Cover Story
Harvesting the sea: Seaweed is coming to a dinner table near you
Sea lettuce lives to be thrashed by salt water. Paper thin, opaque, and a little rubbery, it spends life on the rocks that live in the intertidal zone, constantly battered by the foam that crashes onto the shore—unless, of course, the tide’s out. A soft earthy green enveloped in the curlicues of itself, the algae…
County covers library deficit with cannabis revenue
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors filled a roughly $68,000 gap in funding for three of the county’s libraries at a recent meeting, but questions over the long-term sustainability of the libraries remain unanswered. During discussions about the county’s 2019-20 budget in April, county staff outlined anticipated deficits for all nine county-run libraries totaling…
CANARY: Like old times?
My favorite high-pitched whine is making its way to the campaign trail. The squeaky wheel also known as Andy “I Know What’s Best” Caldwell announced his run for Congress on Aug. 12. Oh goody! Now I don’t just have to tune into a Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting to hear his screeds. He’s…
Chef Conrad Gonzales cultivates collaborative food and wine venture in Los Alamos
It only took 10 minutes of chatting with Chef Conrad Gonzales about his new eatery for it to become abundantly clear that he was planning something bigger than just another restaurant. The guy is passionate about food, but not just the end result on the customer’s plate. He talked about the varied, interconnected origins…
SMCT’s production of August: Osage County is poignant and heartfelt
Fade in: We eavesdrop on a job interview between employer Beverly Weston (Gary Prober) and potential employee Johnna Monevata (Maleah Rivera). Beverly is seeking a live-in cook and caregiver for his cancer-stricken wife, Violet (Sally Buchanan). But we join the scene mid-conversation, and at a rather ambiguous point. We slowly begin to realize the purpose…
Passages exhibition explores the journey between birth and death at Valley Art Gallery
Local beaches serve as the backdrops for photographer Heidi Gruetzemacher’s latest figurative works, currently on display at the Valley Art Gallery in Orcutt. The new exhibit is named Passages, and it will run through Saturday, Sept. 28, at the gallery. Each featured piece centers on a woman during different stages of her life—more specifically, her…
SB Museum presents new research on ‘Lone Woman’
John R. Johnson, curator of anthropology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and Susan Morris, historical researcher, will present current research on Juana Maria, also known as the “Lone Woman” and “Karana” in Scott O’Dell’s novel Island of the Blue Dolphins. Recent archaeological discoveries and historical research revealed new details that help researchers…
Elverhoj Museum announces new exhibit programming
The Elverhoj Museum of History and Art unveiled its Crossing Paths exhibition to the public on Saturday, Aug. 10. The show will remain on display through Nov. 3 and features paintings by Eyvind Earle and sculptures by John Cody. The two artists first crossed paths in Solvang during the late 1960s. Over the next few…
Kindergartners at Arellanes become full-time students
At Arellanes Elementary School, the kindergartners have joined the big kids. When the first bell of the school year rang Aug. 12, 46 kindergartners had packed for a full day at school—not just for one half-day session as in years past, but a whole day, beginning at 7:45 a.m. and ending at 2:10 p.m., just…
Lompoc moves to repeal residency restrictions for sex offenders
Following a lawsuit filed against the city by an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of registered sex offenders, Lompoc officials are moving to repeal its ordinance limiting where they can live in the city. In February, attorney Janice Bellucci, who is the founder and executive director of Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, filed…
Caldwell announces jump from pundit to politician
After decades of talking politics, Andy Caldwell is diving in. The longtime radio personality and op-ed scribe announced his campaign for the 24th U.S. Congressional District on Aug. 12, setting him up for a potential 2020 showdown with incumbent Democrat Salud Carbajal. “He’s driving voters away from himself,” Caldwell said. “His party wants Medicare for…
Filipino artists Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez reunite for Two-gether Again Tour
The Chumash Casino Resort will be rolling out the red carpet for music royalty this weekend. Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez, known in the Philippines as the Concert King and Queen, respectively, perform at the Santa Ynez venue on Saturday, Aug. 17, as part of the duo’s Two-gether Again Tour. Over a career spanning more…
Nonprofit seeks grant to fund countywide gang prevention initiative
There have been five homicides in the city of Lompoc since January, along with numerous other shootings and stabbings that didn’t result in fatalities. Many of these incidents involve juveniles, such as 17-year-old Daimien Davis, who was sentenced to eight years in a state juvenile detention center after pleading no contest to assaulting a rival…
Congressman Carbajal talks gun control and impeachment at recent town hall in Santa Maria
When U.S Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-SantaBarbara) grabbed his orange tie, he was talking about guns. “Orange is the color of those committed to gun control in this country,” he said. He was addressing his constituents of the 24th Congressional District at an Aug. 8 town hall in Santa Maria following a string of three mass…
Political Watch: August 15, 2019
• Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed an additional $331 million of funding to back up Californian’s fighting “unjust evictions.” He allocated $20 million to the fund in June but announced in an Aug. 7 news release that he wants to make the fund permanent. “Families facing eviction and foreclosure should know their rights and have…
Spotlight on: Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum, Nancy Gastelum and Ilsa Toepfer
For 23 years, the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum has provided children with a space to play while learning about the Central Coast and developing important motor and social skills. Educating children has always been at the core of the museum’s mission, but since last year, the museum has worked on strengthening this effort, Executive…
Lompoc Fire Department has station and equipment issues
At the Aug. 6 Lompoc City Council meeting, Mayor Jenelle Osborne requested a “public safety and infrastructure report.” This is critical, as you will see below. Firefighters need reliable and safe equipment to not only get them to your emergency promptly, but also to remedy the situation they have been asked to help with. In…
