The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County is inviting volunteers to give thanks this Thanksgiving season by helping to plant 500 native shrubs and plants at the Black Lake Ecological Area in Nipomo. On Nov. 22, from 9 a.m. to noon, Land Conservancy staffers, members, and volunteers will plant native flora as part of […]
Give thanks – plant a tree!
Posted inNews
Santa Maria: This is only a test
The city of Santa Maria will conduct a citywide call on Nov. 24 at 10 a.m. to test its emergency alert notification system, which allows city officials to record and send personalized voice messages to thousands of residents and businesses through a single phone call. According to a press release from the city, the goal […]
Posted inNews
Police issue hundreds of citations during weekend checkpoint
The Santa Maria Police Department’s traffic bureau was busy on Nov. 15 and 16, conducting two Driving Under the Influence (DUI) checkpoints and a driver’s license checkpoint. The first DUI checkpoint took place on Nov. 15, from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., at the intersection of Main Street and Western Avenue, and later moved to […]
Posted inNews
‘King of Pop’ gives up his castle
Pop star Michael Jackson recently sold his Santa Ynez ranch, Neverland, transferring the property deed to the Sycamore Valley Ranch Co. LLC. The singer filed a grant deed on the ranch on Nov. 10, according to documents posted on the Santa Barbara County clerk-recorder website, sbcrecorder.com. Jackson went into default on a $24.5 million loan […]
Posted inNews
Gap Fire arson suspect arrested
Progress has been made on determining the cause of another recent fire. On Nov. 17, U.S. Forest Service and Santa Barbara County Fire Department investigators announced that they had arrested a suspect believed to be responsible for starting the Gap Fire. As of press time, the 16-year-old suspect was in custody at the Santa Barbara […]
Posted inNews
Tea fire contained, believed to be ‘human-caused’
South Santa Barbara County’s Tea Fire is now totally contained, but the cause of the blaze, which destroyed 210 Santa Barbara residences and injured 25 people, remains under investigation. On Nov. 17, a joint investigation team made up of staff members from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Cal Fire, and the U.S. Forest Service […]
Posted inNews
Micro car owners are still smiling
Gas prices in California fell to less than $3 a gallon in November. That is a whopping drop from the state record of $4.58 in June. There’s already evidence big car and truck sales are perking up in response. “This drop has been a wonderful thing,” said Kurt Rodriguez of Santa Maria Ford. “We definitely […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Arts Briefs
Christmas show offers plenty of gift ideas Get those wish lists ready. The Los Padres Artist Guild will present its 32nd annual Christmas show, “The Gifts of Christmas,” at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, 600 South McClelland, in Santa Maria on Nov. 28, 29, and 30. The catered reception runs from 7 to 10 […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The two sides of Oates
When Hall and Oates played the Chumash Casino recently, they took a stage surrounded by rabid fans who were treated to crowd favorites, as well as rare “way back” tunes. With a new solo album (1,000 Miles of Life) released in September and a concert CD/DVD with Daryl Hall (Live at the Troubadour) set to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
May all your Christmases be white
Violin virtuoso Isaac Stern once said, “America’s music was born at his piano.” He was talking about Irving Berlin, who touted “White Christmas” as the best song he’d ever written. Berlin proclaimed, in fact, that it was the best song “anybody had ever written!” This bold declaration came from the man who also wrote “God […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Wine and dine
Tasters exploring Santa Barbara County’s wine country have long faced the dilemma of whether to pack a meal or take a chance on finding food when hunger strikes. Traditionally a logistical challenge along the wine trails, lunch just got a little easier. Located on a restaurant-less stretch of Alamo Pintado, Rideau Winery has solved the […]
Posted inOpinion
On separation and taxes
The Mormon Church strongly promoted yes on Proposition 8. Its passage now takes away equal rights from a minority. Our Constitution demands a separation of church and state. The Mormon Church should no longer be tax exempt.