On Friday, May 19, Roosevelt School, Peabody Charter, Montecito Union, Roosevelt, Adams, Cleveland, Washington, Harding, Monroe, Franklin, McKinley and Cold Spring School participated in the tenth annual All Santa Barbara and Montecito Schools Track and Field Meet at Westmont College. Students in grades fourth through sixth competed in 11 different events that included everything from […]
Lea másMonthly Archives: May 2023


A new traffic pattern was in effect last week at the intersection of Olive Mill Road, Coast Village Road, North Jameson Lane, and Highway 101, marking a significant turning point in the construction of the Olive Mill Roundabout. On Wednesday, May 17, the roundabout was opened partially to traffic, while construction work continues on the […]
Lea másA reader recently reported that the tennis courts at Manning Park have been locked by the County, with promise of renovation, which is long overdue. No word yet from the County Parks Department on the scope of the work or the estimated time for completion.
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It was an evening of high note, not to mention many in between, when Opera Santa Barbara hosted a captivating La Dolce Vita, A Night of Puccini gala at the Montecito Club with a sell-out crowd of 180 raising more than $200,000 for the popular organization. The fun fête, co-chaired by Karen Knight and Carol […]
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After days of May gray, the sun shone brightly when Santa Barbara City College Foundation hosted its 4th annual Spring Forward! gala on the campus’s Great Meadow with 320 guests raising around $450,000 for general funds. Chief Executive Officer Geoff Green welcomed the supportive crowd of staff, faculty, college trustees and volunteers, and auctioned off […]
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Inclement weather and a time change marked The Power of MOXI brunch for 100 guests at the Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, which has welcomed more than 790,000 visitors since opening in 2017, just a tiara’s toss or two from Stearns Wharf. Normally the event, which raised more than $40,000 for the institution’s education […]
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Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center galloped off with nearly $100,000 when it hosted a barn dance for 175 supporters at the Carriage & Western Museum. The horsey hoedown, chaired by Carol Kallman, had Dena Davis as speaker, who gave a moving testimony about her 17-year-old son Benjamin, who suffers from a genetic syndrome that severely impacts […]
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Astoundingly it was 63 years ago that America and the world learned how to do The Twist, as performed by a fresh-faced 17-year-old Ernest Evans, known to his millions of fans as Chubby Checker. In the last six decades the Twist has been continually in and out of the charts and at the weekend, as […]
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Prince Harry and his actress wife Meghan Markle are marking Mental Health Awareness month. The Riven Rock twosome visited with a local youth group for an hour in ‘candid conversion’ with teenagers aged 14 to 18 from AHA! Santa Barbara about how mental well-being is affected by societal pressures and social media in the digital […]
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CAMA, Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara, left one of its best for last when Philadelphia’s Curtis Symphony Orchestra under Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä, former maestro of the Minnesota and Seoul Philharmonic orchestras, performed the penultimate show of its 104th international series season at the Granada with Russian pianist Yefim Bronfman playing Schumann’s “Concerto […]
Lea másJonathan Fox, artistic director of the Ensemble Theatre Company for the last 17 years, is moving to newer pastures. Jonathan, who I’ve known since moving to our Eden by the Beach in 2007 when the company performed at the rustic Alhecama Theatre, directs his latest and last play Seared at the New Vic, the final […]
Lea másPresident Ronald Reagan’s school principal granddaughter Ashley, 40, married her police officer beau, Joe Dunster, 44, in an intimate ceremony at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel before a reception at the nearby Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara. During the reception, the newlyweds were surrounded by photos of America’s 40th president and memorabilia, which included […]
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I don’t have many heroes. Maybe because I’m too easily disappointed. Or that just beneath my optimistic surface lives a somewhat jaded self. Or perhaps it’s simply that it’s hard to find heroes these days who stand up to the test of time, not to mention under the harsh glare of modern-day journalism. But when […]
Lea másCrossing oceans has been a feature of my family background. My mother’s parents, a poor English couple, started the trend by moving from London to Toronto, where my mother was born (one of five) and grew up as Amelia Adler (quite a good-looking girl, if the photos are any indication). Ocean travel was then still […]
Lea másWe could call her Podcaster Powers, but this Montecito Mama is close to being a native – and we are thrilled to introduce her to the MJ this week! Sarah (Wysel) Powers moved to Montecito with her family in 1986 when she was five years old. Her mornings were spent walking to school (Montecito Union) […]
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At our board meeting on May 9th, we had two surprises: We did our first hybrid meeting at the Montecito Fire Station on San Ysidro Rd., and we sure appreciate their hosting us. We welcomed Jack Lorenz from Dignity Moves as our guest speaker, and he wowed the crowd in person and online. The Hands […]
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The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art highlights the exceptional talent of local artists in its annual Tri-County Juried Exhibition, “Mixed Up,” from Thursday, May 18, to June 17. The public is invited to a free, opening reception on May 18 from 4-6 pm. Award winners will be announced at 5:15 pm. Rae Dunn, popular Bay […]
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A stellar lineup of internationally renowned speakers, authors, CEOs, visionaries, and luminaries descend on Westmont’s eighth annual LEAD Where You Stand Conference from Saturday, May 31, to Monday, June 2, at the college’s Global Leadership Center. The event’s speakers will offer empowering leadership principles and best practices for any sphere or line of work and […]
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Following Commencement, the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers took off on a nine-day tour to Tokyo, Japan — the first international choir tour since the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Daniel Gee ’13, director of choral activities, the choir’s itinerary includes joint concerts with Japanese collegiate ensembles, including those from Waseda University and the Tokyo […]
Lea másSo many incredible things to taste, smell, and explore at the Farmers Market this week. I honestly had a hard time deciding what to write about, but I chose herbs because we often overlook the medicinal properties of these intriguing flavorful add-ons that tend to take a back seat to the main ingredients in recipes. […]
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