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 […]
Gap Fire arson suspect arrested
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.
Posted inOpinion
We will get mutual respect and equality
What happens when a majority of voters denies equal rights to a minority? It took decades for interracial marriage to be legal in every state. Now, we will have a biracial president. Why should we believe that the passage of California Proposition 8 will permanently deny marriage to all consenting adults? It is only a […]
Posted inOpinion
No bailout for the automakers
Do we bail out the Big Three American automakers.? No. The solution must involve the special interest ethanol producers, state air pollution boards, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Look at what we are being offered: Cadillac hybrids and Ford Flexes that get 24 miles per gallon. Foreign SUVs touting 24 to 30 mpg. General […]
Posted inOpinion
Bye-bye, hypocrites!
Memo to Republicans: The 2008 presidential election is over. You and your phony ideals have been soundly rejected. Your hypocritical and unsubstantiated rhetoric has been overwhelmingly defeated by concepts that have apparently escaped your vocabulary. The concepts I refer to are common sense and morality. Allow me to explain. Your flag bearer, Ronald Reagan, invented […]
Posted inOpinion
Obama is up to the task of fixing this country
Many thanks to the American voters, for creating a historical event in American politics, by electing its first black American president, Sen. Barack Obama. He was elected by the content of his character, and not the color of his skin. In spite of the nay-sayers, skeptics, and the so-called “undecided” voters, who mostly didn’t vote […]