Former Santa Barbara City Councilmember Lyle Reynolds died this weekend at the age of 94. A passionate tennis player, Reynolds took to politics after concluding a successful career as a UCSB administrator during the turbulent 1970s.
Santa Barbara planning czar Paul Casey is predicting that developer Bill Levy will exceed his June 12th deadline to obtain $185 million in financing needed to begin work on the 62 Ritz-Carlton timeshare condos approved for the lower three blocks of State Street.
– Santa Barbara City Councilmember Grant House, following fellow councilmember’s concession speech in the race for 2nd District supervisor.
Ominously tagged with the devilish dateline 6/6/06, Tuesday was Election Day for Californians. With several significant local primaries, and a proposal to split Santa Barbara County in half on the docket, turnout at the polls was markedly light; about 46 percent of registered voters county wide cast ballots, and nearly 60 percent of these were absentee. While there were no jaw-dropping returns Wednesday morning, there was enough percentage-point jockeying on Tuesday evening to keep the camp fires burning late in many of the candidates’ post-election party sites.
On a bright November morning last fall, Iri and Philip Lever set out on their morning ritual, a walk through the quiet, oak-lined streets around their Montecito home. The Levers, an active couple in their eighties, moved to Santa Barbara around 1970, when Philip retired as an economist at IBM.
On this day, the tall Englishman with a robust beard felt unusually tired and sat on the edge of a stone bridge on Ramona Lane. Then, without a sound, he pitched backwards into a dry creek bed below.
Ask any winemaker in Santa Barbara County to name the most respected vineyard consultant they know, and most will answer Jeff Newton of Coastal Vineyard Care. For years, Newton has consulted for multiple esteemed vineyards. He is known for being a perfectionist, level-headed, and a master at understanding the nuances of the grapevine. Not long ago, I had the opportunity to hike through the Gaia vineyard, in Santa Rita Hills, with Newton. He was relaxed in the vineyard, yet knowledgeable, alert, and insightful.
by Devin Thomas
Band: Breadwinner
Members: Austin Beede (drums), Curt Crawshaw (guitar/vocals), In Kim (keys/backing vocals), Nate Kuljian (bass/backing vocals), and Matt Wood (guitar/keys/vocals)
The S.B. Museum of Art is inviting all art lovers to expand their knowledge and enrich the community by volunteering as docents. There is no prior experience necessary; for more info email kthomas@sbma.net.
Bump, Set & Spike
In a victory for anti-nuclear activists, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) must consider the environmental consequences of a potential terrorist attack on a proposed nuclear fuel storage area at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo County. The court rejected the NRC’s longstanding contention that the prospect of a terrorist attack is too speculative to fall under the jurisdiction of the National Environmental Policy Act. Jane Swanson of Mothers for Peace hailed the decision as a monumental victory, noting it could have significant nationwide impact at a time when the Bush administration is plugging nuclear energy.
