Late on the evening of Sept. 16, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 236-189 to approve a bill that would relax a longtime ban on offshore drilling. The bill would allow drilling 100 miles off of both the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines. That distance would be cut in half to 50 miles if a state’s […]
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Paso City Council conditionally approves tri-county re-entry facility
On Sept. 16, officials from three counties let out sighs of relief after the Paso Robles City Council conditionally approved construction of a state-run re-entry facility on land adjacent to the Paso Robles Municipal Airport. The council voted 4-0, with Councilman John Hamon absent, in favor of building a 500-bed facility to rehabilitate inmates from […]
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Santa Barbara County Fire Chief announces his retirement
Santa Barbara County Fire Chief John Scherrei will soon be passing the firefighting torch to someone else, following his retirement from county service in January 2009. On Sept. 22, Scherrei confirmed his pending retirement plans with County Executive Officer Michael F. Brown and the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. The county human resources department […]
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Land of the frogs
Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended designating almost two million acres in 28 California counties as protected habitat for the California red-legged frog. In Santa Barbara County, approximately 170,00 acres would be set aside for the multi-colored amphibian. The habitat would include areas in the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez valleys, […]
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Otters are making waves
State legislators and local conservationists celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week
Starting Sept. 21, the California Legislature and dozens of zoos, aquariums, and other organizations from Monterey to Melbourne, honored one of the Golden State’s biggest celebrities: the southern sea otter. Last month, the state Legislature, led by Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria), approved an initiative officially declaring the last week in September to be Sea […]
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There’s a new general manager in town
Kevin Harlan has been hired to helm KCOY and KKFX
A lot has changed at KCOY and KKFX in the last year. There are new owners, different anchors, and more than a few new employees. Despite all of the changes, however, the stations have been missing one thing: a boss. Not anymore. Kevin Harlan has been appointed the general manager of KCOY-CBS 12 and KKFX-FOX […]
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First 5 Santa Barbara County will host an annual Champions for Young Children Conference
On Oct. 1, First 5 Santa Barbara County will welcome two of the nation’s leading child development experts to its annual Champions for Young Children Conference in Buellton. The daylong conference is designed to provide Santa Barbara County parents, teachers, and childcare professionals with the latest information to support the healthy development of young children. […]
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Migration will take center stage at a Hancock lecture series
Teachers, public officials, students, and community members will discuss all things migration at Allan Hancock College’s fall 2008 Faculty Lecture Series, to be held every Friday at 6:30 p.m. through Oct. 24 on the Santa Maria campus. The series begins on Sept. 26 with Migration Stories, featuring a faculty panel that will discuss personal stories […]
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A dirty not-so-little secret
The first-ever peer-to-peer child porn sting leaves a community with unanswered questions
Last month, federal authorities successfully wrapped up an eight-month-long sting operation that resulted in the arrests of 55 people accused of using peer-to-peer computer software to trade and view child pornography. Led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the sting marked the first time law enforcement agencies have […]
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YMCA provides ‘Stepping Stones’ to a good education
Whoever said educational accreditation was only for college programs? The Santa Maria Valley YMCA’s Stepping Stones Center recently earned its accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), one of the nation’s leading organizations of early childhood professionals. “NAEYC accreditation lets families in our community know that children in our program […]
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What do shoes and books have in common?
Footwear and reading material don’t share a lot of common bonds—unless you consider a child’s typical reaction when he or she first gets a new book or pair of shoes. The Shoes for Students charity organization recently donated $12,000 to the Santa Maria-Bonita School District to help purchase books for all 13,200 students three times […]
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Murray & Murray Insurance is on the move
After 30 years at the same location on east Main Street, Murray & Murray Insurance Agency is packing up and moving to the new College Square complex at 550-D E. Betteravia in Santa Maria. The move is effective immediately and marks a big change for the company that’s met locals’ insurance needs since it opened […]
