Pioneer Valley FFA students lauded
I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the Pioneer Valley Future Farmers of America (FFA) for their invaluable support during the opening reception of the Los Alamos Flea.
The involvement of three exceptional high school students, Crystal Ortiz, Andrea Cuevas, and Abigail Velasquez, along with their teacher, Tyler Dickinson, made a remarkable impact on our event.
Crystal, Andrea, and Abigail, who represented Pioneer Valley FFA as servers, were a joy to work with. Their enthusiasm, professionalism, and genuine interest in the food and our chef’s work created a welcoming atmosphere that made our event far more memorable. They made a lasting impression on our team and the attendees, who praised the exceptional service they provided on multiple occasions.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Pioneer Valley’s Tyler Dickinson for his instrumental role in coordinating the participation of Pioneer Valley FFA students. His guidance and support were invaluable, showcasing his commitment to their growth and development.
Furthermore, I extend appreciation to Kylin Bray for her active involvement in Pioneer Valley FFA leadership and helping us coordinate everything.
The IRL Arts Foundation has been blessed to have many interactions with Pioneer Valley FFA students and we are so hopeful for the future with every single one. Our future looks bright if our land and livestock is in the stewardship of these amazing future leaders!
As an agrarian economy, we would like to encourage your readers to become more familiar with the FFA in Santa Barbara county. Our beautiful area relies on intelligent people with a strong moral compass to take good care of it for future generations. The dedication to community involvement and the sense of responsibility we experienced in our work with the students and leadership of the Pioneer Valley FFA has let us know our future is in good hands.
Katie Smith-Adair
Los Alamos
CNN town hall was no 'debate'
A recent guest commentator stated, “Donald Trump won the first debate of the 2024 Presidential cycle Wednesday night …”
What happened Wednesday cannot be called a debate. According to the americandebateleague.org, “ A debate is an organized argument in which the participants discuss a topic from opposing sides.”
Rules for a debate are, “If the speaker makes a statement, they must be able to provide evidence or reasons to support the statement.” And, “Facts presented in a debate must be accurate.”
None of that occurred at the town hall on CNN Wednesday night. From what I saw, Donald Trump was the only participant and there was no opposing side or opposing arguments. Only Trump spewing his usual venom. Trump’s supporters' claim of victory Wednesday is no different than Trump claiming “election fraud” and victory in the 2020 Presidential election.
The audience was rigged with only Republicans and Trump voters and I found their behavior to be as reprehensible as Trump’s. They applauded and laughed at his lies, his disrespect of the moderator, his shameless claims of victimization, and his continued dishonest defamation of a woman he was just found unanimously guilty of sexually assaulting and defaming by a jury of six men and three women.
I am dumbfounded and flummoxed by any one that could possibly think Trump should be President. He is a proven coward, liar, and loser. He is the only twice impeached President. Trump is the first and only former President to be indicted and found guilty of sexual abuse and defamation.
It is imminent that Trump is about to face numerous other indictments for election interference in Georgia, stealing classified documents and taking them to Mar-a-Lago, paying hush money to a porn star to hide an extra marital sexual encounter, inciting the Jan. 6 seditious Capitol riot, and tax fraud for inflating/deflating property values.
They can’t all be “witch hunts”.
Nelson Sagisi
Santa Maria
Give us the numbers
We have a major crisis at the Mexican border that doesn't get the attention it should. Citizens should know what our government is spending and on what. Afterall, it's our tax dollars that are paying for this avoidable mess.
After 27 months and over 5 million immigrants have been absorbed into our country, I have never heard or read how many immigrants have arrived in California, Santa Barbara County or the city of Santa Maria. Not once.
I feel our Mayor and City Council owe us some answers. How many immigrants have made our city their new home? Our county supervisors should tell us how many immigrants have made Santa Barbara County their new home. How about our Congressman telling us how many immigrants have made California and America their new abode.
All of them should know the answers to these important questions. If they don't know, shame on them for not inquiring with DHS and our federal government officials. This affects all of us who live here in a major way, especially financially.
We should be told each month how many immigrants arrive and what the cost to taxpayers is to have them here in our city, county, and state. It must be included in the budget at each level of government, probably under the discretionary expense category. And let's find out if the federal government is reimbursing our local government and if so, how much.
David Dickinson
Santa Maria