Historic Wineman Hotel lights up San Luis Obispo streets again
The intersection of Chorro and Higuera streets was lit up Nov. 18 with neon from the historic Wineman Hotel in San Luis Obispo. Again. The 100-year-old building first opened as the Wineman Hotel in 1930. Since then, it’s housed Riley’s Department Store, Carpenter’s Rexall, Copelands Sports and the Sports Authority, but even native daughters like Read More →
These towns are not afraid of big chances
Throw deep. That’s not always the best economic development strategy. But in the case of North Santa Barbara County, there are two large-scale projects in the very earliest of stages that could become the job-generating engines for the next economic cycle in the Tri-Counties. Before you put down your newspaper and wonder out loud what Read More →
Landscaper wins in suit against producer
When a powerful Hollywood producer tried to stiff Santa Barbara small-business owner Arturo Gonzalez on half a million dollars of work, the landscaper stood up to the producer in court. And he won. Gonzalez’s landscaping firm, Progressive Environmental Industries, sued two entities controlled by Jon Peters, Barbara Streisand’s ex-husband, producer of “Rain Man” and Read More →
Forecast: hope for SB tourism
Santa Barbara County’s tourism industry has reached bottom, and the slow crawl out will mean reaching out to markets both close to home and across the Pacific. That’s the message industry experts delivered to hoteliers and restaurateurs at a tourism and travel outlook forecast for the county on Nov. 17. Particular bright spots are continued Read More →
Breaking news: Weyrich auction postponed
UPDATE: The auctioning off of San Luis Obispo businessman David Weyrich’s properties on York Mountain Road near Templeton and Los Ranchos Road near San Luis Obispo was postponed Friday morning — at the beneficiaries’ request — until Tuesday Nov. 24. • Click here to read the previous story and check the Nov. 27 print issue Read More →
Pacific Capital shares up 35 percent
Shares of Pacific Capital Bancorp soared 35 percent in unusually heavy trading on Nov. 18 as the stock closed at 91 cents. Volume was more than 2 million shares compared with the normal 1.3 million shares daily. No news was announced, but as earlier reported, the region’s largest banking company has been seeking a buyer Read More →
Semtech announces profit, acquisition
Camarillo-based chipmaker Semtech, which makes parts for the BlackBerry and other mobile phones, announced an $11.9 million third-quarter profit Nov. 18 and said it had purchased Irvine-based chipmaker Sierra Monolithics for $180 million in cash. Revenues were down 6 percent from a year ago to $75.1 million, but that figure represented a 13 percent increase Read More →
