News
Posted inNews

Searching for intelligent life

Santa Marians turn out for the first-ever science and UFO symposium on the Central Coast
by AMY ASMAN

On Aug. 16 and 17, a handful of scientists and academics—accompanied by a crowd of several hundred people—descended on the Historic Santa Maria Inn. Their mission: to discuss and debate the existence of extraterrestrial life, alien or otherwise. Far from a top-secret military debriefing, the Central Coast Science and UFO Symposium welcomed people from different […]

Posted inNews

After-school programs circle the wagons

A possible threat to Proposition 49 funding is uniting providers around the state
by RYAN MILLER

While the legal tussle between the governor and the state controller has been the most visible budget battle in recent days, another skirmish has been brewing beneath the threats of a lowered minimum wage and Superior Court proceedings. This lesser-known fight is still mostly saber rattling for now—and will likely remain so until California’s budget […]

Posted inNews

Locals seek to preserve the golden years

Despite an ailing economy, area organizations are banding together to care for Santa Barbara County’s seniors
by AMY ASMAN

In 2006, Santa Maria resident Abigail Garcia went to visit an ailing friend of the family. The woman had been sick for some time and was living in a skilled nursing facility where she could receive around-the-clock medical care. The visit, though only about an hour long, made a powerful impact on Abigail, whose then-84-year-old […]

Posted inNews

You oughta stay in pictures

Lured by beckoning tax incentives in other states, the film industry is leaving California in search of bigger profits
by SHELLY CONE

Movie production has always meant big money: money for the actors, money for the moviemakers, money for pretty much anyone who touches the camera, script, costumes, or equipment. What isn’t as obvious is that the industry also spreads the wealth. Production creates jobs. In other words, it opens doors for taxpayers and consumers to dole […]

Posted inNews

Are you ready to go back to school?

by Sun Staff

It’s that time again! Local elementary, middle, and high school students are packing their backpacks and heading back to school. The Santa Maria-Bonita School District opens first on Aug. 18, followed by the Orcutt Union School District (seventh graders start on Aug. 19, other students start Aug. 20), and the Guadalupe Union School District and […]

Posted inNews

They’ve gone union

by Sun Staff

On Aug. 13, at a conference in the Windy City, the Santa Maria Elementary Education Association announced its affiliation with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The affiliation, organization members said, will encourage greater cooperation to meet the needs of working teachers, students, and their families. The agreement brings together […]

Posted inNews

Political Watch

by Sun Staff

• Lompoc resident Robert Cuthbert, who’s running as a 33rd State Assembly candidate, recently released a statement in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decision to make statewide job and pay cuts until the state’s budget impasse is resolved: “The governor’s following through with his threat to eliminate 10,000 temporary and part-time workers, and to pay […]

Posted inNews

Girl Scouts go for the gold

by Kathryn Leedom

Superheroes save planets, soar through the sky, fight evil, and still manage to lead pseudo-normal lives. With a lot of the public’s attention now focusing on heroes of the big screen, it’s time to remember the role models that exist in our own community. That’s where the Girl Scouts of Troop 50778 shine. This year, […]

Posted inNews

Hobnobbing with Helen

by HELEN ANN THOMAS

Roy Allen is Alzheimer’s man in Santa Maria. This effusive, personable fellow is determined to get out the message on the diseases that rob millions of people of years of life: Alzheimer’s and dementia. These disorders of the brain tax and wear out caretakers as well. For the first time in four years, the local […]

Posted inNews

Farmworker deaths prompt fines, more investigations

by AMY ASMAN

After a three-month-long investigation, the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health has issued six citations and $262,700 worth of fines against Merced Farm Labor Contractor, the Atwater-based employer of a 17-year-old farm worker who died of heat stroke in May. The fines are the largest assessed to an agricultural firm […]

Gift this article