Montecito Couple Now Has Two Mansions on the Market

And one just got price-chopped by $4.25 million. The week's other top reductions: Spec renovation approaches the sweet spot; 1900 George Washington Smith Tudor; family-friendly redo with a nice backyard; Sea Cliff house inches toward reality.

Newsletter: May 15

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A Stretching Studio Is Opening on Coast Village Road

Plus: Santa Barbara Airport now requires everyone to wear face masks; slacklining in Los Padres National Forest; new book of Hank Pitcher's paintings; Salty Brothers Soap Co. sets up shop on State Street.

There Will Be Another Military Flyover Today

Other local news: State-run testing sites are twice as slow than expected; city council seeks rent relief; Miramar resort might reopen next week; grand jury finds yet again that the the Sheriff's-Coroner's Bureau is substandard; Montecito garden renewal.

New Restaurant Shoots for the “Best Damn Wings Ever”

More food news: The Lark is now open for takeout; Satellite has a walk-up counter; a big honor for chef Daisy Ryan of Bell's; Onus Donuts reopens Friday; one way to be a better restaurant patron.

A Kitchen Fit for an Influencer

Other noteworthy new listings: Turnkey gem on the Riviera; Montecito beachfront that wants a renovation; Mesa neoclassical listed for the first time; appealing 1947 Spanish house on Diana Lane.

Did Ellen and Portia Get Cold Feet?

Plus: Channel Islands reopening strategy in the works; house asking for twice the rent it asked for three years ago; new fire restrictions in Los Padres National Forest; Highway 101 median trees cut down; free rocks.

Newsletter: May 13

The Siteline newsletter is the best way to follow the website. To subscribe, click the link at the bottom of this post. And you can unsubscribe at any time.

Santa Barbara Wants Restaurants to Expand Into Sidewalks, Streets, and Parking Lots

Other local news: There's talk of closing 13 blocks of State Street to cars; the state released guidelines for restaurant dining rooms; county reopening being slowed by Lompoc prison outbreak; pot-delivery business doing well; Botanik has a new greenhouse; Republican house candidate Andy Caldwell.

What Are These Black Beetles That Are Everywhere This Spring?

"I don't remember them from previous years, at least not in these numbers," asks R. "And does nothing eat them? They would seem to be easy prey, since they meander around so slowly and often end up on their backs with their legs wriggling." The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has the answer. 1