Carlos Balderas of Santa Maria is one step closer in his quest for the gold at the Rio Olympics. Balderas won his first boxing match of the Olympics Saturday morning against Kazakhstan’s Berik Abdrakhmanov. In the second round, Balderas, 20, started... (Continue reading)
Family members of a 31-year-old man who was shot and killed last month by Santa Maria police officers have filed a claim against the city. The family is seeking $3 million in damages and mandatory training for officers on handling... (Continue reading)
A 55-year-old Santa Maria man was sentenced to 125 years in prison on Wednesday for repeatedly raping a foster child in his care. The sexual assaults began when the child was 8 years old and continued for two years. Last... (Continue reading)
A former Santa Maria teacher and school board member, who came under fire in both roles, has entered the city’s mayoral race. Will Smith is currently the only challenger to incumbent Mayor Alice Patino. [KEYT] While working as a teacher,... (Continue reading)
Santa Maria police arrested a 41-year-old Nipomo man for the attempted murder of a man at a Santa Maria gas station on Thursday. On Friday evening, officers pulled Pedro Santiago over on the 900 block of North Broadway in Santa... (Continue reading)
A day after police shot a man in Santa Maria, a gunman shot and wounded a man at a gas station in the city. The two shootings are unrelated. Police are still searching for the gas station shooter. At 4:11... (Continue reading)
UPDATE: The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department has identified the man killed by Santa Maria police as 31-year-old Javier Gaona. ORIGINAL: In an apparent suicide by cop, Santa Maria police officers shot and killed a man Wednesday who charged at them... (Continue reading)
A 26-year-old Santa Maria man has received an eight-year prison sentence for sexually abusing a child. The man recently served as a local church leader for youth and worked as a youth sports coach. [KSBY] Daniel James Moreno pleaded guilty... (Continue reading)
Santa Maria’s streak of five consecutive months without a murder came to an end Monday night when a July 4 block party ended in a deadly shooting. One man was killed by the gunfire, and a juvenile suffered multiple bullet... (Continue reading)
The Santa Maria Police Department fireworks task force has seized nearly 100 pounds of fireworks, as of Saturday. Over the weekend, task force officers also pressed charges against one person and wrote multiple citations, which carry $1,000 fines. Santa Maria... (Continue reading)