Spotlight

After more than 20 years working as a physical therapist assistant in different states throughout the country, Wendy Smith is embarking on a new venture that will allow her to continue doing what she enjoys: helping people get healthy.  The transition took place last year after Smith began seeing changes in how insurance companies cover […]

Flights will return to the Santa Maria Airport, served by United Airlines, spiriting travelers to Los Angeles, Denver, and San Francisco.  The flights, local leaders in government and business hope, will make the city more appealing for business and will boost tourism. The plan has been years in the making, said airport General Manager Chris […]

Audy Macdonald doesn’t want people to get caught up in the idea that the upcoming second annual Women’s March Santa Maria Valley is strictly for women.  Yes, the committee organizing the event has invited some organizations that primarily serve women, like Planned Parenthood, but the committee has also invited groups involved in a variety of […]

In the spring of 2018, an E. coli outbreak that was linked to contaminated romaine lettuce caused nearly 210 reported illnesses, 96 hospitalizations, and five deaths across 36 states. Just months after that outbreak was declared over, a different strain of E. coli spread across the nation—again through romaine—causing 62 reported illnesses and 25 hospitalizations […]

Before Debbie Lemus retired, she was a registered nurse, administering to patients’ health. Somewhere along the way, she began tending to people’s financial well-being, too.  She’s not a certified public accountant or even a financial whiz. Twenty-two years ago, she wondered if her taxes were getting done properly, so she went to a workshop run […]

In the midst of facing a rapidly growing need, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County received some much-needed assistance through a $56,000 grant from a national organization. As more children in the county are pulled out of rough situations at home and become dependents of the court, CASA is having a hard […]

Forty-three years ago Rosa Quiroga was wiping down countertops, cutting meat, and taking orders at La Simpatia. And she’s still doing that, only now she’s the owner, too.  Quiroga, 61, bought the Guadalupe eatery in 1991 from her uncle, Francisco Quiroga, known in town as “Pancho.” The restaurant—part diner, part dining room, part bar—celebrated its […]

In an attempt to curb the number of kids using electronic cigarettes or vaping, Santa Maria has banned businesses in the city from selling flavored tobacco products starting next July. While the main target of the move is the assortment of flavors vape shops sell for e-cigarettes that officials say kids find appealing, the measure […]

When Paul Cook arrived at CoastHills Credit Union as its Chief Information Officer in 2015, the board was talking about building a new headquarters.What it would look like was still up for debate, but Cook had an idea: add an extra floor.  Now the credit union is moving in to its new centrally located building […]

In a Lompoc strip mall next to a pizza shop and a vacant Chinese buffet is the Cosmoton Academy. It’s a starting point for people who want careers in hair styles geared toward men. But the school run by Michael and Laura Funkhauser recently added a new program to broaden the student base of their […]

While attending a Lompoc City Council meeting on Oct. 15, listening to concerns over the municipal budget in the wake of the city’s seventh homicide this year, Jamison Stagaard decided he needed to try to help.  “You could just feel it in the air,” Stagaard said. “People were kind of frustrated and scared and nervous, […]

Patricia Torres began her charitable work with the Salvation Army 14 years ago, serving hot lunches to the broke, homeless, or down on their luck. She’s been in Santa Maria the last six years at the organization’s 200 Cook St. location. But the Salvation Army and its mission have seen a dramatic drop in Red […]