Think about this for a second,” venerable photographer Santi Visalli told me. “You see an image, and your eye will tell your brain to tell your finger to click. And it is maybe a millionth of a second that passes, but there is a lapse of time. You have to be so sharp, so ahead […]
Tarnished by light
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Political Watch – 1.6.11
On Dec. 28, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors decided to extend the county’s state of emergency, which was first declared on Dec. 21 because of storm damage and flooding. A state of emergency gives local governmental agencies more flexibility when dealing with disasters and brings in funding more quickly. South San Luis […]
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Community Notebook – 1.6.11
MONDAY, JAN. 10 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. TUESDAY, JAN. 11 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Betteravia Government Center’s […]
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Get to know the new laws
Hey, you dope-smoking hipster wannabe anarchists, I’ve got some good news for you. Starting this year in California, when you get caught smoking an ounce or less of Mary Jane, the penalty is a mere ticket. It’s an expensive ticket at $100, but still: no court appearances, no arrest, and nothing on your record. Undoubtedly, […]
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The community focuses on the future
Santa Maria Valley Future Search is back on the radar. Technically, it never really disappeared—it’s just ready to step back into the spotlight. Last February, approximately 100 Santa Marians gathered at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center for a three-day conference addressing youth violence in the area. Based on an internationally recognized model, Future Search […]
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Cash crops
Transitions-Mental Health Association (T-MHA) recently received a $20,000 grant from the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation. The grant will be used to finance the Growing Grounds Farm in Santa Maria and pay wages for workers, grow crops, and distribute seeds and herb plants to low-income neighborhoods. “We are doing this to teach people how to grow […]
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A tale of two fire departments continues
The Lompoc City Council has decided to reinitiate talks with Santa Barbara County officials regarding a long-discussed possible merger with the county’s fire department. An October 2010 report estimated initial costs to the city at approximately $3.8 million for the first year of service, according to Lompoc Finance Director Brad Wilkie. The agreement would last […]
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Pesticide’s opponents file lawsuit challenging state’s approval
On Jan. 3, a coalition of environmental and farmworker groups announced it filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, accusing regulators of illegally fast-tracking approval of the controversial fumigant methyl iodide. Environmental law firm Earthjustice and California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) filed the suit in Alameda County Superior Court on Dec. 30. […]
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Santa Maria loses a pillar
Harrell Fletcher, a longtime public servant who held seats on bodies ranging from Santa Maria’s fledgling Code Compliance Board up to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, died the evening of Jan. 3. The 91-year-old passed peacefully from pneumonia complications at Marian Medical Center, according to a press release from the city of Santa […]
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Recent storms swamp Oceano
Seasonal flooding is nothing new in Oceano. This past December’s record-breaking rainfall, however, caused some serious damage. On top of the severe storms and flooding, the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District’s treatment plant was overwhelmed, sending hundreds of thousands of gallons—maybe as much as a million gallons—of sewage into the surrounding area. San […]
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Krider is in the (out) house
Like it or not, if you’re a mom, it is your automatically assigned duty to become the household doctor when anyone in the house gets sick. When the car breaks down, call Dad. When a kid projectile vomits, that’s Mom’s problem. In most cases, moms aren’t actual doctors, and therefore they have never received any […]
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Vandenberg hosts luncheon
The state of Vandenberg Air Force Base will be the topic of a joint luncheon by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 14. The event’s guest speaker will be Col. Richard Boltz, commander of the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg. Boltz will provide a review of […]