Cover Story
Santa Maria-Bonita teachers are frustrated by a district mandate on how novels can be used in the classroom
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series on the Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s decision to not allow teachers to teach full novels in their classes. Eighth grade English teacher Kevin Foote can recall numerous moments in his 10 years teaching at Tommie Kunst Junior High when books left an inimitable impression on…
Political Watch: May 13, 2021
• On May 4, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new initiatives to get more underserved community members vaccinated. “New efforts focus on direct appointment assistance; community outreach including neighborhood canvassing, phone banking, and text banking; at-home vaccinations and transportation services; and an additional $33 million in funding, bringing the total to $85.7 million, to support community-based…
Santa Ynez cannabis grow agrees to regulate and study odor emissions
A recently approved cannabis cultivation project in the Santa Ynez Valley includes an odor testing and analysis plan that some are hailing as the gold standard for odor abatement in the local marijuana industry. At a meeting on May 4, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved plans for a roughly 30-acre cannabis farm…
Young people have highest COVID case rates, lowest vaccination rates
Santa Barbara County anticipates opening up COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to community members aged 12 and older this week, as health officials report that the lowest vaccination rates and highest case rates are among young people in the county. While eight out of 10 community members 65 and older have received at least one dose of…
Multilingual caravan informs farmworkers about labor rights
In an informational outreach effort, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office and the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA, is hosting a four-day mobile caravan to agricultural fields from Ventura to Santa Barbara counties to inform farmworkers about their labor rights. The caravan began on May 10 with a Department of Industrial…
Local cities adopt county plan to reduce homelessness
With the number of unsheltered homeless people on the rise in Santa Barbara County, the cities of Santa Maria and Lompoc are both officially on board with phase II of the county’s Community Action Plan (CAP) to Address Homelessness. Both city councils adopted the plan at their respective May 4 meetings. The first phase of…
Pet connections: A social media group assists in pet shelter adoptions
In 2020, individuals all over the state took a leap of faith and adopted furry companions to help them endure the ebb and flow pandemic life. Colorado State University researchers released a report in November 2020 that found bonding with a pet during the stay-at-home orders reduced feelings of anxiety and depression. Survey participants were…
Housed in a parked Airstream, the Santa Ynez Sausage Company offers outdoor dining with a vintage RV aesthetic
If a title as boss sounding as the Dogfather isn’t enough to convince patrons to give this house-made sausage on a toasted hoagie a go, it might help to know it’s a staff favorite at the Santa Ynez Sausage Company. “I love to add caramelized onions, chopped-up house pickles, and Dijon mustard to make it…
Odor issues, fixed!
Don’t worry everyone, the Santa Barbara County Coalition for Responsible Cannabis has got our backs! They’re taking care of business that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has failed to adequately address time and again, according to Coalition President Blair Pence. I mean, if the Board of Supervisors would just do exactly what the…
Rack your brain over local novelist Tom Jolly’s new sci-fi thriller, ‘A Game of Broken Minds’
Science fiction and fantasy author Tom Jolly has one piece of advice for up-and-coming writers hoping to get published: It’s never too late to start. “I never sold anything until 2011, when I was 57 years old,” said Jolly, a former engineer who’s written more than 50 short stories for magazines, including New Myths and…
Gallery Los Olivos hosts Brought to Light, showcasing photographer Felice Willat and painter Sherri Cassell
Gallery Los Olivos presents Brought to Light, a new duo exhibition showcasing photography by Felice Willat and paintings by Sherri Cassell (whose work is pictured above). The show opened at the beginning of May and is scheduled to remain on display through Monday, May 31. Known for her captivating images captured in various countries around…
Orcutt Community Theater and Klein Dance Arts Studio co-host upcoming variety show, ‘The Arts in Bloom’
Orcutt Community Theater presents The Arts in Bloom, an outdoor program of live music, theater, and dance performances, at Klein Dance Arts Studio in Santa Maria on May 15, with three chances to view it (1, 3, and 5 p.m.). Tickets to the program are $5 each, and ages 11 and under get in for…
Reality check
In “Language of translation” (April 29), we were treated to a quotation from Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board member Chris Arend: “The rule is when you address the board … you can address the board in English. You do not address the board in Spanish, which none of us understand.” Let’s unpack that.…
‘Americanism’ is inaccurate
In an April 29 commentary (“Americanism”), Susan Chapman wrote: “Please do not divide us into conflicting tribes. We are all Americans, and that is what we hold dear.” One good way to help accomplish that goal is to avoid publishing inaccuracies and falsehoods about our elected leaders. Among several arguable statements, Ms. Chapman claimed: “Nancy…
Cities, counties, and states would do well to explore a mobile home park option for homeless locals
Here are some thoughts I feel that the state, counties, and cities should explore to address the homeless housing crisis. This would be cost effective, easier to implement, and help create a sense of home, not a municipal housing project costing a fortune to build or renovate. I propose a mobile home complex with a…
