Santa Maria Times

His team went 3-9 in the Los Padres League in 2009. Cabrillo boys basketball coach Gary West knew he had to make a change…“He’s looking at three schools,” said West. “Westmont, Point Loma, Monterey Bay. He’s not real particular, he just wants to continue playing.” more

Nearly 700 Central Coast residents have volunteered to color in the district lines and boundaries for the state Senate, Assembly and State Board of Equalization races. The active citizens make up the more than 31,000 applications that the state auditor has received for the first citizen’s redistricting commission…Retired Westmont College professor Dave Lawrence of Santa Ynez said his 30-plus years of teaching political science should help him stand out as a possible commissioner. more

Tyler Gildred was standing in his barn in 2004, looking at industrial machine and car parts stacked to the ceiling. The Santa Ynez resident had just bought the inventory at an auction, and he was thinking there had to be an easier way to re-sell it all…Gildred received his bachelor of arts degree in art from Westmont College in Santa Barbara and also founded Gildred Racing, a performance automotive parts company. more

An army of firefighters, aided by much lighter winds, made what was termed “significant progress” Friday battling a wildfire that destroyed about 150 homes in Montecito and eastern Santa Barbara. It has been dubbed the Tea Fire because it started near the remnants of a historic Montecito estate, known as the Tea Garden, built in the early 1900s. The area is north of Westmont College near the intersection of Mountain Drive and Cold Springs Road. more

Shakespeare and spooks come to Santa Barbara this weekend. Dress up or down, depending on your mood, to see plays or get started on Halloween. John Blondell’s “Blue Tempest” takes its inspiration from the color blue, banjo playing and silent movies. It’s performed at Westmont College’s Porter Theater at 7 p.m. tonight and 4 p.m. Sunday. more

To keep her job for another two years, veteran Congresswoman Lois Capps must fend off political upstart Matt Kokkonen in the November election. Kokkonen immigrated to the United States from his native Finland at age 16, and graduated from Westmont College in Montecito. He and his wife, Jean, have been married for 40 years and have two children. more

The Lit Moon World Shakespeare Festival, which will be highlighted by fully-staged productions of Shakespeare’s plays including “Julius Caesar,” “The Winter’s Tale” and “Midsummer Night’s Dream” will host events at the Lobero Theatre, Westmont College’s Center Stage Theater and the UCSB Department of Theatre and Danceamong others. more