Blending wine is very common, but not the way Michelle Vautier does it. She owns CrossHatch Winery and uses a method called co-fermentation. Instead of blending wines after they’ve fermented, her grapes—usually two or three varieties—are picked from their separate vines on the same day and start fermenting together right away. “I’m the only winery […]
A Templeton farm brightens the horizon for a Santa Barbara County winery
Posted inNews
Conserving space: PG&E needs to do more about environmental issues if it wants Coastal Commission approval to extend Diablo’s life
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) must return to the California Coastal Commission with new plans to mitigate Diablo Canyon Power Plant’s environmental issues if it wants permits to keep the nuclear facility running. “We’re talking about decades of staggering and devastating environmental impact that demand action not delay,” Commissioner Raymond Jackson said during the […]
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County Public Health pauses layoffs and patient transfers, left with budget deficits
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department paused its plan to make layoffs and transition thousands of patients away from county clinics due to “unsatisfactory immigration status.” The decision follows an ongoing injunction to a change in federal law. Mouhanad Hammami, the director of Public Health, presented this update to the county Board of Supervisors […]
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Santa Barbara County District Attorney charges Lompoc council member with eight felonies
Fraud. Forgery. Identity theft. Allegedly fabricated, a series of counterfeit invoices for construction work is at the heart of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s case against a Lompoc City Council member. On Nov. 19, District Attorney John T. Savrnoch filed eight felony charges against Councilmember Stephen Bridge, including two counts of grand theft of […]
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November’s rainfall tops local records with little impact to wildfire burn areas
November’s rainfall is responsible for Santa Barbara County experiencing “one of the wettest starts to a water-year on record.” That’s according to Flood Control District Senior Hydrologist Shawn Johnson, who gauges the ebb and flow of rivers and reservoirs across the county and keeps close tabs on rainfall patterns, with decades of water data recorded […]
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Political Watch: November 27, 2025
• U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-California), Dave McCormick (R-Pennsylvania), Chris Coons (D-Delaware), and Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) introduced the Liquid Cooling for AI Act of 2025 on Nov. 20. As the U.S. works to maintain technological supremacy and ramp-up AI innovation, this legislation puts new directives to certain federal agencies in place. For example, the […]
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A Lompoc nonprofit supports mothers and their children
Becoming a parent is part of the human experience for many people, and in that way, parenthood is unifying, Sarah Starbuck described. But at the same time, it can feel lonely, especially for parents who stay home to raise their kids. Moms uniteFor more information about registering with MOMS Club of Lompoc, visit momscluboflompoc.weebly.com. Those […]
Posted inOpinion
Bridge to nowhere good
I wonder how former Lompoc City Councilmember Gilda Aiello is taking the news about the guy who took her seat on the dais at the end of 2024. Remember what happened? She decided not to run for reelection due to “a few unfair attacks brought on me by a group of individuals who wanted to […]
Posted inOpinion
Thanksgiving is a time for celebration, not acrimony
Thanksgiving is the time of year when we sit back, smell the turkey, stuff ourselves with too much good food, and then reflect on the good things that have happened to our families in the last year. Sometime during the day’s festivities—amid the turkey feast, football, and basketball games on TV, and visiting with family […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s time for a divorce, Democrats
Let’s face it, it just isn’t working. You Democrats have grown too far apart. It is time for a divorce. After losing the election to political zombie Donald Trump, who arose from the crypt of loss, impeachment, and prosecution, you are looking for a way forward. New leadership is being pushed by your progressives, with […]
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Santa Maria residents produce and star in award-winning Filipino film
In the Philippines, umbag means punch. It’s also the title of an independent Filipino-American movie produced by a Santa Maria resident, Rose Dumadara Koerner. Unlike traditional executive producers, she was also involved in many more of the nitty-gritty details. After being displeased with the first cut of Umbag, which follows two estranged sisters who go […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria nonprofit raises money for arts program
Corazón del Pueblo is fundraising for its Indigenous Youth Leadership Institute of Arts and Culture, a pilot program serving Indigenous migrant farm-working students. Funds will go toward the program’s last events and scholarships for the students. “We engaged 23 Indigenous farm-working students, providing them with opportunities to connect with others who are facing similar life […]
