Northern Santa Barbara County News & Entertainment Weekly
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The tribe—that’s you, dear readers—has made its final decision about the businesses, organizations, and people who make the community shine. Only those who have outserved, outshone, and outsmarted the rest to become the best are included in this issue. As part of the season 26 finale, take a gander at the sole survivors of our […] The post Best of NSBC 2026 appeared first on Santa Maria Sun .
Arrested in early August, Jeffrey Koeller is the second Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office employee to face embezzlement charges this year. Both Koeller and Segun Ogunleye—arrested in late January—worked for the Sheriff’s Office as custody sergeants, and were charged for fraudulently claiming and receiving earnings of $93,000 and $175,000, respectively, for hours they did not […] The post…
It doesn’t get sick. It never gets tired. It won’t go on vacation. It’s artificial intelligence. Hyper, an AI responder, will soon start its residency at the Santa Maria Police Department to answer incoming calls on the nonemergency phone line, (805) 928-3781. For a three-year service period, the city will pay around $305,000. At the […] The post AI to assist Santa Maria Police with nonemergency…
Defunct for more than five years, an idle asphalt refinery is on track for revival thanks to a recent Santa Barbara County permit transfer. On Aug. 12, the county Planning Commission greenlit a change of owner, operator, and guarantor on a permit to process crude oil into asphalt at a Santa Maria Valley-based 1930s-built refinery […] The post County paves the way for asphalt refinery’s reboot…
• State Sen. John Laird’s (D-Santa Cruz) Senate Bill 917 passed the California Legislature on Aug. 13. Laird designed the measure to expand opportunities for small wineries seeking to sell wine and offer tastings at certified farmers markets. The bill advanced to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his consideration. Sponsored by the Family Winemakers of California […] The post Political Watch: August 20, 2026…
When Donna W. moved to California from Indiana, her first thought before even contemplating purchasing a home was, “Can we buy a Corvette?” The Indiana weather hadn’t been suited for convertibles, but things were different in the Golden State. Donna—who insisted on being identified by her last initial—discovered the Chevrolet sports cars from a TV […] The post For more than 50 years, the Central…
Santa Barbara County gave unanimous approval for an oil-related thing. I know. Pick those jaws up off the ground! It was fairly routine—the county Planning Commission gave the go-ahead for an ownership transfer of an asphalt refinery near Santa Maria. But the last time an ownership transfer came before the county, it was denied! (Yes, […] The post Santa Maria special appeared first on Santa Maria…
The Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization recently commissioned a report, the Community Health Needs Assessment, to assess the “health and well-being of Lompoc residents through four focus areas: financial stability and affordability, chronic illnesses, behavioral health, and healthy lifestyles.” Did the “organization representatives” have a hidden agenda? And were reports of chronic…
What happened to the good old days when a restaurant employee who served you promptly and accurately was happy to get a 10 percent tip? I’m not sure those days were any better, but I am sure it is not the fault of the minimum-wage worker in front of you who is offering a tip […] The post Why are we tipping more? appeared first on Santa Maria Sun .
If you’re not concerned about plastics, you should be. Plastic doesn’t return harmlessly to nature. It breaks into ever smaller microplastics and nanoplastics that now appear in our food, water, air, blood, and even human brain tissue. In one major study, people whose carotid-artery plaque contained plastic particles were more likely to suffer a heart […] The post Slash our addiction to plastic…
