In our thoughts
OpinionWe’ll take a few sentences to recognize Ugo Melchiori, founder of Melchiori Construction Co., and Roger Heroux, the retired head of the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. Just before press time, we learned that Melchiori, patriarch of a construction company that’s been highly successful on the South Coast, passed away after a long illness. Read More →
Watkins: state recession not over until end of 2010
UncategorizedThe U.S. economy will experiences slow growth throughout most of 2010 but California won’t emerge from recession until the very end of the year. That’s the view of California Lutheran University economist Bill Watkins, who presented his first state and national forecast for 2010 at a breakfast event on campus on Dec. 16. The Business Read More →
Bankruptcy flood may be just starting
UncategorizedThe flood of bankruptcies pouring from the tri-county region may well pass the high-water mark by year’s end. The Santa Barbara district of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court — the office that encompasses the tri-county region — saw 4,134 bankruptcy filings from the beginning of 2009 just through September, the last month through which statistics have Read More →
A high-tech patent war
UncategorizedIn what could become a contest of war chests, Westlake Village-based chipmaker Inphi has fired back in a patent battle with a struggling Orange County firm over products for one of the hottest parts of the semiconductor market. The dispute started on Sept. 23 when Irvine-based Netlist, a money-losing company whose stock had traded Read More →
Area leads the way in sustainable ag
OpinionAgriculture still dominates much of the landscape across the Tri-Counties. And thanks to a new wave of interest in creating a “sustainable” economy, agriculture is being reinvented for the 21st Century. Gone in large part are the pesticide-heavy, water-guzzling practices of the past. Instead, farmers across the region are focusing on efficiency, environmentally sound practices Read More →
