For decades, New Times Media Group has asked local photographers to send their best shots our way as part of the annual Winning Images contest. Covering categories from Animals and Landscape/Seascape to In Motion and People, the images capture the beauty and strangeness across the Central Coast and beyond. This year, our judges sifted through […]
Winning Images 2026
Posted inNews
Solvang officials submit to new financial reporting after phone app backlash
Complaints from some Solvang officials about being blindsided by Mayor David Brown’s new side venture prompted an update to the City Council’s ethics code. While Brown informed city staff about his plans for Solvang Passport—a mobile phone app he created that promotes specific tourism destinations and businesses in town for a monthly fee—in late 2025, […]
Posted inNews
County supervisors approve $9.2 million cut to Public Health Department
Santa Barbara County kicked off its final round of budget hearings on June 16 with a unanimous vote approving recommendations from Public Health Director Mouhanad Hammami to cut millions of dollars from his department. A structural deficit has plagued Public Health’s savings, but changes to federal and state policies regarding who qualifies for Medi-Cal “added […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe moves cannabis tax measure toward November ballot
Based on a unanimous Guadalupe City Council decision, voters will likely see a new cannabis business tax measure on their November election ballots. With a 5-0 vote, the council approved the ballot addition’s first reading on June 9. If its second reading passes, constituents will decide whether Guadalupe should impose new taxes on the gross […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: June 18, 2026
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) reintroduced the Alan S. Lowenthal Blue Whales, Blue Skies Act with fellow U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), according to a June 10 press release. The bill would create a new federal program encouraging commercial shipping companies operating off the Pacific coast to reduce their vessel speeds to […]
Posted inNews
The SLO Noor Foundation celebrates its fifteenth anniversary
When Sal Caminada retired from being a professor of health and nutrition at Allan Hancock College, he wanted to spend his retirement doing something good for the community. That is how he came to volunteer at the SLO Noor Foundation, a free clinic that serves San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara County. He’s been […]
Posted inOpinion
Belted and suspended
Budget cuts are hitting Santa Barbara County. One reality is an almost $10 million cut to the Public Health Department that’s closing pharmacies and other services in both North and South counties. If you need to use the county-run pharmacy, you’ll have to run to Lompoc. It’s the middle ground—so at least it’s not just […]
Posted inOpinion
The Oceano Dunes is paid for by your gas taxes
A common argument for continuing driving and off-roading on the Oceano beach and dunes is that if vehicles go away, then the off-highway vehicle (OHV) funds that protect the snowy plover will go away too. Probably, yes, some of it will go away. But so would the biggest threat to the snowy plover and the […]
Posted inOpinion
Oceano Airport deserves facts, not guesswork
The recent letter from the Oceano Beach Community Association calling for Oceano Airport to be converted into a vertiport is putting the cart before the horse (“The Oceano Airport needs to evolve,” June 4). Before Oceano abandons another public asset, we should examine the facts. The authors, who have no aviation experience, argue that the […]
Posted inOpinion
Why don’t the people vote?
No interest in a primary election? Not enough Vote for Me flyers from candidates? Does it take massive advertisements from and about candidates to alert the voters to vote? Are voters unaware unless there is a contest generating ads on radio, TV, or in our mailboxes that there is an election and they should care […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A Santa Maria nonprofit adds to its 10th summer of no-cost arts courses for students
Youth Arts Alive isn’t marketed as a summer camp, but it meets similar standards for families looking for one. Kids could be entertained in classes with professional artists from 10 a.m. to 2 or 3 p.m. four days a week. Alternatively, some kids want to only take guitar lessons or crafting workshops, the nonprofit’s founder […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Explore the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum in a new light
Just after celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is offering new experiences including a self-guided audio tour, a free event series, and a gallery of paintings by Christopher Evans. “As the museum enters its second year, it remains a place for learning and cultural connection, strengthening its overall visitor […]
