As an infectious disease specialist for Cottage Health, Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons is no stranger to witnessing suffering and death. But nothing, she said, could have prepared her for what she saw during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I don’t think you ever get used to seeing your patients suffering,” Fitzgibbons told the Sun. […]
MALEA MARTIN
Posted inFood & Drink
Farm Day lets locals get a peek behind the scenes to learn how food gets from the farm to the produce aisle
The COVID-19 pandemic, characterized by empty shelves and grocery store lines that wrapped around the block, ushered in a new wave of curiosity about food supply chains and how they operate. This year, locals can learn a little more about the hands that feed them at the third annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day. “During […]
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Ocean floor wine company withdraws permit application amid Coastal Act violations
Ocean Fathoms, a Santa Barbara County-based company that wants to store wine on the ocean floor, withdrew its permit application from the Coastal Commission, which was set to discuss the matter at its Aug. 12 meeting. The company was seeking after-the-fact authorization because it implemented its underwater wine storage system without a permit. The Coastal […]
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Solvang residents speak up at redistricting workshop
Locals made their voices heard at an Aug. 12 redistricting public workshop held in Solvang, where redistricting commissioners and community members met to exchange thoughts about the once-a-decade process that will now be guided by recently released census data. “Every 10 years, the county has to redistrict, based on the most recent census data,” Daniel […]
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Santa Barbara County reimplements mask mandate amid rise in cases, hospitalizations
Santa Barbara County Public Health Department started mandating face coverings indoors again on Aug. 6—a departure from current state guidelines—amid rising COVID-19 cases. California’s current statewide guidelines require masks in some settings, like public transit and K-12 schools. In retail stores, restaurants, and other private indoor settings, masks are required for unvaccinated people but only […]
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Santa Maria Raceway to shut down, owner announces
Central Coast residents will soon lose a venue that has operated in Nipomo for decades. Santa Maria Raceway, home of Stadium805, is planning to cease operations, owner Nick Duggan announced in an Aug. 9 Facebook post. The raceway has hosted stock car races for more than 40 years, and after a series of different owners, […]
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The Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project celebrates two decades of serving local migrant communities
After opening an office in Santa Maria in 2019, the Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) quickly became a fixture in North County communities, particularly known for its translation and outreach services that helped get critical information to local residents during the pandemic. But locals might not know that the organization has actually been around […]
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A much-needed mental health crisis unit is ready to open on the Central Coast, but it’s caught in the state’s approval process
After years of planning and preparation, Marian Regional Medical Center’s new Behavioral Health Outpatient Unit is ready to open, and local health professionals say it’s needed more than ever after the trauma of the past pandemic year. But red tape at the state level is road-blocking the unit from accepting patients just yet, leaving hospital […]
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Guadalupe cancels 75th anniversary celebrations over COVID-19 concerns
This year marks Guadalupe’s 75th anniversary as an incorporated city, and the community had big plans to celebrate this milestone with vendors, a parade, and even a mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic. But event organizers announced Aug. 2 that the celebration would be canceled due to rising COVID-19 cases from the quickly spreading Delta variant. “At […]
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Santa Maria repeals housing ordinance, agrees to HUD resolution
After the Santa Maria City Council’s final vote to repeal its housing ordinance passed on July 27, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced July 30 that it reached a voluntary compliance agreement with the city, resolving allegations that the housing ordinance violated the Fair Housing Act. According to HUD, it first […]
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Camino Scholars program at People’s Self-Help Housing sites helps kids succeed at school, even after the pandemic year
The Camino Scholars program, quite literally, meets kids where they’re at. People’s Self-Help Housing (PSHH), the biggest affordable housing organization on the Central Coast, offers a variety of free, site-based services to its residents. One of those services is Camino Scholars, an after-school education program offered on-site at PSHH properties. “We have 11 learning centers […]
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Public Health pleads with locals to get COVID-19 vaccine
Public health officials urged community members to get vaccinated as Santa Barbara County experiences soaring COVID-19 case rates, hospitalizations, outbreaks, and deaths. The county also reported one of the youngest local COVID-19 deaths so far in the pandemic: a Santa Maria individual between the ages of 18 and 29 who was unvaccinated and had no […]