Cover Story
New House bipartisan bill answers growing need for military base child care and mental health resource expansion
When Lompoc native Sara Martinez received deployment orders to go to Vandenberg Space Force Base, getting on a child care waiting list was her priority. Martinez—who requested that her name be changed—deployed back to her hometown with her husband and daughter in February 2018 after being based in Denver’s Buckley Space Force Base for four…
NEW FLICKS: ARMY OF THIEVES
NEW FLICKS: ARMY OF THIEVES Where’s it playing? Netflix What’s it rated? R German actor Matthias Schweighöfer was the funniest part of Zack Snyder’s early 2021 zombie film Army of the Dead, about a group of mercenaries that infiltrate quarantined zombie-infested Las Vegas to steal millions from an underground vault. His safecracker Ludwig Dieter, who…
Vintner and former filmmaker Anna Arrowsmith reflects on her Solvang wine bar’s first year in business
Fudge, toffee, kipper, biscuit, truffle. Is this a list of snacks, cute dog names, or wine club tiers? Answer: all of the above. While donating a dollar per wine shipment to Little Wolf Rescue (a California-based animal rescue organization), the two co-owners of Arrowsmith’s Wine Bar decided to name the venue’s wine club levels after…
Gallery Los Olivos showcases artist Marcia Burtt in latest solo exhibit, Gratitude
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep one local acrylic painter from using her preferred medium. Over the past 40 years, Marcia Burtt can only think of a handful of times when weather conditions nearly tempted her to switch to the dark side—oils. One February in Yosemite, Burtt remembers meeting with a…
2021 Lompoc Valley Photo Contest announces winners
The city of Lompoc announced the winners of this year’s 2021 Lompoc Valley Photo Contest in the beginning of November. Participant Darrell Tullis’ photo, Train Over Still Waters, won Best of Show. Tullis also scored both first and third place in the Amateur Adult Photographer category (the latter for Tullis’ additional entry, Holding Up the…
Solvang Theaterfest hosts pop-up concert with Steely Dan tribute band, Doctor Wu
Doctor Wu, a Los Angeles-based Steely Dan tribute band, will be performing at the Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall on Friday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). This pop-up concert will be the first in a series hosted by Solvang Theaterfest. While the Solvang Festival Theater is temporarily closed during its ongoing…
Reality rehabilitation
How do we live well in reality while also dreaming about and moving toward a better future? Well, some in authority don’t really do a great job of either, until they get caught or something gets broken. In the case of the Santa Barbara County Main Jail, both happened. The county got called out for…
Two Lompoc City Council members showed their lack of understanding of budgeting when they voted against public safety
One thing you can always count on when an item involving a cooperative agreement between the city of Lompoc and the county of Santa Barbara is that Councilman Dirk Starbuck will oppose it every time. Even though he is usually wrong in his assumptions, at least he is consistent. The other thing you can count…
Lompoc Parks and Recreation Department hosts annual Turkey Trot for the first time in two years
Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to devour delicious turkeys, homemade stuffing, and creamy pies. It’s a time when you unbutton your jeans to fit more food and indulge in the cheat day of a lifetime. But for some people, it’s an opportunity to get a run in and stay active before that traditional feast of…
Political Watch: November 18, 2021
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California joined the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), which brings together national and subnational governments committed to moving away from oil and gas production, according to a Nov. 11 statement. Led by Costa Rica and Denmark, the first-of-its-kind alliance will build momentum for states and nations working to…
Board of Supervisors approves design phase for Main Jail rehabilitation project
Mental health and medical care resources along with critical building updates will begin at Santa Barbara County’s Main Jail after the Board of Supervisors’ approval of the design phase. Assistant County Executive Officer Jeff Frapwell discussed current conditions at the jail and the best rehabilitation options at the Nov. 9 Board of Supervisors meeting. “The…
Santa Barbara County Probation Department approves new Juvenile Justice Realignment Plan
Interview responses from incarcerated youth and their families helped shape a new plan that the Santa Barbara County Probation Department recently drafted. The 2022 Juvenile Justice Realignment Plan outlines a variety of programs and policies designed to provide appropriate rehabilitation for individuals who have been realigned from the state’s care back to county-based custody. This…
Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary moves to designation phase
About 140 miles of California’s central coastline will be protected from oil drilling and recognized for their cultural, economic, and ecological significance as the Biden administration moved to protect the area. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will advance to the designation phase: A robust process of public meetings and hearings to identify uses, impacts,…
