Following 14 weeks of training, Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) recognized 94 graduates of the group’s Self-Employment Training and Business Plan during a ceremony at Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara. Of those, 20 hailed from Santa Maria and the Northern Santa Barbara County area. During the ceremony, Citi Foundation also presented a check for […]
WEV recognizes program graduates
Posted inNews
Bank changes name, adds Santa Maria branch
San Luis Obispo-based American Principle Bank recently announced a name change to American Perspective Bank and the opening of a new branch office in Santa Maria. The change was completed June 10. American Perspective hasn’t made any changes to infrastructure or personnel and will continue to use the same phone numbers and mailing addresses. No […]
Posted inNews
Time to register for fall classes
The Allan Hancock College fall 2010 Schedule at a Glance is now available online at hancockcollege.edu, and copies were recently mailed to all district residences, the college recently announced in a press release. Free copies are also available at all Hancock sites and many community locations, including most libraries, post offices, and chambers of commerce. […]
Posted inNews
Get stepping stones to a good education
The Santa Maria Valley YMCA’s Stepping Stones Center now has openings for infants ages six weeks to 18 months. The child-care center is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and offers a child-to-staff ratio of three to one. Teachers are CPR and first aid-certified and the center is licensed and accredited […]
Posted inNews
Finally, success at the Capitol!
Talk of California’s budget problems and educational cuts was put on hold June 17 so elected officials could join Comcast representatives in recognizing winners of the company’s Leaders and Achievers Scholarship on the steps of the California Capitol. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell spoke about the importance of education and helped Comcast distribute […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
James Brooks
James Brooks has traveled quite a long way to play baseball—all the way from the sunny land of Australia. Brooks started playing baseball at 17, but he had been playing softball since he was around 5 because his brother and sister were playing. “[Softball and baseball] are minority sports in Australia,” said Brooks, who has […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Summer soccer camp wants you!
It’s poised to be a World Cup summer, and Catalyst Soccer and Cal Poly, SLO Mustang Soccer are combining their efforts to help inspire youth soccer players in Orcutt and Santa Maria. Two week-long soccer camps will be held locally, directed by the coaches and players of the Cal Poly men’s and women’s soccer programs […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Packers hold a Texas Hold ‘Em tourney
If you know when to hold ’em, and when to fold ’em, the Santa Maria Valley Packers want you to join ’em for a poker fundraising event on June 26. Organizers will be giving away a 50-inch plasma TV and a poker bracelet to the night’s big winner. Other prizes include a 42-inch TV, a […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
An incredible ‘journey’
On June 16, a group of 25 spandex-clad cyclists rode into the parking lot of the Abel Maldonado Youth Center, welcomed by members and athletes of the Northern Santa Barbara chapter of the Special Olympics. The “friendship visit” by the riders was the latest stop on their 4,000-mile “Journey of Hope,” a cross-country trek that […]
Posted inOpinion
Do do that vuvu that you do so well
When I first heard it, I thought a swarm of bees had moved in. “Call a bee-keeper,” I yelled to my husband. “We’ve been invaded by bees.” “That’s not bees, Love! That’s vuvuzelas!” he chuckled. Vuvu-wah? “They’re plastic horns the supporters are blowing at the Cup games,” he continued nonchalantly. Oh, God. The World Cup […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Manny’s is the name
The buzz builds as locals count the days until the grand re-opening of Manny’s, a beloved purveyor of fine Mexican food in the Santa Ynez Valley. Much to the delight of friends and fans, the Tovalin family is back in the culinary game. On Thursday, July 1, the new Manny’s opens its doors in Denmarket […]
Posted inNews
¿Cuanto questa?
You’d have to have been living under a rock—or without a television, computer, or some other news-gathering apparatus—over the past year to have missed the hailstorm of political rhetoric regarding the costs of illegal immigration to California’s and the nation’s economies. For those of you hermit types, here’s just a snippet of the news bites […]