Spotlight

Lynne Castellanos, a Solvang math teacher, wasn’t super athletic until her daughter went to college and started boxing. Now, the 65-year-old holds several world records in powerlifting, won female athlete of the year in 2017, and runs a nonprofit gym with her daughter as a way to give back to the community.  “We work with […]

Backpacks are a source of pride for students. It’s something they take with them to school and see every day, said Genevieve Flores-Haro, the Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project associate director.  “We are currently fundraising dollars to purchase backpacks and backpack supplies—but we’ll also take new school supplies. Pens, paper, notebooks, coloring pencils, markers crayons. It’s […]

The Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest group thus far—children from 6 months old to 5 years old.  Santa Barbara County Health Officer Henning Ansorg said he was really excited that the vaccines were finally approved for little kids.  “It may be a […]

Outdoor space became more important for Santa Marians when COVID-19 hit and social distancing took over, said Dennis Smitherman, the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department manager. “If you drove by a park [in Santa Maria] and it wasn’t full, it was a bad weather day,” Smitherman said. “I think people got used to being […]

Whether kids are the picky eaters who sniff at vegetables on their forks, or if they’re always on the go and need something quick, it can be difficult for parents to get kids all the nutrients they need for their growing bodies.  That’s why the Lompoc Library partnered with the CalFresh Healthy Living UC Cooperative […]

School’s out and summer’s calling all the kids to go outside with friends and get a much needed break from classrooms and academics. For parents, it means it’s time to pick summer programs to ensure a fun-filled three months, and keep their children safe while they have to work.  The Boys and Girls Club of […]

When Shannon Mako moved to Nipomo from San Clemente four years ago, she knew no one and found it really hard to make new friends, she said.  “The nature of the Central Coast is that it’s very small town. Properties are spread out, people have their houses sit further back in their land. You don’t […]

California’s in an ongoing drought, and individuals can do their own part to conserve water with easy solutions, city of Santa Maria Water Conservation Specialist Myra Ritchie said. “We have an ongoing water conservation campaign, the message is, ‘Don’t waste a drop. Let’s save together.’ We tell the community how they can get involved, [and] […]

When Joanna Hendrix was nominated to apply for the Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year award, she had a hard time deciding whether she’d move forward with the process.  “I learned I do not enjoy the spotlight,” the teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students said with a laugh. “I really had reservations […]

The Pacific Surfliner train runs along the Pacific coast, extending from San Luis Obispo, cutting through Santa Barbara, and ending at its southernmost destination in San Diego. The surfliner is provided by Amtrak, but overseen by the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency—a joint powers authority used to give more local control […]

When asked when fire season officially starts, SLO County Fire Safe Council Executive Director Dan Turner couldn’t help but chuckle. Thanks to climate change, he said, fire season is practically year-round in California. “Typically in San Luis Obispo County, you start experiencing fires mid-April out on the east side of the county, which dries out […]

The Community Action Coalition was founded to combat poverty rates in Santa Barbara County as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. The organization became a countywide task force in 1965 and received nonprofit status in 1987.  Now, it’s known as CommUnify, but its mission remains the same: to help community […]