Your weekly dose of local news, arts, and culture. Our News Wire newsletter lands every Thursday with the stories shaping Northern Santa Barbara County
Lompoc’s Alex Taylor and Tamara Cravit met online in 1998, back before it was trendy to do so. “We met in a chat room on IRC, how sad is that?” Alex said with a laugh. The couple had already been planning a commitment ceremony in their synagogue when the California Supreme Court ruling legalizing […]
Delegates from Santa Barbara County recently attended a meeting with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in San Francisco to talk about the natural resources of the Outer Continental Shelf and, more specifically, the future of offshore drilling. The meeting was one of four regional meetings around the country held by the Department of […]
The Santa Maria Speedway—kicking off its 2009 season on April 25—is under new management this year. That would be 39-year-old Chris Kearns, a former racer who started promoting three years ago. Kearns was doing just that (promoting, not racing) at the Santa Maria Town Center on April 18, along with 30 of the cars that […]
Allan Hancock College is enjoying a great track and field season. Even with the track team pushed to practice at Santa Maria High School because of the Hancock track’s poor condition, nine Hancock athletes were ranked in the top 10 in the Western State Conference in 13 different events. So why does track and field […]
On May 19, voters will be presented with a handful of propositions designed by the state Legislature to help close California’s $42 billion deficit. Two of those propositions—1D and 1E—directly impact programs in the state health care system. Some health-care experts are worried that the propositions’ passage would hurt more than it would help. “The […]
Members of the 30th Medical Group from Vandenberg Air Force Base will be taking part in a humanitarian air mission to provide medical care to rural areas of Costa Rica. According to a press release from the base’s public affairs office, the 30th Medical Group, along with specialists from Lackland and Bolling Air Force bases, […]
Caren Ray teaches social sciences at Santa Maria High School. Throughout her career, she’s taught that subject at the advanced placement and honors level, as well as to learning-handicapped students. She’s currently working on her administrative credential. She’s on track to have her master’s degree completed in July. She also recently received a pink slip. […]
Patricia Hilliard sits behind her desk in the Santa Maria Town Center general manager’s office. Ansel Adams photographs dot the walls. Blueprints, lease paperwork, and all manner of this-and-that related to running the Central Coast’s largest enclosed retail center fill the room. The Santa Maria Town Center boasts 268,000 square feet of gross leasable space. […]
It was a sea of pink outside Santa Maria High School on March 13 when teachers, students, administrators, and their supporters gathered in protest over budget cuts to state educational funding. The demonstration, which organizers said attracted more than 1,000 people, was just one of many “Pink Friday” rallies across the state to protest Gov. […]
As the sun went down and temperatures dropped on March 4, people gathered at the corner of Main and Broadway to take part in a candlelight vigil and march on Santa Maria City Hall. In a matter of hours, the California Supreme Court would hear arguments in the legal challenges against Proposition 8, that divisive […]
The Santa Maria High School swim team’s roster listed less than 30 kids at the end of 2007. Last year was Santa Maria High’s swimming coach Caren Ray’s first time back after an eight-year hiatus. She ended the season with 78 kids on the team. This year, Ray and her coaching staff—co-coach Jamie Mcgray and […]
Jacob Cano is quite the triple threat: The 16-year-old junior plays baseball, basketball, and football for St. Joseph High School. Cano led the Knights in three-pointers, including a spectacular mid-court score at the buzzer last week against Santa Maria. He’s also the Knights’ leading scorer, averaging 15 points a game, according to Coach Ed Torres. […]
