A recent traffic report conducted by the Santa Maria Public Works Department revealed what many Santa Marians already knew: The intersection at North Depot and West Fesler streets is congested and dangerous. The traffic study was done as part of an environmental impact report (EIR) that was completed when plans were made to develop a […]
Kasey Bubnash
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Lompoc man suspected of attempted murder of police officer
Lompoc resident Steve Aguilar was arrested on Aug. 1 on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly driving his vehicle at a Lompoc Police Department (LPD) officer, who then fired shots at the suspect. No officers were injured in the incident and although Aguilar was not hurt by the gunfire, he did sustain minor injuries from […]
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Rep. Salud Carbajal works to improve the Affordable Care Act in the face of Republican repeal efforts
After an unusually sickly childhood filled with doctor appointments, chronic ear infections, and seemingly untreatable allergies, Baylee Gregory of Lompoc finally discovered why she, unlike her five siblings, was always so unhealthy. Baylee was 14 when she was diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency, a disease that severely weakens the immune system. Baylee’s mother, Annette, explains […]
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Lompoc elementary students receive free bikes and helmets
The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition gave refurbished bicycles and new helmets to 30 elementary students from La Canada and La Honda elementary schools as part of the first Open Streets Lompoc, an event that provided a mile of motor-vehicle-free space in downtown Lompoc for play and exercise. Open Streets Lompoc ran from 4 to 8 […]
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Guadalupe woman killed by passenger train
A Guadalupe woman was killed on July 24 after her Saturn SUV was hit by an Amtrak passenger train on the 4500 block of West Main Street in Guadalupe. The car was on the tracks at about 3 p.m. when the train collided with it, causing the vehicle to spin off the tracks and flip […]
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Sheriff’s Office uncovers black market for stolen agricultural equipment
A lengthy investigation by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office uncovered thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen property, resulting in several arrests. The arrests also resulted in a major decline in reports of agricultural thefts in the Santa Maria Valley, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The investigation, driven by the Sheriff’s Office’s Rural Crimes Unit, […]
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Allan Hancock College to relocate Solvang Center to Santa Ynez
Allan Hancock College recently announced plans to relocate its Solvang Center from Alisal Road in the Solvang Village Center to Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in an effort to increase its presence and offer more classes and services to residents in the Santa Ynez Valley. The relocated and thusly retitled Santa Ynez Valley Center […]
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Animal Services, community help find temporary homes for evacuated pets and livestock
When Jen Ellis told her children they wouldn’t be going home, they cried. After a long Saturday spent preparing for 4-H competitions at the Santa Barbara County Fair in Santa Maria, Ellis and her children made their way home to the Cachuma Village near Santa Ynez. But as the family pulled through town, Ellis said […]
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Tiny houses, big dreams: CET plans to donate houses to those without
Steve Del Real said he watched his students at the Center for Employment Training (CET) build miniature, almost fully working homes for years as a part of the hands-on learning experience provided in Del Real’s curriculum for the Green Building Construction Skills class. The students would build the homes up, only to have the projects […]
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Guadalupe man killed in rollover crash
Edgar Contreras-Argote of Guadalupe died early July 17 in a single-car rollover on Brown Road just outside Santa Maria. The 22-year-old was pronounced dead at 6:26 a.m. when county fire, American Medical Response, California Highway Patrol, and the Santa Maria Fire Department responded to the incident, according to county Fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni. Contreras-Argote was […]