Laurus College held its semi-annual commencement Jan. 23 at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, located next to Laurus College’s campus, in Oxnard. The ceremony recognized the achievements of students who completed their certificate and/or associate degree programs in 2015. While the majority of Laurus College graduates don’t reside in Oxnard, that didn’t prevent 41 graduates and […]
Laurus College holds commencement
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Sandoval reappointed to California State Board of Education
Gov. Jerry Brown has reappointed Nicolasa “Niki” Sandoval, the education director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, to the state Board of Education. Sandoval, who’s been director of the tribe’s education department since 2009 and a lecturer at University of California, Santa Barbara since 2007, was first appointed to the state board in […]
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Santa Maria High School Robotics Club teams with Zodiac engineers for competition
The Santa Maria High School Robotics Club and a few engineers from Zodiac Aerospace participated in the Lego NXT Sumo Competition on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Members were divided into several teams and used the robots they constructed to battle each other. Students Michael Salas and Sammy Lagunas, said the club has made them want to […]
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Political Watch 2/4/2016
• The city of Santa Maria is currently accepting applications for the Recreation and Parks Commission until 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Appointments will be made at the City Council meeting of March 1. Applications also are being accepted for the Block Grants Advisory Committee, Board of Appeals, Commission for Senior Citizens, Area Agency on Aging, Landmark Committee, Measure […]
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Community Notebook 2/4/16 – 2/11/16
MONDAY, FEB. 8 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at […]
Posted inOpinion
What is your biggest fear right now?
Alma Miranda EAOP coordinator for Righetti High School “I have an 8-month-old, and she is everything in my life right now; I think my biggest fear is for her to grow up in a community that is tainted by crime and injustice in general. I want to her to be able to grow up feeling […]
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Hobnobbing with Helen: Saying goodbye
The often-seen-about-town Georgia Shore is retiring as general manager of the Sun. This is not the kind of upbeat, fun news that readers have come to expect from Hobnobbing. If you feel a pang in your heart, read no more until you compose yourself. The decision for Georgia to depart was not rash. “I have […]
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Asian citrus psyllid treatment kicks up controversy in Santa Barbara County
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) treatment for the Asian citrus psyllid is underway in Santa Barbara County, drawing mixed responses from affected residents. The psyllid is a small insect that feeds on the young chutes, stems, and leaves of citrus trees. CDFA representative Jay Van Rein said that while the insect itself […]
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Federal agencies halt offshore fracking permits pending review of environmental impact
Federal agencies will be reviewing the environmental impacts of offshore oil well stimulation—which includes acidizing and hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”)—following a Jan. 29 settlement agreement from the Environmental Defense Center (EDC). The techniques utilize the injection of sand, water, and chemicals into rock formations fracturing or dissolving them to withdraw oil and gas. The practice has […]
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Santa Barbara County grants ExxonMobil emergency permit to truck crude
Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department approved ExxonMobil’s (Exxon) emergency permit application Feb. 1, granting the company permission to truck 425,000 barrels of oil from its Las Flores Canyon storage facility to refineries in Santa Maria and Kern County. Exxon filed the application on Jan. 4, asking to send up to 30 trucks per […]
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Area farmworkers demand existing protections be enforced
In what some consider nothing more than a media stunt, area farmworkers and advocates from North County gathered by the dozens in front of the Joseph Centeno Administrative Building in Santa Maria on the morning of Jan. 27 to present a Farmworker Bill of Rights, a basic list of demands that protect employees from poor […]
Posted inOpinion
Let’s celebrate youth
I like to think of myself as a forward-thinking bird. A bird of vision. Admittedly much of that vision is limited to planning out what I am going to do for summer vacation, but then again, I’m a journalist and vacation is what keeps me going. Apparently board members of the Santa Maria Joint Union […]