The Santa Barbara County storm disaster recovery centers are closing their doors after several weeks of operations, with Santa Maria’s Allan Hancock College location scheduled to close on Feb. 26, county Public Information Officer Kelsey Buttitta told the Sun. Both centers opened on Jan. 28 after President Joe Biden’s federal emergency declaration to provide a […]
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Santa Maria fire crews respond to blaze at Shaw’s steakhouse, furniture store
At 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 3, fire crews were still working to put out a fire reported hours earlier at Shaw’s Restaurant and the neighboring furniture store. The Santa Maria Fire Department responded to the fire at 5:45 a.m., according to Battalion Chief Tony Clayburg. Despite “aggressive” efforts to put out the fire, it […]
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Santa Barbara County braces for massive winter storm
Emergency responders and planners in Santa Barbara County braced themselves for the worst as the largest storm of the year slowly made landfall beginning on March 20. That day, a mandatory evacuation order went out for the Thomas, Whittier, and Sherpa fires burn areas. As much as 10 inches of rain was expected to fall […]
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First responders scramble to respond to mudslides
The fires that scorched swaths of Santa Barbara County may have finally been extinguished or contained, but emergency responders are already reacting to what’s come next. Floods, debris flows, and rock falls, all are in play as heavy winter storms arrive over the next few years due to massive burnt areas from the Thomas and […]
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The Nature Conservancy acquires 24,000 acres near Vandenberg
The Nature Conservancy announced the purchase of 24,000 acres of coastal habitat along Santa Barbara County’s coast surrounding Point Conception and bordering Vandenberg Air Force Base on Dec. 22. The historic purchase was made thanks to a donation of $165 million from Jack and Laura Dangermond, conservationists and co-founders of Esri, based out of Redlands, […]
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Truth or lives
Santa Maria police used fake news release to thwart murder — UPDATED 12/1/16, 2:48 p.m.
The revelation that some internet users put out fake news during the election season has caused a lot of controversy, but can fake news ever serve a beneficial function? In February, the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) issued a ruse press release that was subsequently reported by local news media, the Sun has learned. But […]
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Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office investigates SMPD-involved fatal shooting
An investigation of a July 20 incident involving a man who was fatally shot by police officers from the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) has been turned over to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, according to SMPD Sgt. Russell Mengel. UPDATE: Police identified the man as 31-year-old Javier Gaona of Santa Maria. An autopsy […]
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Standoff with Oakland homicide suspect in Santa Maria on June 10
On June 10, a suspect wanted in connection with an Oakland homicide shot himself following an hours-long standoff with police at a Santa Maria gas station, according to Kelly Hoover, the public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, whose name is not being released at this time, was wanted for […]
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Mark Goodman voted out of SMJUHSD office
BRENNA SWANSTON
Mark Goodman, 10-year president of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) Faculty Association, will step down from office this fall following a vote by Faculty Association members. Voting for the association’s officers ended on May 6, and Goodman was the only of five executive officers not re-elected to his position, according to […]
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Nipomo farmworker housing plan canceled following fire
The Mads Place development in Nipomo will no longer go forward as temporary farmworker housing under the federal H-2A program following a fire that destroyed one of the development’s structures last week. Greg and Donna France, owners of Mar Vista Berry Farms, were purchasing a development of seven three-bedroom homes with the controversial intent to […]
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Fire destroys farmworker housing structure in Nipomo
A Nipomo house fire last night destroyed an unfinished structure intended for farmworker housing under H2A, a government program for temporary foreign farmworkers. The cause of fire is still under investigation, but Cal Fire said they suspect arson. Cal Fire said the incident was reported at 11:25 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, and the […]