It was a packed house at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott on Nov. 8, and the topic at hand was jobs and how to bring more to Santa Barbara County. Business ranging from Pacific Coast Energy to Halsell Builders to communications giant Comcast shelled out $750 per table and $85 a plate to hear how […]
Business community eyes diversified approach to keeping and bringing “living wage” jobs to Santa Barbara County
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County firefighters, Sheriff’s Office help with fires
California is under a fiery siege, and emergency responders across the state and country have been dispatched in large numbers to stem the flaming tide. Santa Barbara County Fire sent a team of two engines on Nov. 9 to the 125,000-acre Camp Fire in Northern California. As of Nov. 13, the blaze had claimed more […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe takes input on LeRoy Park repairs at community workshop
After a workshop on Nov. 11 where Guadalupe community members discussed the needs and future of LeRoy Park, it’s back to the drawing board for city staffers working to lay out plans for the park’s coming $4.5 million rehabilitation. Roughly 60 residents filled Guadalupe City Hall on Sunday to take part in the workshop, according […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Jarred Torres
Lompoc High School’s water polo team might not even exist today if it weren’t for senior Jarred Torres. Torres, who started playing water polo his freshman year, according to head coach Carl Thacker, has always been a committed athlete. But Torres went above and beyond last school year, when Lompoc High School officials failed to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Great balls of fire: Krider suffers some technical difficulties on the racetrack
Even though I am a grown-ass man I still like to play with cars. As a little boy all I wanted to be when I grew up was a race car driver. It was a dream I never let go of. So, whenever the schedule will allow me to (for the record, my wife, whom […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
New York City gallery features Orcutt artist
Local artist Lori Mole is featured in a new exhibit at the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in New York City. The exhibit, titled Moulin Rouge Thanksgiving, features work celebrating the autumn season and November holiday. Mole, who recently moved to Orcutt, has a background in graphic design, art, and music. She was active in the arts […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria Civic Theatre presents Boy
The latest production from the Santa Maria Civic Theatre is Boy, inspired by a true story. The play explores issues of sexual identity and falling in love as well as the complex bonds between a doctor and patient. Set in the 1960s, the play follows the story of a doctor who, after an accident, convinces […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Betteravia Gallery hosts Santa Barbara Printmakers juried exhibition
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture presents a juried exhibit of the Santa Barbara Printmakers (SBP) at the Betteravia Gallery in Santa Maria through April 30. The SBP is a collective of 75 artists who exhibit works made with hand and press printing techniques such as lithography, screen printing, linocut, photopolymer plates, […]
Posted inOpinion
Hancock undervalues jazz
Thursday night is my favorite night of the week! Why? Because that is the night that I join other musicians from all over the Central Coast in performing jazz in the Allan Hancock College Jazz Ensemble. Last Thursday night we learned that Hancock’s Department of Fine Arts is canceling the Jazz Ensemble for Spring 2019 […]
Posted inOpinion
The folly of nationalism
I once read a bestselling novel about the Great War called The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. The author vividly describes the horrors of the costly and tragic conflict; however, she also provides invaluable historical context that ultimately reveals the underlying rot of nationalism. Not only was the Great War a failure in American […]
Posted inOpinion
Our water is at risk
If we want to continue to have clean water for drinking and ag use, we need to step up. A company called ERG is planning a huge increase in oil production between Los Alamos and Santa Maria. These hundreds of oil wells would require a large amount of natural gas to power the steam generator […]
Posted inOpinion
My visit to the DMV
A couple of weeks ago I got a letter from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that required me to take a written driver’s test in order to renew my license. You see I am old, and I guess they wanted to make sure I still knew the rules after more than 50 years of […]