My mother called a few days ago to sing “Happy Birthday,” then asked if I had applied for my AARP card yet. “You’re officially a senior citizen,” she said. Wow, thanks, Mom, you sweet old bat! I just had a birthday, my 55th, and suddenly I began to see things more clearly. Not literally. In […]
Man alive, I’m 55!
Posted inOpinion
What would you do with your paycheck bump from the federal tax credit?
Nichole Shuman housewife “Use the extra money for groceries or on gasoline.” Polo Perez payroll “I would put it toward my kid’s college fund.” Justin Pardo clerk “Save the money up so that I can buy personal needs.” Adam Spence clerk “Shoebox the money. This is the first time I’ve heard about the tax credit.”
Posted inNews
Hobnobbing with Helen
Santa Marians don’t have to be afraid of things that go bump in the night. Thanks to the largesse of the Santa Maria Police Council, the city’s SWAT team can deal with nocturnal crime issues with dispatch, because it has infrared goggles and can see in the dark. The council held its second annual membership […]
Posted inNews
Community Notebook 4-9
MONDAY, APRIL 13 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. TUESDAY, APRIL 14 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Betteravia Government Center’s Board […]
Posted inNews
‘It’s a pretty easy bill’
On May 19, voters will be presented with a handful of propositions designed by the state Legislature to help close California’s $42 billion deficit. Two of those propositions—1D and 1E—directly impact programs in the state health care system. Some health-care experts are worried that the propositions’ passage would hurt more than it would help. “The […]
Posted inNews
Monetary medicine
On May 19, voters will be presented with a handful of propositions designed by the state Legislature to help close California’s $42 billion deficit. Two of those propositions—1D and 1E—directly impact programs in the state health care system. Some health-care experts are worried that the propositions’ passage would hurt more than it would help. “The […]
Posted inNews
Corrections
• In its March 24 issue, the Sun incorrectly reported the location of an upcoming Luis Oasis Senior Center benefit dinner. The event will be held at the Santa Maria Fairpark, 937 S. Thornburg St., in Santa Maria. The story also mistakenly blended two programs into one description. To clarify: The center hosts daily luncheons […]
Posted inNews
North County crisis center recognizes Sexual Assault Awareness Month
On April 14, dozens of advocates for women’s and children’s rights will march through the streets of Lompoc in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention month. The candlelight vigil will begin at 7 p.m. at the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center, 511 E. Ocean Ave., and end at the […]
Posted inNews
Santa Marians ‘Start! Walking’ for a healthier lifestyle
On April 8, people working in Northern Santa Barbara County were set to take their first steps toward maintaining a more active lifestyle during National Start! Walking Day. Dozens of Santa Marians, including Mayor Larry Lavagnino, planned to meet on the lawn in front of Marian Medical Center for a 30-minute walk along Church Street. […]
Posted inNews
‘Plunger Rebellion’ to flush out taxpayer angst
It’s not Boston circa 1773, but the Taxed Enough Already movement celebrates a TEA party of its own in Santa Maria on Tax Day, April 15. The city is one of 1,500 nationwide to host a rally for tax and regulatory relief, an event that local radio talk-show host Andy Caldwell has dubbed “The Plunger […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County supervisors go back to the drawing board on oil drilling moratorium
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors had a full agenda slated for its April 7 meeting. The board attracted national attention for reconsidering its August 2008 3-2 decision to allow expanded oil drilling off the county’s coastline. However, now that the board’s ideological majority has shifted—with the more environmentally friendly Doreen Farr replacing Brooks […]
Posted inNews
Goodbye, Gottschalks
After more than a century of business on the West Coast, retailer Gottschalks will be closing its doors. On March 31, Gottschalks officials announced that, after holding a court-supervised auction, the company had been purchased by a liquidation group. “Despite all our efforts at earnest negotiations, we were unable to reach an agreement with our […]
