POT FARMS UPROOTED:
Sheriff’s deputies and other law-enforcement agents uprooted 16,800 mature marijuana plants from farms in the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County during a two-week search-and-destroy campaign ending last week.
Year: 2006
Franciscans Settle
No Confidentiality Afforded to Abusive Priests
More than 14 years after the whispers became public accusations of child sexual abuse by Santa Barbaran Franciscan friars, a settlement has finally been reached that will open church documents to the public. Unlike the sealed and secret terms of most settlements involving large amounts of money, plaintiffs in this case insisted on the right to disclose evidence of three decades of molestation, including the testimony of the abusive priests, their protectors, and the now-adult victims. The settlement also awards $28,450,000 to the 25 plaintiffs.
CYCLIST CRASHES AND DIES:
Sheron Lenore Stitson became the first cyclist this year to die in an accident in the City of Santa Barbara.
Walking Santa Rosa
Faced with a Republican-led scheme to convert Santa Rosa Island into a private hunting reserve for past and present military personnel, Congresswoman Lois Capps recently crossed the Channel to take a tour of the historic island. On Friday, August 4-one day after the Senate passed a voice-vote resolution in opposition to San Diego Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter’s controversial bill-Capps went to the 54,000-acre island to bear witness to Santa Rosa’s varied ecosystems, dozens of endangered species, pristine wildlands, and the seemingly endless amount of Chumash artifacts and other archeological wonders.
From The Bowl To SOhO
FROM THE BOWL TO SOhO: The Damian Marley/Ben Harper show on Tuesday, August 15, at the Bowl will slide into SOhO for an official after-party sponsored by Everloving Records, the label that launched Jack Johnson’s first album.
Confessions of a Convert
SOUNDTRACK FOR THIS COLUMN: Spencer the Gardener’s newly released CD, Fiesta. (Column soundtrack idea stolen from former Independent columnist Mark Fahey.)
Still Standing
Many stars like to let their bands warm up the crowd before stepping into the spotlight, but that’s not Carlos Santana’s way.
Tales from the Road
After bringing the likes of John Doe, Pieta Brown, and Peter Case to town for a six-show series last spring, Tales from the Tavern, at the Firestone Brewery in Buellton, is coming back with four more concerts to round out the year.
Meet the Marleys
On Friday, August 11, the Roots, Rock, Reggae tour brings Ziggy and Stephen Marley, as well as Bunny Wailer and Ozomatli, to the Santa Barbara Bowl for a night to celebrate the musical legacy of Bob Marley.
Shifting Sands
For three and a half years, photographer John B. Weller explored the inner depths of one of America’s lesser-known national treasures.
