Cover Story
Santa Barbara County wants to improve overdose prevention services as it faces a record-breaking year of opioid-related deaths
A paramedic pumps nasal spray into an unconscious person’s nose while placing a ventilation bag over their mouth to get them to breathe. In less than half a minute, they’re conscious and animated, with open eyes. “There’s no question in my mind when this person is not breathing and I give them this—and 20 seconds…
BINGEABLE: A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (2022)
BINGEABLE: A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (2022) Where’s it playing? Amazon Prime What’s it rated? Not Rated There was an attempt at A League of Their Own sitcom in 1993; however, that show barely made it out of the dugout and only a few episodes aired before it was canned. This time around, producers aren’t…
Lompoc officials consider lifting bike ban on sidewalks
Pedestrians in one Santa Barbara County city could be sharing sidewalk space with bicyclists in the future, depending on the outcome of an ongoing study. Lompoc’s streetscape improvement plan, approved by both the City Council and Planning Commission in July, includes proposals to turn some sidewalks in the city into shared-use paths for walkers and…
Guadalupe discusses eligibility list for denied cannabis applications
The SLO Cal Roots and Element 7 cannabis dispensaries will eventually open their doors in Guadalupe, filling the city’s two permit spots after a 4-1 approval at an Aug. 16 City Council special meeting. Element 7 was originally given a permit slot on April 26 with a 3-0 vote, but the council decided to have…
Rent stabilization activists hire attorney and host candidate forum
Local, county, state, and federal candidates spoke about rent stabilization at Santa Maria’s Casa Grande Mobile Home Park on Sept. 12. “The forum is to win support for mobile home issues from the candidates. The specific issue we are pressing forward on is rent stabilization,” Rancho Buena Vista mobile home resident and North Santa Barbara…
Political Watch: September 15, 2022
• Santa Barbara County hosted a special ceremony commemorating the 21st anniversary of 9/11 at the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Gardens, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Undersheriff Craig Bonner, along with the Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, joined local dignitaries and representatives from area fire departments and other agencies for the second annual 9/11 Flag of…
A Central Coast music school can teach you to sing or play an instrument from the comfort of your home
COVID-19 may have compelled Central Coast musician Pete Pidgeon to open a distance-learning music school, but the concept had been on his mind for years. “When I was living in Denver in 2015, I had the idea to start a music school online. The biggest complaint from people was if their child was taking a…
Solvang Festival Theater presents An Evening with Brian Regan
Prolific comedian Brian Regan is bringing his show, An Evening with Brian Regan, to the Solvang Festival Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Entertainment Weekly once referred to Regan as “your favorite comedian’s favorite comedian.” Visit solvangfestivaltheater.org for tickets to the show or more info. The theater is located at 420…
SLOPOKE holds 12th annual Art of the West Show in Solvang
Thirty-seven artists will be featured in this year’s SLOPOKE Art of the West Show, which will be held at Flag is Up Farms in Solvang Friday, Sept. 23, through Sunday, Sept. 25. This year marks the group exhibition’s 12th year. The show highlights artworks of various media—including painting, photography, sculpture, and more—that center on Western…
Elverhoj Museum’s upcoming festival celebrates Danish histories and fictions
Guests of an upcoming author showcase in Solvang will get to meet a Danish writer who’s been dead for more than 100 years. The event’s special guest from beyond the grave is none other than Hans Christian Andersen, as played by Randel McGee, who is set to appear a handful of times during the Living…
Creative evasion
Have you ever wanted to gather all the people who want your vote into one place to get their views on an issue near and dear to your heart? That’s what the North Santa Barbara County Manufactured Homeowners Team did during its Sept. 12 candidate forum, which was designed to “win support for mobile home…
Beware the bureaucratic penchant for ‘thin-skinism’
I have learned some things from years of interaction with county government officials and agency staff. Most are exceptionally capable, conscientious, cordial, and responsive. And some are prone to the very human foible of thin skin. It is also clear that as our taxes pay their salaries, they work for us in our collective best…
Was the Jan. 6 insurrection the ‘high-water mark’ of the right-wing rebellion or the opposite?
I’ve been a student of our American Civil War since I was 10 years old. I first delved into that conflict in Mr. Greer’s fifth grade class in 1965, when the nation observed the centennial of Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, effectively ending the war. That summer, our family visited Gettysburg National Battlefield in Pennsylvania. I…
Dewlson Family Farm dishes out tea, coffee, exotic fruits
History has shown time and time again that bananas and ice cream work well as a team. Banana splits. Banana-flavored ice cream. Ice cream-flavored bananas. As unreal as the latter sounds, the Blue Java banana—known for its ice cream-esque consistency and vanilla flavor—is just as real as any fruit grown at Dewlson Family Farm in…
