17 Feb 2026
Raymond Shares Life Lessons
Jeff Raymond shares snapshots of personal stories and lessons learned from nearly four decades in college athletics in a new book, Lessons Learned While Running in Circles. Raymond, Westmont’s sports information director for seven years until 2004, has served as the college’s athletics compliance administrator since 2021. He says the book offers wisdom to guide […]
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Environmentalist Shares Career Journey
William Morris, a faith-based climate activist, shared his journey – from growing up near an oil refinery in Torrance to his current work in environmental justice. The lecture was the first of a new series about careers in environmental studies hosted by Sustainable Westmont and stemming from the college’s new environmental studies major. Morris’ love […]
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Baseball Pitches a Sweep
Westmont baseball swept the season-opening series against CSU San Bernardino, 14-3, 9-7 and 8-7, at Carr Field. The Warriors entered the new season ranked No. 13 nationally in the American Baseball Coaches Association Preseason Poll, No. 17 in the DII Baseball Top-25 Ranking, and No. 24 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America Preseason […]
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Her Name Is Vega: Singer-songwriter Returns with Sparkling New Album
In her four decades as a recording artist, singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega has displayed a remarkable knack for creating songs that sound at once deeply personal and utterly universal, a true gift given that almost all of them are written from the first-person point of view. The observational pieces date to her early days with such […]
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Super-Select Highlights from SBIFF
Last week, we said we weren’t going to tally up the total number of current Academy Award nominees coming to SBIFF this year. But I couldn’t resist reporting on the deluge of such Oscar-decorated actors and others who showed up on a single day last Sunday. We got to hear from the producers of all […]
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Some See-worthy Productions and Grand Gets Into the Groove
A giant inflatable set of shark jaws serves as the portal to enter the New Vic, where Ensemble Theatre is producing the West Coast premiere of The Shark is Broken, set during the Jaws shoot in the waters of Martha’s Vineyard more than half a century ago. The theater sits directly across the street from […]
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Sanctuary Centers: The Fine Art of Bootstrapping a Miracle
This all happened some time ago, but Barry Schoer explains the episode with residual heat. “I was seeing that when people graduated from Sanctuary House they didn’t have anywhere to go. Even if I got them a Section 8 voucher, landlords didn’t want them. They’d say to the prospective tenant, ‘Where have you been living? […]
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We Can Resolve the Immigration Issue Without Cruelty!
Many immigrants have come to our country as desperate refugees, some fleeing for their lives. The fact is most immigrants are honest, hardworking people, and this group has a lower crime rate than U.S. citizens. Unless you’re a Native American, you’re an immigrant or come from immigrants. Many of the immigrants we came from were […]
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Last Light in Paradise: Chapter 6
Every now and then, a story comes along that refuses to stay put. It lingers on your nightstand. It sneaks into conversation. For us, Last Light in Paradise is one of those stories, and we’re delighted to let it loose, one chapter at a time, in the pages of the Montecito Journal. Well, at least […]
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10 Feb 2026
What’s in the Box?
The year was 1973 when my father had the bad taste to buy my mother a makeover session at Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door, located at 919 N. Michigan Ave on the Magnificent Mile. Not only was Elinor secretly insulted, but she was set to be disappointed, and boy howdy was she ever. Formerly a light […]
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Mindful Melodies
Music & Meditation – founded by Santa Barbara pianist and composer Antonio Artese in collaboration with Carpinteria-based meditation guide and qigong/tai chi teacher Jessica Kolbe – had a trial launch last November at Weinman Hall on the campus of the Music Academy of the West featuring the two founders. After selling out the initial show, […]
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The Little Things in Life
We were about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Like Polynesian voyagers hundreds of years ago, using crude navigational methods like following flocks of tired, hungry birds… Hoe maui, kore matau, kahore maui (“paddle left, no right, no left” in Maori”)… we were heading for the last large habitable landmass, New Zealand (not […]
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Journalist Bret Stephens to Speak in Santa Barbara
I just interviewed a very interesting man. Bret Stephens is a world-famous Op-Ed columnist with the New York Times. Among many awards, Stephens won a Pulitzer Prize for his writing while he was at the Wall Street Journal. I watched several of his talks and he is a very engaging and inciteful speaker. Stephens will speak […]
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Judging From Glass to Gold
Each January, the historic halls of the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds transform into one of the most important tasting rooms in North America. Long tables draped in white cloth line the space, and these are covered with thousands of carefully poured glasses. Judges arrive and don white lab coats, ready for days of focused evaluation at […]
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Partnership Provides Pipeline to Health Careers
Westmont has partnered with the San Marcos High School Health Careers Academy (HCA) to guarantee graduates have a path to a bachelor’s degree. The Santa Barbara Unified School District approved the memorandum of understanding that assures those academy graduates who meet specific academic criteria admission to Westmont, with at least $15,000 in institutional aid. “This […]
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Engineering Students Present Research
Two Westmont engineering students presented their research findings at the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) Annual Meeting in November at Memphis. Senior Celeste Marquez of Goleta and junior Peter Velgersdyk of Minnetonka, Minnesota, had rare opportunities as undergraduates to work on peer-reviewed papers. “This is quite an accomplishment for our students,” says Dan Jensen, […]
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Women’s Basketball Keeps Rolling
After losing an overtime heartbreaker at Biola, Westmont women’s basketball (15-5, 11-3 PacWest) has strung six wins together, including an inspired 79-43 win at home Jan. 31. Over the course of those six victories, the Warriors have averaged 74.0 points per game while limiting their opponents to an average of 42.8. “Obviously, we’ve been able […]
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Free People Opens Montecito Store
Fashionistas will be stoked that there is a fabulous Free People clothing store in Montecito. The brand, a very familiar landmark on State Street, has upped its game for our town. The store, located at 40 Los Patos Way, is basically in a farmhouse, which matches the brand well. The Montecito store held its opening […]
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Sheriff’s Blotter — 93108
Tent Violation / Butterfly Lane/RR Tracks — Saturday, January 24, at 08:56 hours Subject was found in a tent in violation of 369i(a)(1) PC and issued a citation. He was advised that he could not camp there, and he said he knew and he would move. Tent Violation / Depot Road — Saturday, January 24, […]
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SB Museum of Art Ambassadors New Member Luncheon 2026
It is always such a pleasure to cover the SB Museum of Art Ambassadors’ New Members Luncheon, held annually in January. The group, formerly titled the SB Museum of Art Women’s Board, officially has been renamed in 2026 to reflect both its mission and open-to-all member policy. This year is an especially important year for […]
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