The tribe—that’s you, dear readers—has made its final decision about the businesses, organizations, and people who make the community shine. Only those who have outserved, outshone, and outsmarted the rest to become the best are included in this issue. As part of the season 26 finale, take a gander at the sole survivors of our […]
Special Issues
Posted inSpecial Issues
Education Today 2026
A new after-school program for some Santa Maria-Bonita schools and the state’s new on-campus cellphone rules
Aug. 13 is the first day of school for Santa Maria Valley students, which can mean so many things—a new school, new friends, new subjects to be interested in. For some local youth, it will also mean the chance to participate in a new after-school program with Think Together. For our annual Education Today issue, […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Think Together marks county debut with revamped after-schooling on 13 campuses
When mid-August rolls around, a new group will lead after-school activities at 13 schools—nine elementary schools and four middle schools—in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD). The new arrangement for the 2026-27 school year marks Think Together’s first time serving schools in Santa Barbara County. But the statewide nonprofit’s local ties don’t start there. Longtime […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
California’s Phone-Free School Act took effect in July, but local parents want uniform enforcement
Two years after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Phone-Free School Act, kids in California are about to find out the effects of the bill once they return from summer break. By July 1, 2026, every school district, county office of education, and charter school had to develop and adopt policies to limit on-campus smartphone use. […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
55 Fiction: Winners of our annual contest tell tiny tales of marriage, mayhem, madness, and more
Since we opened our doors, the Sun has insisted that you, too, can become a published writer. In our annual 55 Fiction contest, we ask would-be authors to send us their tiny stories and cross their fingers. In 55 words or fewer, weave a tale full of emotion, description, and surprise. Give us characters and […]
Posted inGet Outside
Central Coast Women for Fisheries spreads the word about life at sea
FEATURE Overboard, and troublesome heavy deck machinery in unpredictable maritime settings. The lives of the women close to them are no less marked by sacrifice. “Some of the women in this group have raised their kids when their husbands were gone for weeks at a time, and all they could do was talk to them […]
Posted inGet Outside
Achieve ‘beach karma’ with the Central Coast Treasure Hunters Association
TRAILBLAZING Whether it falls around sunrise or closer to the witching hour, low tide is when you’ll find Los Osos resident Matt Andrews out on a beach looking for treasure, armed with his metal detector. While drawing lines in the sand, Andrews grids the ground he covers to avoid missing a spot or scanning the […]
Posted inGet Outside
Astronomy buffs share their knowledge of the night sky during monthly star parties
FEATURE faraway galaxies appearing in the lens may no longer be the same. Starry objects can be tens of millions of light years away. So far out that light spent millions of years traveling to Earth, making the objects visible to humans. “I just want to know more,” Lipper said. “The longer you look, the […]
Posted inGet Outside
Give your feet a chance to be as close to bare as possible with minimalist shoes
GEAR HUB Going barefoot was just one piece of a puzzle. A few months into the pandemic, I noticed how badly my shoulders ached after sitting at my desk. So I tried standing. I got adjustable risers for my desks at work and at home, but my shoulders still ached. Eventually I wondered if the […]
Posted inGet Outside
Several agencies respond to your calls for help in the backcountry
FEATURE There’s no room for error on the Vicente Flat Trail. In some places, slipping off the narrow path means tumbling hundreds of feet down into the canyon surrounding Hare Creek in southern Big Sur. About 5 miles in and 1,800 feet up, the Vicente Flat Campground sprawls out under a redwood grove next to […]
Posted inGet Outside
Robin Greenfield on finding food, medicine, and connection in the wild
OUTDOOR KITCHEN For most people, food comes from the grocery store. For environmental activist and educator Robin Greenfield, food come from forests, lakes, roadsides, and fields. Greenfield is currently immersed in what he describes as “a year of foraging 100 percent of [his] own food and medicine.” There are no grocery stores, restaurants, gardens, supplements, […]
Posted inGet Outside
Take a hike with Hikes and Dykes
TRAILBLAZING The first time Nixie Margiotta (they/them) told me they were starting a hiking group called Hikes and Dykes, I had two immediate thoughts. First: That’s hilarious. Second: Why didn’t I think of that? The name alone feels like something dreamed up in a late-night conversation over cheap beer—cheeky, irreverent, and impossible to forget. When […]
