Each year, we take story submissions from across the country for our 55 Fiction contest. People send us miniature novels, short but not necessarily sweet. The briefest stories in the world weave tales about murder, loss, love, family, pets, pouting, and more. In 55 words or less, we get the characters, the tension, and the […]
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Taking out the trash
Santa Barbara County approves a contract with a new waste hauler, concerning Waste Management employees
Marisol Aldana began her career with Waste Management in 2017 as an account representative, but her history with Waste Management began when she was a child. Her father had just lost his job while going through a divorce and raising four children on his own, she said during public comment at the July 11 Santa […]
Posted inNews
Welcome every baby
As a postpartum home visit program shuts down, Planned Parenthood takes on the task of restarting it
Traile Easland provided her first home nurse visit with Welcome Every Baby nearly 20 years ago. At first, she said she didn’t know what she was getting into as it felt like there wasn’t much of a plan when nurses approached new families. “I went back to my supervisor and said, ‘If I’m going to […]
Posted inNews
Too much risk
Home insurance providers across the state are dropping their coverage in areas where fire danger is highest
Stay informed For more information on insurance options and what to do if your carrier drops, visit uphelp.org. For more information on the California FAIR Plan visit cfpnet.com. Nicole Pratt couldn’t believe her eyes when she read the letter from her insurance company. Kemper said it was dropping her home insurance. “We have lived and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Emma Enchanted
PCPA offers fresh, charming take on Jane Austen’s Emma, under the stars in Solvang
Sunset showings The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) presents its production of Emma at the Solvang Festival Theater through Sunday, July 2. The company’s next production, Bright Star, will open at the outdoor venue on Friday, July 7, and run through Sunday, July 23. Visit pcpa.org or facebook.com/pacificconservatorytheatre for tickets and show times. For more info, […]
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Pipeline takeover
ExxonMobil-affiliated companies take ownership of the Plains oil pipeline, environmentalists concerned for future
Santa Barbara County’s ongoing discussion about what to do with the oil pipeline that spilled oil onto the Gaviota Coast continues with ExxonMobil’s proposal to take over ownership. While the county Planning Commission approved the application in a 3-1 vote, environmental groups vowed to appeal the decision to the Board of Supervisors, citing concerns that it will eventually lead to the pipeline’s restart. Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor writes about the conversation and what comes next.
Posted inSpecial Issues
Winning Images 2023
Feast your eyes on the people, places, animals, and more captured in this year’s photography contest
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then we’ve got 32,000 beautiful, captivating, intimate, and skillfully wrought “words” for you this week. For our annual Winning Images photography contest, intrepid photographers of all ages got behind their lenses to capture moments of drama, peace, and light in landscapes, animals, people, and everything in between. Give yourself plenty of time to feast your eyes on these incredible photographs.
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Foam legacy
A firefighting substance used at the Santa Maria Public Airport decades ago contaminated its water, soil
Cleaning chemicals used decades ago seeped into the soil and groundwater at airports across the state, including Santa Maria’s, Santa Barbara County 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson told the Sun. “We know more than we did 40 years ago. I don’t think anyone intentionally polluted our groundwater, but there is a chemical down in the […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
It’s Pride Month
The Central Coast is celebrating the LGBTQ-plus community this June with events in SLO and Santa Barbara counties
As we roll into national Pride Month, celebrating the LGBTQ-plus community seems especially poignant following a year of anti-trans legislation across the country, attempts to ban gender identity and sexual orientation from sex education, and fights in local schools and cities over rainbow flags and crosswalks. In 2023, SLO and Santa Barbara counties are hosting Pride events all June long. For this year’s annual Pride issue, Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor has event details for you; and New Times Staff Writer Adrian Rosas from the Sun’s sister paper writes about trans visibility and what local organizations are doing to lift them up.
Posted inSpecial Issues
Summer Guide 2023
Camps, festivals, live music, arts, food and wine events—it’s all here
After a winter and spring of more rain than most of us have ever seen on the Central Coast, everyone’s ready for some warmth. Well, if the sun’s out, the fun’s out—and the kids are also out … of school. So if you’re looking for ways to celebrate that summer lifestyle; places to stick your […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc Civic Theatre’s new dinner production, The Revolutionists, is a feast for the senses
See ya at the guillotine Performances of the Lompoc Civic Theatre’s production of The Revolutionists will be held on June 10 and 17 at the Mission Club, located at 4300 Club House Road, Lompoc. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. on both evenings. Admission is $65, which includes dinner. For more info on the show, visit […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Celebrate the olive
Los Olivos pays homage to its namesake with the Jazz and Olive Festival in June
All that jazz Find out more about the 17th annual Los Olivos Jazz and Olive Festival at jazzandolivefestival.org. The upcoming festival is hosted by the Los Olivos Rotary Club and will be held on Saturday, June 10, at Lavinia Campbell Park, located at 2398 Alamo Pintado Ave., Los Olivos. The olive-themed appetizers at an upcoming […]
