On average, about a dozen or more newlywed couples kick off their happily-ever-afters at Los Alamos’ Plenty on Bell a year, restaurant co-owner Christine Gallagher told the Sun. Compared to previous years where wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners got booked far in advance, the small-town eatery’s 2026 roster is less plentiful than usual, in light […]
Caleb Wiseblood
Posted inUncategorized
Three candidates vie for Santa Barbara County’s 5th District seat
The race to fill the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ 5th District seat in 2027 is on, as 2026 marks the end of longtime Supervisor Steve Lavagnino’s time on the dais. Lavagnino’s Chief of Staff Cory Bantilan is among the three candidates who have formally commenced their campaigns so far, along with Santa Maria-Bonita […]
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Guadalupe officials postpone Brown Act board appointment to oversee Royal Theater project
Guadalupe City Councilmember Whitney Furness expressed a feeling of déjà vu for the second time in less than two months about the council’s decision to enact a new oversight committee dedicated to monitoring the Royal Theater project. “I’m just not sure why we’re getting asked to revote on something that we did already,” Furness said […]
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Political Watch: January 22, 2026
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) was among the 12 senators who co-signed a recent letter to scrutinize the National Park Service’s (NPS) decision to remove Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the list of fee-free days at national parks, while adding President Donald Trump’s birthday to the list. “Not only does this […]
Posted inNews
Solvang considers removing Design Review Committee from sign permitting process
Time. Place. Manner. Case law shows that the legal limits of monitoring free speech and assembly go hand in hand with the objective rules a city can adopt to regulate signage and art—including murals—used by privately owned businesses. Over the past nine months, Solvang’s staff and legal advisors have cited U.S. Supreme Court cases, including […]
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Buellton installs the county’s first public pet microchip scanner stations
Typically found in veterinary offices and animal shelters, a pet microchip scanner can quickly help someone who’s found a stray animal—if it’s been microchipped—arrange a reunion with its owner. Although its availability is limited by working hours, staffing, and other factors tied to locations that carry scanners, the Santa Barbara Animal Care Foundation (SBACF) is […]
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Political Watch: January 15, 2026
• On Jan. 9, Gov. Gavin Newsom released a $348.9 billion budget proposal for the 2026-27 fiscal year. A press release from Assemblymember Gregg Hart’s (D-Santa Barbara) office stated that the budget maintained funding for key services, especially in areas where the federal government has pulled back. “As we craft our state budget—the guiding policy […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Scoring vista points: All-volunteer group Lompoc Hike and Bike lays groundwork for new public trail network
Leaves of three, let them be—to an extent. The risk of being exposed to poison oak comes with the territory for those who volunteer with the Lompoc Trails Committee, aka Lompoc Hike and Bike. “A lot of our rough work begins with cutting through the vegetation,” committee chair Dave Baker said about an 82-acre development […]
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Vandenberg Village resident pleads not guilty to murder of her 9-year-old daughter
While taking photos along a remote back road off Utah’s State Route 24, a couple discovered what ultimately closed a two-month, multi-agency investigation into the disappearance of a child from the Lompoc Valley. “Although immediate identification of the deceased person was not possible, it was apparent that the decedent was a female who had died […]
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Firefighters, wildlife agencies rescue owl entangled in a car grille
Over the span of his 27-year career as a first responder, Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Garrett Huff has seen his fair share of animals in distress. “Horses have been some of the most challenging animal rescues that I’ve been part of, not only because of their size but the situations they can get themselves […]
Posted inPolitical Watch
Political Watch: January 1, 2026
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced on Dec. 22 that the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act was signed into law. Carbajal co-sponsored this bipartisan legislation, which expands federal death and disability benefits for firefighters. It updates the Public Safety Officer’s Benefits Program, for example, to cover specific cancers linked to firefighting and emergency […]
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Walmart Neighborhood Market’s Santa Maria locations celebrate remodels, donate grants to local nonprofits
Blue and yellow frosted cupcakes, carefully arranged on circular tabletops in Walmart’s corporate sunburst logo, awaited guests of two local ribbon-cutting ceremonies in late December. Both events commemorated recent remodel work at Santa Maria’s two Walmart Neighborhood Market locations. Rudy Villarreal, store manager at the South Bradley Road location, told the Sun that longtime customers […]
