That small package of bright red strawberries you hold in your hands at the grocery store made quite a journey to get there. Same with those bags of spinach, or any other produce you might pick up. Their journey starts at 5:30 in the morning as harvesters pick produce from tightly packed rows. Collected in […]
Taylor O'Connor
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Local nonprofit’s youth and parent mental health-related workshops are now available in North County
About 26 percent of women and 15 percent of men will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime before age 18, according to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Nearly 1 in 11 female high school students and 1 in 14 male high school students reported experiencing physical dating violence in the last year. In […]
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A lack of child care presents a challenge to women re-entering the workforce in the county
For eight months, mother Amanda Pierce has been on child care waiting lists. She’s called 12 different day cares near her home in Lompoc and reached out to facilities in neighboring Vandenberg Village, but none have space. “I’m never frustrated with them; I’m frustrated with the situation. It was one of those things where I […]
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Hancock College extends Promise program to two years
As spring semester registration opens in early November, Allan Hancock College wants its students to take advantage of the new Promise Plus Program and get the college to cover their tuition for two years. This program—an expansion of 2018’s Promise Program—helps students complete an associate’s program, a transfer degree, or a certificate, Student Services Vice […]
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New dollars to fund more career services in underserved communities
The U.S. Department of Labor awarded the Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board $2.5 million to help COVID-19 impacted workers get jobs. The funds will enable the board to purchase hardware and technology for nine new places for people to access career services, job training, and certificate courses, Development Board Analyst Julie Smedley said. “Historically […]
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The American Association of University Women, Santa Maria Public Library, and LGBTQ-plus nonprofits partner on panel
After a family member faced a lack of understanding of their gender identity from the community, Lata Murti decided to create an LGBTQ-plus educational opportunity for Santa Maria’s residents. “We may know about diversity in gender and sexual orientation, and we may not have anything against anyone’s identity, but there’s this idea that it exists, […]
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Veterinarians, animal services remain strained across Santa Barbara County amid pandemic’s impact
Walt Disney’s Lady and the Tramp portrays two dogs from different worlds who find each other and fall in love. But after crossing paths with the villainous animal control officer, they’re separated and thrown in prison-like cells. Such depictions by Disney and other movie producers have been “awful” for Animal Services’ reputation, said Ginger White, […]
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The American Cancer Society hosts Santa Maria Relay For Life to raise funds for research
Cancer research funding at the American Cancer Society (ACS) dropped by more than 50 percent in 2020. “Unfortunately, just because COVID is here doesn’t mean cancer stops,” said ACS Santa Barbara County Development Manager Heidi Gavlak. “For the first time in ACS history, it’s been challenging to get funds for cancer research.” With a goal […]
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Planning Commission denies ExxonMobil trucking permit
More than 30 community organizations, 58 speakers, and thousands of letter writers gave their input on a plan to restart offshore oil platforms and truck oil through Santa Barbara County. For organizations such as the Los Padres ForestWatch, community participation was a movement in the making for months prior to the Santa Barbara County Planning […]
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Women’s March in Santa Maria calls for community action
A crowd chanted as signs depicting “my body, my choice” in English and Spanish bobbed through the air and residents marched down Broadway on Oct. 2. The Santa Maria Women’s March for Reproductive Rights coincided with the national movement against a Texas bill (SB 8) that bans abortions after six weeks and the $10,000 incentive […]
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NAMI offers parent-to-parent program to families helping loved ones with mental illness in northern Santa Barbara County
National Alliance on Mental Health’s (NAMI) parent-to-parent instructors have experience helping loved ones with mental illnesses, and they can provide insight to other families facing similar issues. Santa Barbara County NAMI President George Kaufmann is one of the instructors for the parent-to-parent program at the national nonprofit’s new Santa Maria location, which opened in early […]
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Landsat 9 takes off from Vandenberg
NASA launched an Earth-observing satellite from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sept. 27, continuing a 50-year land observation program and cementing a recently developed partnership between the space agency and Lompoc. Lompoc’s tourism district, Explore Lompoc, collaborated with NASA in a year-long effort to prepare for Landsat 9’s launch, according to Explore Lompoc President Gilda […]
