Santa Barbara County recently released an environmental analysis reviewing ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil on local roadways using tanker trucks so that it can resume the operation of three offshore oil rigs and a processing facility. The final supplemental environmental impact report the county made public on July 29 assesses ExxonMobil’s plans to move about […]
Santa Barbara County releases environmental impact report for ExxonMobil trucking project
Posted inNews
Solvang accepts branding committee applications
On July 27, Solvang announced it was beginning the recruitment process for the new Branding & Design Committee, which is replacing the Solvang Board of Architectural Review (BAR). The committee of five’s first task will be to create design guidelines for the long-term Copenhagen Drive Street closure, City Manager Xenia Bradford told the Sun. The […]
Posted inNews
Unsolicited seeds from China arrive locally
Within the last few years, Santa Maria resident Mike Brown has ordered hundreds of items from Wish, an e-commerce platform where Brown said you can order pretty much anything at lower than market rates, so long as you’re willing to wait longer than usual for shipping. Brown’s past orders through Wish have all come without […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria seeks general plan engagement
Santa Maria wants to know what residents want for the future, according to a new website designed to gather input for the city’s next general plan update. In a video linked on the Imagine Santa Maria website, Mayor Alice Patino said that it’s more important than ever to work together on a plan that can […]
Posted inNews
Solvang may close Copenhagen Drive for the year
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging on, the Solvang City Council agreed that the city will likely need to keep Copenhagen Drive closed to vehicles for the rest of the year. The city closed off the road in June to provide businesses with space to expand into the street as public health regulations limited shops’ and […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria Public Library book mobile returns
The last time the Santa Maria Public Library had a book mobile was the 1980s, Library Director Mary Housel told the Sun. Now, thanks to grant funding, the once popular library-on-wheels is back. “It’s a brand new service offering, and we hope to reach out to our underserved community, specifically to those who can’t travel […]
Posted inNews
People incarcerated at the Lompoc penitentiary speak out about how they were treated during one of the largest COVID-19 prison outbreaks in the nation
Editor’s note: This is the second part in a two-part series examining pandemic response in the federal prison at Lompoc. The first part (“Constitutionally confined?” July 30) covered a class-action lawsuit that pushed for more inmates to be released to home confinement. A class-action lawsuit filed against the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex achieved a recent […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Beekeeper Jeremy Rose of CBC gets raw on honey, the bee biz, and the fate of his winged essential workers
Jeremy Rose’s fascination with bees began as a fourth grader. As his classmates ran in fear and his teacher herded the children indoors to avoid bee stings, Rose took pause, felt the impressiveness of the insect energy, and wanted to learn more. When he witnessed a beekeeper smoke a swarm of bees out of an […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Local novelists reimagine events leading up to the 1923 Honda Point disaster off the coast near Lompoc
It all started with a tasty burger,” Therese Vannier, co-author of upcoming historical novel Dead Reckoning, revealed before amending—“tastiest burger on the planet.” Vannier’s inaugural dining experience at the Jalama Beach Grill coincided with her introduction to a tragic piece of local history. “We sat at the indoor dining area of the Jalama Beach Store […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
County Office of Arts and Culture announces new video series, ‘805 Inspires’
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture is collaborating with local museums and other institutions to produce 805 Inspires, a new video series to highlight the region’s cultural and educational assets. The series includes a variety of 15-minute video segments available online at sbac.ca.gov/805inspires. The videos will also periodically air on TVSB’s local […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Wildling Museum launches its first public art project, ‘Nature Takes the Wheel’
Thanks to a grant from the Buellton Arts and Culture Committee, the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is initiating its first public art project, titled Nature Takes the Wheel. Headed by art therapist Stacey Thompson, the project is open to all community members who wish to paint and embellish used hubcaps into nature-inspired artworks. […]
Posted inOpinion
CANARY: Consider this
Lompoc has some roiling drama in its Federal Correctional Complex (FCC). It’s under the microscope for how its leadership has been handling, or apparently not handling, the efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the prison facilities. In a nutshell: The Lompoc FCC should have released more of its eligible incarcerated individuals to home […]