At Clean Slate Wine Bar, the menu changes nearly every day. Unlike other restaurants with laminated pages, the menu at Clean Slate is a big chalkboard that chef Melissa Scrymgeour erases and updates with new dishes. “That’s why we’re called Clean Slate,” her husband, Jason, said about their Solvang restaurant and wine bar. “She puts […]
The Solvang wine bar serving rotating dishes and local pours
Posted inNews
Coroner’s conflict: A new state law requires an independent autopsy of in-custody deaths
Dozens of law enforcement agencies across California have less than two years to comply with a new state law, one that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office believes will do more harm than good. Inspired by a 2024 county grand jury report, Assemblymember Gregg Hart’s (D-Santa Barbara) FACTS Act calls for independent medical investigations of […]
Posted inNews
County takes a closer look at the Sheriff’s Office’s vehicle expenses
When picking the make and model of a rental car, requesting a police cruiser sounds like a prank. But it’s a serious ask for law enforcement agencies that contract with Enterprise for vehicle leases. In 2021, Santa Barbara County entered a five-year agreement with Enterprise to supply the Sheriff’s Office its patrol fleet on a […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria’s public transportation system goes fully electric
Gamaliel Anguiano remembers when Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) received its first electric bus in 2022. “It’s amazing to see how much the technology has improved over the last three years,” the transit services manager told the Sun. During the first week of November, SMRT was set to receive the last couple of vehicles it […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe appoints interim city administrator to fill Todd Bodem’s shoes
A nationwide search for a city administrator brought Todd Bodem to Guadalupe in 2019. His resignation in October triggered the city’s next search, underway with applications due on Nov. 30—Bodem’s last day with the city. “To ensure continuity in city operations and leadership during the recruitment and appointment process for a permanent city administrator, it […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: November 6, 2025
• In an Oct. 30 letter to President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) asked the administration to reverse its tariff policies, which Carbajal described as ultimately functioning to impose hidden taxes on American families and businesses. “Despite claims made by your administration that tariffs would lower prices, they have increased the cost […]
Posted inNews
Ritual Reform puts its signature spin on a new Santa Maria studio with XFormer Pilates machines
Carving out some time to focus on the here and now set the tone for Sarah Whitmore Boe’s present and future, the owner and founder of three—soon to be four—local Pilates studios explained. “My journey to it was really during a time of change in my life. I got sober 10 years ago and really […]
Posted inUncategorized
Conflicting interests
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office’s contract with a rental car company for its law enforcement vehicle fleet gives a whole new meaning to the company’s slogan: “Enterprise. We’ll pick you up” … in handcuffs. Since 2021, the Sheriff’s Office has rented its fleet from Enterprise at a cost of $3 million with an additional […]
Posted inOpinion
Dana Reserve development hurts the environment and doesn’t help the people who need it most
San Luis Obispo County’s biggest development proposal in decades, the Dana Reserve in Nipomo, just cleared a major hurdle—but the new Dana Reserve plan is still a bad deal for both housing and the environment. After a settlement with the developer, the project now promises only 78 deed-restricted affordable homes instead of the original 156—that’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Sacrifice is a calling
Sacrifice is a calling only the brave can hear. I’ve seen bravery in the still innocent eyes of an Air Force para-jumper, who drops from helicopters on a thin cable to bring home fellow airmen. I’ve seen bravery in the slumped shoulders of soldiers who disappear into the jungle at dusk, so that we could […]
Posted inOpinion
Have the courage to speak out loud and clear
My heart is breaking as the damage created by an undemocratic Republican Party under President Trump continues to destroy this country to the point of I do not recognize it anymore. A mere shell exists today of the America that was. The evildoers will soon think nothing of removing opposition to the point of physical […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Take your mind on a thrilling adventure with a local’s audio drama series
A blind protagonist, Miranda Griffin, runs through a maze while a vicious werewolf chases her in episode 6 of Simon Machin’s audio drama, The Black Veil. Out of everything he’s done to produce the drama’s 13 episodes, this scene sticks out to Machin because he invented his own werewolf sound effect by modifying a dog’s […]