11 Aug 2026
A Family Scrapbook: Celebrating Saint Barbara’s 100-Year Legacy
This year we celebrate the centennial of our local patroness having first been ceremonially depicted at Fiesta by a local Native Daughter. Saint Barbara has appeared during Old Spanish Days at a variety of community pageants and festivities dating back to 1926. Let us recall how this iconic portrayal came about. Historically chosen by the […]
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From Dallas to Divas
By Lisa Duncan “The exciting thing about polo is the thunder of the horses’ hooves. You really feel it!” exclaimed Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, his unmistakable southern drawl exulting in the experience of Sunday polo in Santa Barbara. Spending part of the summer here while the Cowboys conduct training camp in Oxnard, the billionaire […]
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Image of a Bryozoan Skeleton
This is a marine organism magnified 100 times. The black-and-white scanning electron microscope view reveals the calcium carbonate skeleton of Cradoscrupocellaria tenuirostris. It’s a bryozoan – one of a staggeringly diverse group with about 30,000 species worldwide. We shared a different one back in March. All bryozoans are made up of a series of compartmented […]
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Positions to Open at Montecito Fire, and More Fire Updates
Montecito Fire Department (MFD) Chief Brian Fallon announced recently there are “expected openings” to work for Montecito Fire Protection District. The positions are for an entry-level Firefighter/EMT and for a Firefighter/Paramedic. While recruitment will start in November 2026, this is a pre-recruitment announcement for interested applicants to get in shape and line up their skill […]
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Pedestrian Seriously Injured in CVR Collision, and More News Bytes
A pedestrian suffered serious injuries Sunday night after being struck by a vehicle on the 1200 block of Coast Village Road. According to the Santa Barbara Police Department, the collision occurred at approximately 9:50 pm on August 2, prompting a response from police, firefighters, and paramedics, who found the adult male pedestrian unconscious in the […]
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The Way It Was for Saint Barbara
This month’s “Way It Was” takes us back to the 3rd century AD when Diocletian Augustus was the Eastern Roman emperor and Maximianus was his co-emperor. They forced people to participate in the Imperial Cult, which considered members of the ruling family to be among the pantheon of the divine who must be obeyed and […]
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4 Aug 2026
A Night in White
By Lisa Duncan “For me, it inspires kids to want to play. So it’s very important for me. That’s what this is all about tonight,” said Mindy Denson, whose passion for the Santa Barbara Polo Club’s Polo Training Center set the tone for a glamorous evening under the stars, devoted to the next generation of […]
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Flood Concerns Bring La Vuelta Residents, County Together
As forecasters continue warning of a potentially strong El Niño pattern this fall and winter, residents along La Vuelta Road are pressing Santa Barbara County to take additional steps to reduce flood risks before the rainy season begins. Roughly two dozen neighbors met July 24 with 1st District Supervisor Roy Lee and representatives from the […]
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Updates on Montecito Fire and the Coast
On July 20, Montecito Fire Chief Brian Fallon honored veteran firefighter/paramedic Ryland McCracken for his 20 years of service to Montecito Fire Protection District (MFPD). A ceremony at the main Montecito fire station took place where he received his 20-year pin from Fallon. Attending were McCracken’s fellow firefighters and his family. Among highlights of his […]
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Rarin’ to Ride
The PRCA Rodeo isn’t a part of Fiesta at all anymore, after a snafu last year led to the event being moved from the Earl Warren Showgrounds to Santa Ynez, while Warren took up the vacancy by launching their own Santa Barbara Rodeo Days, complete with very similar competitions plus a Santa Barbara Fair & […]
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Firing up for, and Figuring out, Fiesta
Time was that many Montecitans were among those notorious for avoiding downtown during the first week of August, eschewing Fiesta altogether, which maybe happened once the celebration stopped having events in Montecito back in the 1980s. Now, Fiesta is making a foray directly back into the village, with a pre-festival event on Coast Village Road […]
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De Chardin’s Forklift
You walk into the enormous, bleakly lit mega-dome that is Costco, and you’re reminded of one thing; Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. He was the controversial Jesuit priest whose ideas about the Omega Point earned him a robust slapping around by the religious authorities of his day. A paleontologist and geologist by training, de Chardin fully […]
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How Sweet It Is: The Bitter Taste of America’s Sugar Addiction
Last week my husband and I were taking a walk through London’s Battersea Park. Trying, and failing miserably to survive the heat wave, we left for our walk bright and early. Eschewing breakfast in favor of the morning cool, we took a break at what promised to be a cart offering fresh juices and cold, […]
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Meet Ophthalmologist Toni Meyers, MD
What drives someone to spend a life in medicine? In this Q&A series, a group of leading local physicians share the moments that set them on their path, the breakthroughs shaping their fields, and the realities behind the work. Their answers are candid, occasionally surprising, and grounded in experience. Together, they offer a clear-eyed look […]
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Rogue AI Program Caught Stealing Confidential Data
This actually happened recently with OpenAI’s most advanced programs, but before the mob breaks out the pitchforks and torches, the incident requires some explanation. First, the programs’ task was to test certain security functions in a controlled environment. Second, it’s just a machine and doesn’t have intent other than to do what it’s told. Third, […]
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New Businesses Arriving to Montecito
Hello Loves! How is your summer going? I have news of new retail shops for you coming to Montecito. First up is a “soft opening” for the designer clothing brand, La Ligne NYC, scheduled for July 27 at their Montecito location in the Montecito Country Mart, located on the same side as Alma Fonda Fina. […]
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Sheila Lodge Was a Hero
Sheila Lodge, the first woman mayor of Santa Barbara and its longest-serving, died on July 8 at age 97. She probably will always be Santa Barbara’s longest-serving mayor, since term limits now restrict her successors to two terms. She is less known all the way over in Montecito, which is not part of Santa Barbara […]
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UCSB Arts & Lectures
It’s no accident that dance is at the front of the new oversized magazine promoting the 2026-27 UCSB Arts & Lectures season. After all, among all of the luminous events spread across the arts, entertainment, and spoken word genres, dance has been the sparkling gem in the A&L crown that adorns one of the finest […]
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Car Crashes into Toy Crazy
On Monday, July 27, at approximately 11:55 am, a Lucid Electric SUV crashed into the storefront of Toy Crazy in the Montecito Country Mart before coming to a stop. Half of the vehicle was inside the store. The crash’s aftermath was a catalog of damage. A downed wooden structural building pole was split off from […]
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Fiesta Flavors
By Lisa Duncan “Fiesta showcases our creativity, celebrates our culture, and encourages young people to learn about our traditions through dance,” said Renee Cooper, marketing manager for the Santa Barbara Symphony. That spirit of culture, creativity, and community filled the air at La Boheme’s sixth annual Pre-Fiesta Celebration, where supporters gathered for a lively summer […]
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