Solar projects face wildlife issues
UncategorizedIt took an economic collapse to thin the number of large solar energy projects eyeing San Luis Obispo County’s Carrizo Plain from three to two. But the remaining solar farms face a formidable, if more diminutive, challenger before breaking ground: the San Joaquin kit fox. First Solar and SunPower are seeking approval to build respective Read More →
Clipper crosses the pond
UncategorizedCarpinteria-based Clipper Windpower broke ground Feb. 18 on a factory in the United Kingdom to produce some of the largest offshore wind turbines in the world. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown attended the ceremony near Newcastle, where Clipper is building a 43,000-square-foot plant. Slated for completion late this year, it will build 236-foot-long blades for Read More →
Sage advice from Miller McCune
ColumnsCount Sara Miller McCune as one expert who thinks a byproduct of The Great Recession will be a new era of entrepreneurship. And she thinks a large number of these businesses will be started by women. In case you have not heard of her, Miller McCune is one of the most successful business owners in Read More →
Firms move forward on housing project at Wagon Wheel property
ColumnsThe fate of Oxnard’s famed Wagon Wheel Motel is still up in the air, but the prolonged approval process for its demolition hasn’t stopped development on other parts of the property. The Daly Group and Oxnard Village Investments LLC are moving forward with their plans for the Oxnard Village affordable housing development, a project that Read More →
The new Isla Vista
UncategorizedIsla Vista, the run-down student community neighboring the University of California, Santa Barbara, is in the midst of a long-awaited facelift and now the first private development project under that revitalization effort is gearing up to break ground. Santa Barbara’s Mesa Lane Partners, a development firm that focuses on green and sustainable projects, plans to Read More →
Banks weigh options for tri-county branches
UncategorizedAs CalTrans crews begin filling potholes along Highway 101, banks with tri-county operations are patching problems in their balance sheets. But other banks who’ve had a shorter history, better luck or sharper risk management see a smoother road ahead and even have expansion plans for the region. Here’s a closer look at St. Louis-based First Read More →
A nod to an agricultural pioneer
OpinionIf you have sliced open a ripe Hass avocado recently, you probably owe a debt of gratitude to Hank Brokaw. Brokaw, who passed away in Santa Paula Feb. 18 at age 82, was a pioneering grower. His attention to detail in cultivation and grafting led him to produce a disease-resistant variety of the Hass avocado Read More →