RYAN MILLER
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Keep your healthy New Year’s resolution

Shinjin Karate’s fitness program will have you tightening that black belt in no time
by RYAN MILLER

The warehouse on Frontage Road is conspicuously empty and quiet. At 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, a group of women will spread through the large space, running through a variety of karate workouts, maybe kicking at the three long black bags that hang near one wall like ominous cocoons. But for now, the room is still, […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Stefanie Clark

by RYAN MILLER

Stefanie Clark is training for a smoker. There’s not necessarily one in her immediate future—none have been scheduled that she knows of—but she’s training nonetheless. Clark practices Muay Thai (essentially Thai kickboxing), and a smoker is an unsanctioned fight. Despite the mysterious-sounding name and description, there’s not any back-alley brawling involved. A smoker is simply […]

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Let Peoples’ Self-Help Housing allay your fears

by RYAN MILLER

Worries of questionable mortgages may plague homebuyers in today’s market, but Peoples’ Self-Help Housing is helping put those fears to rest with a predatory lending seminar on Jan. 14. Brian Kerrigan, housing counselor for Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, will lead the free event, sponsored by Bank of America, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, and Rabobank. The seminar runs […]

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New site points searchers to healthcare providers

by RYAN MILLER

Find the perfect dentist you’ve been searching for all these years with help from centralcoasthealthsource.com. The site compiles information and profiles on local healthcare providers, including doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies, all sorted by areas of expertise. There’s no medical advice on the San Luis Obispo-based site, but it does encourage Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, […]

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Lunch with Andy Caldwell

by RYAN MILLER

Have a bite to eat, and learn a little more about COLAB at the same time. Andy Caldwell, founding executive director for the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture, and Business, Santa Barbara County, will speak at the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Development Committee luncheon on Jan. 20. Caldwell hosts a radio talk show […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Special athletes need stellar volunteers

Northern Santa Barbara County’s Special Olympics wants you to chaperone
by RYAN MILLER

    When athletes test their bodies and wills at Northern Santa Barbara County Special Olympics’ area games at Vandenberg Air Force Base in April, the base will provide its own volunteers to make sure the track and field events run smoothly.     When competitors need help with drills at their weekly basketball practice, or tips […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Jonathan Ramirez

by RYAN MILLER

His jersey says he’s No. 1, and so does his coach.     Jonathan Ramirez plays for the Allan Hancock College men’s basketball team, and Head Coach Ralph Gorton can’t say enough good things about him: Ramirez has the “kind of maturity all coaches would like to have.” “He’s a coach’s dream.” “He’s our best player.” […]

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Think outside the page

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic is seeking to build up its programs in the Santa Maria area
by RYAN MILLER

Here’s the deal: You’re blind, and you want to find out what happened to Harry Potter in the last book of J. K. Rowling’s series, so you check out a stack of CDs from the library and let narrator Jim Dale’s crisp British accent bring the halls of Hogwarts to life.     A few chapters […]

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Need housing? Maybe he can help …

by RYAN MILLER

Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, a nonprofit that develops affordable housing and community services for low-income households and homeownership opportunities for working families, has a new manager of housing development-rental.     Executive Director Jeanette Duncan noted Ken Trigueiro’s promotion in a press release. Trigueiro has been with the group since 2005. He previously worked in banking and […]

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Network away in Buellton

by RYAN MILLER

It’s a new year, full of new opportunities. Tap into some of them by networking at the Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association meeting on Jan. 13 at 8:30 a.m.     Kathy Janega-Dykes, CEO of the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau and Film Commission, and economist Kenneth Harwood will talk about the state of the […]

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