Rachel Showalter

The Santa Maria Public Library is giving out free Spring Gardening Kits from April 12 - 17.

Goleta residents could see their rate fees for garbage collection increase by 4% as soon as this summer.

April 7 is International Beaver Day and the San Luis Obispo Beaver Brigade is celebrating this year by participating in the first free, virtual California Beaver Summit.

In a 2-2 decision, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted April 6 to deny an appeal for a cannabis cultivation site in the community of Pozo, just 15 miles southeast of Santa Margarita. The tie vote upholds a denial by the county Planning Commission.

Three Central Coast-based health centers are expecting to receive more than $11 million in federal funding this month.

More than 100 people gathered at Mitchell Park in San Luis Obispo for a ‘Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate’ rally on April 1.

The California Department of Public Health released new guidelines for outdoor seated live events and performances that went into effect April 1.

San Luis Obispo County’s Farm Worker Outreach Taskforce is increasing efforts to vaccinate local agricultural workers.

In a report released March 30, the Ocean Conservancy said volunteers around the world collected more than 100,000 items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) over the last six months of 2020. But the organization estimates the actual number of PPE polluting coastal environments to be in the low millions.

Downtown San Luis Obispo is partnering with local artists and students on the Cal Poly Rose Float Team to give the city core and its businesses a floral makeover.

There's an aquarium accessory called Marimo moss balls that people like to put in their fish tanks -- but some moss balls are carrying an invasive species called the zebra mussel.

In November, the County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries began offering a library-by-mail service for homebound seniors. Now, they’re trying to spread the word.

The California State Library system is sending nearly 5,000 WiFi hotspots and Chromebooks to libraries across the state.

Update March 18 10:00p.m.

The California Coastal Commission unanimously voted to end the use of off-highway vehicles (OHV) at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area during a 12-hour meeting Thursday, March 18.

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility is expanding to another 40,000 people across San Luis Obispo County.

San Luis Obispo County-owned land at Cave Landing near Avila Beach is now part of the county’s park system.

A 20-year draft plan for the future of parks and recreation in San Luis Obispo is now available for public viewing.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office served a new search warrant in the ongoing Kristin Smart investigation March 15 at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores, Paul Flores’ father.

After months of searching, the City of San Luis Obispo offered its police chief position to Rick Scott, the current assistant police chief in North Richland Hills, Texas.

About 40,000 more people in San Luis Obispo County can sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine now that eligibility has extended to new categories.

The city of Goleta is planning to replace more than 1,400 streetlight fixtures, which are expected to be more efficient and cost effective among other advantages.

In honor of Women’s History Month, more than 20 women-owned restaurants in San Luis Obispo County are coming together March 8 through 14 for the first At Her Table event hosted by the website and social media platform EnjoySLO.

The local nonprofit REACH, or the Regional Economic Action Coalition hosted a virtual discussion Friday to announce the addition of three partners to their 2030 initiative.

San Luis Obispo County is loosening some of its COVID-19 requirements and is now operating in the state’s less restrictive red tier.

Texas residents have faced thousands of dollars in unexpected electric bills from an unprecedented winter storm last month.

But it’s unlikely California PG&E customers would experience similar spikes due to outages.

Gov. Gavin Newsom visited a COVID-19 vaccination site at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo March 2 to speak about California’s vaccine efforts.

Spring is the busiest time of the year for Pacific Wildlife Care (PWC). The nonprofit is getting ready for a seasonal influx of new animals, which means it's also time for them to offer tips to people who find orphaned or injured animals.

The Central Coast section of Highway 1 is one of the most scenic drives in America. A new mural in south San Luis Obispo County is giving people another reason to stop and take a look around.

Over the past year, the city of San Luis Obispo has added neighborhood greenways as a part of a larger road works project.

The idea behind the greenways is to prioritize walking and biking as modes of transportation. But the changes aren’t stopping with the addition of bike lanes and speed humps. The city is now partnering with local artists to beautify the new corridors with painted pavement murals.

We hear from candidates running to represent the Central Coast in state and federal government; including California Assembly incumbent Jordan Cunningham and California’s 20th congressional district Congressman Jimmy Panetta. We also speak to the three mayoral candidates in Santa Maria. This is Media Literacy Week, and we speak with the executive director of a nonprofit organization that hosts a week-long event to highlight media literacy education. The KCBX Arts Beat reports on the local performing arts industry, which is taking a huge hit during the COVID-19 crisis without much direction for an eventual reopening. Finally, pumpkin spice season is here and KCBX contributor Father Ian explores some local holiday treats.