Cover Story

Inside a warehouse-sized, 80,000-square-foot commercial building in Livermore, a town just east of Oakland, construction workers are busy preparing a place of worship: the future home of the Well Christian Community Church. From its humble beginnings in 2003, starting with just 15 families, the church has blossomed to 1,500 members, outgrowing its current home in […]

An early morning mist weaves in and out of the brush lining the trails at La Purisima. This time is a quiet time, broken only by the rustle of a small animal and the occasional footsteps of a passing walker or jogger. Peaceful hours like this make La Purisima Mission a favored location for people […]

On Oct. 11, 2011, Anyck Turgeon climbed onto the stage of the eighth annual International Business Awards held in Abu Dhabi. Dressed in a glimmering purple gown, Turgeon charmed the crowd comprising hundreds of international executives and accepted her award. She was there on behalf of CoreClean Group, an agricultural chemical company headquartered on the […]

Several fourth- and fifth-grade teachers sit at a long, faux-wood table in Room 14 at Nipomo Elementary School. It’s a quarter past 2 on a Friday afternoon, and the adults are chatting excitedly and fidgeting, much like the 10-year-olds they’re used to instructing. Soon Master Teacher Shanna Rowland takes the floor, and her colleagues settle […]

Poised before projections of PowerPoint slides packed with graphs and figures, UC Santa Barbara economics professor Peter Rupert painted a picture of jobs in Northern Santa Barbara County as dim as the room he was lecturing in. The scene of Rupert’s presentation, the Fountain Pavilion at the Santa Maria Fairpark, was once lined with monitors […]

“Pretty much everywhere I go I get asked, ‘What’s going on over there?’ ‘Are you alright?’ ‘How are you doing?’” This is unfamiliar territory for Jim Byrne—unemployed for the first time in his adult life. The popular TV meteorologist was laid off in early January, along with a dozen fellow KCOY 12 and KKFX 11 […]

They’re often hailed as heroes facing extraordinary dangers to save others from harm’s way. But after the fanfare dies down, they’re left with only the stark reminder of the fragility of life and the memory of things that most people never have to see in their lifetimes. Sometimes, there’s no recognition for their efforts. Sometimes, […]

The Lompoc Warming Center lives up to its name. It’s a cold, blustery weeknight in mid-January. As the winter daylight wanes, people slowly trudge through the center’s doors. Each person is bundled in a thick coat or parka and a fuzzy hat or gloves. [image-2] “It looks like we’re going to get some rain,” says […]

Demolition is nearly finished, building materials are being trucked in, and workers have begun pouring the concrete for a foundation—literally and figuratively—for the future of space flight at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc. A handful of employees from Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, are overseeing the work being done at the south […]

For a relatively little town, Santa Barbara takes its films very seriously. In addition to boasting an impressive lineup of selections ranging from regional to international, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, now in its 27th year, will also host 37 American and 16 world premieres—among them Darling Companion, starring Diane Keaton and Kevin Kline, […]

Hours after our so-called “perfect baby girl” was born, not only was she put to the test, but so was our idea of perfection. My husband and I were moments from dressing Sienna Dorothy in a pink velour onesie, tucking her in an infant car seat for the first time, and gingerly driving her home, […]