More affordable housing is en route to Santa Barbara, as the Housing Authority City of Santa Barbara broke ground on Vera Cruz Village at 116 East Cota Street with a ceremony on December 15 attended by multiple city council members and Congressman Salud Carbajal. The new project aims to aid in Santa Barbara’s fight against […]
Lea másSome folks spend all year looking forward to the holidays just so they can watch The Nutcracker once again. Others don’t care if they never hear Tchaikovsky’s classic again. There’s no doubt on which side State Street Ballet founder Rodney Gustafson resides. “I’ve seen our production so many times,” said Gustafson, who just returned to […]
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It was quite similar to many other channel crossings: overcast skies and silky-smooth sea conditions seemingly stretching from the coast to the Channel Islands National Park. It was also ideal for spotting wildlife on the Santa Barbara Channel. Common dolphins are almost a guarantee, pods numbering in the thousands seen splashing for hundreds of yards […]
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More than a dozen community companies around the country present Christmas Revels performances this December, including such places as Lebanon, New Hampshire; Boulder, Colorado; and Oakland, each of which reworks shows created by the flagship company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The shows bring together people of all ages and backgrounds — both on stage and in […]
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John Daly can remember when the rest of his life began. He was sitting inside a Soup Plantation, his treat for a 15-year-old he had befriended as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). It was the teen’s birthday and Daly wanted to treat him to a meal, something that not every foster child experienced while […]
Lea másOne of Santa Barbara’s premier tourist attractions, the Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show, every Sunday along Cabrillo Boulevard at the beach for more than 50 years, has had a facelift. Besides the recent remodeling of the bridge and sidewalks, the show is now integrated, no longer separating the arts from the crafts. Now is […]
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The Jolly Ol’ Guy will be doing a special Santa Drive-By through the Montecito community on December 19 courtesy of the Rosewood Miramar Beach, making stops along Coast Village Road (11 am), Montecito Country Mart (11:30 am), Butterfly Beach (Noon) and the Miramar Beach Bar (1:30-3 pm). Saint Nick has a pretty sweet pink ride […]
Lea másI previously wrote in this space about how only recognizing perspectives “for” or “against” an issue can get in the way of understanding and potentially resolving conflicting views. The recently heightened polarity around discussing race and bias in school classrooms is a prime example. We are seeing advocates frame debates in ways more likely to […]
Lea másThe first place to look for treasure is within yourself. Don’t dismiss me as some kind of inspirational motivator if I start blathering about your internal riches. It’s a simple fact that unused, unexploited, almost unknown resources lie inside every one of us. Sometimes it takes a crisis or catastrophe to reveal our hidden strengths. […]
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Santa Claus hats reigned supreme at Santa Barbara’s Carriage and Western Art Museum when entrepreneur Rick Oshay threw a heaving Yuletide fete for 170, helped by presidents galore from Old Spanish Days acting as cooks and bartenders. “It’s one helluva bash!” declared Rick, who has lived in our tony town for less than a year. […]
Lea másMy first morning in Rome began with some much-appreciated exercise, as I was aching to hit the ground running. A person can run — or walk briskly as I did — with stops at historic sites on a special tour arranged by the dream team of concierges at my hotel Sofitel Villa Borghese. Along with […]
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The pandemic has brought about a lot of changes to people’s everyday lives, with eating out replaced by delivery services, while brick-and-mortar shopping took a temporary backseat to online services. But, along the South Coast, small business is the spine of our community, the glue that keeps us all together. And that has never been […]
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The accused is one of seven former Cate faculty members that were named in a damning and exhaustive investigative report released by the private boarding school on Wednesday afternoon. Amongst other improprieties, the report details how the accused was allowed to remain on campus for nine additional years despite facing sexual misconduct claims on campus […]
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It was just three months ago that the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) celebrated the completion of a six-year, $50 million renovation, a project addressing critical needs of the main building, which hits the century mark in 2012, including seismic retrofitting, replacement of the roof, and upgrades to the mechanical and climate control systems, […]
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The 26th annual Christmas Walk at La Arcada Plaza, the charming thoroughfare just off State Street near the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, attracted more than a thousand spectators with strolling carolers in Dickensian garb, freshly popped popcorn, and even snowmaking machines turning the area into a winter wonderland with colorfully decorated Yuletide trees. Youngsters […]
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Marianne D’Emidio-Caston, who served the local education community for more than three decades, received the Westmont Education Department’s 2021-22 Excellence in Education Award. D’Emidio-Caston, who most recently directed student teaching at Antioch University Santa Barbara, spoke to Westmont education students, encouraging them to find a trusted, long-term professional partner to “grow with and, more generally, […]
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The venerable Granada was socially gridlocked when Westmont College held its 17th annual Christmas Festival “Salvation For All” over two days given the demand for tickets. Michael Shasberger, Adams professor for music and worship, who is retiring in May after 16 years, created the hugely popular event and has directed it each year, normally at […]
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After making it an online event given the pandemic last year, the 23rd annual Empty Bowls fundraiser at the headquarters of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, just a tiara’s toss from its normal venue at the Ben Page Youth Center, was quite the gridlocked occasion at the weekend. The bustling event, founded by bubbly […]
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Ganna Walska Lotusland recently collaborated with the Lutah Maria Riggs Society for a screening at the Lobero of the award-winning documentary film, Lutah—A Passion for Architecture: A Life in Design. There was a patrons’ reception in the tent prior to the filming. As Lotusland executive director Rebecca Anderson said, “When we dig into the Lotusland […]
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Arlene Larsen, co-owner of Montecito’s Magic Castle with her husband, Milt, is going to pot! During the downturn caused by the pandemic, Arlene has been busy making one-of-a-kind flowerpots from trim, fabric, and jewelry she has been collecting over the past six decades. “I’ve been making and selling costumes since I was 15 years old,” […]
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