Cover Stories
HEALTH & BEAUTY ISSUE: Mia Espinosa harnesses the power of makeup’s increasing online popularity to grow her business
Mia Espinosa was a middle schooler when she thought she pulled off the ultimate makeup coup. It was school picture day and she tried wearing what she called a “natural look” for her photo. Her mother was having none of it. “I thought I was slick and could pull off the ‘natural look,’” she said.…
Local nutritionists and dieticians prescribe food for health
When it comes to the tools of the trade in medical care, most people think of stethoscopes, scalpels, or X-ray and MRI machines. But what about a knife and fork? More and more, a dedicated group of individuals is helping people inside and outside of hospitals to prevent, treat, or even help heal what ails…
Eliminate the chemicals in everyday makeup and skin care with natural and CBD products
Jessica Blanco, the owner of Central Coast Beauties, vividly remembers her abuelita (grandmother) creating homemade ointments and salves for the family with organic ingredients. “If you got a cut or a burn she would go get a fresh aloe leaf from the backyard for you,” Blanco said of the woman who raised her in the…
New law allows Lompoc and Santa Barbara health care systems to collaborate
For years staffers at Lompoc Valley Medical Center and Santa Barbara Cottage Health have worked together informally, smoothly coordinating transfers and referrals for Lompoc-based patients in need of specialized care that is only available in Santa Barbara. Now that collaboration is in the process of becoming official, due in part to a piece of legislation…
Athlete of the week
Santa Maria High School’s boys’ soccer program is all about discipline and responsibility, and forward-midfielder Jonathan Santos has been the picture of both of those virtues this season. As one of the team’s captains this year, Santos is saddled with the responsibilities that come with acting as a role model and pushing his team…
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My wife has more things wrong with her back than the Trump administration has ethics problems. Her neurologist just shook her head when she spoke of bone spurs, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, herniated disks (yes, plural!), and sciatica. Her primary care physician had a similar response but at least, on request, referred her to a pain…
At the pain clinic
My wife has more things wrong with her back than the Trump administration has ethics problems. Her neurologist just shook her head when she spoke of bone spurs, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, herniated disks (yes, plural!), and sciatica. Her primary care physician had a similar response but at least, on request, referred her to a pain…
From Prague to California Restaurant Week, with love
“No butter!” This is what the waitress is yelling in my general direction, standing in the middle of the dining room. She is fed up. The entire restaurant is the size of a large closet. The kitchen appears to be a tiny compartment through a curtain. The chef is a mysterious figure that might be,…
Well, guys. You did it. You really did it.
Santa Maria had its first ever Women’s March on Jan. 22, joining the closest liberal hubs to the north and south—Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo—in marching for strength, unity, equality, and choice. Against oppression, misogyny, and the Great Trumpty Dumpty who doesn’t have his own wall to fall off of yet, but he’s working…
Lompoc’s in trouble
Mayor Bob Lingl, the best mayor Lompoc had in the past 10 years, has retired. Lingl, who beat out ex-mayor John Linn, has been a blessing to Lompoc for the past four years. His well-attended Thursday get-togethers, “Coffee With Bob,” provided badly needed visibility on city issues. City Councilmember Jenelle Osborne was elected mayor in…
Spotlight on: Hardy Diagnostics
After two years of planning and seven months of construction, more than 700 solar panels were installed at Hardy Diagnostics, a manufacturing company specializing in medical devices for microbiological procedures, in Santa Maria at the beginning of January. The panels, generating a total of 250 kilowatts of power, cover the entire roof of one of…
Santa Ynez school district says payments to charter school could be detrimental
A 2018 decision by the State Board of Education requires several Santa Barbara County school districts to pay a local charter school system hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to help it operate. While two of the districts have already made their first monthly payments, Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District has…
Santa Maria gets its first-ever Women’s March
Women are the wall and Trump will pay!” read the sign Santa Maria resident Rochelle Reed held high as she walked away from Buena Vista Park, down South Broadway, and toward Minami Park, where a resource fair with free bottles of water, music, and food trucks awaited the energized marcher and others like her. It…
Aera’s draft EIR hearing pits socioeconomic good versus liability costs
Hard hats, work boots, and orange vests crowded the chairs in the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors chambers in Santa Maria on Jan. 17. A chartered bus had just awkwardly backed its way out of the parking lot. Anti-oil signs filled the overflow room for the 6 p.m. public hearing on Aera Energy’s 667-page…
Tech at Northern Branch Jail will allow inmates to appear in court remotely
The long-awaited Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria won’t just feature new facilities for Santa Barbara County inmates, but new technology that officials claim will improve safety and cut down on transportation costs. Plans for the 376-bed, $110.8 million facility will include audio and video conferencing technology that will allow inmates to meet with…
Lompoc offers utility payment extensions to federal employees
For weeks Santa Barbara County organizations have been finding unique ways to assist local furloughed federal employees, and now the city of Lompoc is joining in the effort. At a meeting on Jan. 15, the Lompoc City Council unanimously approved a resolution that would give residents impacted by the partial government shutdown 30-day extensions…
Railroad loses bid to appeal Betteravia Plaza project
The Santa Maria City Council will allow plans for commercial and residential development on West Betteravia Road to move forward over the objections of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad. The council voted 4-0 on Jan. 15, with Councilmember Mike Cordero absent, to deny an appeal of the city Planning Commission’s November 2018 approval of…
Artist Dr. Isabel Downs and her husband, Dr. Robert Wagoner, discuss their work together at the Wildling Museum
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature will present Nature Through the Eye of a Needle featuring Dr. Isabel Downs and her husband, marine biologist Robert Warner. Downs is a fiber artist who has worked alongside her husband for decades, as a research assistant and as an artist chronicling their scientific endeavors. In a Q…
Shamrock Acosta’s daring sculptures break out of the box
The work of Shamrock Acosta doesn’t take long to jump out at you. Bold yet unapologetically playful, Acosta’s pieces are an expression of synergy between all of the best elements of art and are largely created from found or repurposed items. A saw with a grinning face. A robot with the body of an antique…
Weaving workshop planned in Los Olivos
Zaca Mesa Winery will host a weaving workshop in Los Olivos on Jan. 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. Weavings by Alexa will lead a workshop where participants can learn to create woven art pieces. Tickets are $69 and include a wooden loom with wool fibers. Refreshments including Zaca Mesa wines will be served. The…
Lompoc library seeks local artwork
Lompoc Public Library’s Grossman Gallery is calling for artists to submit work samples to be considered as an exhibitor for the 2019-20 calendar year. Artists from the Central Coast must submit six exhibit-ready pieces by Feb. 7. Work will be evaluated for technique, expression, and style. Members of the Lompoc Public Library’s Art Advisory Committee…
Santa Barbara County to offer relief funding for arts
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture plans to provide funds through a new disaster relief grant program to support small arts organizations and local artists impacted by the Thomas Fire and other natural disasters. Grants are intended to help locals recoup lost income or replace or repair damaged materials. More than $30,000…
Trombone Shorty brings New Orleans soul to Santa Ynez
If Orleans Avenue was a property in Monopoly, you wouldn’t be able to buy it. That’s assuming it’s the same stretch of road referred to in the name of musician Troy Anderson’s jazz ensemble, Orleans Avenue. Because if it is, the property would be priceless. Better luck trying to land on Free Parking! And if…
