Cover Story

Former Santa Cruz locals Jameson and Laura Lucero were in for a shock when they moved to Nipomo five years ago. Coming from the “skate capital of the world,” the couple found Nipomo’s lack of recreational activities staring starkly at them. “It’s really sad, because I have young children, and when I take them to […]

Some of the only ways to communicate during the pandemic were through cellphones or online, but not everyone in Santa Barbara County has access to cell coverage and internet service.  The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash experienced a double whammy with poor cell service and no internet access, said Sam Cohen, government and legal specialist […]

Santa Maria parent Kelly White O’Neill had no hesitations when it came to getting her 11-year-old son vaccinated for COVID-19 when he became eligible—and having a child so close to the age cutoff made the wait feel even longer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the vaccine for children ages 5 to […]

Although social distancing, masking, and the weird haze of COVID-19 are still around, the holiday season of parades, tree lightings, and Santa pictures is back! Find out what will make the Central Coast holiday season a little brighter in our annual Holiday Guide, which starts with Solvang’s marketing arm talking about how Julefest is celebrating […]

When Lompoc native Sara Martinez received deployment orders to go to Vandenberg Space Force Base, getting on a child care waiting list was her priority.  Martinez—who requested that her name be changed—deployed back to her hometown with her husband and daughter in February 2018 after being based in Denver’s Buckley Space Force Base for four […]

Orcutt might be the last place on Earth you’d expect to find America’s most popular independent podcaster. But that’s where Your Own Backyard creator Chris Lambert grew up, lives, and pieced together the hard-hitting 10-part docuseries that investigates the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart. The 33-year-old spent a year and a half researching the unsolved […]

Leonard Marcus came home to his son lying in a pool of his own vomit about 13 years ago.  “He abused substances because of his mental illness. He was 15 or 16 at the time—still quite young—and it was a real shocker to see how drunk he was. I knew he was drinking, but I […]

That small package of bright red strawberries you hold in your hands at the grocery store made quite a journey to get there. Same with those bags of spinach, or any other produce you might pick up.  Their journey starts at 5:30 in the morning as harvesters pick produce from tightly packed rows. Collected in […]

For eight months, mother Amanda Pierce has been on child care waiting lists. She’s called 12 different day cares near her home in Lompoc and reached out to facilities in neighboring Vandenberg Village, but none have space.  “I’m never frustrated with them; I’m frustrated with the situation. It was one of those things where I […]

Walt Disney’s Lady and the Tramp portrays two dogs from different worlds who find each other and fall in love. But after crossing paths with the villainous animal control officer, they’re separated and thrown in prison-like cells.  Such depictions by Disney and other movie producers have been “awful” for Animal Services’ reputation, said Ginger White, […]