Santa Barbara County is an agriculturally focused region where crops are often located at the center of cities, butting right up against neighborhoods and local businesses. This prevalence of in-city crops presents the possibility of exposing closely neighboring residents to pesticides, including students and staff at some of Santa Maria Valley’s K-through-12 schools. Because of […]
Kasey Bubnash
Posted inNews
Santa Maria DUI checkpoint results in unlicensed driving citations
A recent DUI checkpoint arranged by the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) didn’t nab any intoxicated drivers. None of the 550 drivers screened on Nov. 11 were arrested for drug or alcohol impaired driving, but 11 were sited for driving without a valid license. SMPD’s Traffic Unit has conducted several DUI checkpoints throughout the last […]
Posted inNews
Warming centers provide shelter to homeless during winter months
Despite California’s famously warm and sunny weather, winter months still bring rain and nighttime temperatures that dip below freezing—conditions that can and have claimed lives. A homeless man, Freedom, died on Santa Barbara’s streets during such weather conditions in 2009. The incident sparked pressure from community members for the development of local warming centers, short-term […]
Posted inNews
Registration season coming for students at Allan Hancock College
Allan Hancock College’s winter and spring class schedules are now available for viewing on the school’s website, and open registration for all students begins on Nov. 18. Hancock will offer more than 30 classes running five weeks or less during winter session, which begins the week of Dec. 18. More than 1,200 classes will be […]
Posted inNews
Righetti High School mourns student’s suicide
A 14-year-old Ernest Righetti High School student killed herself on Nov. 1 at about 8 p.m., according to Lt. Kevin Huddle of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Huddle said the student, Kiya McBride, died in her Orcutt home that evening. The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District was informed of McBride’s death the […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria Future Farmers of America team nationally recognized
A Santa Maria Future Farmers of America (FFA) team placed fourth at the recent National FFA Milk Quality and Dairy Products Contest. The Santa Maria Milk Quality and Dairy Products Team, coached by Mark Powell, consists of high school juniors Jennifer De Leon and Ariana Romero-Gutierrez, and seniors Rosalva Diaz and Monserrat Nolasco. Nolasco, in […]
Posted inNews
San Lucas Ranch applies for second restraining order against county and supervisors over Camp 4
Santa Ynez Valley landowners who filed a lawsuit against the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 24 applied for a second temporary restraining order against the supervisors on Nov. 2. Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Donna Geck denied the initial request, filed by San Lucas Ranch, for a temporary restraining order against […]
Posted inNews
Suspects arrested in separate kidnapping and stabbing cases on Nov. 4
A Santa Maria man was arrested on Nov. 4 after allegedly kidnapping a 3-year-old boy and then hitting a pedestrian while fleeing with the child in a vehicle. Suspect Paul Maldonado, 30, reportedly kidnapped a child, stole a car, and drove away, according to a Santa Maria Police Department press release. Witnesses told police the […]
Posted inNews
Dreaming of fields: Locals fight for athletics to curb youth violence while Santa Maria’s soccer complex plans stall
A vibrant image from 2016 shows the corner where West Stowell Road and South Depot Street meet. But instead of the strawberry field that exists there now, the design shows a bustling park with six regulation-sized soccer fields at its center, and another junior-sized field. Surrounding those vast grounds are six half-court basketball courts, two […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approve Camp 4 deal
Despite months of intense debate, outcry from Santa Ynez Valley community members on both sides of the issue, and various legal threats and filings, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors officially entered into an agreement with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians on Oct. 31 regarding Camp 4. The supervisors voted 4-1 in […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria police work to decrease prevalence of hit-and-run traffic indicents
A Santa Maria man was killed near the intersection of North Broadway and Williams Street on Oct. 21, when a car collided with him. The driver fled without stopping. The victim, 74-year-old Armando Recendis-Alanis, was riding his bicycle on Williams across the intersection at about 5 p.m., according to a Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) […]
Posted inNews
Collaborative on Homelessness partnered with police for enforcement operation
The Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) reported nine citations and one arrest that resulted from the department’s Alcoholic Beverage Control enforcement operation on Oct. 28. The Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness (C3H) had a staff member tag along on the mission. During the operation, funded by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Grant Assistance […]