School safety, transportation issues, and mental health help were discussed by three out of four Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board of education candidates during an Oct. 19 community forum. The school district is divided into five trustee areas, with areas 4 and 5 up for reelection this year. The League of Women […]
Taylor O'Connor
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Marian Regional Medical Center’s Extended Care Center celebrates 35 years in the community
Marian Regional Medical Center’s Extended Care Center started with a few nuns and 10 patients who needed extra care after hospitalization. Now, the center serves 95 patients at a time and is celebrating its 35th anniversary, Jill Ledbetter said. The skilled nursing facility serves community members who need some assistance with daily tasks like bathing, […]
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Santa Maria’s 4th District candidates Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez and Carol Karamitsos discuss their top priorities
After serving as an elected official for eight years, Santa Maria 4th District City Councilmember Etta Waterfield is stepping away from her role and moving to Montana to retire. Attorney and city Planning Commissioner Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez is facing off against obstetrics and gynecologist and Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board President Carol Karamitsos […]
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Potential Santa Maria animal services contract sparks controversy
Santa Maria residents called out Santa Barbara Humane’s leadership issues, euthanasia policies, and mismanagement during the Oct. 18 City Council meeting as reasons the city shouldn’t contract with the nonprofit for its animal services. The comments came after the nonprofit responded to a city request for proposal (RFP) to provide future animal services to the […]
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Sheriff’s Office overtime costs soaring to historic levels
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to create Sheriff’s Office hiring incentive programs, redirect funds and personnel to alleviate jail staffing challenges, and develop additional hiring data in order to address overtime spending and staffing shortages at the sheriff’s department. Although incentives like bonuses were not supported by Sheriff Bill Brown, the […]
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Agriculture education nonprofit connects science and farming through immersive experiences
Kids learn about the water cycle, soil, and plants in their science classes at school, but there’s something about seeing it in real time that enhances the experience and understanding, Seth Wilmoth said. Wilmoth is the education program director for Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG)—a Ventura County-born education nonprofit that teaches kids the importance […]
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Santa Ynez Valley homicide victim’s family demands justice
Update: Rylen Quinn Svane-Morris has been arrested in Santa Cruz on suspicion of murder in connection to the Oct. 8 homicide of 72-year-old Terry Wilson, according to a statement from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, acting on a tip, arrested him without incident for the outstanding warrant. Svane-Morris will be […]
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Santa Maria high school district employees rally for better wages
More than 70 percent of Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s classified employees make below the average living wage of $25 an hour in Santa Barbara County, district crisis intervention consultant Tami Contreras said. “The issue at the present moment is wanting to be able to negotiate for our members—who are 460 classified employees […]
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Santa Ynez Valley’s Refugio Trail Restoration Project works to connect communities and promote safety
Small townships and rural settings like those in the Santa Ynez Valley used to have trails to connect the areas and make it easy for people to get around. As time went on, the trails in the valley became overgrown with trees and shrubs, or they intersected with private property, shifting communities to rely on […]
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A spike in rural crime causes farmers, local leaders, and law enforcement to seek creative solutions
Cut chains and trampled fences. Tractors with missing wheels and broken windshields. Stolen drip tape. Missing ATVs. Throughout Santa Barbara County, property crime is hitting agricultural businesses and farms hard. “Our losses have been up to $70,000,” Hampton Farming Company partner Jim Stollberg said. “I know a lot of other growers have had much higher […]
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Broadway and McCoy Starbucks successfully unionized
Santa Maria’s Broadway and McCoy Starbucks won its union elections on Oct. 3 and will now begin preparations for contract negotiations with corporate, Shift Supervisor Jaylee Moore told the Sun. “It feels really good. We put a lot of work into this, months and months of it. Finally to have that certainty of having that […]
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Guadalupe focuses on tourism, theater makeover with $10M in state, federal funds
For the last decade, the Royal Theater has sat unused in the middle of Guadalupe, but city officials are hoping to bring it back to life after receiving $4.9 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. “It’s an eyesore [now], but it has history. We’re not going to compete with your home theater or […]
