On Dec. 31, an appeals court ruled against environmental groups’ request to stay a federal decision approving Sable Offshore Corporation’s restart plans for two oil pipelines along the Gaviota Coast. The request was part of a lawsuit the Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Defense Center, and others filed against the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety […]
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Political Watch: January 8, 2026
• State Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) recently appointed state Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) to chair the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee for the remainder of the 2025-26 legislative session. “Sen. Laird brings deep experience, sound judgment, and a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility to the Budget Committee,” Limón said […]
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Volunteers at the Five Cities Repair Café are here to fix
Get to fixin’Five Cities Repair Café’s next event is scheduled for Feb. 21 at Grover City Grange—located at 370 S. 13th St. in Grover Beach—from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Visit repaircafe5cities.org for more information. Email fivecitiesrepaircafe@gmail.com to inquire about volunteer opportunities. A loose screw. A disconnected wire. A ripped seam. Sometimes all it takes to […]
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See ya: A look back at 2025’s headlines in northern Santa Barbara County
This past year was full of headlines about the Trump administration, federal job cuts, and increased immigration enforcement. But through all of that national news, northern Santa Barbara County was still humming along, impacted by the new federal polices and national politics and continuing with business as usual. The biggest, most consistent headlines were about […]
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Vandenberg Village resident pleads not guilty to murder of her 9-year-old daughter
While taking photos along a remote back road off Utah’s State Route 24, a couple discovered what ultimately closed a two-month, multi-agency investigation into the disappearance of a child from the Lompoc Valley. “Although immediate identification of the deceased person was not possible, it was apparent that the decedent was a female who had died […]
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Cities receive grants for bicycle safety workshops
Thousands of students in Santa Barbara County will continue receiving bicycle education and free safety equipment thanks to grants from the state. Buellton is one of five cities in the county that won funds from the California Office of Traffic Safety for this year’s grant cycle. Buellton’s funds total more than $47,000. The nonprofit MOVE […]
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Firefighters, wildlife agencies rescue owl entangled in a car grille
Over the span of his 27-year career as a first responder, Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Garrett Huff has seen his fair share of animals in distress. “Horses have been some of the most challenging animal rescues that I’ve been part of, not only because of their size but the situations they can get themselves […]
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Political Watch: January 1, 2026
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced on Dec. 22 that the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act was signed into law. Carbajal co-sponsored this bipartisan legislation, which expands federal death and disability benefits for firefighters. It updates the Public Safety Officer’s Benefits Program, for example, to cover specific cancers linked to firefighting and emergency […]
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Walmart Neighborhood Market’s Santa Maria locations celebrate remodels, donate grants to local nonprofits
Blue and yellow frosted cupcakes, carefully arranged on circular tabletops in Walmart’s corporate sunburst logo, awaited guests of two local ribbon-cutting ceremonies in late December. Both events commemorated recent remodel work at Santa Maria’s two Walmart Neighborhood Market locations. Rudy Villarreal, store manager at the South Bradley Road location, told the Sun that longtime customers […]
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Almost there: Guadalupe’s Royal Theater retrofit hits another snag after groundbreaking ceremony
In the pantheon of roadblocks that have slowed down efforts to resurrect Guadalupe’s shuttered Royal Theater, asbestos is the latest hiccup keeping the $13 million project at a temporary standstill. Two weeks after local organizers and elected officials held a formal groundbreaking to celebrate the reboot reaching its construction phase (to transform the vacant venue […]
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Department of Transportation classifies Las Flores pipeline under new regulatory oversight
Within 24 hours of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ Dec. 16 vote to deny Sable Offshore the permit transfers it needs to revive the Las Flores pipeline, a separate governing body responded to the Texas-based oil producer’s appeal to a higher power. On Dec. 17, the U.S. Department of Transportation granted Sable’s request […]
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Lompoc Police Department’s Drone First Responder program is ready to take flight
Lompoc City Council members approved a deal for the Lompoc Police Department to buy and operate drones as first responders on calls. Officials hope deploying the drones will improve public safety and the department’s efficiency. At the Dec. 16 meeting, council members voted 5-0 for a two-year pilot period, which will cost $100,000 per year. […]
