Your weekly dose of local news, arts, and culture. Our News Wire newsletter lands every Thursday with the stories shaping Northern Santa Barbara County
[image-2] It’s that time again: The posters are up, the TV and radio ads are running, and election season is upon us. One of the choices voters in Northern Santa Barbara County will have on the June 8 ballot will be for 5th District County supervisor. Current 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno is retiring after […]
Last year, people marched down Broadway in Santa Maria to protest a record number of proposed teacher layoffs at local schools. This year, no permanent teachers are facing layoffs. In 2009, the Lucia Del Mar school district sent out pink slips to 229 teachers. This year it sent out 50. So why the pink slip […]
After nearly 12 years, the UPS Teleservices call center on Blosser and Betteravia roads will be closing its doors. UPS officials said the 260 employees were notified positions would begin to be eliminated starting in July, with the entire facility closing its doors by October. “We’re continually looking to evaluate the facilities and resources we […]
Hawks, Bruins, Mustangs, Spartans, Roadrunners, Northern Lights. These are just a few of the mascots that will have Santa Maria student-athletes playing for them come fall. A bumper crop of Santa Maria seniors will be attending college on athletic scholarships next year. Track, football, wrestling, water polo, and basketball are just a few of the […]
San Luis Obispo County officials have begun eminent domain proceedings to obtain the final parcels of land needed for the proposed Willow Road interchange in Nipomo. The first step of the process involved passing a “resolution of necessity,” which the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of on April 20. […]
Jeremy Rose isn’t entirely sure why he’s always been so fascinated by bees. He said he first got interested in the practice when a beekeeper removed a hive from a neighbor’s house. Or maybe it was the time in fourth grade when a swarm chased him and his friends off the playground. “I thought that […]
A couple of bored Eskimos were sitting around one afternoon wondering what to do with their leftover sealskins and some sticks. They already had igloos, so tent-making was out. Feeling that eking out an existence in one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth wasn’t manly enough, one of them had the idea to stretch […]
Anyone who’s ever filled out new hire paperwork for a job is familiar with the Federal I-9 form, which determines if an employee is eligible to work in the United States. Soon, such prospective workers in Santa Maria may have their documents checked against an electronic database administered by the Department of Homeland Security. A […]
These guys are basically thugs. They’re borderline criminals.” “The stuff they’ve been doing is harassment.” “They would go to people’s homes after dark.” “What they’re doing is blackmail.” These were just a few of the opinions—those that were fit to print anyway—voiced by local business owners who’ve dealt with Camarillo-based Carpenters Local 150. Exactly what […]
On a cold, wet Wednesday, the Sun showed up at the gates of Vandenberg Air Force Base to talk to some folks who were protesting against nuclear arms, the weaponization of space, and, more recently, ID checks for protestors. There was just one slight problem: the people the Sun had shown up to interview were […]
Think that kid looking to buy a pack of cigarettes is just thinking of starting up a new habit? Think again—especially in light of recently released information from the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. Underage decoys, working with the Sheriff’s Department, went into retail establishments throughout the county in an attempt to purchase tobacco […]
When the earth stopped shaking after the 2003 San Simeon earthquake and the smoke cleared from the 2004 Gaviota fires, emergency officials and local radio stations learned an important lesson about their disaster response plans: There was room for improvement. After the San Simeon quake, radio stations in Santa Maria that would normally have gotten […]
