AltWeeklies Wire
Chaos and Competition Cause Santa Barbara Cabbies to Fear for Their Futurenew

Despite the hard work of taxicab drivers to keep the city safe at night and moving during the day, they're complaining that they're being treated as second-class citizens by City Hall, which has approved unprecedented numbers of taxi companies and cabs in recent years yet done little to accommodate the growth.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Matt Kettmann |
07-28-2008 |
Transportation
Santa Barbara Record Label and Recording Studio Tackle the Corporate Mentalitynew
Behind the scenes at Santa Barbara's Corporate Nightmare Records.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Brett Leigh Dicks |
07-28-2008 |
Music
Union Leaflets for Shoppers Boycott of 'News-Press' Advertisersnew
The Teamsters, unhappy with the glacial pace of News-Press contract negotiations, are urging advertisers to pull their ads and not only that, they are now handing out leaflets outside businesses, asking shoppers to boycott stores so long as they advertise with the News-Press.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Barney Brantingham |
07-14-2008 |
Media
Tags: media
Thanks to the Firefighters of Gap Firenew
It's time to count our blessings and start saying thanks to all those who've saved our blistered pork-rind butts.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Nick Welsh |
07-14-2008 |
Commentary
The Melvins Bring New Lineup and Materialnew
The quartet's newest offering, Nude with Boots , is the second Melvins album with the new setup, and Buzz Osborne explained that the dynamic with Coady Willis and Jared Warren works not only musically, but personally and professionally as well.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Adrian Castaneda |
07-14-2008 |
Reviews
Federal Homeless Official Tours Santa Barbara Housingnew
Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, is on a multi-city tour of the US touting permanent housing as the solution to homelessness that will relegate it to the dustbin of history.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Martha Sadler |
07-14-2008 |
Housing & Development
Students Connect with Those Touched by the Horrors of Warnew
UCSB Students who sign up for RS-155 find that it’s neither a history class nor a religion class, but an emotional journey through the psyche and experiences of real live veterans.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ben Preston |
07-08-2008 |
War
Is California Witnessing the Return of the Abalone?new

The culture of abalone diving saw its heyday in the 1970s, and even though sea snail searching will never again be the same, a San Miguel Island fishery may be in the works.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Alastair Bland |
06-30-2008 |
Animal Issues
Katy Perry on Kissing Girls, Dissing Boys and Making it Bignew
Between her hit single and her gossip-fueling relationship, it seems Perry has already reached full-blown pop star status. But the Santa Barbara-raised youngster asserts that her road to fame has not been easy. Prior to recording and releasing One of the Boys, Perry was just another pretty girl struggling to make it in the industry.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Aly Comingore |
06-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Katy Perry, One of the Boys
Marriage Licenses for All Becomes Lawnew
Tuesday, June 17, was a momentous day for gay couples in Santa Barbara County. For many, it was the day that they finally obtained a legal license to get married. For several, it was indeed their wedding date.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Catherine Meagher |
06-23-2008 |
LGBT
Los Lonely Boys Make Waves with Their Latest Albumnew
While the Garza brothers might not be a household name, thanks to the 2004 hit "Heaven" their musical alias, Los Lonely Boys, most certainly is.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Brett Leigh Dicks |
06-17-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Los Lonely Boys, Forgiven
Grant Will Fund Education for Santa Barbara's Inmatesnew
A longtime supporter of Santa Barbara City College donated $278,000 to create a designated classroom at the County Jail so that City College adult education instructors can soon provide educational opportunities for inmates.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Nick Welsh |
06-10-2008 |
Crime & Justice
'The Open Road' Distills the Dalai Lama's Teachingsnew

The idea of loss as an opportunity for growth is at the heart of Pico Iyer's latest book -- a culmination of more than 30 years of conversation with Tenzin Gyatso, otherwise known as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, leader of the Tibetan people.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Elizabeth Schwyzer |
05-20-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Santa Barbara County Ventures Towards Oil Taxnew

Looking to inject Santa Barbara's cash-strapped coffers with millions in oil-derived dollars, the county's supervisors voted unanimously this week to explore the possibility of a per-barrel tax on oil harvested from beneath county land.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ethan Stewart |
05-20-2008 |
Policy Issues
Bicycles Provide Rwandans with Transportation to Move Harvestsnew

In Rwanda, the bike is much more than just a means of transportation: It is a way out and a way up. Up from the wreckage of a horrific genocide, out from the debilitating poverty that consistently ranks Rwanda among the poorest countries in the world.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Jacob Seigel-Boettner |
05-12-2008 |
International