On June 19, the Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary Club honored its retired president Ted Ortega, who led the club through almost 50 service projects, such as its work in the annual Christmas Parade of Lights, support of the Los Prietos Boys Camp, and Haitian relief efforts. Ortega said in an e-mail that during his time […]
Rotary Club gets a new beginning
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Correction
The Sun failed to recognize a choreographer in its July 15 review of PCPA’s production of West Side Story. Although Jerome Robbins choreographed the original production of the musical, PCPA’s production was directed and choreographed by Michael Jenkinson. News Briefs is compiled by Sun staffers from staff reporting and local and national media. Information should […]
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Santa Barbara County’s green retrofitting program is delayed as Attorney General files a federal lawsuit
EmPowerSBC, a program designed to help residents improve energy efficiency in homes and businesses for less money, is on hold pending resolution of a dispute over the impact of such programs on lending practices. On July 13, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution barring the county from accepting applications for the […]
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Nipomo Community Services District shrinks by 1,000 acres
On July 15, the San Luis Obispo Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) voted to decrease the Nipomo Community Services District sphere of influence—the area to which it provides water, sewer, and solid waste services—by about 1,000 acres. As a result, the NCSD will no longer be responsible for about 800 acres of rural land off […]
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Santa Barbara judge suspends construction of suicide barrier on Cold Spring Canyon Bridge
In light of a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge’s decision to suspend construction of a controversial suicide barrier, the flimsy, orange mesh currently sitting on the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge on Highway 154 in Santa Ynez may be the only blockade for some time. On July 13, Judge Thomas Anderle found that the California […]
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Local agribusiness represented at Fly-in
Ruth Jensen, a member of the Santa Maria Chapter of California Women for Agriculture, was among 45 women who recently connected with consumers and policy makers at American Agri-Women’s 25th annual Fly-in to Washington D.C. During the week, Jensen and others from throughout the country met with officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the […]
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Looking for local leaders
Looking for a way to get more involved in the community? Want to expand your circle of influence within the Santa Maria Valley? Leadership Santa Maria Valley, a program designed to foster and create future community leaders and trustees, is now accepting applications for the Class of 2010-11. The new class begins in August. The […]
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Lompoc celebrates Energy Center
On July 12, Lompoc celebrated the groundbreaking of the Northern California Power Agency’s Lodi Energy Center, a state-of-the-art natural gas facility. Using “fast start” gas turbine technology, the Lodi plant touts itself as the lowest carbon emitting combustion facility in the United States, allowing Lompoc to provide low-cost electricity produced with fewer greenhouse gas omissions. […]
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Clean your trashcans
Cleaner Cans, a locally owned and operated trash can-cleaning service on the Central Coast, is now open in Santa Maria. The business cleans, disinfects, and deodorizes smelly trashcans the same day trash is collected, using a 100-percent environmentally friendly method and fully self-contained unit. Cleaner Cans also recycles all waste through a special filter system […]
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See Flipped before everyone else
The Santa Maria Sun and New Times have passes to a movie premiere and want to share them with you. Flipped, a novel by local author Wendelin Van Draanen, is coming to the big screen. But before the rest of the world gets to see the movie, it’s playing at a dressy red carpet premiere […]
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Wells Fargo Wagon, donations come a-callin’ at the new Santa Maria bank branch
The July 10 grand opening of a new Wells Fargo branch in Santa Maria wasn’t just a special occasion for bank employees and bank patrons living on the south side of town. The branch, located in the Kohl’s shopping center on the corner of McCoy Lane and South Broadway, also used the time to honor […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Back to the beach
Marriage is about teamwork. My wife likes to plan family vacations, and, therefore, I like to pay for them. I do have to give my wife credit, though, because if it wasn’t for her exceptional planning (nagging and dragging me places), my kids wouldn’t know the Matterhorn is a rollercoaster at Disneyland. Instead, they might […]