STUFF THE BUS, organized by the Northern Santa Barbara County United Way, celebrates its third year of “Stuffing the Bus” with new school supplies for local kids Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Aug. 20 at the Walmart parking lots in Santa […]
Special Events
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
One man’s message to mothers
Moms have a very tough job. I wouldn’t want that job for anything. They are required to be loving but stern, playful but practical, and occasionally they have to be, um, please excuse the term, they have to be complete bitches. It’s true. It is actually written in the job description of being a mother. […]
Posted inNews
Get free reads at book festival
Need summer reading material? Altrusa International of the Central Coast is inviting children and adults to pick out free books at the Festival of Books on Aug. 22. The mall’s One Dollar Book Store donated 400 books and magazines for the event, and books will be available for all levels of readers. Special bookmarks and […]
Posted inNews
Visit Discovery Museum for free
For the sixth year in a row, the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is offering free admission as part of its annual “Community Day” on Aug. 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event honors the birthday of R.H. Tesene, a generous supporter of the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum, and includes complimentary birthday […]
Posted inNews
Heritage Oaks reports, too
The parent company of Heritage Oaks Bank, which has three locations in Santa Maria, reported a net loss of $5.8 million for the second quarter of 2010. The figure compares to a net income of $500,000 the company made in the second quarter of 2009. Heritage Oaks Bancorp, headquartered in Paso Robles, had reported a […]
Posted inNews
Community Bank posts new numbers
Community Bank of Santa Maria released its second-quarter earnings report, showing a year-to-date net loss of $519,052 as of June 30. The figure compares to a net loss of $393,722 the bank posted at the same time last year. The report also revealed the bank had increased deposits, assets, and net loans from 2009. As […]
Posted inNews
Flipped, be there
Each week in School Scene, we review a book for young readers, from picture books up to young adult novels. We call the feature “What Kids Are Reading.” Flipped, a book by local author Wendelin Van Draanen, is coming to theaters in movie form, so a few weeks back, the Santa Maria Sun put out […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Josh Prenot
It’s a quarter till five, tailwind of summer, and Josh Prenot is swimming laps at practice while the rest of his swim team is on break. “During the training season, I usually have 10 practices a week, which amounts to 24 hours a week,” Prenot said. “After Saturday, I get a break,” he added with […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Saints wrestlers hold golf fundraiser
The Santa Maria High School wrestling team will be holding a golf tournament to raise money for the program on Oct. 16 at Rancho Maria Golf Course. Tee times will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at noon. The cost to play is $100 and includes a tri-tip barbecue. Rancho Maria is located […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Help a vet get a bicycle
Ride 2 Recovery—a program providing bikes, equipment, clinics, and bicycling outings for injured veterans—is asking the public for donations of homemade, patriotic-themed quilts for the group’s upcoming fundraising auction. The quilts may be hand- or machine-made, but must be submitted to Ride 2 Recovery by Sept. 25. Tax donation letters will be available to donors. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Hancock football is bullish about the future
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s a fitting motto for Allan Hancock College coach Kris Dutra, now heading into his 10th year at the helm of the Bulldog football program. “We have definitely evolved over the years on both sides of the ball on how we do things, but our base is always […]
Posted inOpinion
California PTA is suing the state
California State PTA has a long, proud history of speaking up for all children and youth in our state. Today, we’re doing so as never before as part of a coalition that has filed a historic lawsuit against the state of California. The lawsuit—Maya Robles-Wong v. the State of California—is straightforward. It asks the courts […]
