Rabobank recently awarded $10,000 to the San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund, a nonprofit corporation that was created in 2003 to increase the supply of affordable housing throughout San Luis Obispo County.

Rather than directly develop or own housing, the Housing Trust Fund provides financing and technical assistance to help private developers, nonprofit agencies and local governments produce and preserve housing that working families, seniors on fixed incomes and persons with disabilities can afford to rent or buy. 

"Rabobank is proud of its affiliation with the San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund," stated Steven L. Harding, Rabobank’s regional president. "Rabobank supports nonprofit organizations that make a sustainable difference in the community."

Resident Nurse Elaine Jacobs was honored as Nurse of the Year at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center during the recent annual National Nurses’ Week Celebration held at the hospital.

Jacobs, a Charge Nurse in the Medical Surgical Unit, was selected among more than 200 nominations from the nursing staff. As a charge nurse, Jacobs manages the delivery of patient care and serves as a resource to staff throughout the hospital.

Jacobs has been at Sierra Vista for more than eight years. She was selected for the award by her peers for her professionalism, clinical expertise, leadership skills and bedside manner.

Last week, local residents, business owners, employees and labor unions joined together to show their support for Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab in the midst of a seven month conflict with a Carpenter's Union from Camarillo, Calif.

On June 2, more than 100 people marched to union hall to address the union.

"The union banner holders stayed home that whole day, and the hall was locked up when we arrived. They knew our march time was 12 to 1 p.m., since it was on a banner two days prior," Doc Burnstein's owner Greg Steinberger said. "The sign said they'd be back at 1 p.m., so some media reporters went back at 1:30 p.m. The union refused to answer the door, even though people were clearly inside."

The union began picketing in front of Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream lab on Oct. 30, 2009. Steinberger said they have been there ever since, distributing flyers and displaying a large banner that indicated a Carpenter's Union from Camarillo was protesting a company hired by Doc Burnstein's for work at the Santa Maria Town Center Mall. 

But the Doc Burnstein's owner says the business never hired the "non-carpenters union workers" that are the subject of the banner and protest. Steinberger maintains that the non-union company was hired by the owner of the Santa Maria Town Center, and performed some minor labor in a business space that was never occupied by Doc Burnstein's. 

Brandman University, a fully accredited adult education university within the Chapman University System, will now be offering Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees across campuses in California and Washington State. 

The university developed its new business curriculum to meet changing employer needs in a global economy and address gaps in current business degree offerings, particularly in the areas of leadership development, entrepreneurship and sustainability. 

"Brandman University is introducing high-quality, competitively priced BBA and MBA degree programs to help working adults in California and Washington achieve their advancement goals while accommodating their time constraints and unique learning needs," said Brandman University Chancellor Gary Brahm.  "In addition, Brandman’s accreditation and high graduation rates are key benefits for working adults who want a degree that will impact their careers."

Single tickets are on sale now for Festival Mozaic’s (formerly the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival) 2010 summer season, which marks the festival's 40th year of presenting intimate musical experiences on California’s picturesque Central Coast.

The annual summer festival will take place July 15 - 25 in more than 10 locations across San Luis Obispo County.

To create an engaging musical experience, the festival chooses a theme each summer. This summer's focus is on musical origins, presenting works that came into being under unusual circumstances.

“Classical music reflects both the rich complexities of intimate human interaction, as well as the nature of the larger society,” said Music Director and virtuoso violinist Scott Yoo. “This summer, we want to reinforce that that these exquisitely-crafted works sprang out of very human circumstances.”

The City of Grover Beach is launching a community outreach program to support business during the final phase of the West Grand Avenue Enhancement program.

The campaign, which includes print ads and radio spots voiced by Grover Beach Mayor John Shoals, reminds residents and visitors that West Grand businesses are open and encourages them to take a "sneak peak" of the improvements. 

"We understand the city's attempt to visually improve the entrance to the city on Grand Ave... Our hope is that with increased traffic coming to West Grand Ave we will see a proportionate increase in business," said Station Grill owners, Chris and Karen Rivas.

New brightly colored street signs that say "businesses are open" are part of the outreach campaign. They augment current signs that direct motorists to the multitude of designated parking areas.

Solarponics, the longest continually owned and operated solar company in California, started off its 35th year in business with an installation for the co-owners of the Tobin James Cellars, Lance and Claire Silver. 

This marks more than 3,000 solar installations in the past four decades for the Central Coast company, which has been a leader in solar innovation since 1975.

The Silvers recently installed a Solarponics' solar system on their home that consists of 33 panels. The system is neatly and discretely installed on their garage roof and hard to see unless pointed out. 

Construction to repair Downtown water and sewer mains will begin June 7, 2010 and is scheduled to be completed on August 26, 2010. 

A water main tie-in and a water main replacement will occur as part of this project. The water main tie-in will be at the intersection of Marsh and Archer Street. The existing water main on Archer Street currently dead ends and will be extended and connected to an existing line at the intersection of Marsh and Archer Streets. 

The estimated start date for this work is June 7 and is estimated to be completed within two weeks. Working hours for this phase are Monday through Friday from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Nine fire laterals will also be installed throughout the Downtown area. Working hours for this phase will be Monday through Friday from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m.

In continuing the tradition of bringing an internationally-recognized roster of artists to Southern San Luis Obispo County, the Clark Center Association proudly announces its 2010-11 performance season.

The season includes a diverse and entertaining selection of world-class performers in a variety of musical genres such as Bluegrass, Folk, Celtic , Zydeco, Pop and Country, as well as side-splitting comedy, amazing acrobatics and outstanding theatrical productions.