TUESDAY, APRIL 19 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Betteravia Government Center’s Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Ste. 141, Santa Maria. • The Santa Maria City Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City […]
Community Notebook 4/14/16 – 4/21/16
Posted inNews
Barring a miracle, Santa Barbara County will see its driest ever five-year period
During the winter months, the California drought duked it out with El Niño. The fight seemed interesting enough at first. The drought was the four-year defending champion of California’s climate. El Niño—a band of relatively warm ocean water that develops every few years on the central and east-central portion of the Pacific Equator, bringing heavier […]
Posted inNews
Vandenberg officials and Cal Poly renew relationship to track objects in space
The Russians launched the Sputnik satellite into space in 1957 and since then, the number of objects orbiting Earth has steadily risen. As of 2016, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) officials in charge of keeping track estimate that there are about 23,000 objects, with only 17,000 of them in the catalog. The rest are simply […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Jacob Tonascia
Baseball can be a frustrating game. Getting a hit in 30 percent of your opportunities is considered success. Anything worse than that can feel unbearable. Even though Jacob Tonascia, Allan Hancock College’s slugging first baseman, went hitless in the three games prior to blasting a grand slam and knocking in five runs against L.A. Pierce […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
One last hurrah: Santa Maria athletes unite at Kiwanis Club Basketball Spectacular to benefit youth
Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria Valley hosted the 26th annual Central Coast Basketball Spectacular on April 9 at Nipomo High School, and the event was, once again, a big hit. The bona fide all-star game brought together the top high school seniors—boys and girls— from teams all over Northern Santa Barbara County, and squared them […]
Posted inOpinion
Another reason to support Joan Hartmann
Joan Hartmann’s supporters know of her impressive career and many accomplishments that contribute to making her the ideal 3rd District Supervisor. But there are many sides to any candidate, and much can be revealed about a person’s character by knowing what he/she chooses to do outside the election season spotlight. Ten years ago, Joan and […]
Posted inOpinion
Schools need oil money
I was stunned at a recent 3rd District Supervisor candidate forum to see the heartless Joan Hartmann once again deny that the recent pipeline break doesn’t harm our local schools’ funding. She claimed oil revenues make up “only” 2 percent of a $700 million county budget. That’s $14 million every year, until the pipeline is […]
Posted inOpinion
Hartmann will help
I have never written a letter to an editor before, but I want everyone to know that Miss Joan Hartmann is great. Two years ago, I was in sixth grade and failing. I was scared and frustrated. My parents were really worried and told Miss Joan. She went to my teachers, she started tutoring me […]
Posted inOpinion
We need tax reform now
American taxpayers should be up in arms and madder than hell over the taxes they are paying every year. Our taxes are at 50 percent of our income per year. We must work until about May 15 (tax freedom day) each year just to pay our taxes. Most families must have two members working to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Kris Buck and Deborah Breedon share their pastel landscapes at Gallery Los Olivos
Thanks to the few yet potent days of rain in March, the springtime bloom has yielded hillsides singing with the color of wildflowers and grasses awakened by the much-needed moisture. Many local artists are inspired by the natural growth, from photographers to painters, but it takes a special kind of painter to plant themselves outside […]
Posted inOpinion
What do you want to see built in Santa Maria?
Nick Refice student “I want to see more trees planted in Waller Park because a lot of the trees are being eaten by the Bark Beetle, and just more planting.” Reginald Corella utility meter reader “A culture diversity center including all ethnicities and all cultures so people can have a balanced understanding, and an understanding […]
Posted inNews
Creating a downtown: Can a revamped development plan and a farmer’s market help revive the city’s core?
It’s Friday afternoon. You shower after work and walk the two blocks from your downtown loft to the farmers’ market. There you grab some produce and a bite to eat at the Asian fusion food truck and catch a few songs from your favorite local band. Along the way, you stop at that popular café […]