Every community faces the challenges of unmet needs–not enough money to go around for basic public services, let alone taking care of underserved residents in virtually every sector of our community. This includes our veterans–women and men who served our country honorably and well–for whom it’s challenging to find jobs despite the training and discipline […]
GI Forum supports Aera expansion
Posted inOpinion
The cost of oil
Oil brings in revenue for Santa Barbara County. This has been a selling point when new drilling permits are sought. But oil operations cost us more than they generate. Some direct costs include fire department enforcement of violations, unreimbursed disaster response, staff time for the treasurer-tax collector to get oil companies to pay millions of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc High School Unified Basketball
After beating out teams from across the nation in the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, the Lompoc High School Unified Basketball team took home bronze medals on July 6. More than 4,000 participants representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia competed in 14 team and individual sports at the tournament, which Seattle hosted […]
Posted inNews
County works to detain fewer youths
Fewer kids are being detained in local juvenile detention facilities because of several newly implemented policies that county officials say could better aid at-risk youth and their families. As part of Renew 22, a five-year countywide initiative aimed at increasing departmental efficiency, the Santa Barbara County Probation Department launched an internal investigation into its juvenile […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch 7/19/18
• President Donald Trump appeared with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the two held a one-on-one summit in Helsinki, Finland, on July 17, when the two leaders answered numerous questions from the press. The summit came three days after Special Counsel Robert Mueller delivered 12 indictments of Russian intelligence officers for hacking Democratic agencies and […]
Posted inNews
Laurus College now offering four bachelor’s degree programs
Santa Maria residents hoping to get a bachelor’s degree at home are in luck. Laurus College, a family-owned private college established in 2006, is now offering four bachelor’s degrees in business systems management, digital arts and computer animation, information technologies and network systems, and web design and development. The programs, which were already offered by […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc City Council provides exemption buffer zone for dance studio
Lompoc’s Classical School of Ballet will have a buffer zone protecting it from encroaching marijuana businesses after all, following an agreement struck between the school’s owners and the city’s attorney. Owner Angela Mill threatened the city with legal action after its council voted 3-2 not to include dance studios as youth centers, eliminating a protective […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe awarded $4.5 million for LeRoy Park renovations
Long-awaited repairs are coming to Guadalupe’s LeRoy Park and its community center, according to Guadalupe Mayor John Lizalde, who announced on July 10 that the city was awarded a $4.5 million federal grant to fund the project. A sprinkler system, barbeque pits, and new landscaping will be added to the 5-acre park, which Lizalde said […]
Posted inNews
Gloria Soto announces candidacy for District 3 City Council seat
Surrounded by dozens of enthusiastic supporters, lifelong Santa Maria resident Gloria Soto announced her candidacy for the City Council’s District 3 seat outside the Minami Community Center on June 21. Business owners, several recent high school graduates, and staff members of various advocacy organizations gathered outside Minami at noon that day to show support for […]
Posted inNews
Up on the hill: An iconic Los Alamos motel gets a makeover
The motel with the campy, giant yellow sign was never talked about much. But I had always been curious–myself a bit of a retrophile–about the Skyview Motel in Los Alamos. The sleepy motel had earned a dubious nickname from some locals. They dubbed it the Psycho motel, and its seemingly ominous and withdrawn presence overlooking […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Going to pot: Instant pot roast sounds too good to be true, but it works
I will openly and shamelessly admit my Instant Pot spent six months on my kitchen counter before I would even touch it because I was terrified it would explode all over my kitchen. I must have Googled “pressure cooker explosion bomb” so many times, the FBI probably has me on a list called “People Who […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Gazebo a go-go: Local bands bring their sound outside for Summer Concerts at Solvang Park
Smack dab in the middle of all the windmills and bakeries in Solvang is Solvang Park, and right in the middle of that is a shady gazebo overlooking its sprawling lawn. For many a local band and musician, like Dan Robinette, drummer for local rock group LiveWire, that’s where the magic happens. “We like to […]