Year: 2006

BRIDGE OVER RAGING WATERS:

Santa Barbara County supervisors voted 3-2 in favor of a controversial plan to build a new bridge and elevated road at the often washed-out Gaviota Creek crossing near Hollister Ranch. Critics agree the 256-foot bridge, 800-foot road, and associated creek reshaping pose a significant threat to the surrounding wetland area, and contend a more eco-friendly optionof moving the bridge further upstreamwas prematurely dismissed. While the Gaviota Conservancy and Urban Creeks Council were the official appellants at the hearing, the Environmental Protection Agency, California Fish and Game, Army Corps of Engineers, and a spokesperson for Hollister Ranch residents have all officially expressed concern about the bridge’s environmental impacts. The $3.9 million bridgewhich would be funded entirely by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Office of Emergency Servicesis far from a sure thing as it has yet to be approved by the California Coastal Commission.

FOND FAREWELL:

Less than two years after taking the helm at Dos Pueblos High School, Principal Quentin Panek tendered his resignation to the district last week. A letter was sent to parents informing them of his departure at the end of the school year, and the district officially opened the application periodwhich runs through Aprilfor the position. While the district is not permitted to comment on the motives for the popular principal’s resignation, Superintendent Brian Sarvis did say it was for “personal reasons.” However, many parents of high school students have speculated that Panek was forced out.

Good Cooking

The Spitfire Grill

At SBCC, Friday, March 10. Shows through March 25.

“Now it’s time to start again,” sings Percy Talbot, as she takes a bus to Gilead, Wisconsin, to begin a new life. After being released from prison, she heads for a town she chose based on an idyllic photo in a magazine. Gilead, however, is not what she’s conjured up in her dreams; it’s a dead-end place, but Percy still finds that life has meaning. In this heartfelt play, adapted from the 1996 film of the same name, it is not only Percy who is transformed, but the Gilead residents as well.

Film Mania:

Got the post-Film Fest blues? Cheer up! From April 5-May 31, UCSB Arts & Lectures will present Spring Cinema 2006, a series of nine screenings of international films, as well as the eight-film Human Rights Watch International Film Festival on May 19 and 20.