Cover Story
Matt Kettmann and Macduff Everton go behind the scenes of regional winemaking with new book, ‘Vines & Vision’
A sweeping landscape of Bien Nacido Vineyards in Santa Maria graces the cover of Vines & Vision: The Winemakers of Santa Barbara County, a new book from writer Matt Kettmann and photojournalist Macduff Everton. The duo first collaborated in early 2017, when Kettmann contributed a chapter to a group cookbook, Around the Table: Recipes and…
TV REVIEW: PAINTING WITH JOHN (2021)
TV REVIEW: PAINTING WITH JOHN (2021) Where’s it playing? HBO Max What’s it rated? TV-MA Think of HBO Max’s quirky new series Painting with John as the anti-Bob Ross and his The Joy of Painting PBS series. In fact, in the opening episode, star John Lurie says, “Bob Ross was wrong. Everyone can’t paint.” The…
TV REVIEW: ONE MISSISSIPPI
TV REVIEW: ONE MISSISSIPPI Where’s it playing? Amazon Prime What’s it rated? TV-MA Running two seasons, comedian Tig Notaro’s One Mississippi offers a semi-autobiographical account of her return to her hometown after the sudden death of her mother. She’s recovering from breast cancer and a double mastectomy, stuck in a relationship with someone who’s nice…
Matt Kettmann and Macduff Everton go behind the scenes of regional winemaking with new book, ‘Vines & Vision’
A sweeping landscape of Bien Nacido Vineyards in Santa Maria graces the cover of Vines & Vision: The Winemakers of Santa Barbara County, a new book from writer Matt Kettmann and photojournalist Macduff Everton. The duo first collaborated in early 2017, when Kettmann contributed a chapter to a group cookbook, Around the Table: Recipes and…
Chuck Graham spent 15 years photographing Carrizo Plain and has a new book to prove it
Most local residents have heard of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, an expansive grassland in the southeastern part of SLO County, but not many have visited except to witness a super bloom, a springtime event that happens every few years when conditions are just right. Others might have made the trek to see Painted Rock…
Local artists Holli Harmon and Nicole Strasburg bring public art installations to Solvang
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang recently unveiled two new art installations, both of which can be viewed from the sidewalk outside of the museum. Local artist Holli Harmon’s work is on display in the Tower Gallery installation, The Nature of Clouds, while a separate window installation, Wintering: A Fox Tale, was…
Lompoc POPS Orchestra uploads past performances online for free
While the Lompoc POPS Orchestra remains unable to present live performances due to COVID-19 restrictions, its board of directors recently announced it will be posting past performance pieces to YouTube for fans and first-time listeners to experience for free. The YouTube channel, listed as Official Lompoc POPS Orchestra, was made possible by the board in…
On top of it!
Did you guys hear the good news? Blue Shield of California, a health insurance company, is going to handle COVID-19 vaccine distributions in the state moving forward. What about Kaiser Permanente or Anthem Blue Cross customers? Will they get access to the vaccines? Well, I’m covered by Blue Shield, so that’s good news for me.…
Continue healing the world with love, understanding
Leonard Flippen was taken recently by valley fever, but he has not been taken from us at all. He lives in each person whom he blessed with his strength and wisdom and healing powers. Leonard was a healer, and he facilitated hundreds of healing circles. He knew that all have been hurt in life. He…
Dear Congressman Carbajal, now is your chance
The American people, your constituents, are suffering. We have all sat back and watched as all of you have made a mockery of this great country. As a nation, we waited months for you and your colleagues to pass legislation that was supposed to help the America that all of you claim to love so…
Deny proposed Orcutt dispensaries
It would be a mistake if either of the proposed cannabis dispensaries on 3550 or 3596 Orcutt Road were approved. These two locations are almost the midpoint between and very close to Joe Nightingale Elementary School and Lakeview Junior High. Though the addresses of these two proposed dispensaries may be a few dozen feet more…
Local Girl Scouts won’t be selling cookies in person this year, but you can find them online
Each year around this time, Nipomo resident Riana Banks and her daughter, Kaelyn, gear up to sell as many Girl Scout Cookies as humanly possible. At just 7 years old, Kaelyn is already an established go-getter, and with two years of sales experience under her sash, she knows it’s her personal interactions with potential customers…
At least 10 percent of unemployment benefits paid since the start of the pandemic were fraudulent; including some in Santa Barbara County
After months of struggling to keep up with unemployment insurance claims—which shot up by more than 1,000 percent at the start of the pandemic according to state officials—California’s Employment Development Department now faces a monumental repercussion: widespread fraud. Meanwhile, the number of Californians who legitimately qualify for unemployment insurance isn’t showing signs of abatement: The…
Political Watch: February 4, 2021
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced improvements to the state’s vaccination plan on Jan. 25 after a tripling in the pace of vaccinations “exposed key improvements needed to administer even more vaccines when increased supply becomes available,” according to the governor’s office. After going from more than 43,000 vaccines administered on Jan. 4 to more than…
Solvang approves an immediate grant to Bethania Church for community food distribution
The Solvang City Council unanimously approved a one-time grant of $10,000 to Bethania Lutheran Church at its Jan. 25 meeting, after the church’s reverend sought the city’s help in feeding families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rev. Chris Brown of Bethania Church and about 70 volunteers work in shifts every Tuesday evening to provide Santa…
Carbajal bills fight oil and gas drilling
Two bills recently introduced by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) would restrict oil and gas developments on the Central Coast if passed, which the congressman believes will pave the way for a local renewable energy economy. The California Land Protection Act, introduced by Carbajal alongside Central Coast colleagues on Jan. 25, would block new…
Stadium 805 backs out of permit allowing concerts in 2021
There likely won’t be any concerts at the Santa Maria Raceway this year. At a meeting on Jan. 26, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors rescinded a temporary commercial outdoor entertainment license it awarded to the Santa Maria Raceway, aka Stadium 805, just a few months earlier. The permit would have allowed the…
Santa Barbara County short on second vaccine doses
Santa Barbara County still lacks enough COVID-19 vaccine doses to cover the most vulnerable community members, and officials say public health departments will soon be mostly out of the distribution picture. “By mid-February, there will be a new statewide vaccination distribution standard,” Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso said at a Jan. 28 vaccine town…
