Valentine’s Day may come and go in just a day, but the Nipomo Swapmeet is extending the love to Feb. 15, when kids can pick up Valentine’s Swapmeet Bucks starting at noon. Swapmeet Bucks can be used like cash with participating vendors. Pick them up at the Nipomo Swapmeet office at 263 N. Frontage Road […]
Feel the love from the Nipomo Swapmeet
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Santa Maria Town Center tenants open for business
It happened just in time for Valentine’s Day. Gerald’s Chocolate Candies opened on Feb. 5 in the Santa Maria Town Center. Owner Gerald Reed makes fresh treats each day on the lower level of Center Court. Stop by for a sample. On Feb. 6, Semplice Italian Eatery began serving up pizzas in a variety of […]
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Need industrial supplies?
Mike McKibben with leasing firm McKibben Enterprises reported that industrial supplier Fastenal has opened its new industrial and construction supply store in Santa Maria at 2220 A St. The store is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and offers local delivery, outside sales support, custom parts manufacturing, and other services. For […]
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Hobnobbing with Helen
The proposed Orcutt Aquacenter is making waves, and in the very nicest way. The Aquacenter held its 13th Annual Benefit Dinner on Jan. 24 at St. Joseph High School’s Hofschulte Gymnasium. “We raised $14,000,” reported a very pleased Terri Lee Coleman, director of development. More than 200 hundred-dollar tickets (two dinners per ticket) were sold, […]
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Political Watch
• Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and U.S. Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) reintroduced the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2009, intended to promote fair wages for American workers who support people with disabilities. The act would provide a voluntary option for states to receive more Medicaid funding to reimburse […]
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Community Notebook
TUESDAY, FEB. 17 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. Agendas are available at bos-agenda.sbcgov.net. • The Guadalupe Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, […]
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Head Start names administrator of the year
Guadalupe resident Maggie Espinoza took top honors from the California Head Start association at an awards dinner on Jan. 29, when she was named Administrator of the Year for 2008. Espinoza literally worked her way up from the bottom, joining Head Start back in 1974 as a bus driver. Now, she’s program manager for Children’s […]
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War of the roses
Frantic lovers on a last-minute hunt for flowers on Feb. 14 will find their task a bit more complicated this year. In time for Valentine’s Day, Santa Maria has enacted a 45-day moratorium on outdoor flower sales. That means no cardboard signs advertising cheap bouquets, no isolated sellers braving the drizzle to make a few […]
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February is ‘Spay and Neuter Month’
As part of national “Spay and Neuter Month,” the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society, through a partnership with the Santa Barbara Humane Society, is reducing its fees for spay and neuter services throughout February. The reduced cost of spaying a dog is $60, and the cost for neutering a dog is $55. A surcharge of […]
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NASA officials celebrate Delta II launch
Launch officials have deemed the rescheduled launch of a Delta II rocket a success. The rocket took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Feb. 6. “It was 100 percent successful,” said Mike Rein, a media representative with United Launch Alliance. The rocket is carrying a polar-orbiting weather satellite for NASA and the National Oceanic […]
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Dance the ‘Havana Nights’ away with the Rise and Achieve Foundation
Still looking for something to do on Valentine’s Day? Grab your sweetheart or a group of friends and spend the evening dining and dancing at the Rise and Achieve Foundation’s inaugural event, “Havana Nights,” set for Feb. 14 at the Radisson Hotel in Santa Maria. Based in Santa Maria, the nonprofit is a mentoring organization […]
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Santa Maria asks employees to take some ‘voluntary time off’
The threat of increasingly difficult economic times has led Santa Maria city officials to implement a “voluntary time off” program through the end of this year. The City Council recently approved the program, which went into effect on Feb. 4, and is encouraging city employees to help balance the budget by taking time off without […]