Cover Story
Fire in the sky: Drought and new fireworks ordinances force Central Coast to rethink how it celebrates the Fourth of July
Editor’s note: Ralph’s and Larry’s names were changed to protect their identities. A call comes in at 11 p.m. on Thursday night. I answered the phone. It’s Larry and he said he’s got the stuff: a trunk full of mortars he acquired from a source just across the Nevada-California border. I make the hour-long trek…
How do you enjoy spending the Fourth of July?
Allison Cuevas student “Barbecuing and watching fireworks with my family.” Isac Estrada student “Going shopping to get fireworks and barbecuing with family. And deciding which house to do fireworks at.” Ciera Cortez student “Time with my family, barbecuing.” Jorge Camarena student “Not being inside. Just basically what everyone else does, go out with my family…
Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department youth volleyball clinic will teach fundamentals of the game
The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department is offering a youth volleyball clinic that will introduce fundamental skills to younger boys and girls and prepare older athletes for the upcoming junior high school fall volleyball season. All aspects of the game will be addressed including serving, passing, setting, and hitting. The program is under the…
Learn to fish at Cachuma Lake workshop
A workshop led by expert fishermen and women in honor of fisher extraordinaire Neal Taylor will teach kids and parents (not required) basic fishing skills at Cachuma Lake on Saturday, July 16, from 8:45 a.m. to noon. The workshop is open to kids between the ages of 8 and 15. The workshop is a dry…
Spotlight on: Mad Bomberz Car Show
War is a devastating experience no matter who wins or loses. For the American veterans who serve in the military, war is not necessarily anticipated, but it is something for which they’re always training. Whether or not they come back physically or emotionally injured, those who fought are left with an indelible scar on their…
Welcome to fire season: Summer fires hitting hard and early–in climatology terms, ‘we’re screwed’
The official warning came more than a month ago. “The 2016 wildfire season is off to a worrisome start,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a May 17 briefing. “Southern California, the Great Basin in Nevada, portions of the southwest, and even Florida and Hawaii are particularly vulnerable this year. “In California, more than 40…
New grand jury report details problems with medical intake process for inmates at Santa Barbara County Jail
For years, the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on Calle Real in South County has faced lawsuits alleging poor medical practices, but a new grand jury report published on June 24 may offer some insight into what inmates have been experiencing. More specifically, the report issued by the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury outlined several…
Proposed Casmalia Superfund settlement announced; feds seeking public comment
On June 27, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it’s seeking public comment for a new installment in a settlement reached years ago between the agency and the companies that used a location in Northern Santa Barbara County formerly owned by Casmalia Resources as a site for hazardous waste disposal. The new settlement calls…
How a voice can be louder than an explosion
It’s summertime, and one of my favorite things to do when I fly home after a long day of ruffling feathers is to pull up a perch and bask in the early evening sun as it paints the sky a bashful pink. It’s soothing, and I love the calm it brings—that is until it’s interrupted…
Firefighters appreciate community support
On behalf of the California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 and the Sherpa Fire Unified Command, I want to thank the community for the goodwill and cooperation shown to us as we managed the Sherpa Fire. Thank you for the continuous support you showed to the firefighters and other emergency responders who labored so hard…
Diary from prison
Within a few weeks of my arrival at the prison, things began to fall into place. I settled in a cell with another white man (something that on the outside wouldn’t matter but is essential in prison). I finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was actually a little less than a week, got…
Bringing brew to Old Town: Old Town Brew give Nipomo the locals’ pub it’s been wanting
Good news: Nipomo’s got its own local pub now—and according to the business it has attracted in its first month open, the town’s residents really wanted one. “They’re actually telling me they were waiting for a place like this,” Old Town Brew Owner Daniel Reyes said. He enjoyed a crowd of 75 at the pub’s…
Matt Sauer
While most high schoolers look forward to spending their summers relaxing and vacationing, Righetti High School senior Matt Sauer has a different plan. Sauer, a star pitcher for the Warriors, decided to load up his summer schedule with baseball showcases in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, San Diego, and possibly even Mexico. “I love baseball,” Sauer…
Moving on up: Hancock student-athletes earn opportunities at the next level
When baseball player Zach Lampreia and quarterback Curry Parham signed national letters of intent in the last few weeks, they raised this year’s total number of Allan Hancock College student-athletes who have signed letters of intent to four-year institutions to 19. The cherry on top of a successful 2015-2016 academic year came when the Houston…
Nature shows at Los Olivos Cafe
Santa Ynez Valley Arts announced that member artist Sheila Krausse will be the featured artist at the Los Olivos Café, with the exhibit For Love of Nature showing July 7 through Sept. 1. The exhibit features the acrylic landscape paintings by Krausse, who blends impressionism and realism into colorful scenes. The exhibit is part of…
Roy Bozarth leads photo safaris at the Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary
Strong sinewy legs, heavily thudding hooves, and brambly manes move in concert with an Earth-rumbling majesty at the Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary in Lompoc, where 1,500 acres of wooded hills and pastures serve as the home for a number of distinct herds of wild horses. The sanctuary separates several bloodlines of wild horses,…
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s production of ‘Shrek The Musical’ is comedy at its best
So many fairytale stories involve flawless princesses, dashing heroes, and endings wrapped up in a bow. Shrek is not one of those stories. The story of the big, smelly, and rude ogre Shrek premiered with the book Shrek! in 1990, which was the basis for the Dreamworks film Shrek in 2001. In 2008, the story…
Local musicians can join the Old Town Market Backroom Jam in Orcutt
The rules of impromptu musical gatherings clearly state: An open mic is never a jam session, and a jam session is never an open mic. Open mics include solo performers or ensembles that take turns performing covers or their own material, often under the organization of an emcee. A jam session, however, is when a…
Dog is my copilot
My wife treats our dog like it’s a human being, a short furry human being who speaks the King’s English. My wife has in-depth conversations with the dog, and I’ve even heard her ask the dog metaphorical questions. The dog, being a dog, of course, never responds to any of these inquiries. The dog simply…
Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation holds murder mystery fundraiser
The Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation (SYVCHF) recently hosted a dinner theater benefit event at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society Museum. The “Murder Mystery at the Carriage House” event raised $13,000 for the hospital’s Patient Care Fund, which helps SYVCHF with funding for upgrades in specialized equipment and innovative patient care programs. Prism…
Bedford Winery holds pie baking contest
Bedford Winery in Los Alamos will hold its All-American Pie Baking Contest & Picnic the Sunday before the Fourth of July, beginning at 1 p.m. Last year’s event was the first time the contest was held, and attracted more than 30 pie entries including apple, blueberry, pear, cherry, peach, buttermilk, banana cream, lemon meringue, and…
Bookmobile will make stops throughout Lompoc
The city of Lompoc’s new Charlotte’s Web bookmobile has begun weaving its web of fun, with stops scheduled throughout the city all summer long. The Mobile Children’s Library is available for additional visits by request. The bookmobile, named for longtime Lompoc civic leader and entrepreneur Charlotte Benton, is a green energy-fueled children’s library on wheels…
Political Watch 6/30/16
• Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) honored La Hermandad Hank Lacayo Youth and Family Center as her 2016 Nonprofit of the Year in the first California Nonprofits Day, June 22, in Sacramento. La Hermandad provides free legal services, citizenship classes, and adult literacy education to underserved immigrants, their families, and the senior population of Oxnard,…
Community Notebook 6/30/16 – 7/7/16
TUESDAY, JULY 5 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. • The Vandenberg Village Community Services District has its regular board meeting at 7 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room, 3757 Constellation Road,…
President enacts oil pipeline safety law
Last week, President Barack Obama signed into law a pipeline safety act proposed in response to the 2015 Refugio oil spill, which deposited 142,800 gallons of crude oil into the ocean at Refugio State Beach. The new law—called the PIPES (Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety) Act—aims to improve pipeline safety standards and…
Supreme Court tie vote kills relief order for undocumented immigrants
A split decision by the U.S. Supreme Court last week voided an executive order that would have granted work authorization and protection from deportation for undocumented immigrants, deflating the hopes of thousands in Santa Barbara County. The program, called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), addressed immigration advocates’ concerns that…
