On Nov. 8, Pacific Gas & Electric equipment sparked a highway fire that scorched almost 85 acres of grass where Highway 166 and Twitchell Dam Road meet. A spliced connector on a conductor sparked, and wind was a factor, but no cost has been calculated, according to a release from CAL FIRE. Calls began […]
PG&E conductor sparks fire outside Santa Maria
Posted inNews
California Democrats could oppose a state power initiative
A resolution may soon have state Democrats agreeing on energy consumers’ right to choose how they get their power and against a proposed constitutional amendment initiative critics say would make expanding public power in California nearly impossible. State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) will present the resolution to the rules committee at the party’s […]
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Locals weigh in on a spay-and-neuter ordinance draft
During an emotionally charged hearing in Santa Maria on Nov. 10, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors listened to recommendations from the public and a county task force on a draft ordinance that would require pet owners to have their pets spayed or neutered. A crowd of about 40 people, split roughly in […]
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Santa Barbara County, schools team up to protect students from swine flu
To address school absenteeism and the H1N1 virus (more often referred to as swine flu), the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is offering parents some health tips. According to a press release from the county, healthy children can attend school even if there’s a sick parent or sibling at home. However, at the […]
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Stop, collaborate, and listen
Nonprofit leaders will learn how to better navigate rough financial waters during the Nonprofit Support Center’s seventh annual Lompoc Collaboration Faire on Nov. 19. The theme of the event is “taking care during challenging times” and features networking sessions and guest speakers. Ron Gallo, CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation, will discuss new approaches […]
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Join Beauty Connection’s first-year festivities
To celebrate its one-year anniversary, staffers at Beauty Connection are holding a series of events to show their appreciation to the community and clients. The salon will hold a Ladies Night on Nov. 12 from 4 to 8 p.m. with Bare Escentuals’ representatives and wine tasting from Kenneth Volk Winery. On Nov. 13, from […]
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Grab a cup o’ Joe
Santa Maria’s longest-standing locally owned coffee shop, Coffee and Company, has changed ownership, just in time for its 24th birthday. First-time business owner Candice Merás took over from the shop’s previous owner, Veronica Castenallos, in October. Merás, a 24-year-old master barista, perfected her craft working coffee in Santa Maria since she was 20. […]
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Make your kid an honorary Bulldog
There are now openings for infants and children ages three months to five years old at Allan Hancock College’s Children’s Center Lab School. Located on Hancock’s Santa Maria campus, the school is designed to provide for children a diverse, nurturing, developmentally appropriate, and culturally inclusive environment, according to a press release from the college. […]
Posted inOpinion
This ancient plant is beating the ‘War on Drugs’
California seized 4.4 million marijuana plants this year—a new record. The street value of this “crop” is estimated at $17.8 billion. The time has come to legalize and tax its sale. Let’s face it, the so-called expensive “War on Drugs” has failed with this ancient plant grown since the start of civilization.
Posted inOpinion
This isn’t what we want
My God, do we miss President George W. Bush. What we have now is not our kind of America. What we want is prosperity, not socialism!
Posted inOpinion
The United States doesn’t have the best car
Going green with the wrong technology will always put you in the red. Look at green hybrid buses that will not haul the passengers up a hill purchased by federal and state money and administrated by people who have no glue. Members of the Mercedes Benz Club of America recently toured the Mercedes factory […]
Posted inOpinion
Here’s how to truly end terrorist threats
Lives and finances depend on President Obama’s careful analyses and procedures concerning the war in Afghanistan, and he must consider the will of the people. With so many demands on his time, thank goodness he is taking the necessary deliberations. Ever since we used our own weapons of massive destruction—the nuclear bombs ending the […]
