View a slideshow of scenes from Katrina’s aftermath. Mike Maroney isn’t the type of guy that seeks attention. As a seasoned Air Force pararescueman, his job entails secrecy. And as a member of the U.S. military, most of his jobs don’t happen in the States. But 10 years ago, when Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf […]
Cover Story
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Feeding a hunger: Local organizations and city government collaborated to help provide federally supported free meals for kids throughout summer break
On a cool, foggy afternoon, Santa Maria Recreation and Parks employees pulled vacuum-sealed trays out of a large ice chest and handed them an apple and a carton of milk to kids lined up at a table near the sidewalk at the Newlove Community Center. It was the week before school resumed, and one of […]
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Best of Nothern Santa Barbara County 2015
Picture the best. No, it’s not you. Well, maybe it is, actually. But only if you’ve captured the hearts and minds of the community you serve: your customers or radio audience, the residents you protect, kids who participate in the after-school program you run or play on the grass at your park, people who eat […]
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Image makers: A wine label’s eye-grabbing prowess gets a bottle in your hands and between your lips
All wine labels share one common purpose: They’re trying to sell wine. But the art of creating an effective wine label goes far beyond simple marketing. Wine labels can tell a story, communicate ideas, and create brand recognition that turn wine drinkers into loyal customers (of course, they need a killer product, too). And each […]
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Battling the city: A Lompoc resident fights with code compliance over what he sees as ‘un-American’ treatment of a homeowner
View a slideshow of additional photos. It’s 11 a.m. and Sterling Ranft steps out of a mobile home trailer in his yard and into the daylight, eyes squinting after waking up from a deep slumber. He stuffs a 700-page California Penal Code book into his armpit and cracks open a Miller Genuine Draft tall boy. […]
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Growing pains: Proposed changes to the county’s wine ordinance have the wine industry and residents up in arms
The spill On a recent clear summer afternoon, Ross J. Rankin wears a short-sleeved white button up and black slacks. He owns and operates a tasting room in Santa Ynez called Imagine Wine. The business, which was once a mechanic’s garage, is quiet and comfortable—a spacious room decorated in hardwood and flooded with natural light. […]
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Clean to green: Gray water systems can use your laundry water to quench those thirsty plants
Josh Carmichael started installing simple gray water systems with landscaping to accompany it in 2009, after California plumbing laws changed to encourage gray water use. At first, he constructed about one system per year as part of his environmental landscape and design work, but gradually, as the reservoirs emptied, that part of his business picked […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
We like short stories and we cannot lie: This year’s 55 Fiction winners
For the second year in a row, we invited guest judges to wade through the stacks of 55 Fiction entries and impose order on chaos, selecting the very best to print in our annual 55 Fiction issue. The judges were San Luis Obispo County District 3 supervisor and former Cal Poly English lecturer […]
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Keep it brief: 28th annual 55 Fiction
Editors note: This year we kept it simple, just like submitters kept it brief, and Sun staff members from different departments wrangled through the stacks of words that made up the last year’s worth of 55 Fiction entries. They corralled the chosen ones into a short pile meant for print in our 28th annual 55 […]
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Lasting impression: As southern Santa Barbara County beaches get cleaner, what can we make of the Refugio spill?
Work crews removed thousands of feet of yellow boom from the beach at Refugio State Beach the weekend before Father’s Day. According to the Unified Command in charge of cleanup, oil hadn’t been seen on Santa Barbara Channel’s surface in several days. Ten rehabilitated pelicans, some outfitted with tracking devices, were released on June 12. […]
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A tale of two jails: Will the Northern Branch of the Santa Barbara County Jail system finally get built?
There are at least a couple of ways to get into the Santa Barbara County Main Jail. One is, obviously, getting arrested. Another, less dubious option, is to go on a guided tour of the jail with Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Laz Salinas. Salinas walks the jail on a recent Thursday, snaking […]
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Flavor revolution: Los Olivos Homegrown garlic varieties bring a whole new experience to taste buds
A pitchfork’s pointy tines jabbed into the soft fabric of a faded black tarp. Once. Twice. After the third heave, Los Olivos Homegrown farmer Poul Palmer leaned on the handle for leverage, loosening crumbles of clay soil from an herbal giant. Allium sativum: garlic. Not that white-stuff-you-find-in-a-supermarket kind, but that crazy-stuff-you’ve-never-heard-of garlic. Rare. This one’s […]