Cover Story
How to pick: Wineries are divided on whether to pick their fruit by hand or machine come harvest season
Darkened by the evening sky, rows of grapevines are lit up by large light towers. They provide just the right amount of light for men and women to pick the fruit that’s been growing for about eight months. Pick, cut, toss, repeat. The tail end of harvest season for vineyards was just a couple of…
First responders scramble to respond to mudslides
The fires that scorched swaths of Santa Barbara County may have finally been extinguished or contained, but emergency responders are already reacting to what’s come next. Floods, debris flows, and rock falls, all are in play as heavy winter storms arrive over the next few years due to massive burnt areas from the Thomas and…
What’s your favorite spot in the local wine country?
Sharon Morris lab technician at Hardy Diagnostics “Laetitia has the best pinots and sparkling wines in our area. Everything there is great and the tasting room employees are friendly and knowledgeable.” Mason Frakes bartender at Rooney’s Irish Pub “Presqu’ile, for the view, for the customer service. The wine has really improved lately, and it’s got…
Last Santa Maria DUI checkpoint of 2017 nabs unlicensed driver
The last in a string of DUI checkpoints arranged by the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) in 2017 again failed to catch any intoxicated drivers. As in previous checkpoints, none of the 532 drivers screened on Dec. 29, 2017, were arrested for drugged or alcohol-impaired driving. The SMPD’s Traffic Unit conducted several DUI checkpoints throughout…
About Time blend love and harmony on the Central Coast
It’s a brisk night at Naughty Oak Brewing Company, where friends are reuniting in town on the holiday weekend over brews and sometimes-raucous conversation. The small tasting room is considerably warmer than the chill patio, not just because of the temperature, but the music emanating from the corner. An acoustic strum meets the bite of…
Diane Borad-Mirken will perform Broadway hits on one night only in Santa Maria
Santa Maria is getting a taste of Broadway, thanks to one local performer. Diane Borad-Mirken will demonstrate her keen sense of comedic timing on Jan. 21 in a one-time-only performance at Temple Beth El in Santa Maria. In addition to the comedy bits, she has also chosen a selection of her favorite Broadway songs and…
Chumash Technology in Schools Program ends first year with major donation to Guadalupe schools
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians donated 48 laptop computers and two mobile charging carts to Guadalupe Union School District in December, the last of many donations made through the tribe’s first year of its Technology in Schools Program. Guadalupe Union School District will put its new Chromebooks to use in classrooms at both…
Statewide regulations restricting pesticide use near schools go into effect
New regulations adopted by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) further restricting pesticide use near schools went into effect on Jan. 1. The regulations impact about 4,100 public K-12 schools and licensed child day care facilities in California, including 50 in Santa Barbara County, and nearly 2,500 growers statewide. The rules ban California farmers…
Spotlight on: 211 Santa Barbara County
On Dec. 16, a Santa Barbara man was stuck in his home while the Thomas Fire approached. His caregiver was unable to reach him and the record-setting blaze was threatening his neighborhood. So he called 211, an information and referral system that aims to connect citizens with health and human services. The hotline was answered…
Santa Maria Philharmonic to hold youth showcase
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society presents the sixth annual Youth Showcase event on Jan. 14 this year. The event is an audition-only recital featuring local youth who’ve exhibit laudable skill in classical music. The concert will feature musicians of several instruments between the ages of 8 and 18. Past recitals have included solos and duets…
Ecology classes offered at Sedgwick Reserve
The Sedgwick Reserve will host a series of monthly ecology classes in 2018. Beginning Jan. 13, the classes will continue on the second Saturday of each month between December and August. The classes will focus on the ecology of the Sedgwick Reserve, including seasonal ecology, geology, birds, and native plants. The series of hikes and…
County’s call for artists extended
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture began a call for artists last year for a series of sculptures to be installed on Santa Barbara’s State Street. Due to fallout from the Thomas Fire, the deadline to submit to the call has been extended to Jan. 15. The project is open to all…
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation donates $7,000 to help rebuild Circle V Ranch Camp
The Santa Ynez Valley Foundation announced on Dec. 25 that it would give a special $7,000 grant to the Circle V Ranch Camp and Retreat Center, a Catholic summer camp near Cachuma Lake that was badly damaged during the Whittier Fire. The fire, which ignited near the camp in July 2017, trapped more than 80…
Daytripper: The Ennisbrook Trail in Montecito is a great place for an outdoor adventure
Over the past summer my boyfriend treated me to an eagerly anticipated mini road trip, tried to stump me with riddles, and had me construct a DIY MacGyver catapult, all during a surprise hike. Located in Montecito, the Ennisbrook Trail is easy to confuse with its gated community, considering that it is a neighborhood hike.…
Humor: Krider’s son learns the reality of fraternity life
When my son was a little boy he was a very, very sweet child. He loved Thomas the Tank Engine train toys, and he spent hours and hours making sure Thomas and his friends took turns rolling along the tracks in harmony. There were no recklessly fast trains, and certainly no cars crashed into one…
Rebecca Rose takes one last look at the dishes that made dining on the Central Coast in 2017 fabulous
The champagne’s been popped, the wrapping paper has been thrown away, tacky sweaters are ready to return to the store (just kidding, Aunt Maggie; I loved the light-up Frosty the Snowman sweater). For many of us, the year’s end came with one strong simple message: Don’t let the door hit you in the butt on…
Danielle Morgan
Danielle Morgan is the lone senior on the Lompoc High School basketball team this season. Luckily for the Braves, she’s also one of the top ballers on the Central Coast. The 5-foot-10 small forward is averaging an eye-popping 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game in the early going,…
Decades of Santa Maria boxing history displayed at city library
Boxing has a rich history in Santa Maria. From the teams at Santa Maria High School in the late 1940s and 1950s, to the popularity of the sport among service members at Camp Cook (today known as Vandenberg Air Force Base), to local amateur standouts like Blas Torrez in the 1950s, to professional boxers who…
What’s it gonna be?
Hey, we all made it to 2018! If you’re disappointed that there aren’t autonomous flying cars, jetpacks, or a resort on the moon by now, I empathize with your lofty hopes. But as a realist, I’ve got to look at the world we’ve got. I’m definitely one of those people who get a warm and…
Watch for deer
In reference back to issue No. 35 (“Deerly departed,” Nov. 2): The deer population deserves our respect, not our scorn. Humans have invaded their habitat, and we expect them to adapt, but that’s not the way it works; they are wild animals. With that said, drivers need to slow down on Highway 1, 4 miles…
What is California’s future?
In 2016, the worst California drought in 1,200 years ended with a once-in-a-century rainy season in Northern California. Last winter’s “atmospheric river” rainstorms produced lots of grass and brush that dried out completely during an extremely hot summer. The largest fire in California history, the Thomas Fire, has burned more than 280,000 acres in Santa…
Get the facts straight on cannabis
There has been quite a bit of debate in the Sun’s opinion pages about Lompoc’s cannabis ordinance. I am a respected medical professional in the county and hope to bring a bit of history and science to this dialogue so that Lompoc can be allowed to move forward with its plan. I am assuming Mayor…
Hobnobbing with Helen: Seasonal soirees
There was much merriment at the Hats for Hope’s Christmas for Holly celebration held on the Sunday afternoon of Dec. 10 at the oh-so-nicely decorated Santa Maria Country Club. “Those who are here are real troupers,” said cheerful board President Diane Martino, “the smoky ash air may have kept a lot of people away.” Despite…
Santa Barbara County law enforcement officials say their methods for battling sex and human trafficking are improving
View a video of Megan Rheinschild’s TedX talk. Santa Barbara County law enforcement, spearheaded by the District Attorney’s (DA) and Sheriff’s offices, ramped up their activity this past year to limit human trafficking in their jurisdictions, in part thanks to a $1 million-plus grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. “Human trafficking is the 21st…
News-Press fires employee for changing byline to anti-gay slur
A Central Coast newspaper came under fire to close out 2017 when it ran an article with a byline featuring an anti-gay slur. On Dec. 25, the Santa Barbara News-Press published a story by staff writer Paul Gonzalez about last-minute Christmas shopping in the city. The digital version of the story on the paper’s website…
Storm system could bring rain to Central Coast
A Pacific Ocean storm system laden with much-needed moisture could bring long overdue rain to parts of California’s coast and interior by the week of Jan. 8, according to state meteorologists and climatologists. “The [European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts] model is advertising a wet pattern next week, particularly across the burn areas of Santa…
Political Watch 1/4/18
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) reiterated her stance backing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on Dec. 29. “More than 13,000 Dreamers have lost their DACA status since September and are now vulnerable to deportation,” she wrote on her social media accounts. “Congress must prioritize the Dream Act in January.” In September 2017, President Donald…
