Your weekly dose of local news, arts, and culture. Our News Wire newsletter lands every Thursday with the stories shaping Northern Santa Barbara County
Sandy Coupal has always loved animals, so much so that she converted part of her 40-acre ranch north of Santa Barbara into a sanctuary for creatures with nowhere else to go. As her reputation grew, she took in chickens, show birds, cats, and a variety of other animals, eventually retiring to care for them full […]
A liver is a private thing. Most organs are, really. They sit under layers of muscle, fat, and skin, quietly synthesizing or pumping, contracting or firing, carrying out their respective duties in the blood-tinged darkness. So the act of removing one of these organs, one of these specialized components, from its larger system, the act […]
There’s a main rugged artery that winds around the Santa Maria Airport field like an old-timer telling a story: “That used to be a dairy, and over there is where they train K-9 dogs.” You can almost hear the road say it. It bends past an ag preserve, passes by a recently updated terminal and […]
Fields of leafy green vegetables and ripening strawberries in the Santa Maria Valley look innocent enough as the food crops get ready for dining tables around the country, their growth spurred by farmers’ addition of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. But deep below the root zone lurks an unappetizing problem. A new study by UC Davis scientists […]
A California sea otter rescued off the shores of Santa Barbara County will soon be one of the main attractions at the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. In early June, 5-year-old Abby will leave her home at Sea World in San Diego to become a trial surrogate mother to otter pups rescued by aquarium staffers and […]
The rules have changed. With redistricting drastically changing the shape and political makeup of the 24th U.S. Congressional District, combined with the state’s new open primary laws, the June 5 election has all the makings of a classic showdown. Four candidates are vying for a shot at moving on to November’s general election. Only two […]
Ladies and gentlemen, step right up, cast your vote and pick a winner. To help you with that decision, let us introduce you to the contenders. In the incumbent’s seat is Joni Gray, having served the 4th supervisorial district in Santa Barbara County for 14 years. The Orcutt native graduated from Cal Poly in SLO […]
The great unused potential of the comic is baffling to me. Take the written word in all its nobility, beauty, and dexterity. Compound that with all of the visceral, emotional, and evocative qualities of the visual arts. Now put them in your transmogrifier and press the button. What you expect to get from the equation […]
A graduate of a local high school, “Rosa” is a full-time student at Allan Hancock College, boasting a grade point average that would make fellow students blush. She has high hopes for her academic future, planning to transfer to Cal Poly next semester. At 20, Rosa—whose name has been changed to protect her identity—is the […]
During the Take A Bow—A Tribute to Robyn Metchik’s Retirement event at the Clark Center, the drama teacher at the heart of it all will have plenty to reflect on. Metchik has directed or produced shows such as Grease, Bye Bye Birdie, The Diary of Anne Frank, Fiddler on the Roof, Pirates of Penzance, Macbeth, […]
When people hear about the city of Guadalupe, the first thing many of them think of is its iconic restaurant, the Far Western Tavern. The eatery is on the city’s main drag, Guadalupe Street, and serves as a regal reminder of the bygone days of cattle ranching and cowboys. With its rugged exterior, Old West […]
A lot has been said about the bankrupt Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation (LHCDC) and its decision to close the city of Lompoc’s two emergency homeless shelters—the Bridgehouse and the Marks House—in the middle of winter, with very little notice. There have been dozens of city and county meetings focusing on the issue. There […]
