Jacob Lindley and his wife got on child care waiting lists before their daughter was born. “We had heard horror stories about how hard it was to find child care and affordable child care at that,” the Vandenberg Village resident told the Sun. “We started looking early, and it took three to four months of […]
Taylor O'Connor
Posted inNews
Tunnell, Alvin, Fairlawn, and Ontiveros playground construction starts at end of year
After a months-long delay due to contract errors, playground construction will begin at four Santa Maria-Bonita School District elementary schools while the students are on winter break. The Santa Maria-Bonita school board unanimously approved contract agreements during its Nov. 13 meeting to build playgrounds at Fairlawn, Tunnell, Alvin, and Ontiveros elementary schools. “Though the delay […]
Posted inNews
Mosby, Bridge lead Lompoc races, Ken Adam Park measure passing
The third time seems to be the charm for Jim Mosby. “I think people wanted change; nearly 70 percent of the people voted for change,” the former Lompoc City Council member and mayoral candidate told the Sun. “There’s a lot of things that we were doing before that we need to bring back; we need […]
Posted inNews
The Friends of the Santa Maria Public Library are collecting books in Spanish ahead of the holiday season
Affordable books are hard to come by, let alone affordable books written in Spanish. But Kathleen Gabel and the Friends of the Santa Maria Public Library are determined to make sure that families have access to books in their native language. “Our mission is to also support literacy and reading,” said Gabel, president of the […]
Posted inNews
Cost of living, wage increases highlighted in first farmworker conditions committee meeting
Santa Barbara County 1st District Supervisor Das Williams and 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann stepped out of their seats in the Santa Maria hearing room and gave the dais to local farmworker advocates and growers. The two supervisors held the first ad hoc advisory committee meeting on Nov. 12 to better understand the working conditions […]
Posted inNews
Allan Hancock College opens its long-awaited Pride Center to serve LGBTQ-plus students and allies
The Allan Hancock Pride Center, a space dedicated to serving the LGBTQ-plus community and its allies on campus, opened its doors on Oct. 30. “We were, gosh, thrilled to finally see that vision come to light. I know for decades there had been a dream to have it,” Hancock Director of Student Engagement and Community […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Midwestern recipes transplants who miss their roots during the holiday season
I may have lived in the Western United States for the past eight years, but I am a Minnesotan first and foremost. I grew up battling bitter cold winters, praying for snow days, boating on the many lakes in the summer, wearing shorts when the weather creeped above 55 degrees, going to Perkins after high […]
Posted inNews
Federal appeals court sides with Forest Service in Pine Mountain lawsuit
A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge ruled in favor of the U.S. Forest Service’s controversial tree and chaparral removal project in the Pine Mountain area that’s caused contention between the federal agency and local environmental groups. “Specifically, plaintiffs argue that the Forest Service did not properly evaluate the project’s potential impact on religious […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors table Agricultural Enterprise Ordinance decision until December to fine tune last details
The agricultural enterprise ordinance could be Theodora Stephen’s ticket to creating farm stays on her small olive oil operation in Santa Ynez. “Rents are now completely out of control for business establishments, and we need to diversify our revenues,” Stephen wrote in a public comment letter to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors ahead […]
Posted inNews
Del Cielo mobile home park owners sue Santa Barbara County
The owners of an Orcutt senior mobile home park sued Santa Barbara County after the Board of Supervisors passed a temporary moratorium to prevent conversions from senior parks to all ages during its Nov. 5 meeting. “We believe this ordinance is unjust and attempts to force us to violate federal law,” Nick Ubaldi told the […]
Posted inNews
Most Santa Maria City Council incumbents lead in their races
With the exception of the 2nd District, Santa Maria City Council incumbents are leading their respective races, according to preliminary election results. Alongside the citywide mayoral election, voters in the 1st and 2nd Districts cast their ballots with the city’s looming budget deficit, the ongoing downtown revitalization plan, and firefighter wages at the forefront of […]
Posted inNews
Waiting for playgrounds: Four Santa Maria-Bonita elementary schools have to get creative when it comes to recess
Instead of soaring on swings, racing down slides, and climbing on monkey bars, students at four Santa Maria elementary schools are playing on concrete slabs. The Santa Maria-Bonita School District allocated federal COVID-19 relief dollars to improve the playgrounds at Fairlawn, Tunnell, Alvin, and Ontiveros elementary schools. Over the summer, the district removed the outdated […]
