A painting created by retired fine arts professor Deborah West was unveiled at the Student Services building at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria during an Oct. 25 ceremony. West is a retired art and design professor who taught at Hancock for 28 years. The event featured a ribbon cutting hosted by the Art on […]
Allan Hancock College unveils art by former professor
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc photography contest announces winners
Family Service Agency (FSA) of Santa Barbara County recently announced the winners of its 2018 photography contest, titled The Good Life on the Central Coast. The contest asked residents of Santa Barbara County to share images of life in their local communities. The competition was split into four categories: youth, adult, professional, and employee. Winners […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
PCPA hosts gala to coincide with Peter Pan debut
Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) presents An Evening in Neverland, an opening night gala and special performance of its latest musical, Peter Pan. The black tie event takes place on Nov. 10 and includes a red carpet, champagne reception, and hors d’oeuvres made by Scratch Kitchen. The Clap Your Hands Cabaret, which includes members who are […]
Posted inOpinion
Vote for Gloria Soto in Santa Maria’s 3rd District
Gloria Soto, 3rd District City Council candidate, will bring energy, vision, and smart city policies that will revitalize Santa Maria and reflect its new future. Gloria understands the immense need for more affordable housing in the city and will push developers to include affordable housing units in their new housing projects. No more off-setting projects […]
Posted inOpinion
Commentary 2: Support Hancock at the ballot box
If you’ve seen the voter guide, you know there are a lot of initiatives and elections on the November ballot. While all issues are important, the two items regarding Allan Hancock College are particularly significant this year. The first is the election of a trustee for Area 3, which encompasses Guadalupe and southern Santa […]
Posted inOpinion
Quantum safety leap needed: Highway 166 either needs modern passing lanes or to become a four-lane highway
For many years I have been aware of the extreme dangers on the narrow two-lane Highway 166 between Santa Maria and Bakersfield. It was good to see the Cuyama Valley speaking up in unison requesting help with this roadway. Because we own a small ranch in the Cuyama Valley, I frequently use this roadway. Back […]
Posted inOpinion
School bored
After all my years in the coffee-fuelled business of journalism, I think I can say pretty definitively that there’s hardly anything as boring as a school board meeting. School boards often represent small cross sections of cities and communities and it’s mostly parents who are concerned enough to attend meetings. The only time you read […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Karli Lundberg
Golf can be a psychologically draining game, but for committed athletes like Orcutt Academy High School junior Karli Lundberg, overcoming obstacles of all kinds is no problem. Although Lundberg had a slow start this season, head coach Jim McManus said she took it upon herself to be a leader, showing Orcutt’s younger golfers that hard […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch 11/1/18
• Santa Barbara County election offices and polling places will be abuzz on Nov. 6 for the midterm election. According to the county’s website, conditional voter registration is available through Nov. 6 at 511 E. Lakeside Parkway in Santa Maria, 401 E. Cypress St. in Lompoc, and 4440-A Calle Real in Santa Barbara. Ballot drop […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc Unified employee arrested, fired after assaulting student
A Santa Maria man employed by the Lompoc Unified School District was arrested and fired after footage showing him abuse a special needs student on a school bus was turned over to investigators. According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, the video shows the districts recent hire, 52-year-old Arthur Carlos, use “excessive force to […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria-Bonita board candidates talk goals at debate
In a relatively low-energy forum on Oct. 26, Santa Maria-Bonita School District board of education candidates debated, and mostly agreed on, a variety of fiscal and educational topics. While the four candidates each had somewhat unique ideas on ways to improve the school district, they all shared similar goals for the district’s handling of Santa […]
Posted inNews
Pent up fuel: State and federal agencies focus on increasing prescribed burns for wildfire prevention, but environmental groups say that’s not the answer
An estimated 129 million trees in California are dead. It sounds apocalyptic, but it’s true. About one-fifth of those, or 27 million, died between November 2016 and December 2017. More than 60 million died the previous year. Most of the die-off has occurred in the Sierra Nevada, but forests on the Central Coast have lost […]
