Over the last dozen months, the soaring rate of home foreclosures has had a crippling effect on the lives of tens of thousands of Americans. Families have been forced out of their homes, men and women have lost their jobs, and bank accounts have shrunk considerably. Humans, however, aren’t the only ones suffering from the […]
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Money to burn
Santa Barbara County has seen its largest recent fire contained, but what about the costs?
On the afternoon of July 1, Goleta residents Elaine and Jerry Smith were about to leave for a concert and picnic on the beach. They had just listened to a small blurb on the news about a fire burning in the hills above town, but didn’t give it much thought. “We knew that the fire […]
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Avoid long lines, register for high school now
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District invites students to register early for fall classes. Registration is open July 29 through 31 from 3 to 7 p.m. at three of the district’s high schools. Registration will take place in the administration buildings at Pioneer Valley High School, 675 Panther Way, in Santa Maria; Righetti […]
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Don’t judge a book by its cover
For the first time since 2001, local educators are in the process of evaluating a new list of state-approved Kindergarten through eighth grade math textbooks to decide which ones they’ll use and how, if at all, the books would fit into their curriculums. The list includes 41 new math textbooks—including versions of books developed by […]
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Local students win award for embodying ‘true spirit of volunteerism’
Recognized for their leadership skills and commitment to volunteering, Saint Joseph High School juniors Meng-Chieh Yang and James Xing were recently named 2008 recipients of the Saint Michael’s College Scholarship and Service Book Award. Recipients are awarded a scholarship to help pay for enrollment to the college, if they choose to attend. Located in Vermont, […]
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Mobile Claims Office arrives in Goleta
Fire victims in southern Santa Barbara County now have access to on-demand claims service through Allstate. The insurance company’s Mobile Claims Office has arrived in Goleta to help customers affected by the wildfires. The unit is a specially outfitted motor home that provides a place for customers to meet with catastrophe personnel to begin the […]
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Nipomo Properties gets into management
Diane Kuhnle, owner of Nipomo Properties, recently announced a new, in-house property management division, known as Central Coast Property Management. The division will help in finding rentals and managing. The office is located at 530 W. Tefft St., in the Von’s shopping center in Nipomo. For more information, visit www.centralcoast propertymanagement.com or call 929-7199. Biz […]
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Win a new house
Can’t afford a new home? There’s always a chance you could win one in a raffle. Tickets are currently being sold for $100 a piece for the chance to win the Central Coast St. Jude Dream Home. The $350,000 house is being built by Flatley Homes at their Celebration subdivision, off of Miller and Betteravia […]
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Hobnobbing with Helen
At 2:30 in the afternoon on July 13, Karen Cordary, arms full of raffle ticket rolls and supplies, waltzed into the Addamo tasting room on Clark Avenue in old Orcutt. For the past eight weeks, Karen has been part of a crew that raised money for and awareness of the local Cancer Society’s annual Relay […]
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Community groups join together to discuss home-care threats from budget cuts
The Quality Home Care Coalition of Santa Barbara County’s name says it all. The collection of community groups cares about quality home care. Members of the group include Congress of California Seniors, Independent Living Resource Center, AARP, and United Domestic Workers of America. In response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s revised budget proposal, the coalition will […]
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Farewell to the fair
As festivities came to a close at the Santa Barbara County Fair on July 13, the Santa Maria Fairpark released a statement reporting that the fair welcomed almost 115,400 people during its five-day run, July 9 to 13. Attendance was slightly down this year (about 4.5 percent), fair CEO Dennis Person said in the release, […]
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County supervisors extend SMOOTH for Ag Van program, consider future funding options
On July 8, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1, with 3rd District Supervisor Brooks Firestone dissenting, to extend an agreement with the Santa Maria Organization of Transportation Helpers (SMOOTH) to continue running the Agricultural Worker Transportation Project in the Santa Maria Valley area through June of 2010. Based on the success of […]