Righetti High School Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico will celebrate traditional Mexican and Latino music during performances of its annual Big Show, March 18 and 19. The shows, which have become a community favorite, start at 7:30 p.m. inside the historic Ethel Pope Auditorium at Santa Maria High School, 901 S. Broadway. Forty student musicians […]
Righetti High School Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico set to perform
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Spotlight on: Achilles Prosthetics and Orthotics
When it comes to his job, Zak Malzhan goes out on a limb to improve people’s lives as much as possible. That’s because Malzhan is a certified prosthetist with Achilles Prosthetics and Orthotics in Templeton and San Luis Obispo. It’s a job that Malzhan dedicated his life to 20 years ago when he walked into […]
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Political Watch 2/25/2016
• Gov. Jerry Brown issued a proclamation declaring Feb. 19, 2016, as A Day of Remembrance: Japanese American Evacuation in the State of California. In a proclamation Brown stated the following: “On Feb. 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which set in motion the forced evacuation and incarceration of many […]
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Community Notebook 2/25/16 – 3/3/16
TUESDAY, MARCH 1 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. • The Vandenberg Village Community Services District has its regular board meeting at 7 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room, 3757 Constellation Road, […]
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California Contractors State License Board busts 21 in fraud sting
Each week, investigators from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) travel throughout California conducting sting operations to try and catch people doing unlicensed construction, according to Steve Breen, public information officer for the CSLB. Breen said his agency responded to several recent reports of unlicensed activity in the Santa Maria Valley. A total of 21 […]
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Thief steals rabbits, rooster from Santa Maria Animal Center
Animal Services Community Outreach Coordinator Stacy Silva said the center’s staff discovered open, empty cages in the rabbit resort Saturday morning, and they ruled out an escape or animal attack. “If an animal were to attack, they wouldn’t have opened the cages,” Silva said. “A lot of the cages were up high, and rabbits can’t […]
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Trial date set for suspects charged in Lompoc stabbing
A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge set a May 24 trial start date for the three Lompoc men charged with murder with a gang enhancement in connection with a stabbing last June. Jesse Lara, 29, was stabbed to death on June 6, 2015, according to police. Damien Simpson, Dequan Matthews, and Edward Carter Jr. […]
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Santa Barbara County Animal Services considering recommendation to restructure management
In the meeting, county public health department Director Takashi Wada and Deputy Director Susan Klein-Rothschild met with the board to discuss last year’s set of 464 recommendations by the American Humane Association for the county’s Animal Services. Recommendations included a new, more financially efficient form of management. “That was the first recommendation in their summary,” […]
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Santa Maria Police Department holds community vigil for Oscar Joaquin
Friends and family of 17-year-old Oscar Daniel Joaquin gathered with members of the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) and the community in Santa Maria’s Russell Park on the evening of Feb. 22 to search for answers. The gathering was arranged by the SMPD and attracted nearly 100 people to the scene where Joaquin’s body was […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Diego Villagran
Santa Maria High School sophomore Diego Villagran has been handed a lot of responsibility by his soccer coach, Lala Cuna, this season. Villagran is a captain on the varsity team—a rare designation for a sophomore—and serves as the defensive anchor at center fullback for the 20-4-1 Saints. In its last six games, Santa Maria has […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Warrior redemption: Righetti girls’ basketball reverses misfortunes of the past with ‘dream’ season
Righetti High School senior Courtney Barba sees and feels the difference. When comparing this year’s Righetti basketball team to the previous three she played on—well, there’s no comparison. Over three seasons between 2012 and 2015, the Warriors posted a 25-49 record and were led by a new coach each season. Oftentimes, controversy, in one form […]
Posted inOpinion
Protect the seeds
Do you know what the problem with blue jays is? They have no respect for a gal’s seeds. I’m talking about the plump, tasty seeds that burst from the giant sunflowers I grow in my garden. I do all the work and those aggressive, mean thieves muscle their way into my yard and steal them, […]
