Santa Barbara Daily Sound

After helping complete a major overhaul of the Granada theatre, Peter Frisch announced plans to leave his post as executive director of the performing arts venue as early as mid-2010. Full Story »

A survey of Carpinteria women who gave birth recently is underway as part of a community collaborative seeking to improve perinatal healthcare services and information. Full Story »

With no testimony left to be heard during a preliminary hearing into the stabbing death of a 22-year-old Santa Barbara man in February, defense attorneys sought to have the charges against their clients either reduced or dropped altogether while the prosecution urged the judge to order all six defendants to stand trial. Full Story »

A 700-gallon sewage spill bubbled up from a manhole at the intersection of Mesa Lane and Cliff Drive on Monday, flowing to the ocean and shutting Arroyo Burro Beach. Full Story »

A nationwide search for a new Santa Barbara County Public Health Director has concluded with the hiring of Dr. Takashi Michael Wada, the Board of Supervisors announced on Tuesday. Full Story »

Fearing a moratorium on marijuana dispensaries in the city of Santa Barbara could push the controversial establishments to unincorporated areas of the county, the Board of Supervisors yesterday directed legal counsel to draft a countywide moratorium. Full Story »

A ban on smoking cigarettes at Santa Barbara County beaches and parks moved one step closer to reality yesterday when the Board of Supervisors directed the Public Health Department to begin drafting an anti-smoking ordinance. Full Story »

Three men and three women suspected of conspiring to attack a 22-year-old Santa Barbara man who was found stabbed to death earlier this year were acting in association with the Westside gang, a gang expert with the Santa Barbara Police Department testified yesterday. Full Story »

No more medical marijuana shops will open legally in Santa Barbara during the next month and a half, and presumably for a year, after city leaders unanimously passed an emergency moratorium on new and pending dispensary applications yesterday evening. Full Story »

Dec. 3, 8:40 p.m. — Reports of a possible heroin overdose brought police to an apartment complex, where they discovered the 19-year-old man was walking and talking. The suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment and officers remained behind to talk with witnesses. Full Story »

Traditions run deep in the colorful costumes and carefully choreographed dance moves of the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet’s Nutcracker. Full Story »

Medical marijuana remains a chronic issue of debate for Santa Barbara city leaders, who will discuss a potential moratorium on new and pending applications for pot dispensaries this evening. Full Story »

After dropping a steady, but manageable amount of rain across the Central Coast, gray storm clouds broke yesterday afternoon and made way for frigid winds that left much of Santa Barbara County under a high wind warning. Full Story »

County of Santa Barbara officials appear poised to join their counterparts in the city of Santa Barbara on the lengthy, and nearly always controversial, path of crafting ordinances to deal with medical marijuana dispensaries. Full Story »

After years of being criticized in Grand Jury reports for lacking a proper emergency operations center, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors today could take a giant leap in that direction by granting a construction contract. Full Story »

A week after permanently banning alcohol from beaches in Isla Vista, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors today will consider adding smoking to its list of prohibited activities at county beaches and parks. Full Story »

Renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma will lead UC Santa Barbara students in a master class next week that is being opened to the public free of charge. Full Story »

Memorial trees in Goleta, Santa Barbara and Carpinteria will gleam with stars and lights this holiday season — each representing a tribute to a loved one. Full Story »

U.S. Forest Service officials are seeking public input on a proposal to reissue a special permit to the Winchester Canyon Gun Club for its shooting range along West Camino Cielo. Full Story »

A 56-year-old woman was hit and severely injured while crossing Shoreline Drive yesterday morning after the driver of the involved vehicle apparently was blinded by the sun in his eyes, police officials said. Full Story »

A total of 54 people have been hospitalized in Santa Barbara County in connection with the H1N1 flu pandemic since mid-June, while five people have died as a result of the influenza strain, public health officials said in a weekly update. Full Story »

More details emerged during a court hearing yesterday about the alleged events that led to the fatal stabbing of a 22-year-old man in Santa Barbara earlier this year. Full Story »

The calls have already started. Several dozen kids are ringing up daily to share their gift wishes with Accidental Santa, the nickname borne proudly by local resident John Dickson. Full Story »

I learned a new word recently: “Dad-olescence,” described by Daily Beast writer Sean Macaulay as the modern, midlife crisis-aged male’s tendency to “act like a sullen teenager … a low-grade regressive style of acting-out that's now so widespread among midlife males it deserves its own label.” Full Story »

The operators of Santa Barbara’s downtown outdoor mall are promoting an event that will allow patrons to open their presents before Christmas. Full Story »