Employee lawsuit alleges St. Joseph High School principal falsified student transcripts, uproar over Pioneer Valley High School principal’s actions, Santa Maria Speedway reopening are Top Stories of 2024 based on online readership It was one of the.
For Santa Maria Times readers, the closing of Cracker Barrel in April, the approval of a new Starbucks and car wash, the closing of Masatani’s Market in Guadalupe, the closing of Pea Soup Andersen’s in Buellton, which made it into the top 10, and more. , business-related articles also attracted a lot of interest. This year’s story.
Other top stories include the Santa Maria Superior Court Miller Division explosion in September, Santa Ynez resident John Corbett’s dog adoption in Lompoc, Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Queen Tori… It included the coronation of Ortiz.
Below is a summary of the top 15 articles of the year, based on the number of readers of each article on our website santamariatimes.com.
SJHS principal accused of falsifying student transcripts
A San Luis Obispo County woman is suing St. Joseph High School in a state court lawsuit filed last week, alleging that the school’s principal was tampering with student transcripts in order to raise grade point averages and improve graduation rates. He claimed he retaliated against her for refusing to tamper with the documents. .
Connie Plata, identified in the lawsuit as SJHS’s official registrar, not only helps with college admissions, but also accused Principal Erin Dougherty of multiple charges of unfairly inflating student grades to qualify athletes. He said his duties had been “reduced” after he refused the request. college sports, according to a lawsuit filed Jan. 29 in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
Pioneer Valley principal Shanda Herrera faces possible termination after receiving warning notice
Pioneer Valley High School Principal Shanda Herrera is facing possible termination after receiving a 45-day notice to terminate her employment in July.
A PVHS administrator who requested anonymity said Herrera, who has been principal for 13 years, was given 45 days’ notice and warned that he could be terminated without cause or for any reason determined by the district. It is said that
Administrators said there were allegations of unprofessional conduct against Herrera, which could lead to demotion, termination or suspension.
Herrera acknowledged Tuesday that he had been given a 45-day warning, but said he could not discuss the matter further.
Driver involved in double fatal accident on August 1st identified
The driver in the Aug. 1 double-fatal crash, who allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Stowell and Bradley roads, has been identified as Edith Gomez Camarillo, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
Gomez Camarillo, 20, of Santa Maria, who was driving eastbound on Stowell Road, sustained minor injuries in the crash and was treated at Marian Regional Medical Center. Randall Kahn and Marichu Kahn, 68 and 55, respectively, who were driving southbound on Bradley Road, were seriously injured when their car was struck on the passenger side at the intersection and were later taken to Marian Regional Medical Center. He died at the center.
Santa Maria Speedway reopens with sprint car and go-kart races
Santa Maria Speedway is on track to reopen this month, once again hosting 410 sprint car races in the area on summer nights and throughout the year.
“We plan to rebrand the Santa Maria Speedway back to its original name, which has been in operation since 1964,” said David, who has worked at the speedway for nearly 20 years as general manager.・Mr. Castaneda said. “We think this will be very popular with our long-time fans. We’re going to retire Stadium 805 (name) and focus solely on racing in 2024.”
The 1/3-mile oval dirt track hosts everything from go-karts, dwarf cars, and wing sprints to impressive stock cars, monster trucks, and motorcycles, and COVID-19 It operated virtually continuously until then.
Cracker Barrel closes in Santa Maria after five years in business
Cracker Barrel in Santa Maria was closed as of Sunday, according to city spokesman Mark Van de Kamp.
The reason for the closure was unknown.
The Santa Maria Store and Restaurant in the Enos Ranch development is the Southern chain’s 659th store in 45 states and only the third Cracker Barrel location in California.
A sign posted outside the restaurant read: “To our Santa Maria community – we are honored to welcome you in our store like a second home. And we have the opportunity to be a part of so many people. For the past five years, we have created special opportunities for our guests and community. We are sad to announce this store has closed, but we encourage you to visit any of our more than 660 Cracker Barrel locations in 44 states. ”
New Starbucks, Kwik Quack Car Wash is coming to Bradley Road
The Santa Maria Planning Commission approved an update to the zoning map for the parking lot in front of the shuttered Edwards Cinema on Bradley Road to make way for three new businesses.
The two restaurants that have closed, Hometown Buffet and Original Roadhouse Grill, will be replaced by a full-service Starbucks Coffee and a Quick Quack car wash in the vacant parking lot between the Taco Bell restaurant and Applebee’s Bar & Grill in front of Office Depot. Replaced. And Hobby Lobby.
2 Santa Maria residents killed in 3-vehicle crash
Two Santa Maria residents are dead and one person is in critical condition at a local hospital after a three-vehicle crash on Clark Street near Presquille Drive east of Orcutt Monday afternoon.
According to information from the California Highway Patrol, troopers received a report of a multi-vehicle crash near Dominion Road around 2:20 p.m. When officers arrived on scene at 2617 E. Clark Avenue, they located the accident scene.
Pea Soup Andersen closes, property placed in escrow
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Pea Soup Andersen’s in Buellton has closed and the property is in escrow after longtime owner Milt Guggia Enterprises listed the landmark for $4.7 million in August 2020 .
“It’s been listed for several years,” explains Christa Guggia, real estate manager at Guggia Enterprises. “There were a lot of interested parties, and[Milt Guggia Jr.]turned down a lot of offers. He didn’t want to give it to someone who didn’t have a real heart for preserving Buellton’s huge work.” —And California history. ”
Firefly Alpha “Summer Noise” Mission “Departure”
The Firefly Alpha FLT005 “Noise of Summer” mission is scheduled to lift off tonight from Vandenberg Space Force Base on the West Coast, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 2 West at 9:04 p.m., with the goal of delivering eight payloads to low Earth orbit.
The mission was canceled both Monday and Tuesday due to ground support issues.
Masatani Market closes for the first time in 102 years. La Favorita Supermercado takes over the space
After 102 years of serving the small farming community, Masatani’s Market in Guadalupe will close on Sunday to make way for the new La Favorita Supermercado.
Owner Brian Masatani, 67, spoke this week about the changes in business and life that led his family to close, and reflected on its long history in the community.
“It has been 102 years since 1922 with my grandparents (Yoemon Masatani “Papa San” and Teruie “Mama San” Masatani). It has been great. I couldn’t have asked for more. ” said Brian, who took over the business from his grandparents. Father is Harry Masatani.
The market was a staple in the town of about 8,500 people for more than a century, nearly 50 years before it became a city in 1946.
90 days after opening, Hope Village has 5 permanent residents
Ninety days after opening, Hope Village in Santa Maria, a 94-room transitional supportive housing project, is full and permanently housing five people, said Kirsten Cahoon, director of shelter operations for Good Samaritan. said.
However, the project also faces challenges such as littering and loitering in the area, which organizers are working to address, Cahoon said.
“When you walk through the front gates of Hope Village, you feel this positive energy. There is so much hope within its walls, and it’s wonderful to see clients be each other’s cheerleaders and celebrate something with each other.” That’s true,” Cahoon said.
Orcutt resident identified in fatal forklift accident
Tiffany Ann Peterson, 39, of Orcutt, was identified Friday as the passenger in a pickup truck killed in a collision with a forklift Thursday afternoon on southbound Skyway Drive at Hanger Street. .
The Caterpillar telescoping forklift was being operated by David Baskett, 81, an officer with the Santa Maria Joint High School District and the Santa Maria Public Airport District. The crash occurred just east of the airport.
Peterson’s father, Charles Peterson, was identified on a social media gofundme page as the driver of a blue Dodge pickup truck that collided with the front forks of a forklift and then crashed into a fire hydrant. The collision caused severe damage to the cab and flooded the car. Crash site submerged in water.
Our national security depends on SpaceX launches
As a longtime Central Coast resident and retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, I know that expanding the frequency of space launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base is critical.
The ability to launch rockets carrying government and civilian payloads from the U.S. West Coast is absolutely essential to national defense and national security.
Vandenberg is one of only two federal ranges in the United States that conducts national security space launches and is the only range on the West Coast.
To better understand why Vandenberg is so important as a launch site, we need to look back at recent history and how the United States procures space launch services.
– July 2024 Guest Comment
New Filipino restaurant, Capuno’s Lutong Bahay, offers a taste of home
Raul and Jonah Capuno opened a new Filipino restaurant, Capuno’s Lutong Bahay, in Santa Maria in December after a long career in the medical industry.
“We started this restaurant because we have a love for Filipino food and wanted to share it more with the Santa Maria community,” Raul said.
Explosion at Santa Maria courthouse injures five, suspect detained in ‘isolated incident’
A Santa Maria man was killed Wednesday morning after an explosion near the security entrance to the downtown Superior Court building injured five people, prompted an evacuation of the building and caused nearby City Hall to be closed for the day. He is being detained.
Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff Craig Bonner said at an afternoon news conference in a parking lot near the courthouse that Nathaniel McGuire, 20, placed a homemade explosive device inside the security checkpoint building. He said it appears to have been thrown in and exploded there.
