A Santa Maria bookkeeper has pleaded not guilty after being indicted on federal charges of identity theft, filing fraudulent tax returns and loan applications, and then lying about it to federal investigators. On May 17, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Imelda Sanchez, 39, of Nipomo, had been arrested after a nearly four-year joint […]
MATT FOUNTAIN
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Define ‘collective’
The first in a series of complex medical marijuana trials is set to begin
It’s been nearly six months, but the first in a series of trials for the San Luis Obispo County residents arrested after a controversial December 2010 SLO Narcotics Task Force investigation into medical marijuana collective members may finally get underway May 26. Or maybe not. Before the trial began, attorneys on both sides of the […]
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North County jail on the chopping block once again
This fiscal year has brought another round of tough choices for Santa Barbara County officials in light of a severe $72 million budget shortfall. The story has become a familiar one, but this year could be one of the worst in terms of public safety and legal services. If all plays out as proposed in […]
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Goleta double homicide from 1981 linked to Original Night Stalker case
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department officials have positively linked a 1981 double-homicide in Goleta to the Original Night Stalker, a serial killer believed to have terrorized Sacramento, Ventura, and Orange counties in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The department announced May 5 that with the help of advances in DNA technology, investigators were able […]
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Down–but not out
A former SLO County dispensary owner reflects on his legal battles and the ongoing discrepancy between state and federal law
Over the past year, a city far north of the Santa Barbara County line has been kicking around the idea of allowing up to two medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within city limits. But that discussion—which has sent both accolades and finger-wagging in the city council’s direction—seems to be dead in the water, at least […]
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Lompoc Chamber names a new CEO
Just three months after the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau picked an interim president to replace long-time president Denny Anderson, it announced it will again have a home-grown permanent CEO starting in July. Ken Ostini, a third-generation Lompocan, was selected from a candidate pool of 60 people from around the country to […]
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Second Time Around thrift shop to close its doors
After more than 15 years of serving the community of Lompoc and supporting countless victims of domestic violence in Santa Barbara County, a longtime local nonprofit is being forced to shut its doors. Second Time Around, a Lompoc thrift store that benefits the nonprofit organization Domestic Violence Solutions, will close its doors May 20. According […]
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Lompoc City Council to hear Walmart expansion appeal
The city of Lompoc might have signed off on the proposed expansion of the Walmart on West Central Avenue, but a number of residents opposed to the project still have a few options. The grassroots organization Citizens Against Walmart Expansion filed an appeal to the project’s development plan on Feb. 22, and has since retained […]
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The home stretch
Construction of the long-awaited Willow Road extension could be completed by November 2012
More than 30 years after it was proposed to prepare the community for the eventual development of the Nipomo Mesa, the ambitious—and sometimes controversial—Willow Road Extension Project is on its final leg. Construction crews broke ground on the second and final phase of the project in early April, when the Central Coast-based Granite Construction Co. […]
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County health: Premature death is mostly preventable
More than 28 percent of all deaths in Santa Barbara County in 2008 happened prematurely, and the top reasons for those deaths were largely preventable, according to a report released by the county public health department. The 2011 Community Health Status Report—released April 15—examines the leading causes of illness and death in Santa Barbara County […]
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Ventura councilman appointed to Coastal Commission seat
After nearly two decades without a local official filling a seat at the powerful California Coastal Commission, Ventura County was shown a little love by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown. Brian Brennan, a three-term councilman and former mayor for the city of Ventura, was announced as Brown’s selection to represent Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis […]
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Child endangerment charge dropped
Nearly five months after an extensive San Luis Obispo County Narcotics Task Force investigation led to the arrests of 15 members of medical marijuana collectives and a host of criminal accusations, one defendant has learned he won’t be facing child endangerment charges. Steven Gordon, a former firefighter—who, as operator of the Pismo Beach mobile dispensary […]
