The Santa Maria chapter of California Women for Agriculture (CWA) is hosting a casino night at the Santa Maria Country Club on Sept. 20 from 6 to 10 p.m. to raise money for scholarships and activities. According to event chairwoman Lalena Cooper, casino night will be full of fun, spent playing blackjack, craps, bingo, and […]
California Women for Agriculture host casino night
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Legal Resource Center opens in Lompoc
The city of Lompoc now has its own Legal Resource Center, located inside the courthouse. The new self-help center will assist self-represented litigants in better understanding their legal rights, according to a press release from the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County. Legal Resource Centers in the county provide information on civil matters, such […]
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Commission for Senior Citizens elects new board members
Four new board members were elected at the most recent meeting of the Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens. The new members are Judith Dunn, Santa Maria; Janelle Parsons, Santa Barbara; Cheryl Kippen, Arroyo Grande; and John Alongi, San Luis Obispo. “Needs of senior citizens are increasing due to numerous factors, such as increasing numbers […]
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Political Watch
• U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) joined the Democratic Club of Santa Maria Valley for its Election 2008 campaign kickoff on Sept. 13 at the club’s headquarters in Santa Maria. At the meeting, Capps spoke of the significance of the fall election and the club’s involvement in promoting the Democratic ticket. “The Santa Maria […]
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Teens get a thorough view of Santa Maria Valley
Since the program started in 1995, hundreds of men and women have graduated from Leadership Santa Maria Valley. Now, local teenagers get their chance. The first class of Teen Leadership Santa Maria Valley—33 teens total—has been chosen. With no GPA requirement and no tuition costs for the students, the leadership program could accept every teen […]
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College, bar association to co-host forum on judgeship candidates
Get your calendars out: On Sept. 30, Allan Hancock College and the Northern Santa Barbara County Bar Association will co-host a Judicial Candidate Forum featuring the two run-off candidates competing for a spot on the Santa Barbara Superior Court bench. Candidates Jed Beebe and John MacKinnon have agreed to participate in the forum, which will […]
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Supes appoint members to spay/neuter task force
Santa Barbara County has gone to the dogs. And cats. The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recently established an 11-member Spay/Neuter Ordinance Task Force, whose job is to develop recommended language for a county spay and neuter ordinance. The first task force meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 24, […]
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SLO County supervisors vote: Suey Ranch will stay
When a majority of SLO County supervisors tentatively approved the transfer of 5,070 acres of prime SLO County agricultural land to Santa Barbara County, the decision puzzled many people. The buzz phrase by the opposition was that there was “no compelling reason” to allow it. Santa Maria City Manager Tim Ness said that the city […]
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Charting new waters
Look out Orcutt Academy—there’s another charter school in the area. Similar to Orcutt Union School District’s Orcutt Academy, Camino Real Community Partnership Academy is Lompoc’s newest district-sponsored charter high school. Both schools offer a science-heavy curriculum. The teaching process at the two charters, however, couldn’t be more different, according to Camino Real co-founder Andrea Lawrence. […]
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Senior living center waits and waits for budget to materialize
After 77 days in limbo, lawmakers in Sacramento stayed up until 2 a.m. the morning of Sept. 16 to complete and sign a proposed budget. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened to veto it, and as of press time, a decision had not been made—though a veto seemed likely . This precarious state of events, however, was […]
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Out of the office, into the ocean
There’s only one thing to do when you find yourself submerged in the Santa Barbara Bay: Try not to lose your $70 sunglasses. Then yell at the person who got you submerged in the first place. “Shelly Cone!” I gurgled, trying to get the water out of my nose. “What did you do?” Shelly, our […]
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Sunset hike at the Dunes Center focuses on family recreation
The Dunes Center and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are co-hosting a one-mile round trip hike into the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge on Sept. 27, starting at 5:30 p.m. Hikers will be taken into the refuge and up to a high vantage point to watch the sunset. They’ll return to the parking lot […]