Responding to residents’ requests for public transportation to work, school, and other activities, the Lompoc City Council approved on July 1 the establishment of a bus route between Lompoc and Solvang, with a stop in Buellton. Run by the City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) system, the 20-passenger bus could begin making trips between the two […]
AMY ASMAN
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County continues fight against Gap Fire
After more than a week of battling flames, firefighting forces in Santa Barbara County are getting closer to smothering the Gap Fire, thanks, in part, to a recent change in weather conditions. Beginning July 6, lower temperatures and higher moisture levels helped firefighters keep the fire—which has already burned nearly 9,600 acres—from spreading. As a […]
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In case of future emergencies
Santa Barbara County supervisors allow Emergency Operations Center project to move forward
On July 1, Santa Barbara County came one step closer to having a permanent Emergency Operations Center when the Board of Supervisors narrowly voted in favor of allowing staff to move forward with a plan to build emergency facilities outside of Santa Barbara. The decision—which could be postponed for financial reasons—comes at a pivotal time […]
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Santa Barbara County joins efforts to ease volatile fire season
Planning on grilling steaks or roasting marshmallows over a campfire during the Fourth of July weekend? Well, don’t do it—unless it’s at a designated campfire location. According to a press release from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the county fire department, in conjunction with all other fire departments in the county, is banning open […]
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Federal funds for repairs to Santa Maria River Levee await final approval
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved the earmarking of $8.5 million in the 2009 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill on June 25, to help stabilize and repair the Santa Maria River Levee. Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) requested federal funding to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin […]
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Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury questions status of Child Welfare Services
A recent Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury report, investigating the county’s Child Welfare Services, found that the department “lacks stability.” According to the report, “While Child Welfare Services (CWS) has a process to deal with the children at each age stage in the system from initial contact, to court hearing, to permanent placement, to […]
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Born free
Local group pressures hospitals to let mothers give birth naturally after c-sections
Members of the local organization Birth Action Coalition gathered on June 23, outside Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, carrying signs in one hand and babies in the other, to protest what they called the hospital’s “ban on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).” The coalition’s goal is to “help create supportive natural birth environments in the […]
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Santa Maria, Guadalupe to receive millions in state funding for water treatment plants
The cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe announced earlier this month that they are planning to use a little over $9 million, awarded by the state, to help fund two major projects in the Santa Maria Valley area. In Santa Maria, $4.8 million will go toward expanding the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The city of […]
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Deadline for hands-free cell phones approaches
Starting July 1, Californians ages 18 and older, will be required to switch from using hand-held wireless phones to hands-free devices while driving a car. According to a press release from the California Highway Patrol, there are two acts going into affect in July. The first law prohibits all drivers from using handheld wireless phones […]
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County supes put out fireworks’ fire
Waving sparklers and other non-explosive fireworks in honor of Independence Day is now a thing of the past in Santa Barbara County following the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors June 17 decision to ban all fireworks in unincorporated areas of the county. The board voted 4-1, with 3rd District Supervisor Brooks Firestone dissenting, to […]
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Where it’s tat
Renowned tattoo artist Jimmy Coffin sets up shop in Santa Maria
At first glance, tattoo artist Jimmy Coffin looks nothing like a savvy businessman. He looks more like the byproduct of a torrid love affair between a sea-worn sailor and a punk rock princess with a strange affection for cowboy hats. But don’t judge Coffin based on his appearance, because beneath the straw-colored hat and ink-soaked […]
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Fake outbreak
Santa Barbara County agencies weather a mock flu pandemic to prepare for any emergency
Hospital staffers pace up and down the hall, whispering urgently about some kind of outbreak. A woman dressed in scrubs and a red emergency vest enters the control room to talk to someone about the barrage of patients crowding the emergency room. No, this isn’t a cliffhanger scene out of the popular medical dramedy Grey’s […]
