From Oct. 19 to Nov. 11, Vandenberg Air Force Base will memorialize fallen military personnel who died during operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. During that window, on Mondays through Fridays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the base will allow active-duty military, civilians, contractors, and retirees to run a mile for each service member killed […]
Vandenberg hosts a ‘Run to Remember’
The Muslims are coming!
I just want to bring to your attention the threat of Iran. The threat of Iran concerns me because it has a two-fold effect. First, the Iranian leaders want to obliterate Israel, and if that happens, a war in the Middle East could ensue and involve other countries, including the United States. Even if we […]
Just look at the meat-packing plants
This is the worst president ever. The unemployment extensions are too long, and the Americans need to demand that we arrest and deport all illegal aliens so the Americans can fill those positions. The liberals claimed Americans would not do these jobs, but just look at the meat-packing plants—all filled immediately by Americans—after the arrests.
This Nobel Peace Prize could be a first
Obama is not the first black man to win the Nobel Peace Prize nor the first president. He may be the first person to win the Nobel Peace Prize while in charge of two wars and during consideration of sending more troops.
This sounds like the ‘Big Lie’
The sheer ludicrousness of Mr. Bargenquast’s letter (“Now you see the real Obama,” Sept. 24) inspired me to write this response. Imagine, we are now experiencing “a national disunity unparalleled since the Civil War.” Really? I thought this started during the Bush administration, which hit record popularity lows hovering in the high 20 percent. It […]
Stop calling us a taxpayer drain
I support health insurance reforms and the public option, but I am adamantly against mandatory health insurance. Mandatory health insurance benefits nobody but the insurance companies. It does not benefit the citizens of the United States. My husband and I are currently self-employed and uninsured—but when we need medical attention, we do not go to […]
Don’t listen to Caldwell or Armendariz
Here on the Central Coast, we have two right-wing conservatives clamoring to be the only correct or true voice on taxes and spending, and therefore should be recognized as the spokespersons for all Central Coast Californians on such issues. Andy Caldwell and Joe Armendariz spout half-truths, spin information to fit their agendas, or sometimes tell […]
Good harvest
Leaves turn from green to crimson and pumpkins smile a bright orange, signaling that the end of harvest is near. As wine growers across Santa Barbara County gather the last of their juicy, ripe grapes, they weigh in with their thoughts on the merits and promise of the vintage of 2009. Despite some uneven temperatures, […]
Welcome to Santa Barbara-Psych!
It’s a busy day in the bullpen of the Santa Barbara Police Station. Officers swarm about the room—a blur of navy blue and paperwork—absorbed in their latest cases. There’s a steady hum of a department at work: the shrill chorus of ringing telephones, the urgent murmur of detectives deliberating motives, the rustling of case files. […]
Local Red Cross members deploy to Samoa
The Santa Barbara chapter of the Red Cross has deployed seven volunteers to help with the group’s tsunami relief effort in the American Samoan Islands. Before leaving, the volunteers attended a briefing at the county chapter headquarters in Santa Barbara. The volunteers will help to provide shelter for people who’ve been displaced, provide mental […]
United Way collects a bus full of bounty for local students
The bus was officially stuffed at the Northern Santa Barbara County United Way’s annual “Stuff the Bus” event, during which local community members donated more than $16,225 in school supplies to classrooms in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. Several local businesses, such as UPS and Toyota of Santa Maria, pitched in by holding special […]
OfficeMax delivers goods to one lucky Santa Maria teacher
On Oct. 6, Shannon Verbryke, a 6th grade teacher at Robert Bruce School, received a surprise visit from employees of the OfficeMax in Arroyo Grande. The chain is donating $1,000 worth of school supplies to 1,300 teachers nationwide as part of the store’s “A Day Made Better” program, designed to support teachers who spend money […]

