The man shot and killed by a Chumash Casino security officer on Feb. 20 had been banned from the property since November 2017, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Jose Guido, 37, was killed near a parking structure on casino grounds at 2:15 a.m. that day after allegedly trespassing and refusing to leave […]
SPENCER COLE
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Lompoc police seek help to ID stabbing, robbery suspects
The Lompoc Police Department requested help from the public on Feb. 27, following a robbery at a 7-Eleven convenience store at 1337 N. H St. Police spokespersons said in a statement that the crime occurred just after 2:30 a.m. The suspect reportedly entered the business armed with a pistol and a large knife and punched […]
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High and dry: Parched wet season leaves water mavens wary of future
When it comes to the question of “is California in a drought?” The answer depends on who you ask. On Feb. 6, the U.S. Drought Monitor listed Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties as experiencing what it called “severe drought” conditions. The designation is the third in five total levels on the monitor’s scale—compiled […]
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Residents speak in favor of proposed trail between Santa Maria, Guadalupe
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting on Feb. 13 was filled with lengthy public comment, largely related to a proposed hiking and biking trail between the cities of Guadalupe and Santa Maria. The speakers that day requested that the trail be placed on the supervisors’ next possible agenda. “When you think about Guadalupe’s […]
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Guadalupe City Council bans commercial cannabis businesses for now
Another Central Coast community will not allow commercial cannabis businesses to operate within its borders as of Feb. 13. The Guadalupe City Council voted to ban all but medical deliveries of the plant at its meeting that night. The urgency ordinance passed unanimously and prevents city staff from being forced to issue recreational permits and […]
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Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office investigating fatal shooting at Chumash Casino
Gunshots rang out across the Santa Ynez Valley in the early hours of Feb. 20. When the sun rose a few hours later, one man was dead. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover told the Sun that a security officer at the Chumash Casino had shot a yet-to-be-identified male subject at around […]
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Spotlight on: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Aaron Pisk, marketing manager
Dick’s Sporting Goods is set to celebrate its grand opening at Enos Ranch (775 E. Betteravia Road) in Santa Maria on Friday, Feb. 23. The major retail chain announced that it planned to host a “three-day celebration” at its newest store and that former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and broadcaster Don Sutton will make an […]
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Perfect pairing: Cottonwood Canyon Winery offers a unique Santa Maria Valley setting
On the eastern rim of the Santa Maria Valley, the landscape rolls into hill country and the wine flows. Cottonwood Canyon Winery is a sprawling 70-acre property just west of the San Rafael Mountains, a few miles east of Orcutt off Clark Avenue. The venue offers multiple ceremony spaces, including a large amphitheater that can […]
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Spotlight on: The Bookworm
Darin Gabler, owner
There aren’t a lot of bookstores in Santa Maria, let alone locally owned ones. That’s what makes a place like The Bookworm on Betteravia such a special gem. The small, shotgun-style shop packed wall-to-wall with books of all genres, first hit the scene in 2005. Seven years later, when its founder, Sheila Butterworth, expressed a […]
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Vandenberg primed for 2018’s first West Coast SpaceX launch
The first SpaceX launch of the new year is set for Vandenberg Air Force base one week after the company blasted into the national spotlight with the successful launch of the Falcon Heavy—the most powerful actively used rocket on the market—from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Feb. 6. While the launch will only feature the diminutive […]
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DOJ arrests Montecito man for investment fraud
Federal agents arrested a Montecito man on Feb. 7 for defrauding investors in two multi-million dollar investment schemes. Efstratios “Elias” Argyropoulos, 71, was arrested at his office in Santa Barbara, according to a statement by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Argyropoulos pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court the day of his arrest and was […]
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Fresno businessman shorts Lompoc, Santa Maria companies on herbs and spices
A Fresno businessman will pay $20,000 in penalties following the resolution of a class action lawsuit filed by the Santa Barbara and Fresno counties district attorney’s offices. Alejandro Alonso and his company, Alonso Imports, were found guilty of selling products at less than their advertised weight to businesses in Santa Maria and Lompoc. According to […]