It’s not often that someone starts a business primarily to save money on common household items. But that’s exactly what motivated Ellowyn Isaacson to jump feet first into the world of soapmaking. “I wanted to replace our soap with a more natural alternative, and after seeing the prices on the market, decided it was more […]
SPENCER COLE
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Spotlight on: Lompoc Valley Cannabis Association
Matthew Dula, co-founder
A new association of business owners and activists in the the cannabis community say they want to help improve relations with skeptics and opponents of the plant in general. According to its founders, the Lompoc Valley Cannabis Association aims to be both a voice for a nascent industry and an intermediary between business owners, governments, […]
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NASA and Iridium, with help from SpaceX, complete launch
The first phase of a joint mission run by NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences—or GFZ—successfully detached from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 22, releasing a pair of satellites that will now orbit the Earth for at least a half decade. The spacecraft launched just before 1 p.m. that day from […]
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Spotlight on: E&J Gallo Winery
Roger Nabedian, senior VP of Premium Wine Division
The reach of one of California’s most powerful wine firms extended further into the Central Coast region in early May when it purchased nearly 1,000 acres of vineyard property in the Santa Maria Valley. Modesto-based E&J Gallo Winery, which boasts that it’s the world’s largest family-owned winery, made the announcements on two separate occasions, almost […]
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Santa Barbara County governments push forward despite less than expected pot tax haul
For the time being, Santa Barbara County and its cities are reacting with tepid optimism to the news that California will not lower its 15 percent excise tax on cannabis. “It’s actually not surprising to me that the revenues are fairly low at this point,” Santa Barbara County Deputy CEO Dennis Bozanich said, adding that […]
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Sheriff election heats up following grand jury report
The race for Santa Barbara County sheriff-coroner reached a boiling point after the release of a 2017-18 Santa Barbara County grand jury report stating the Sheriff’s Office mandatory overtime had “become a de facto element” in its personnel and budget management practices, costing the office and county millions of dollars and affecting recruitment efforts. “Substantial, […]
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Spotlight on: Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley
Jennifer Harrison, Santa Maria Valley Visitors Bureau director
Santa Maria’s favorite wine trolley is coming back to the valley. The Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley‘s official second season begins Memorial Day weekend. The public transportation is the product of a collaborative effort between the Santa Maria Valley Visitors Bureau and Santa Maria. The 28-passenger trolley is an extension of the city’s downtown trolley […]
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Gaining InSight: New NASA Mars mission promises to unlock red planet’s origins
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena sent out a familiar message in the predawn hours of May 5. “We have lift off,” the broadcast announced as its newest mission—aptly titled “InSight,” which promises to reveal the interior structure of Mars—blasted out of Earth’s orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base and into the vast reaches […]
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Supes ask DWR to adjust groundwater basin boundary
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on May 8 to submit a request to California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) asking the agency to remove northern fringe areas from Santa Maria River Valley Groundwater Basin. Fourth District Supervisor Peter Adam recused himself from discussions because his family drew water from wells in […]
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Santa Barbara County says watersheds recovering slowly from fires
The areas in Santa Barbara County adjacent to lands damaged by recent wildfires will be at risk for years, according to county, state, and federal officials. “We are experiencing very slow [vegetation] regrowth unfortunately,” U.S. Forest Service Biologist Kevin Cooper told the county’s Board of Supervisors during a meeting on May 1. That day, Cooper […]
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Seeds for tomorrow: California’s water managers harness storms for drought relief
The storm is rolling in. It’s January. A parched fall, thus far followed by an abnormally dry winter—which helped produce the largest fire in California’s recorded history—is already giving the state’s farmers and water managers visions of imminent, crippling drought. And while the deluge associated with this particular moisture system rolling in off the Pacific […]
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Santa Barbara County supervisors adopt cannabis business license ordinance
The picture portraying how Santa Barbara County plans to rake in the green became a little bit clearer on May 1. That day, the county’s Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance establishing a commercial cannabis business license by a 4 -1 vote, with 4th District Supervisor Peter Adam dissenting. Now, anyone engaged in commercial activity, […]