Cover Story

You’d be surprised at the documents, emails, text messages, and more that you can request from your local government. And most of the time, that entity will acquiesce. I’ve received emails between city council members and constituents, property tax records for oil companies, letters to the Environmental Protection Agency, calls for public safety service in […]

The sharp smell of apple cider vinegar wafted through the air as Christine Bisson poured some into a small stainless steel bowl. She threw in a dash of salt and a helping of black pepper, squeezed in half a lemon, and whisked them all together. Several attendees had gathered in seats around the table where […]

It was nearing noon outside the Internal Revenue Service’s branch office in Santa Maria. After weeks of wet weather, it was sunny again, and the bright light coming from a cloudless sky warmed the cracked black asphalt of the building’s mostly empty parking lot. An American flag hung limply from a tall pole. There was […]

On Tuesday, Jan. 15, San Luis Obispo High School is buzzing with students getting from first period to second. After students reach their destinations, campus is silent except for the light rain hitting the pavement. Fifteen minutes into the class period, an announcement comes over the public address system: “We are currently in a drill, […]

Two homeless men sit handcuffed on the pavement. As far as we know, they’ve done nothing wrong, and it’s because of us that they’re detained here. This isn’t how the morning was supposed to go. It’s well past 7 a.m., and we’d been waiting for the police to arrive for at least a half hour, […]

Mia Espinosa was a middle schooler when she thought she pulled off the ultimate makeup coup.  It was school picture day and she tried wearing what she called a “natural look” for her photo. Her mother was having none of it.  “I thought I was slick and could pull off the ‘natural look,’” she said. […]

When it comes to the tools of the trade in medical care, most people think of stethoscopes, scalpels, or X-ray and MRI machines. But what about a knife and fork? More and more, a dedicated group of individuals is helping people inside and outside of hospitals to prevent, treat, or even help heal what ails […]

Jessica Blanco, the owner of Central Coast Beauties, vividly remembers her abuelita (grandmother) creating homemade ointments and salves for the family with organic ingredients.  “If you got a cut or a burn she would go get a fresh aloe leaf from the backyard for you,” Blanco said of the woman who raised her in the […]

For years staffers at Lompoc Valley Medical Center and Santa Barbara Cottage Health have worked together informally, smoothly coordinating transfers and referrals for Lompoc-based patients in need of specialized care that is only available in Santa Barbara.  Now that collaboration is in the process of becoming official, due in part to a piece of legislation […]

There is something different about some of the paintings on the wall at the DANA Adobe Cultural Center in Nipomo.   The paintings are all the work of Milford Zornes, a noted member of the California Scene Painters movement, and they seem entirely cohesive at first. But as one progresses through the exhibit, there is […]

Last year’s holiday season was extra busy for Shannon Elliott. As a volunteer for CALM (Child Abuse Listening Mediation), a nonprofit that serves local families with therapy regardless of financial means, Elliott was tasked with helping organize gift giving for not just her own family, but more than 100 families in Santa Maria and Lompoc […]