials work to rally community support for recently adopted youth safety plan
Community members and city officials have spent months arguing over ways to best reduce youth violence in Santa Maria, and an end to the battle is not in sight. City officials are taking their first steps toward implementing the city’s newly adopted youth safety plan, which was drafted by the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth […]
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Greater number of valley fever cases reported on the Central Coast
It was 2006 when the Perkins wildfire devastated parts of the Cuyuma Valley. As captain of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s hand crew, Rob Hazard spent more than a week installing hand and bulldozer lines to help suppress the fire. The crew used several bulldozers, and Hazard said he remembers fighting various spot fires […]
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Broken pipe causes damage and closures to East Battles Road
A fire hydrant pipe broke near the intersection of East Battles Road and South Broadway on Dec. 4, causing the pavement to buckle, which led to a lengthy lane closure on Battles. The water pipe was repaired by 8 a.m. the following morning, and water service was restored to Rabobank, which had no water access […]