A customer utters the words “gorgeous,” “majestic,” and “beautiful” as she browses through the foliage along a meandering path at Bruno’s Greenhouse, an indoor/outdoor plant nursery in Nipomo. It’s the type of reaction that owner Christine Bruno intends when customers come to her greenhouse, or nursery. It’s actually both, but is mainly a nursery, since […]
DAVID MINSKY
Posted inNews
Hoppy hour: Two friends experiment with growing hops in arid Northern Santa Barbara County
Buried deep within the Santa Rita Hills just outside of Lompoc near Cebada Canyon Road, Casey Birthisel and Brian DeBolt are growing a hops garden. Driving up to a password-protected gate, Birthisel punches in the code and takes a long, winding road up a hill lined with white fences. He drives up to another gate, […]
Posted inNews
Nipomo supplemental water is finally here
There’s good news and bad news when it comes to water supplies for the residents of the Nipomo Mesa. Phase one of the long-anticipated supplemental water project is near completion, and water supplies have already arrived, delivering at least 4 million gallons since July 2 to the parched Mesa from Santa Maria, according to the […]
Posted inNews
Body found on Tepusquet Canyon Road
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is trying to identify a human body found near Santa Maria on July 12. According to a press release issued by the Sheriff’s Office, bicyclists were riding along Tepusquet Canyon Road, about 15 miles east of Santa Maria, around 7:40 a.m. when they discovered what appeared to be human […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County inmate died from natural causes, coroner says
Raymond Herrera entered Santa Barbara County Jail in June to serve a short sentence for various non-violent probation violations, but he didn’t come out alive. On June 15, the 52-year-old Herrera suffered a medical emergency while in jail and died a short time later at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. According to a coroner’s report issued […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Ascendant Distillery heads to New Orleans for its first appearance at Tales of the Cocktail
Each year, thousands of imbibers converge upon New Orleans in mid-July for Tales of the Cocktail. The five-day, seminar-filled event is a convention of industry types—bartenders, distributors, manufacturers, etc.—who come from around the world to get a taste of the latest and greatest in booze trends. On the surface, the event appears to be a […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Cooler Truck Show comes to Nipomo July 17 to 19
What separates a truck from, let’s say, a car? According to Wikipedia, a truck is a motor vehicle that’s used to transport cargo. The Oxford Dictionary has several definitions, including a “railroad vehicle that’s used for carrying freight,” a “low flat-topped car used for moving heavy items,” or “each of two axle units on a […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: Pedal Power Bicycles
Chuck Cryor, owner
At times, running a small business for the last two decades has stressed out Pedal Power Bicycle owner Chuck Cryor. But, because he’s also an avid cyclist, he tries to balance work and play. As Cryor was being interviewed on July 1, he stopped mid-conversation and had a moment of clarity, realizing that July marks […]
Posted inNews
Inzunza v. Inzunza: Los Olivos grandmother sued in international custody dispute
It’s not clear who’s in the best interest of a 6-year-old Mexican boy: his mother, who lives in Mexico, or his grandmother, who lives in Los Olivos. The boy—identified as “JXA” in a federal lawsuit filed by his mother, Itzel Inzunza, on May 3—is at the heart of an international custody battle between his mother […]
Posted inNews
Groups hold vigil for inmate who died in Santa Barbara County Jail
Several groups, including Radio Occupy Santa Barbara, No New Jail Coalition, and People Organized for the Defense of Equal Rights (PODER), held a candlelight vigil outside the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on the evening of July 8 to mourn the death of Raymond Herrera, who died last month while in custody there. The groups […]
Posted inNews
Chumash casino lawsuit thrown out by federal judge
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians no longer has to worry about a lawsuit preventing the Chumash Casino Resort expansion, because a federal judge recently threw the case out. On July 2, Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the tribe’s request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Santa Ynez Valley group called Save the […]
Posted inNews
Isla Vista victim sues Sheriff’s Office, UCSB
More than a year has passed since the massacre in Isla Vista. The aftermath continues, and one of the victims filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 23. In the lawsuit, Keith Cheung alleges false imprisonment and that he was denied proper medical care when he was handcuffed by a Santa […]
