The California Highway Patrol office in Santa Maria is holding a “Start Smart” class on July 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. Anyone interested in enrolling their son or daughter, ages 15 to 20 years old, for this class can make reservations by calling the office at 349-8728. The class will go over traffic safety […]
CHP gives tips for new drivers
Posted inNews
Learn about good nutrition in the Santa Ynez Valley
Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital will be host to a continuing series of free “Nutrition and Diabetes Wellness Classes” taught by clinical dietitian Stacey Bailey. Classes will be held every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in front conference room of the hospital at 2050 Viborg Road in Solvang. Participants are encouraged to bring their […]
Posted inOpinion
What’s the furthest you have been from home?
Tyler Melendez student “Aruba, as a graduation gift from my parents.” Kris Green Station Grill restaurant manager “Boston.” Joey Renner senior timing technician, VAFB “Washington, D.C.—we took a lot of pictures.” Denise Sewell Fesler Junior High School teacher “The furthest I’ve been is Maui, Hawaii.”
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Allan Hancock College cultivates the future with an ag-related grant
Allan Hancock College is expanding its curricula on agriscience-based careers, thanks to a $135,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cultivating the Future program. The money will also be used to launch an “ag literacy” campaign to educate students and parents about agricultural production and careers in the ag industry. “This is a stepping […]
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Hobnobbing with Helen
It was fabulous, festive, and fun. The first-ever, patriotic “Pops in the Vineyard” concert—presented by the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society on Sunday, July 1, at the Tres Hermanas Vineyard—was, on a scale of one to 10, a 20. “We have had nothing but positive feedback,” the society’s executive director, George Majoue, said in a post-concert […]
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Advocates for the elderly
Joyce Lippman, executive director for the Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens/Area Agency on Aging, said there are 152 senior living homes in Santa Barbara County, and 70 in North County alone. With a long list of facilities to monitor, it’s no wonder the commission is asking for more volunteers for its Long-Term Care Ombudsman […]
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Spotlight on: Mr. Nice Cream
Ice cream trucks are usually judged by what’s on the inside, but Sony and David’s (S&D’s) Mr. Nice Cream truck is an example of how looks can be important, too. “The main thing we wanted when we first started this was something different, not just your average ice cream truck,” said co-owner David Melena. “We […]
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Living Creekside
A cool summer breeze rolls in from the west, carrying with it the distinctive cry of a rooster. A woman pushes her infant in a stroller. A young girl slips her way down the slide of a community jungle gym. Welcome to Creekside Village, the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County’s newest low-income housing project. […]
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Turning oil into wine
There’s a new player in the Santa Barbara County winemaking game—and please, hold the jokes about spillage. Randeep Grewal, the billionaire owner and CEO of Greka Energy, is trying his hand at a different kind of liquid gold, having bought the 104-acre Addamo Estate Vineyards in Orcutt for an undisclosed amount. The resulting company Ca’ […]
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Marshall’s is coming to Lompoc
The shopping superstore with a shoe section to make footwear fans’ hearts melt looks like it will be opening its doors in Lompoc. Marshall’s, a clothing retailer and part of TJX Companies Inc., is tentatively scheduled to open in September at the Lompoc Shopping Center on North H Street. Brixmor Property Group, a New York-based […]
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State Senate approves funding for high-speed train
California’s high-speed bullet train appears to be back on track—for now—after the state Senate approved on July 7 the sale of state bonds to build the first portion of the rail line in the Central Valley. After being besieged by an intense lobby campaign led by Gov. Jerry Brown, legislators voted 21 to 16 to […]
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Lompoc officials call for criminal grand jury investigation into LHCDC
Lompoc City Council member Cecilia Martner and former Lompoc mayor Joyce Howerton recently sent a letter to Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley, asking her to impanel a criminal grand jury to investigate the Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation (LHCDC). The letter pointed out that a civil grand jury found LHCDC was experiencing […]
