The Santa Barbara County Jail has become “the de facto mental health institution for the county,” Sheriff Bill Brown told the Board of Supervisors Jan. 18 while giving a follow-up presentation about the department’s mental health services. Brown explained that the jail—like most other jails in the country—has seen an influx of mentally ill inmates […]
Dual institutionalism
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Santa Maria City Council tackles pension reform
Santa Maria’s efforts to reel in the ballooning costs of its employees’ retirement benefits took a major step when the City Council voted to adopt a two-tiered benefit plan on Jan. 18. The City Council approved a resolution to reduce benefits to a lower level, two-tier system, which essentially shifts some of the existing costs […]
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Suspicious Santa Maria apartment fire still under investigation
A massive fire in an apartment complex near Allan Hancock College has left several families displaced, and investigators are calling the blaze “suspicious.” As of press time, investigators had no new information on what caused the fire, which destroyed two apartment units and damaged 10 others, but said the investigation is ongoing. “It is still […]
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Lompoc City Council approves Walmart appeal
It took more than two years and a marathon City Council meeting, but big-box retailer Walmart finally cleared a major hurdle in its plans to turn the Lompoc store into a Supercenter. More than 100 Lompoc residents packed City Hall on Jan. 20 to engage in a lively debate about how the expansion would affect […]
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Women’s Network holds trade show
Business owners will have an opportunity to showcase their products and services and network with other local businesses at the Santa Maria Women’s Network’s second annual Mini Trade Show on Feb. 2. The event features vendor booths, food, free massages, and giveaways and is free for the public to attend. It will be held at […]
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Brothers celebrates Valentine’s Day
Los Olivos’ Brothers Restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern will be holding an extended Valentine’s Day celebration, offering a special menu and desserts from Feb. 11 to 14. Chefs/owners Matt and Jeff Nichols will create several special Valentine’s Day dishes, as well serve up their signature a la carte dishes like hickory smoked salmon on a bagel […]
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CBSM hires new lender
Community Bank of Santa Maria recently announced the hiring of Leah West to the bank’s commercial lending department. West has more than 26 years of banking and lending experience, most recently as the branch manager and loan officer at Santa Lucia Bank’s Santa Maria branch, specializing in personal and business loans. In addition to her […]
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Smart women, smart business
Learn the top 10 critical mistakes business owners make and how smart businesswomen avoid them at the next Smart Women Smart Business workshop in Santa Maria on Feb. 11. Attendees to the three-hour session will learn how to grow their businesses; practical tools and resources to address financial, marketing and sales issues; and steps to […]
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Cuesta for all
Beginning Feb. 7, Cuesta College will continue to bring its classes to Nipomo and Arroyo Grande for those who can’t travel to the San Luis Obispo main campus. Faculty from the main campus will be available at the Arroyo Grande High School campus, room 913, on Jan. 27 from 4:30 to 9 p.m. to help […]
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Discover Nat Fast
After Martin Luther King Day, January is a bit bare when it comes to special observances and holidays. But on Jan. 30, the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum will hold its first-ever “Nat Fast Day.” Admission will be free. The day’s exhibit will focus on Fast’s expertise—the fine arts—and he will mentor kids interested in […]
Posted inOpinion
My health-care crisis
My health-care crisis is not national in scope. It does, however, involve all the elements necessary to be a crisis: money, emotional difficulty, pain, family discourse, faith, good doctors, bad doctors, amazing nursing care, insurance companies that do not respond to your requests, borderline bankruptcy, never-ending physical challenges, and the quintessential diagnosis of cancer in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Isidro Venegas
Isidro Venegas, 17 years old, is planning on setting a Guinness World Record in the prone leg press. Although the record hasn’t been set yet, Bill Goodrich—Venegas’ coach—believes that once the Guinness team sees that professionals won’t be able to match the feat, it’ll be in the record books. Venegas, a student at Santa Maria […]