When the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office looks at a more restricted budget, the Santa Maria Police Department’s officers start making more trips down to Goleta. Starting at midnight on July 16, that will be the new normal for the SMPD and other law enforcement officers serving North County, as that’s when Sheriff Bill Brown […]
Sheriff Bill Brown to close Santa Maria Branch Jail in July due to budget cuts
Posted inNews
Nipomo parks get $1.2 million–but little available for skate park
Three park projects in Nipomo are about to receive a $1.2 million funding boost from San Luis Obispo County, thanks to a budget adjustment approved on June 20 by the SLO County Board of Supervisors. Receiving the $1.2 million is the Dana Adobe restoration project ($300,000) for a new water line; the Jack’s Ready Imagination […]
Posted inNews
Man who died in house fire ran music studio
The man who died in a June 26 house fire in Nipomo is being remembered for his love of music, which he shared with others by running a recording studio. Friends offered condolences and memories of Thomas Edward Gingell, 61, on social media in the wake of his death. Gingell was the owner and operator […]
Posted inNews
Nipomo still under severe water shortage
Nipomo residents must continue to limit their water use because of low groundwater levels, according to a report from the Nipomo Mesa Management Area Technical Group. In April, the group analyzed groundwater levels in several wells in Nipomo, which confirm that Nipomo is still under “severe water shortage conditions,” according to the report. The Mesa’s […]
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Santa Maria sells water to South Coast cities
The city of Santa Maria is unloading 4,000 acre-feet of its State Water Project allotment to South Coast water agencies this year. “We can do this because basically our city has two sources of water: local groundwater and imported state water,” city spokesperson Mark van de Kamp told the Sun. Santa Maria is looking at […]
Posted inNews
Brush fires flare up across Central Coast
Firefighters from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties responded to several vegetation fires that ignited hillsides across the Central Coast starting on June 23. A 16-acre fire that burned dry brush near the Tanglewood area of the Santa Maria Valley was completely contained by Santa Barbara County Fire Department and Santa Maria Fire Department […]
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Los Alamos will host dog races to benefit library
The Friends of the Los Alamos Public Library is having its annual Los Alamos Dog Races “Bark for Books” benefit event on July 1. All of the proceeds will go back to the library. The races begin at 1:30 p.m. and feature six races in total. The first race is for dogs that are athletically […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch 6/29/17
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was one of a group of Senate Democrats who urged Senate Appropriators in a letter to decrease funding for President Donald Trump’s deportation force and detention beds in the 2018 fiscal year budget. “President Trump’s budget makes massive cuts to domestic programs that support all Americans, including critical DHS grant […]
Posted inOpinion
If you were to go to the Olympics, what sport would you compete in?
Alexis Chavez seventh grade “Boxing.” Monica Novoa eighth grade “Swimming.” Angela Espinoza eighth grade “Swimming.” Javier Pinon seventh grade “Soccer.”
Posted inFood & Drink
Rock Front Ranch’s exotic jujube fruit is superfood for your body and good for the planet
The first thing I noticed about Alisha Taff was her electric smile and bright, glowing skin. Even under the less than flattering fluorescent lights of the SLO Guild Hall, the farmer flaunted an inner radiance that belied her age. Amid the commotion of local food purveyors at the Slow Money SLO meeting, her product—a mysterious […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Bring out your dead weight!
My husband, The Brit, and I have been living together since January 2006, marrying in March of that year. When two people of our generation forge a connubial relationship, they bring along lots of baggage, and boy, we each had more than our share! I don’t mean emotional baggage. I mean material baggage. You know—all […]
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Protect the plain? The Carrizo Plain National Monument is under review by the federal government
At about 6 a.m. on April 2, I feel like I’m the only thing awake for miles. Yellow goldfields, tidy tips, and green grass on the Caliente Range across the valley are starting to pick up that special blend of orange and red as the sun’s first rays rise behind me. Below, Soda Lake Road […]