Spotlight

Marigolds, colorful paper banners, traditional foods, candles, and memories.  These and other meaningful elements will come together to create a community altar at this year’s Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) Dia de los Muertos event. The district invites community members to celebrate their ancestors and culture on Nov. 2 from 2 to 7 p.m. at […]

The jobs that exist now are not going to be the same in the future, Orcutt Union School District Superintendent Dr. Holly Edds said.  “We’re always looking to the future and how we can improve our instruction here in the district because we do want to be responsive, we do want to have students ready […]

Many wheelchair users haven’t felt a sandy beach in years, but one organization is changing that reality one track at a time. NatureTrack is making the Central Coast beachfront more accessible for wheelchair users throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties by providing technology that turns manual wheelchairs into vehicles that easily traverse sandy […]

Neat racks of colorful onesies, kids T-shirts, shorts, and baby shoes line the 350 square feet of retail space Kayla Perez purchased a year ago.  “I think if you came in and didn’t know it was a thrift shop, you wouldn’t know it was secondhand,” said Perez, the owner of Kayla’s Kidz—a secondhand store for […]

As someone who never considered herself a sporty person growing up, Annis Barajas wanted to offer Guadalupe residents more than sports when she joined the Recreation Department six months ago.  “Guadalupe has [always] been super strong when it comes to sports,” said Barajas, the recreation services manager. “I wanted to have options for people who […]

 A personal connection ultimately led Brittany Avila Wazny to work at the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation.  “My brother was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager in 2008, and that had a pretty big impact on my and my family’s life,” Avila Wazny said. “I understand what families are going through. I realized how fortunate my […]

Quilts. Table runners. Bags. Shoes.  Old Town Quilt Shop teaches and provides the tools, fabrics, and classes for people to quilt a variety of wares.  “We prefer bright happy colors, so when you walk into the door it’s bright, happy, warm colors. We do classes at the shop; every single month we have at least […]

Going back to school.  Rental assistance.  Buying professional clothing.  These are some of the many ways people can use the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness John Kovacs Scholarship: $2,500 awarded to individuals with lived experience of mental illness or substance use disorder who want to expand their learning opportunities or advance in life, […]

This election cycle, Lompoc has two City Council seats and the mayor’s seat up for grabs, and the Lompoc Unified School District has its second by-trustee area election this November.  To help keep residents informed and involved during election season, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Lompoc-Vandenberg branch received a $10,000 grant from the […]

Lompoc residents collectively read for more than 364,000 minutes this summer, quadrupling the number of minutes set in the library’s goal for its annual summer reading challenge.  “Lompoc is a great community, and the reading numbers far exceeded my expectations, which was amazing. We just kept passing our goal, so we changed it, and we […]

Julio Roman started his journey with LGBTQ-plus organizations as a client.  “I was looking for a safe space,” Roman said. “I was dealing with my feelings around being attracted to other guys, and this was a safe space to really be yourself. I was able to find a community of young men who looked like […]