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  The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ longtime leader is resigning, packing his bags, and moving to New York for culinary school—an unexpected move from Vincent Armenta. Armenta, who held the position of tribal chairman for 17 years, announced his resignation on March 17. He will now pursue an education at the Culinary Institute […]

A Santa Maria High School teacher was arrested on Jan. 22 for alleged possession and distribution of child pornography, according to a press release from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives with the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Team arrested 53-year-old Michael David Smith of Santa Margarita after receiving a tip on Jan. 14 […]

Jim Hogeboom, Lucia Mar Unified School District’s superintendent, made one thing very clear to the Nipomo High School community that packed the May 6 school board meeting: At the end of the school year, Michelle Johnson would no longer be the high school’s principal. “It’s time to move on, and I know that’s not what […]

A Santa Maria High School student has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB), the school district and Santa Barbara County Public Health Department announced this morning. Officials from both organizations are working with the family to make sure the ill student receives treatment and that others are screened to rule out TB infection. The Public […]

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley just confirmed to the Sun that her office has filed a request for judicial review of Judge Patricia Kelly’s decision to drop felony charges against Orcutt rapper Anthony Murillo for allegedly naming and threatening the victims of the Shane Villalpando sex-crime case.

It was a long and emotional night at the Santa Maria Fairpark last evening, as more than 1,200 local residents came out to protest construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility (ICE). The Santa Maria City Council’s special meeting to discuss four appeals against the Planning Commission’s Feb. 5 decision to grant a development […]

A source close to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School district confirmed to the Sun today that Brian Hook, a former teacher and coach at Pioneer Valley High School, has been put on leave without pay. The district’s school board decided in closed session the evening of March 12 to place the certificated employee […]

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced on Feb. 24 that the referendum to repeal AB1266, a state law giving students access to facilities and activities based on their gender identity, has failed. According to a memo released by Bowen’s office, the initiative finished approximately 17,000 votes short of the amount needed to appear on […]

The Santa Maria Police Department announced in a press release Feb. 20 that officers arrested a Pioneer Valley High School teacher on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor. According to the department, Santa Maria Joint Unified School District personnel told law enforcement Wednesday afternoon that sexual assault allegations had been made against Brian Hook, a […]

Pedro Reyes and Gloria Acosta of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) filed an appeal Feb. 19 against the Santa Maria Planning Commission’s decision to approve a planned development permit for construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center in Santa Maria. In the appeal, LULAC says the Planning Commission erred in […]