At 12:41 p.m. on a recent Friday, I stood behind waiting customers at the Cubanissimo food truck. I propped up an umbrella with freezing fingers and fumbled with my armful of notebook, pen, recorder, and camera. The truck, whose paint job sported a tangle of cheery colors, stood bright against the solid gray sky. Rainwater […]
BRENNA SWANSTON
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Central coast ag sector aims to thrive in dry spell
Climate change looms over California agriculture, threatening increased invasive pest problems, fewer winter chill hours, more saltwater intrusion, and weaker flood resistance. On the Central Coast, drought and temperature increase have become the most prevalent dangers to the area’s typically rich farmland. Studies show projected climate-related declines in California crop yields, pressuring growers to adapt. […]
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Santa Maria summer parks program shortens hours, expands outreach
Plans are falling into place for a new kids’ summer program from Santa Maria’s Recreation and Parks Department, which will replace the city’s usual summer day camp. Recreation Division Manager Teresa Reyburn said the new program, called Safe and Strong All Summer Long, will provide free childcare for kids aged 6 through 12 at city […]
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Snowy plover nesting season faces threat from beach traffic, drought
March kicks off nesting season for the endangered western snowy plover, a shore bird whose beach nesting habitats are protected along the West Coast. For many Santa Barbara County beaches, the season signifies closures or restrictions until the end of September as part of a program to protect nesting snowy plovers from foot traffic. Surf, […]
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Federal bureau says offshore fracking doesn’t impact environment; Environmental Defense Center says report falls short
Offshore well stimulation treatments, including acidizing and hydraulic fracturing (fracking), do not significantly impact environments in the Santa Barbara Channel’s federal waters, according to a draft environmental review released in February by federal agencies. The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) responded critically to the review, claiming it “falls short in several fundamental respects.” Offshore well stimulation […]
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Phillips 66 project public hearings to continue March 11
The Stop Oil Trains campaign has put a call out to “pack the hearing chambers” in SLO County headquarters on Friday, March 11, in protest of a proposed rail extension project by the Phillips 66 oil company. The occasion: San Luis Obispo County’s Planning Commission will host a public hearing on the project. Last month’s […]
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Supervisors vote to block Chumash parcel from entering federal trust
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted last week to oppose the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians taking 2.13 acres of land into federal trust. The parcels make up the Mooney-Escobar properties, located south of Highway 246 and east of the Chumash Casino and Resort. Chumash Government Affairs Officer Sam Cohen said the tribe […]
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Lompoc City Council says ‘no’ to new fire station
Lompoc won’t be getting its new fire station anytime soon, following a vote by the Lompoc City Council on the long-debated topic last week. Fire Chief Kurt Latipow said the proposed new station was necessary to accommodate additional staff for the fire department, which would allow the department to respond to calls more quickly and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Taste of Solvang kicks off: The little Danish village packs a serious culinary punch
Trying to figure out what to do next weekend? Yeah, me neither. Let me rephrase that: Trying to figure out where to eat next weekend? I’ve got a suggestion. Next week kicks off the 24th annual Taste of Solvang, aka probably the best reason you’ll ever get to blow off that not-so-hot date you’ve got […]
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Refugio oil spill pipelines to fall under stricter laws
Plains All-American Pipeline has applied to withdraw its filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), meaning pipeline 901—which is currently out of operation—will be removed from federal jurisdiction and come under more stringent regulation if it reopens in the future. This filing would cancel Plains’ Line 901 tariff, according to Tamara Young-Allen of FERC […]
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Albertsons to make comeback in Lompoc
Lompoc will be getting its Albertsons back, after the grocery chain re-acquired many of the 146 stores it sold to Washington-based grocery company Haggen in December 2014. In an attempt to preserve competition in certain Western states, the Federal Trade Commission required Albertsons to sell 168 of its stores before approving the company’s merger with […]
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Judge declares mistrial in Marjorie Good case
Superior Court Judge Rogelio Flores has declared a mistrial for the murder trial of 90-year-old Marjorie Good on the basis of jury misconduct, according to Good’s defense attorney David Bixby. Good was charged in May 2015 with the first-degree murder of her daughter, Solvang resident Heidi Good. Heidi suffered from Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and died […]