On the Beat
The Case of the Tainted $25,000
Three-Way Money
Suppose you’re a Santa Barbara attorney and the state of Iowa wants you to investigate a gambling-money case. Gambling? In the Corn Belt state of Iowa? A tainted $25,000 donation to the governor? Get out! Read story.
Scams Just Keep on Coming
Feds Seek 440 Years Behind Bars for Santa Ynez Telemarketer
You just LOVE to shop, right? Well, how’d you like to make money doing it? Yes, you too can join the ranks of the Mystery Shoppers. Read story.
On the Colorado Trail
“Switzerland of America” Has Everything but Heidi
Lacking the euros to tour Europe, I hit the road to “Switzerland of America” country in southwest Colorado. Read story.
Life and Times of Val Verde
From Glamour to Gloom
Florence “Bunny” Horton, whose father founded the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., was said to be one of America’s richest women in the first half of the 20th Century. Read story.
Bob Ponce: Ace Photojournalist
He Died With His Police Scanner by His Side
Bob Ponce was an Eastside Santa Barbara kid who loved photography, Montana, USC football, flashy cars, morning coffee at Vices & Spices, and Miss Kitty the cat, not necessarily in that order. Read story.
Kicks at Old Route 66 Bagdad Café
From the Road Again
It’s a shacky, rundown place on Old Route 66, in the dusty high desert about 20 miles east of Barstow. Read story.
A Bible in Every Hotel Room—or Not
Man Takes Umbrage, Hotel Removes Offending Items
I’ve been in hotel rooms all over the world and seldom peered into a bedside table drawer unless it was to look for a phone book or bottle opener. Read story.
Anatomy of the Prosecutor's Firing
Principals Remain Mum on Lynn's Forced Departure
The principals remain mum on Lynn's forced departure. Read story.
Red Light Camera-Ready
It Can’t Happen Here
I was aware of the plastic license-plate cover mini-controversy in Arizona, but had no idea they’re illegal in California as well. Read story.
The Mystery of the Marie
Dolphin Sculptor Bud Bottoms Among Those Spared.
Seven men on a secret Cold War mission died when their boat sank, 50 years ago, somewhere out in the Santa Barbara Channel. Read story.
The Making of a Top Cop
Up Through the Ranks
Fate tapped Gerald Lowry on the uniform shoulder with a baton. It was 1983 and the city had just fired another chief recruited from outside, another mistake. Read story.
Watch Your Speech, Teech
Is a Chi-caga Accent Okay?
I see where Arizona has ratcheted up its war on 30 percent of its population. Read story.
Al Gore, Please Call Barney
New Kid in Town
Just think: If the Supreme Court hadn’t gotten involved, it might have been former president Al Gore moving into Montecito. Read story.
Heroes of Hope
Columnist Honored Who Found The Soloist on L.A. Streets
When L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez is honored by the Mental Health Association of Santa Barbara County next week, he’s sure to be asked about Nathaniel Ayers, of The Soloist film fame, who he found on the streets of Los Angeles. Read story.
Think Before You Ink
Erasing Tattoos, Wiping Out Shareholders
The room was crowded with teens and young adults, there to change their lives, get a second chance, and erase unwanted traces of the past. Read story.
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