For the past decade, I have been making the same speech, over and over again, having to do with the aspirations of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. For your information, these neighbors of ours, not so long ago, lived on their reservation in abject poverty for decades in the heart of the otherwise […]
Is the war against the Chumash finally over?
Posted inOpinion
What is something new or different you’d like to see at the Santa Maria Town Center East mall?
Jim Fosdick retired “It would be great to see some more tenants. Maybe something sports related.” Ozzy Bravo food service “They could decorate more. It looks really nice when they do it up for Christmas. They do a good job.” India Fields student “It gets a little stuffy upstairs so maybe some better ventilation.” Taylor […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Central Coast high schools ready to launch new athletic leagues, depart Southern Section
The days of the Central Coast’s traditional prep sports leagues—the Los Padres League (LPL) and PAC-8—are numbered, as are many high schools’ long and notorious bus rides to far-flung areas of Southern California. Come next fall, 13 of the region’s 16 high schools will jump ship from the CIF Southern Section and begin competing in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Vanessa Gomez
Injuries could have derailed Vanessa Gomez’s softball career several times. But she wouldn’t let them. First it was a broken ankle when she was 11. Then it was a bone spur that required surgery at 13. Last spring, it was a torn ACL and another surgery. Each time misfortune struck, Gomez stayed patient, rehabbed, and […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria high schools begin installing solar panels
The installation of solar panels at several Santa Maria high schools began on Oct. 23, and the new solar energy systems are expected to save the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District millions in utility fees. Parking lots at Pioneer Valley and Ernest Righetti high schools, and a grassy area at Delta High School, […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: Rockin’ Jump Trampoline Park
Families looking for a fun recreation opportunity or in need of some alternative workout options should bounce on over to the Rockin’ Jump Trampoline Park at 215 Town Center East in Santa Maria. The 17,000 square foot, locally owned franchise celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 1, and co-owner Casey Klajbor said he and his […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approve Camp 4 deal
Despite months of intense debate, outcry from Santa Ynez Valley community members on both sides of the issue, and various legal threats and filings, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors officially entered into an agreement with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians on Oct. 31 regarding Camp 4. The supervisors voted 4-1 in […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria police work to decrease prevalence of hit-and-run traffic indicents
A Santa Maria man was killed near the intersection of North Broadway and Williams Street on Oct. 21, when a car collided with him. The driver fled without stopping. The victim, 74-year-old Armando Recendis-Alanis, was riding his bicycle on Williams across the intersection at about 5 p.m., according to a Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) […]
Posted inNews
Raybern Foods agrees to pay settlement over underweight sandwiches
A Bay Area-based sandwich producer that sells products through stores across the country in Wal-Mart and Costco reached a settlement with three Southern California district attorneys after it was caught selling sandwiches that weighed less than advertised. Raybern Foods, of Hayward, paid more than $168,000 in civil penalties and various other cost recovery fines to […]
Posted inNews
Collaborative on Homelessness partnered with police for enforcement operation
The Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) reported nine citations and one arrest that resulted from the department’s Alcoholic Beverage Control enforcement operation on Oct. 28. The Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness (C3H) had a staff member tag along on the mission. During the operation, funded by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Grant Assistance […]
Posted inNews
Sheriff’s deputies some of county’s only first responders carrying opioid overdose drug
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies are some of the county’s only first responders that carry Naloxone nasal spray, better known as Narcan, a drug that blocks the effects of opioids and can prevent death in the event of an overdose. Sheriff’s Office deputies began carrying Naloxone after undergoing training earlier this year as […]
Posted inOpinion
Tantrum time
Nobody loses it worse than when they can’t get what they want and there’s nothing they can do about it. Just look at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting on Oct. 31, where Santa Ynez Valley residents threw a collective conniption over the county’s agreement regarding Camp 4, the land owned by the […]
