After a season that began in December and included 12 league contests and nine postseason games, all that stands between the St. Joseph girls’ basketball team and its first state championship in 20 years is 32 grueling minutes. The common thread between the last championship team and this year’s Lady Knights is head coach […]
Thirty-two minutes
Posted inOpinion
I don’t think ‘shot potato’ is a real tradition
Kudos to K. Reka Badger’s recommendation of Guinness instead of green beer (“Irish food in the New World,” March 17). The Bleacher Bum’s drinking games however, border on the irresponsible (“The Bleacher Bum Chronicles XII,” March 17). Drinking multiple shots of whiskey not only ensures an early end to the night, it can also lead […]
Posted inOpinion
How does Guadalupe rate for flood control?
Well, it’s deja vu all over again, as Yogi Berra is alleged to have said. The recent heavy rains breached the Santa Maria River banks in Guadalupe (note: no levee) and again damaged the Apostolic Church at 9th and Pioneer streets, plus causing the evacuation of some 20 residents in the area for a few […]
Posted inOpinion
Public employee benefits are breaking taxpayers
From Washington to Lompoc, taxpayers are finding they can no longer afford civil service workers with union-negotiated benefits, who in general exceed the income and benefits paid by the private sector for similar responsibilities. Civil service unions are the bane of taxpayers because, unlike private unions, there is no way to control them. In the […]
Posted inNews
Hobnobbing With Helen
Been through any cardboard rabbit holes lately? If so, chances are that you were at St. Joe’s annual BASH, a fund-raiser par excellence, this year called “A Knight in Wonderland.” If you saw the Red Queen (aka Delaney Carr) chatting with the Mad Hatter alongside a huge and charming tea party table, you were definitely […]
Posted inNews
Make sense of healthcare changes
Recent reforms to the healthcare system will be the topic of a seminar held by TWIW Insurance Services on April 5 in Santa Maria. Michael Framberger of Anthem Blue Cross, Jason Herbison of LISI Brokers Services, and Kevin Huber and Marcus Wilson from TWIW Insurance Services will present the seminar. Subjects to be discussed include […]
Posted inNews
Ag’s on tap for lecture series
The Santa Barbara County Ag Futures Alliance (AFA) announced that the group is presenting the first part of its agricultural education series in Santa Maria on April 6. The four-part “Agriculture in Santa Barbara County: The Field to Fork” series seeks to inform and educate residents about food and farming practices in the county, looking […]
Posted inNews
Elks Rodeo promises big changes
The 2011 edition of the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo will be undergoing a ground-up makeover involving a new VIP suite section and a change to the way general admission tickets are sold, rodeo organizers said. This year’s Elks Rodeo “Western Weekend” will kick off with the Dave Osburn Memorial Pro Bull Riding performance on June […]
Posted inNews
Greka settles with county for $2 million
Years after a series of oil spills racked up numerous fines for Greka Oil and Gas—a result of violations of Santa Barbara County’s environmental regulations—it’s time for the company to pay the piper. In a financial settlement signed March 16, Greka agreed to pay the county $2 million in 43 installments for the so-called Bell […]
Posted inNews
A senior learns the power of justice
Nicholette Rodgers, a senior in the Santa Maria Joint Union Home School Program, has recently been awarded an internship at the Santa Barbara County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Teen Court. Rodgers will, in addition to working a part-time job and attending school, come in 20 hours a week to Teen Court. “It’s meant […]
Posted inNews
Times are tough for community colleges
For students today, that thought—once a reality—is as good as a dream, especially since community colleges will now face an increase in enrollment fees for the 2011-2012 academic year. California Community College Chancellor Jack Scott commented on Gov. Brown’s 2011-2012 budget plan in a recent statement to the media. The chancellor wrote that if the […]
Posted inNews
Feed those Curves
Curves—that bastion of women’s fitness—is hosting its 13th annual Curves Food Drive in April. Many Curves clubs, including the one in Lompoc, will be collecting non-perishable food and cash donations to benefit their local food banks. And, from April 4 to 17, Curves will waive the membership fee for new members who donate a bag […]