Looking for Santa Barbara’s Black Community
Tanya Spears Guiliacci was the first Black Santa Barbara native I ever met, five years into living in this city. We met through my job at the Independent, the only two Black people working in our office. This experience of isolation in Santa Barbara is something I, and many other Black folks, have long been...
North Fork Passage: After 18 years, the Wheeler Gorge fish passage and restoration project...
It might only happen once every several years. A steelhead trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus, leaves its ocean realm, and forges an aquatic path up a river mouth, then navigates a flood plain, and eventually swims up a boulder-choked creek to lay its eggs in a pool of loose, sandy soil, the gentle ebb and flow of...
After Dark: Week of Feb. 12, 2026
Boatyard Pub:Jim Friery, 4-6 p.m.; Bluegrass Jam, 6:30-9 p.m. The Canyon:Höllywood Crüe and Screaming for Priest (Mötley Crüe and Judas Priest tributes), 7 p.m. Copper Blues: Banda and Grupo Night, 7 p.m. Deer Lodge:Modern Moment, 6 p.m. The Grape:Collins/Rollins Group, 5-7 p.m.; Bevan Manson Quartet feat....
Parking tensions rise as students, staff compete for spaces
After the installation and construction period of the student parking lot solar panels, parking has been much more abundant. However, the circle lot, intended for staff, visitors, and parents, remains full of student cars. Recently, there’s been an influx of students parking in the staff lot, so much so that staff...
Diving into the history of Cemetery Memorial Park
Looking into the background of the park on Poli St. Cemetery Memorial Park, first established in 1862 by the Catholic Diocese of Monterey Los Angeles, sits on Poli St. and overlooks the ocean with a view of the city. “I love Cemetery Park. I enjoy going there with my friends...
Preliminary Hearing Date Set in Lompoc Councilman’s Criminal Case
A tentative date has been set in Santa Barbara County Superior Court for the preliminary hearing of a Lompoc City Council member facing eight felony criminal charges. In a brief hearing Wednesday morning without defendant Stephen Bridge, 68, present, the attorneys and Superior Court Judge Stephen Dunkle agreed to...
Ventura to grant tenants protections from landlord harassment
The Ventura City Council unanimously approved on Feb. 10 an ordinance that gives tenants protection from landlord harassment. The proposed ordinance, according to a staff report , gives tenants the right to seek damages in a civil action against harassment, with penalties ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. It would also...
Winter whale watching under way from Ventura Harbor
Sunday is World Whale Day, and Island Packers, the official concessionaire to the Channel Islands, is offering winter whale watching excursions for whale enthusiasts to witness the migration of Pacific gray whales as they travel through the Santa Barbara Channel near Anacapa and Santa Cruz Island. “This mammoth...
Sign up for free CERT training in Ventura
The Ventura Police Department is inviting 40 residents to join the next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program. This free, six-week course teaches how to protect your neighborhood and help responders during emergencies.
Gaviota Caves Hike to Gaviota Pass Overlook
I recently led a hike to the Gaviota Caves at Thanksgiving. But it has been almost four years since I led a hike beyond the caves. So last month I led a Humanist Society hike all the way out to the Gaviota Pass Overlook. Here are my photos!. Climbing that...
