You’ve worked hard to get here. You’ve struggled, failed, and overcome. You’ve built your business through hard work, teamwork, and thankless work. And I’m here to tell you two things: First, it’s paid off. And second, this is just the beginning of your storied life as one of Northern Santa Barbara County’s best. So savor […]
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Breaking ground: An empty Santa Maria department store begins its transformation into apartments—aiming to revitalize downtown
Making its downtown area more lively and walkable has been a goal of Santa Maria’s since 2004. About four years’ worth of community workshops ushered in the city’s first downtown revitalization plan, adopted in 2008 with hopes of increasing foot traffic through new retail, restaurants, and housing opportunities. But over the course of the next […]
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Education Today 2025
Local nonprofits expand students’ garden-to-table education, county ed offices look at more than state assessments
Explore Ecology and One Cool Earth want students to take another look at vegetables, especially the bland yet divisive cauliflower. “Getting to grow it in the garden, it’s like this little baby that they get to check on every so often,” Explore Ecology Garden Program Director Genevieve Schwanbeck said. For our Education Today issue, Senior […]
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Safety first: Caltrans increases roadwork protections for workers
The whooshing breeze of freeway traffic “whizzing by” is occasionally powerful enough to fling Caltrans workers’ hard hats from their heads, District 5 Maintenance Manager Micah Gammons said. Once while crack-sealing a stretch of U.S. 101 near King City, Gammons said that a car skidded into the construction enclosure he was working in, but no […]
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55 Fiction 2025
The winning stories from our annual 55 Fiction contest
Surprise! It’s the culmination of this year’s 55 Fiction contest! And much like the endings of the stories that people send us, the stories are always a shock—well not always, but mostly. We’ve got love, war, murder, politics, twists, and more for you in this year’s collection of printable pieces. Our judges sifted through hundreds […]
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Vacancy: Whoever wins Buellton’s upcoming special election will help decide what Parks Plaza will become
In the final weeks of his first term as a Buellton City Council member, Dave King lost his 2012 re-election campaign and gained something he “wouldn’t have traded for anything.” It was a new job he couldn’t have accepted if he remained on the dais. “That was kind of a godsend to me,” said King, […]
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Proving continuity: The Salinan Tribe sifts through history, aims for federal recognition
Century-old photographs, handwritten letters, baptism records, and other primary documents confirmed what Michael Erin Woody and the rest of the Salinan Tribe of Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties already knew. “This is a continuous group of Indians that have been here since before European contact, and we’re still here,” the tribal council member said. […]
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Cutting enforcement: Santa Barbara County supervisors take cannabis tax revenue away from Sheriff’s Office
Deemed overdue for a trim, Santa Barbara County’s budget to enforce against illegal weed is too big, the Board of Supervisors recently concluded. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino described the board’s unanimous June 17 decision to disband the Sheriff’s Office cannabis compliance team as “redistributing the manpower where it’s most needed.” “Having that strong of […]
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Targeted tactics: Northern Santa Barbara County cities try to get a handle on illegal fireworks in the sky and on the ground
Whether the risk of being fined $1,000 discourages illegal fireworks use in Guadalupe or not, two longtime residents said they’re hoping to make the city feel like less of a “warzone” when July 4 rolls around by targeting offenders’ hearts rather than their wallets. “We sort of went with the approach that we appeal to […]
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Winning Images 2025
Central Coast photographers capture moments and more
For 30 years, New Times Media Group has been asking Central Coast photographers to send their best moments our way. Animal moments, people moments, floral moments, and more. This year, they submitted 333 images for our annual Winning Images contest, which our judges narrowed down to the top three in each of eight categories and […]
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Oil foil: A judge puts a temporary restraining order on Sable’s progress as environmental organizations sue to prevent another disaster
For dozens of Refugio State Beach’s visitors on May 18, stepping into the ocean was a solemn act of remembrance. Local environmental groups co-hosted a morning paddle out that Sunday—one day shy of the 10th anniversary of the Refugio oil spill. Three offshore oil rigs connected to the May 19, 2015, disaster were within eyesight […]
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Pride Issue 2025
Celebrate the season with wines that support advocacy organizations and local establishments that support the community
It’s officially Pride Month, and despite the national politics surrounding certain LGBTQ-plus issues, the community is ready to celebrate with events across the Central Coast. As part of our annual Pride issue, Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood speaks with a handful of wineries that are contributing a portion of wine proceeds to support local LGBTQ-plus […]