Cover Story
A spike in rural crime causes farmers, local leaders, and law enforcement to seek creative solutions
Cut chains and trampled fences. Tractors with missing wheels and broken windshields. Stolen drip tape. Missing ATVs. Throughout Santa Barbara County, property crime is hitting agricultural businesses and farms hard. “Our losses have been up to $70,000,” Hampton Farming Company partner Jim Stollberg said. “I know a lot of other growers have had much higher…
BINGEABLE: A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY (2022)
BINGEABLE: A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY (2022) Where’s it playing? Peacock What’s it rated? TV-MA Peacock’s new series A Friend of the Family starts its first episode with Jan Broberg, the real-life victim of Robert Berchtold, asking the audience to please remember that this is a story that really happened to her and her family.…
BINGEABLE: ANDOR (2022-present)
BINGEABLE: ANDOR (2022-present) Where’s it playing? Disney Plus What’s it rated? TV-14 Created by Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Identity, Beirut), this new Star Wars TV series is a prequel to Rogue One (2016) and follows Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) evolution from morally questionable thief to Rebel Alliance intelligence officer whose heroism helps retrieve schematics for…
Santa Ynez Valley homicide victim’s family demands justice
Update: Rylen Quinn Svane-Morris has been arrested in Santa Cruz on suspicion of murder in connection to the Oct. 8 homicide of 72-year-old Terry Wilson, according to a statement from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, acting on a tip, arrested him without incident for the outstanding warrant. Svane-Morris will be…
Santa Maria officials consider ordinance to reduce underage drinking, smoking
The developers behind a proposed ordinance in Santa Maria are hoping to dispel some stereotypes about underage drinking and smoking, while aiming to better prevent both activities. During a survey of high school juniors in schools throughout Santa Maria in 2020, 29 to 30 percent of the survey respondents reported using alcohol and marijuana, and…
Santa Maria high school district employees rally for better wages
More than 70 percent of Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s classified employees make below the average living wage of $25 an hour in Santa Barbara County, district crisis intervention consultant Tami Contreras said. “The issue at the present moment is wanting to be able to negotiate for our members—who are 460 classified employees…
Santa Ynez Valley’s Refugio Trail Restoration Project works to connect communities and promote safety
Small townships and rural settings like those in the Santa Ynez Valley used to have trails to connect the areas and make it easy for people to get around. As time went on, the trails in the valley became overgrown with trees and shrubs, or they intersected with private property, shifting communities to rely on…
Political Watch: October 13, 2022
• Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters announced that official vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed to all county registered voters by Oct. 10. Registered voters are asked to check their mailboxes for their ballot and related voter information guides, which should be received within the next five to 10 days, according to a Santa Barbara…
The bottom rung
What is the impact of new California laws meant to reduce the number of people in local jails and state prisons? Is it an increase in crime? If you ask law enforcement, they say yes. If you ask some North Santa Barbara County farmers, they also say yes. And the reason they say yes is…
It’s 2022, not 1492
Bravo, Mr. Fina! Some might say that you are the means to costing Santa Maria taxpayers $75,000 and your inferred collaboration with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. This article (“Sailing away?” Sept. 1) also declares your efforts to “approach” the Santa Maria City Council and our local high school district. All of this…
It’s in the best interest of our representatives to engage with and respond to the people who grow your food
There were two general topics of conversation during public comment at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20. One was National Voter Registration Day, and the other was rural crime. Supervisor Steve Lavagnino made a comment about how roughly 6,000 of the 28,000 registered voters in his district of 90,000 showed up to…
Santa Ynez Chumash tribal member helms ‘Spirit Rangers,’ a new animated Netflix series
Getting “slimed” is a rite of passage for newbies at Nickelodeon Studios, former intern Karissa Valencia revealed. Like many millennials, Valencia—who grew up on the Santa Ynez Reservation—remembers seeing people getting drenched in Nickelodeon’s iconic green ooze on Slime Time Live as a kid. “They did slime the interns. I just opted out. I was…
NTMA Readers’ Choice Award voting closes Oct. 17
The voting deadline for the 2022 New Times Music Awards’ (NTMA) Readers’ Choice Award is Monday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m. Visit the NTMA tab on newtimesslo.com to rank the competition’s various song entries. The Readers’ Choice Award winner will be announced during the NTMA Showcase event on Friday, Nov. 4, at the SLO Brew…
Grossman Gallery brings inaugural Tiny Art Show to Lompoc
The inaugural Tiny Art Show is on display at the Grossman Gallery, located inside the Lompoc Public Library, through the end of October. An artist reception for the exhibit will take place on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 4 to 5 p.m., with complimentary refreshments for guests. The Tiny Art Show includes 93 small artworks submitted…
Elks Event Center presents Ice Cube live in concert
805Concerts is bringing iconic rap artist Ice Cube to Santa Maria for a live show. The prolific musician has been booked to headline a concert at the Elks Event Center on Saturday, Oct. 22. Event promoter Pablo Ramos said he is expecting more than 4,000 people to attend the show, according to a release from…
Zaca Creek is mixing cocktails with salsa dancing in Buellton
There’s a new way to shake off the Monday blues in the Santa Ynez Valley. Thanks to a partnership with Santa Maria-based dance company Klein Dance Arts, Zaca Creek in Buellton is hosting salsa dance sessions twice a month. Each event in the Mojito Monday series is paired with a selection of tropical cocktails and…
