Category Archives: General

It’s not often an organization buys a million-dollar piece of equipment hoping it never has to use it. But that’s what the Santa Maria Public Airport did recently. The airport purchased a Stryker 3000 ARFF truck (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting) from Oshkosh Corp. earlier this year, and the shiny, new truck was finally delivered July …

The Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary club recently honored outgoing president Chris Hastert following another successful year. During his presidency, the club accomplished many community-related efforts including the review of 37 community funding requests for local nonprofit agencies. The club was able to fund 33 of those organizations with a total of $38,370, which is 99 …

In the 1930s, Santa Barbara County operated its first fire station in the area near Solomon Peak and the Newlove Hill area. It was moved to Waller Park around 1950, and in 1961 the engine and crew were moved to 1025 Sabre St., across Skyway Drive from the airport. In 1969, the Santa Maria Public …

Plane Delivers 11,600 Gallons per Flight One of the nation’s largest aerial firefighting tankers has been flying out of Santa Maria Public Airport the last two days to battle a wildfire burning in the Sierra National Forest northeast of Fresno. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 made its second flight from Santa Maria to the Aspen Fire …

Aviator’s History given to Raise Awareness about Library Resources Patricia Lynn, a local pilot, strapped on an aviator’s hat and goggles, tied a red scarf around her neck and wore a brown jacket Wednesday, in honor of the woman she was dressed to portray — celebrated aviator Amelia Earhart. Lynn participated in Altrusa International of …

Officials Cite Lack of Funding The 2013 Thunder Over the Valley Air Show has been canceled, a victim of federal budget cuts and, to an extent, its own success, its organizer said Monday. Mike Geddry Sr., chief executive officer for the Santa Maria Museum of Flight, said he was “devastated” by the decision, but that …

Board Approves $1 Million in Support Package 2013-07-14T00:30:00Z SM Airport sweetens incentives for carrierBrian Bullock/bbullock@santamariatimes.com Santa Maria Times The Santa Maria Public Airport is upping its ante in the game to land commercial passenger service to a Midwest hub. The airport has enhanced its Airlines Support Program in the hope of enticing a carrier to land …

Allegiant recently kicked off its Dodge High Fares campaign and is giving away a free round-trip ticket each week through August at dodgehighfares.com. In the Dodge High Fares campaign, Allegiant is asking Santa Maria residents to tell the company what they would dodge with a free vacation. Allegiant also reported that since it first arrived …

Local 2020 Rescues Annual Event from Budget Cuts 2013-07-12T00:45:00Z Junior Firefighter Camp lets kids reach new heightsBrian Bullock/bbullock@santamariatimes.com Santa Maria Times Seventy-five feet nearly straight up probably never looked so high to 8-year-old Owen Rich, one of 35 local children participating this week in the Santa Maria Fire Department’s Junior Firefighter Camp. The 110-foot ladder …