We’ve had not just one fire, but two this summer. Both started along Highway 166’s lonely stretch of two-lane road and lapped up vegetation, grassland, and oak-studded hills stretching through federal land—Los Padres National Forest, Carrizo Plain National Monument, the Caliente Mountain Wilderness Study Area, the Garcia Wilderness—threatened ranches, remote houses, county parks, cattle, crops, […]
Category Feature
Posted inFood & Drink
Pico Los Alamos hosts a tomato-forward lunch with the farmer who grew them
Nine years ago, Kali Kopley and Will Henry bought the original Los Alamos General Store that was built in 1880 and turned it into their restaurant, Pico Los Alamos. Their goal was to create a farmer-driven, fine dining spot. The husband-wife duo tore out the parking lot behind the building and planted a garden. Let’s […]
Posted inOpinion
The land itself is the area’s biggest loss in the aftermath of the Gifford Fire
The Gifford Fire has been burning in two counties for a couple of weeks. This fire, combined with a previous burn in the same area, has incinerated well over 200,000 acres of vegetation; that’s more than 300 square miles of now barren land. The immediate losses, millions of dollars in losses, are associated with ranches, […]
Posted inOpinion
‘American silence is a crime’
With so many humanitarian atrocities continuing to happen here locally on the Central Coast, in our state, across the United States, and globally, I’ve spent many sleepless hours pondering how I’ve become so disillusioned and frustrated with Americans. Until this year, I’ve been proud to be an American and part of our society that I […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A Lompoc artist strengthens the community with art clubs and shows
See the show Visit the Creating Through Chaos show through Aug. 24 at the Cypress Gallery, which is located at 119 E. Cypress Ave. in Lompoc. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Reach Manic Creative online at maniccreativeart.com or on Instagram at @maniccreativeart. Mixed-media artist Jasmine Gonzalez moved […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Best of NSBC 2025
Find out who won!
You’ve worked hard to get here. You’ve struggled, failed, and overcome. You’ve built your business through hard work, teamwork, and thankless work. And I’m here to tell you two things: First, it’s paid off. And second, this is just the beginning of your storied life as one of Northern Santa Barbara County’s best. So savor […]
Posted inNews
Red Cross provides safe parking for evacuee during the Gifford Fire
Often wedged between Dave Hild’s van dashboard and windshield, the retired zookeeper’s road maps range from blueprint-style scrolls to thick, paperback atlases. “These don’t require batteries or a signal, and I can drop them in the creek and they’ll still work,” said the former Charles Paddock Zoo employee, who’s lived off-grid in his van for […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Nobody 2 delivers a satisfying dose of violent comedy
Nobody 2 What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us) directs this sequel to the 2021 original about Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk), a seemingly docile family […]
Posted inOpinion
Now is the time to help each other prepare for eventual evacuations
Two friends, who have lost absolutely everything to wildfires, say now is the time to help one another prepare to evacuate. If it’s not this fire, or an earthquake, or a tsunami warning … it will be some big challenge in the near future. How about we each help an elderly or disabled neighbor? Help […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc art duo’s fifth show is on display at Gallery Los Olivos
Visit the gallery Gallery Los Olivos is located at 2920 Grand Ave. in Los Olivos and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The current show, Rhapsody in Hue, will be on display until Aug. 31. For more information, visit gallerylosolivos.com. On a 12-by-16-inch canvas, artist Neil Andersson intertwines shapes and colors as […]
Posted inNews
Breaking ground: An empty Santa Maria department store begins its transformation into apartments—aiming to revitalize downtown
Making its downtown area more lively and walkable has been a goal of Santa Maria’s since 2004. About four years’ worth of community workshops ushered in the city’s first downtown revitalization plan, adopted in 2008 with hopes of increasing foot traffic through new retail, restaurants, and housing opportunities. But over the course of the next […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: August 14, 2025
• Approximately 190 million barrels of recoverable oil reserves are estimated to remain in the area off the coast of Santa Barbara County, according to the federal Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which announced on July 25 that it was working with Sable Offshore Corporation to bring a second Santa […]
