Patrick Wiemiller, Lompoc’s at times embattled city manager, will take his services a few miles north, about 28 to be exact. In roughly three months, he will join Santa Maria as its new assistant city manager. Both cities made the announcement a little after 3 p.m. on Nov. 9. Lompoc’s public information officer, Samantha Scroggin, […]
SPENCER COLE
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Spotlight on: California’s Gas Tax
AAA Automobile Club of Southern California
California’s 12-cent gas tax hike kicked in on Nov. 1 and consumers almost instantly felt pain at the pumps. “The tax hike’s effect at many, but not all, gas pumps was immediate on Wednesday,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring in a statement. “While we believed the switch to the cheaper winter blend of gasoline […]
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Attorney claims youth client was beaten in Juvenile Hall lock-up
On Jan. 23, 2016, detainees at the Susan J. Gionfriddo Juvenile Justice Center in Santa Maria beat Paul Purter III while in lockup. The attack was brutal. More than once, Purter was kicked in the chest, head, and face. He suffered permanent optic nerve damage to his right eye and a contusion to his eye […]
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Human remains discovered north of Montecito
Santa Barbara County Sheriff deputies discovered human remains near an abandoned vehicle in a canyon north of Montecito on Nov. 3. In a press release from that day, the Sheriff’s Office said it was in the process of making a positive identification and that no additional information would be released due to the active investigation […]
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Few details released after attempted murder near Santa Maria High School
A man was shot in the foot on South Pine Street near Santa Maria High School on the evening of Nov. 3. Law enforcement says the suspect is not known at this time. Lt. Paul Van Meel with the Santa Maria Police Department confirmed with the Sun that the shooting had occurred and was an […]
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NASA satellite launch at Vandenberg delayed
A faulty battery delayed the launch of a rocket carrying a NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite, originally set to launch on Nov. 10 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The battery was on a booster for the Delta II Rocket owned by United Launch Alliance—a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin […]
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Spotlight on: Rockin’ Jump Trampoline Park
Casey Klajbor, owner
Families looking for a fun recreation opportunity or in need of some alternative workout options should bounce on over to the Rockin’ Jump Trampoline Park at 215 Town Center East in Santa Maria. The 17,000 square foot, locally owned franchise celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 1, and co-owner Casey Klajbor said he and his […]
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Raybern Foods agrees to pay settlement over underweight sandwiches
A Bay Area-based sandwich producer that sells products through stores across the country in Wal-Mart and Costco reached a settlement with three Southern California district attorneys after it was caught selling sandwiches that weighed less than advertised. Raybern Foods, of Hayward, paid more than $168,000 in civil penalties and various other cost recovery fines to […]
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Sheriff’s deputies some of county’s only first responders carrying opioid overdose drug
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies are some of the county’s only first responders that carry Naloxone nasal spray, better known as Narcan, a drug that blocks the effects of opioids and can prevent death in the event of an overdose. Sheriff’s Office deputies began carrying Naloxone after undergoing training earlier this year as […]
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Down for the count: Drought, development, and encroachment could be responsible for dwindling deer population
Crack. Bill Decker, 69, drops his truck into the lowest gear and punches the gas. The Toyota Tundra whines as its all-terrain tires climb the series of broken concrete slabs that used to be called a road. “This is all public land,” Decker says, surveying the surrounding chaparral, tall grass, and rolling foothills that stretch […]
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Spotlight on: Barnstormers Aero Services
René Minjares, owner
Since he was 19 years old, René Minjares, now 70, has called the sky home. He got his start flying small engine planes in Hawthorne, California, when he was just a teenager. After earning his pilot’s license, he joined the military. As a Marine in the 1970s, the fighter pilot flew F-4 Phantoms in Japan, […]
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Imaging satellite scheduled for Halloween launch at Vandenberg
The skies on Oct. 31 may feature a rocket blasting into space if conditions hold, according to Vandenberg Air Force Base officials. A press release from the base announced it would launch an Orbital ATK Minotaur-C rocket carrying a Skybox imaging satellite from Space Launch Complex 576-E at 2:37 p.m. that day. “Our unique geographic […]