News Roundup

February 1, 2021

Two More Summerland Beach Wells Will Get Capped

Other recent news: Update on the effort to stop development next to the San Marcos Foothills Preserve; James Joyce III joins the mayoral race; Peanuts Maternity & Kids shop is closing; commercial eviction moratorium extended; adapting Goleta Beach Park to rising sea levels; new thrift store in Goleta.

January 28, 2021

Biden Moves Toward Banning New Offshore Drilling Here

Other recent news: Santa Barbara City Council votes to require union labor on some construction projects; Montecito Journal argues that county vaccination regulations should be flouted; SBPD likely to get body cameras soon; thefts of catalytic converters are on the rise; Summerland tennis court renovation; artist Andrew Leonard's fresh take on Santa Barbara locales.

January 25, 2021

The State’s Stay-at-Home Order Has Been Lifted

Other recent news: Local fire chiefs collaborate on homeless encampments and other issues; another store closure at Paseo Nuevo; former Unity Shoppe space has a new tenant; city council incumbent-candidate Meagan Harmon; historic preservationist Kellam de Forest has died; profile of Santa Barbara Forge. 1

January 21, 2021

Southwest Announced Which Cities It’ll Serve From Santa Barbara

Other recent news: Smaller counties such as Santa Barbara got less state pandemic funding; UCSB to resume most in-person classes in the fall; history of the Hilton's rotunda; the grand Potter Hotel that used to be on the beach. 1

January 19, 2021

Junior High’s Wooden Flagpole Is a Victim of Vandalism

Other recent news: Buyer of Ortega Ridge architectural statement revealed; "road diet" proposed for Hollister Avenue in Old Town; Carpinteria library on its way to becoming independent.

January 17, 2021

Improvements Proposed for the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge

Other recent news: Wider vaccine eligibility, but supplies remain limited; Santa Barbara County's Covid-19 spread is highest in the state; city council moves forward on banning natural gas in new construction; an educated guess about which cities Southwest Airlines might serve; Goleta is testing new streetlights; the argument for keeping Ortega Park's murals; Paso Robles is subsidizing gift cards to help local businesses. 1

January 13, 2021

Santa Barbara’s Electric Bikes Should Be Rentable Within Weeks

Other recent news: Who'll get vaccinated after healthcare workers; the buyer of Ellen DeGeneres's East Valley Road house; a new group hopes to revitalize downtown; the Pea Soup Andersen’s building in Buellton is for sale; Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County chair will step down; school district votes to pause failing grades; the tree of the month.

January 10, 2021

Covid Cases Continue to Surge in Santa Barbara County

Other recent news: Grand Montecito estate's new owner revealed; detectives seek help identifying Goleta gunman; UCSB students helping to search for the remains of a teenager who perished in the debris flow; cat reunited with owner after three years; longtime employee purchases Pet House store; Channel Island Surfboards is being bought back by the founders' son; shooting ban extended in Los Padres National Forest.

January 7, 2021

County Hospitals Are Preparing a Shift to “Crisis Care”

Other recent news: Committee to recommend that Santa Barbara ban natural gas in new construction; school district might temporarily eliminate D and F grades because of the pandemic; the man whose house was electrified; cannabis shop opening in Goleta. 1

January 4, 2021

Santa Barbara County Has Been Averaging Nearly 300 New Covid-19 Cases Per Day

Other recent news: The Central Coast's only ice rink is struggling; the history of the fountain at Sycamore Canyon Road and Stanwood Drive; mini monolith at the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge; in praise of Santa Barbara's trees.