In Europe, or Australia, or Asia, conductors typically conduct. That’s about the extent of their responsibilities, and it’s how they get the title. In the United States, however, conductors are often called music directors. In addition to leading the group in rehearsals and concerts, the folks at the front of the orchestra have final say […]
A decade of musical beauty
Posted inFood & Drink
Ranch life
Seventeen years ago, Meghan and Dan Reeves bought 40 acres among the foothills above Los Olivos. They liked the location, layout, and views, but even more compelling were the six-year-old grapevines climbing the slopes leading up to the house. Today, the vineyard covers three steep acres, and the fruit provides most of the raw material […]
Posted inNews
School Scene
ConocoPhillips presents a present ConocoPhillips’ Santa Maria facility, called “the refinery on the mesa,” has presented its neighbor, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, with a $30,000 check to continue its work with local students. “We are neighbors on the dunes and beachfront of the Guadalupe/ Nipomo area, and we are committed to caring for the land,” […]
Posted inNews
Educating with truth
The American Indian Education Program center, a federally funded Title VII Program Office of Indian Education Formula Grant Project that serves all off-reservation American Indians in Santa Barbara County, is establishing a research and reference library. The growing book collection, which currently includes a few shelves of volumes, will serve more than 1,500 American Indian […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: Ah Sir Bounce A Lot Indoor Bounce Center
The Bower family’s goal is finally realized. After years in the inflatable bounce house business and keeping the possibility of establishing an official party place alive, Sheila and John Bower and their three sons now run a physical location: Ah Sir Bounce A Lot Indoor Bounce Center. The facility is an extension of their rental […]
Posted inNews
An eye for a cause
Some people run for health. Some people run for the fun of it. Xochitl Rodrigue started running because she needed a substitute for the medication to treat her bipolar disease. The one she had been using created toxic effects in her body, but going without it created toxic effects in her life. Rodrigue found that […]
Posted inNews
Lucia Mar adds another school to its TAP collection
Thanks to a $240,000 grant from the Stuart Foundation, Grover Heights Elementary School will now be able to integrate the Teacher and Student Advancement Program (TAP) into its curriculum. Grover Heights will be the seventh school in the Lucia Mar Unified School District to introduce TAP in the fall. In February, Lucia Mar became the […]
Posted inNews
Second Time Around thrift shop to close its doors
After more than 15 years of serving the community of Lompoc and supporting countless victims of domestic violence in Santa Barbara County, a longtime local nonprofit is being forced to shut its doors. Second Time Around, a Lompoc thrift store that benefits the nonprofit organization Domestic Violence Solutions, will close its doors May 20. According […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc City Council to hear Walmart expansion appeal
The city of Lompoc might have signed off on the proposed expansion of the Walmart on West Central Avenue, but a number of residents opposed to the project still have a few options. The grassroots organization Citizens Against Walmart Expansion filed an appeal to the project’s development plan on Feb. 22, and has since retained […]
Posted inNews
The river wild
As of April 26, some facilities and campgrounds in the Los Padres National Forest remained inaccessible due to high water levels in the Santa Ynez River (pictured here) and flood damage to roads. According to the Santa Barbara Ranger District, late-season storms have caused water levels to rise above what’s considered safe for an average […]
Posted inOpinion
Beware of the soulless corporations
The vast majority of wealth and many politicians in our nation are owned by for-profit corporations. But rarely are some aspects of for-profit corporations discussed. Five decades ago, a wise old law professor told his corporations class: “In this class, you will learn how to create a legal person, a person potentially immortal, a person […]
Posted inOpinion
Face the harsh nuclear reality
It will take only one catastrophic incident at Diablo to cause untold long-lasting genetic and environmental damage, no matter what the cause of such a disaster. The moving audio narrative of photographer Paul Fusco at inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essay/chernobyl, documents the devastating consequences of Chernobyl 25 years ago. Those of us living in the shadow of Diablo, in […]
