On Nov. 24, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for the Santa Barbara area, including the Tea Fire Burn Area and the Sycamore Creek area below. Santa Barbara County officials are closely monitoring the incoming storms and activating initial response plans in anticipation of the potential flooding or debris flows that might […]
Flash food watch issued for Tea Fire area
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County residents line up for federal aid
On Nov. 19, President George W. Bush made a major disaster declaration and ordered federal aid to be channeled to California communities struck by the wildfires. Since then, about 170 Santa Barbara County homeowners affected by the Tea Fire have applied for aid, said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) spokesman Don Daniel. Currently, federal funding […]
Posted inNews
Mmmm … pie
Dale Schumacher, regional manager of the Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County, served pumpkin pie at Rancho Gardens Senior Community in Santa Maria at the end of the commission’s free annual holiday meal for seniors. Along with residents at Rancho Gardens, Schumacher, program director Matt Dwyer, and other Community Action Commission employees served seniors […]
Posted inNews
Proposition 8 is still making waves
On Nov. 4, Proposition 8 passed with a four-percent margin, amending the California Constitution to define marriage as a union “between a man and a woman.” The longevity of that controversial clause, however, remains in question. On Nov. 19, the California Supreme Court announced it would review three petitions challenging the legality of Proposition 8. […]
Posted inNews
King of the toys
The holiday season is fast approaching, and with it comes cheesy piped-in Christmas music and hordes of frazzled parents on the hunt for the perfect children’s toy. At the top of the list, according to the Canadian Toy Testing Council, should be Prince Lionheart’s Wheely Bug. The Wheely Bug generated considerable international buzz for the […]
Posted inOpinion
Let nurturing prevail
Political wonks like to talk about transformative elections, ones in which more than the faces change, ones in which the temper of American politics shifts from the dominance of one party or ideology to another. This election may well have been truly transformative. George Lakoff, professor of linguistics at U.C. Berkeley, has based a model […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Bulldogs finish an impressive football season
The team was psyched. It was the Allan Hancock College football team’s first season in a new, tougher conference, and here they were in the playoffs. All across the practice field, there were looks of determination, easy confidence, and blue Mohawks. It was the eve of the Bulldogs’ playoff game against third-ranked Mt. San Antonio […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A local cycling team helps the shelter
Each year, Team Tailwinds—a local community cycling team—contributes to different charities and nonprofits. Members try to think of donations that most fit the cause. This year, the team planned to present Santa Maria’s Good Samaritan Shelter with four new bicycles and accompanying locks and helmets at Spencer’s Fresh Market, at the shop’s monthly customer appreciate […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Flag football wraps up
In early November, under the lights of the Santa Maria High School football field, the Ontiveros Elementary Condor Flag Football Team beat the May Grisham Elementary team 12-6 to win the championship title in a Boys and Girls Club-sponsored program. Volunteers Ben Castro, Gabriel Delgadillo, Joshua Liendo, and Nathan Delgadillo coached the 15-member Condors team […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Athlete of the Week
Allan Hancock College freshman baseball player J.P. Maseta already has a great future in front of him. The 18-year-old shortstop—No. 32—has had a great season so far with six RBIs and a homerun, and is carrying a 3.5 GPA to boot. Coach Chris Stevens had good things to say about Maseta during a recent game: […]
Posted inNews
How black will Friday be?
In her tiny shop filled with books both new and used, Sheila Butterworth busies herself by pushing racks outside and moving novels around. In some ways, the preparation in her small space on Betteravia Road is all about catching sales on Black Friday—the historic shopping day after Thanksgiving—but in other ways, it’s just the average, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
CLUBS & MEETINGS
4-H welcomes anyone interested in the group to sign up now. Find a nearby club by contacting the Santa Barbara County 4-H Office at 692-1730 or zmhughes@ucdavis.edu. ALTRUSA INTERNATIONAL, INC. of SANTA MARIA, a nonprofit business and professional organization, meets the second Wednesday of each month, 6:30 p.m., in the Altrusa Theatre of the Santa […]