Melissa Bagley tries not to start her workdays before 6 a.m. If everything goes to plan, nine hours later she’ll be heading out the door to deliver dozens of freshly baked cookies, decadent cakes, and soft loaves of bread that customers ordered from her business, La Dolce Vita. During her childhood, baking was a big […]
An Orcutt baker is on a mission to deliver top-tier goods, minus the gluten
Posted inNews
Finding fugitives: Santa Barbara County tackles arrest warrants with focus on most violent felonies
Robbery. Carjacking. Assault with a deadly weapon. Brandishing a firearm. Several outstanding felony warrants were stacked against Victor Manuel Ayala Sanchez on the day of his arrest in Santa Maria Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies took the 30-year-old into custody in mid-August after a four-hour standoff outside of Sanchez’s residence on East Sunset Avenue. […]
Posted inNews
LAFCO highlights struggling cemetery districts
Hoping to clear the cobwebs around an ongoing issue plaguing Central Coast cemeteries, the Santa Barbara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) wants to explore the possibility of consolidating some of those cemetery districts. In its 2025 review of countywide municipal services, LAFCO staff highlighted a handful of cemetery districts, including Oak Hill Cemetery in […]
Posted inNews
More cultural arts programming is headed to Santa Maria-Bonita schools
Starting in January, students at 15 elementary schools will have the opportunity to join a ballet folklórico dance program after school. The Santa Maria-Bonita School District board approved a roughly $59,000 contract with Children’s Creative Project at the Dec. 10 meeting. “By securing these services, we demonstrate our commitment to providing students with high quality, […]
Posted inNews
Los Olivos CSD considers testing groundwater wells once a year
A local agency’s decision to postpone one of Los Olivos’ regularly scheduled groundwater well tests—used to measure nitrate concentration levels—opened the floodgates to a different kind of monitoring for resident Kathryn Lohmeyer Rohrer. “It seems problematic on several fronts,” Rohrer said during public comment at the Los Olivos Community Services District’s (CSD) Nov. 12 meeting. […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: December 18, 2025
• The House of Representatives recently passed U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (D-Santa Barbara) legislation to rename a post office in Goleta for Frederick Lopez, a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Marine Corps with a 30-year career of distinguished service. “General Lopez represents the best of the Central Coast and of our nation’s armed forces,” […]
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Oak Folk Studio combines kid-friendly yoga, improv, painting, and more in Orcutt
Movement and mindfulness go hand in hand at Oak Folk Studio, where self-expression takes on many forms for many ages. Since its soft opening in November, the eclectic Orcutt venue has hosted kid-friendly classes in art, performing arts, and yoga. “I feel like they all kind of weave together,” founder, owner, and instructor Katlin Majewski […]
Posted inOpinion
The squeaky wheel
It seems like the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is working to course correct when it comes to the number of outstanding arrest warrants—something 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino has been asking for. After he expressed concerns about the issue during a Northern Branch Jail expansion discussion in April—which will cost $165 million, by the […]
Posted inOpinion
The Migrant Mothers’ story is our story
Her name was Florence Owens. She was 32 when she, her companion, Jim Hill; and her seven children arrived in Nipomo in February 1936. It was a cold, wintery afternoon in the depths of the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis our nation had ever known. Their car had just broken down, and Jim went […]
Posted inOpinion
Let’s get rid of nuclear power and weapons
On the controversies surrounding Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, it would be most wise to move things rapidly toward decommissioning and safety protocols as this aging dinosaur becomes more susceptible to a serious accident. The machinery is becoming more brittle and weak, further increasing the chance of a serious accident. And let’s not forget the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Christine Fossemalle’s passion of four decades is still going strong
Every day when Christine Fossemalle arrives and parks across the street from her dance studio, she sees her name on the sign. It never gets old, even though the studio is about to turn 40 next summer. “When I look at my sign, Fossemalle Dance Studio, I smile every time,” the owner told the Sun. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Flying Goat Cellars presents exhibit by contemporary artist
Reena Howmiller’s art show, titled What Lies Beneath, is up at Flying Goat Cellars in Lompoc through January. She created colorful, abstract paintings and scarves made with Indian silk that are inspired by her other artwork. The scarves are “colorful, wearable art to swaddle one’s decolletage in an affordable luxury item,” Howmiller said in an […]
