Cover Story
Monkey Spit hot sauces and seasonings promise to burn you when nothing else will
Arkansas and Vermont are the only states left without pins on the map of the United States hanging in Smith House Manufacturing on Thompson Avenue in Nipomo. The Smiths had shipped Monkey Spit Hot Sauce products to every other state in the union as of May 22 and are eager to claim the remaining two…
Currently featured at SLOMA and soon-to-be showcased at the Santa Maria Airport, Denise Gimbel discusses her latest abstract paintings
What usually gets abstract artist Denise Gimbel inspired to paint is simply whatever is surrounding her at the moment, even when said surroundings are shifting at a rapid pace—outside her car window on the highway for example. “I started noticing all the lovely barns along my recent drives up and down the coast and appreciated…
Wildling Museum presents new student exhibition, Solvang School: Bird Studies
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang premiered a new virtual exhibit, Solvang School: Bird Studies, on May 14, which showcases a collection of bird paintings by middle school students enrolled in Solvang School’s art and science elective class. The featured artworks in the exhibit were created while the students took part in…
Pioneer Valley High School students showcased during Congressional Art Competition
Two Pioneer Valley High School students, Javier Hernandez and Hunter McCormick, recently participated in Congressman Salud Carbajal’s 2021 Congressional Art Competition (CA-24). Both students’ submissions, Hernandez’s Let’s Get Over This Together (pictured) and McCormick’s A Far Away Place, were chosen to be showcased in the competition’s virtual gallery, while Hernandez was announced as the second…
New Times Media holds annual Winning Images Photo Contest
New Times Media Group is inviting local photographers to enter its 26th annual Winning Images Photography Contest. The deadline to submit photographs is Wednesday, June 2, by 5 p.m. The entry fee is $10 per photo. All entry fees roll back into cash prizes for the winners in each category. Visit newtimesslo.com for submission and…
Bye bye, Blueprint
Three iterations and nine months after California first introduced the ever-changing COVID-19 reopening tiers with the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the state is kicking it to the curb. And just as Santa Barbara County reaches out for the most minimal tier on it, too. So close! This county is itching to inch into the…
Someone should question use of Camp Roberts
It’s always nice to scan the Political Watch column to see what’s new and news from Washington and Sacramento. Most of it is puff pieces meant to elevate the politician’s excellent job that he is doing. In particular Salud Carbajal. So I guess there’s nothing positive to trumpet about creating a small city on a…
Homeless trailer park is a good idea
Bob Orach has a very good plan (“An option for the houseless,” May 13) that could economically provide a step for the growing homeless population’s need for moving on with their lives. I’ve been a landlord for most of my adult life and have tried to help many, so I am experienced in this area.…
A well-researched plan
Bob Orach’s opinion piece (“An option for the houseless,” May 13) is very well researched and written. His years of hands-on experience shows that he knows what he has conveyed to your readers. I would add that what is also needed are smaller single structure starter homes with just the basics for people to have…
Loss of funding means the loss of a local senior nutrition program
No one likes to be the bearer of bad news. But facing reality and making hard choices is something our community has been forced to do these past 12 months, and CommUnify is no exception. It is with great sadness we announce that effective July 1, 2021, CommUnify plans to suspend our Senior Nutrition Program,…
Guadalupe considers allowance of commercial cannabis
Guadalupe could be the next Santa Barbara County city to allow the sale of recreational and medicinal cannabis, a move city staff say could help the city overcome its long-standing financial woes. At a meeting on May 18, the Guadalupe City Council considered a draft ordinance that would repeal the city’s current prohibitions of all…
Cancer screenings, a key part of preventing and curing the disease, saw a huge drop at the beginning of the pandemic
Between March and May of 2020, Sansum Clinic experienced more than a 90 percent drop in its colon cancer and breast cancer screenings. Dr. Fred Kass, medical oncologist and director at Sansum’s Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, said it was unlike anything he’d seen before. “I think this is really unique,” Kass said of the sudden drop…
North County lags behind South County in vaccination rates, and the county wants to change that
Cottage Health celebrated a major milestone on May 15 at its Goleta mass vaccination clinic: The site administered its 100,000th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, about a quarter of the total doses put into arms so far in Santa Barbara County. As the county continues striving for herd immunity, Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg…
Political Watch: May 27, 2021
• On May 20, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new online tool to help employers get their workers vaccinated. The Employer Vaccination Toolkit makes it easier for employers to request a workplace clinic and increases vaccine accessibility. “Anyone who wants to should be able to get vaccinated,” Newsom said in a statement announcing the toolkit.…
Santa Barbara County closes in on yellow tier as state aims to reopen
Santa Barbara County is nearing the yellow tier in the state’s reopening system, reporting some of the lowest COVID-19 metrics the region has seen for the entire pandemic. But it won’t matter starting on June 15, when the state plans to no longer use the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. “In order for us to…
Solvang wants to see the Old Lumber Yard property turned into a hotel
The Old Lumber Yard in Solvang could be turned into a four-star hotel, something its developer says is lacking in the city’s hospitality offerings. But some residents believe the property should be transformed into housing. Jarret Gorin, the developer’s partner, said the difference between a two-star and a four-star hotel is a Day’s Inn and…
Lompoc Fire Department needs funding to mitigate safety concerns, staffing gaps
The earthquake resistance of Fire Station 51 and dangerous diesel exhaust are among the top issues for the Lompoc Fire Department, which presented its budgetary needs alongside other city departments at a recent special meeting. Lompoc City Council reviewed and discussed the city’s 2021-23 biennial budget during the May 20 meeting. City Manager Jim Throop…
