Amid a statewide shortage of agricultural labor and housing, San Luis Obispo County is looking at overhauling its farmworker housing regulations, which has been criticized by industry members as too restrictive. County officials held a public workshop on Oct. 16 to outline the direction of the new housing ordinance and receive feedback. Proposed reforms include […]
PETER JOHNSON
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SLO County investigates Abel Maldonado for alleged cannabis or hemp grow
As San Luis Obispo County ramps up enforcement against illegal cannabis grows in the area, officials say they are investigating what appears to be a large, unlicensed cannabis farm on land owned by former Republican Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado. Discovered recently by the SLO County Sheriff’s Office, the farm in question is “at least 30 […]
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Solvang’s Will Rodgers teams up with dad’s brewery to launch NASCAR career
Will Rodgers triumphantly stood atop his black race car—the No. 7 Solvang Brewing Company Ford—with both arms and index fingers raised to the sky and confetti raining down over him. The 22-year-old from Solvang basked in the sweet taste of victory on Sept. 16, having claimed his second-ever NASCAR win at New Jersey Motorsports Park. […]
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Annie Ackert
Santa Ynez Valley High School’s Annie Ackert has veteran-level water polo experience despite her young years—and despite only picking up the sport as a freshman. As a sophomore, the now-junior utility player put in two goals in the 2017 CIF Southern Section Division 7 championship game, helping lead the Pirates to their first-ever title. The […]
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Righetti and Lompoc boys, Santa Ynez girls climb prep soccer standings
On a very chilly soccer field at Pioneer Valley High School on Jan. 19, two crosstown rivals clashed until things got heated. With fourth place at stake in the PAC-8 standings, the Pioneer Valley and Righetti high school varsity boys battled it out in a rough, high-intensity match under the lights. Both teams’ goalkeepers suffered […]
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BENCHWARMER: New year, new goals
It’s a brand new year, folks, and while the rest of you are counting calories, swearing less, and otherwise changing your lives with 2018 resolutions, I’m over here (on the bench) thinking about more important things. I’m tackling big questions this year, you know, like how can I be a better sports fan? Should I […]
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Elihu Cobb
St. Joseph High School senior Elihu Cobb says he could hang on the rim since he started playing basketball in sixth grade. By seventh grade, he could dunk at ease. “I’ve always been the tallest guy on my team—tall and lanky,” Cobb said. Now some six years later, the Knights’ 6-foot-7-inch center can be seen […]
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Catching up with Elias ‘Buddy’ Garcia, aka Buddy Royal, and his progress in pro wrestling
During the day, he’s Elias “Buddy” Garcia, a local high school coach, aspiring teacher, and all-around nice guy. But at night, he turns into “Buddy Royal,” a menacing villain wreaking havoc on his opponents in wrestling rings. Since he started training for pro wrestling six years ago, Garcia has honed his character into a national […]
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Danielle Morgan
Danielle Morgan is the lone senior on the Lompoc High School basketball team this season. Luckily for the Braves, she’s also one of the top ballers on the Central Coast. The 5-foot-10 small forward is averaging an eye-popping 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game in the early going, […]
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Decades of Santa Maria boxing history displayed at city library
Boxing has a rich history in Santa Maria. From the teams at Santa Maria High School in the late 1940s and 1950s, to the popularity of the sport among service members at Camp Cook (today known as Vandenberg Air Force Base), to local amateur standouts like Blas Torrez in the 1950s, to professional boxers who […]
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Rigoberto Maldonado
Pioneer Valley High School senior Rigoberto Maldonado is a man of few words. He lets his play on the soccer field do the talking. The soft-spoken striker has compiled five goals during the Panthers’ blazing-hot 4-1 start to the winter season, including a two-goal effort on Dec. 8 against crosstown rival Santa Maria High School […]
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Zane Sheckherd
Righetti High School senior Zane Sheckherd, and the rest of the Warriors girls’ basketball team, got all geared up for their first games of the 2017-18 season on Dec. 8 for a preseason tournament in San Marcos. But then the Southern California wildfires broke out, and plans changed. “It got canceled,” Sheckherd told the Sun. […]