Another Brown is vying for the title of Santa Barbara County Sheriff. Sgt. Sandra Brown, a 16-year veteran with the department, recently announced plans to challenge two-term incumbent Sheriff Bill Brown in the June 2014 election. The two Browns aren’t related. In an interview with the Sun, Sandra said she’s running for sheriff to get […]
AMY ASMAN
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The dance of the belly
Blue Moon Haven dance troupe offers a good workout that’s fun, too!
The rhythmic clang of cymbals fills the small room and crashes through a nearby glass-paned door into an adjoining ballet studio. Two little girls in pastel leotards and tights timidly approach the divider to see what could be making such a foreign sound. A glimpse through the glass reveals a group of women dressed in […]
Posted inNews
The great pill debate
A new bill proposes that pharmaceutical companies bear more responsibility for medication disposal
About every month or so, employees with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department transport thousands of pounds of discarded prescription medications to a medical waste company in Long Beach to be incinerated. These trips are part of Operation Medicine Cabinet, a program run by the Sheriff’s Department and the county Public Works Department that offers […]
Posted inNews
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Patricia M. Troxel, one of the driving creative forces behind Santa Barbara County’s PCPA Theaterfest, died on April 21 after more than four years of battling breast cancer. Troxel was known and respected throughout the region for her work as a teacher, director, and literary manager. Her vast body of work as a director at […]
Posted inNews
Feathers and knives
Faced with the increasing popularity of cockfighting, authorities pressure lawmakers to make the blood sport a felony
Gleaming steel knives sit in a red velvet-lined box. The curved three-inch blades are menacing, despite their size. At first glimpse, it’s difficult to tell what purpose they serve: They’re too sharp to be part of a Freddy Kruger-inspired costume, and too thin for woodworking. When paired with a coping saw, the strange daggers look […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc’s space center project is grounded–again
A complex case of “the chicken or the egg”—or, in this case, “the land or the money”—prompted Lompoc City Council members on April 16 to terminate their contract with the Environmental Education Group (EEG), a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit proposing to build a $220 million space center on city land. During the meeting, it became apparent […]
Posted inNews
Super seniors
Do you know someone over 65 years old who’s doing a great job helping others? Residents throughout California are encouraged to cast their vote for the state’s Outstanding Senior Volunteer as part of the Salute to Senior Service program, which honors seniors who give at least 15 hours a month of volunteer service to their […]
Posted inNews
Back to biology
State officials propose a plan to phase out methyl bromide once and for all
Scientists, farmers, and regulators across California are working on a plan to significantly reduce the use of toxic fumigants, such as methyl bromide, in the state’s strawberry fields. Earlier this month, the Department of Pesticide Regulation released a list of goals for the industry to pursue that includes recommendations to expand breeding programs for plants […]
Posted inNews
Summit highlights Santa Barbara County’s energy sector
The California Energy Action Summit held April 12 in the dining room of the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott Hotel offered a diverse sampling of speakers, including experts from Texas and North Dakota—two of the highest-ranked states in the nation when it comes to employment in the oil and gas industry. Delore Zimmerman kicked off the […]
Posted inNews
A newspaper by another name?
Legislation proposed in California would allow websites to post public notices
Here’s a trivia question: What’s a fictitious business name? It sounds like a scam, but a fictitious business—or trade—name is the name under which a company or person operates professionally. Entrepreneurs are required to file fictitious business name statements with their county governments prior to doing business. The statements are then published in official community […]
Posted inNews
Father describes accused killer Timothy McNally’s behavior
Witnesses started taking the stand on April 8 in the trial of former Lompoc prison guard Timothy McNally, who’s charged with murdering his friend and fellow prison guard Gary Bent in a Lompoc hotel room last year. Judge Patricia Kelly’s usually bustling Department 8 courtroom in Santa Maria took on a somber atmosphere as a […]
Posted inNews
Convicted rapist Tibor Karsai will move to Santa Maria this month
Tibor Karsai, the sexually violent predator twice convicted of rape, will be released as a transient into Santa Barbara County this month, despite District Attorney Joyce Dudley’s efforts to stop it. Karsai will, however, have to adhere to a strict regimen of observation, supervision, and treatment, according to the state Department of Hospitals. The 59-year-old […]
