Cover Story
Autumn Arts Annual 2021
Summer’s over. It may not feel like it with the warmth of these late September days, but fall is here and so are those autumn events! And we’ve got all the fun festivities in Northern Santa Barbara County and SLO County compiled into one calendar for you to peruse. Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood pooled music,…
NEW FLICKS: RIDERS OF JUSTICE
NEW FLICKS: RIDERS OF JUSTICE Where’s it playing? Hulu What’s it rated? Not Rated I’ve been wanting to see this since it was released in May, but it didn’t come to local theaters. Now it’s finally streaming for free with a Hulu subscription. Written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen (Men & Chicken, Adam’s Apples),…
SLO vegan restaurant Ziggy’s is worth the drive
Popular San Luis Obispo vegan takeout joint Ziggy’s doesn’t just have the support of SLO County residents. “People ask us all the time, ‘When are you going to open in Santa Maria or Lompoc?’” said Alex Gonzalez, manager of the vegan eatery. “We even have people drive from Bakersfield and Fresno just to have lunch.…
Gallery Los Olivos’ three featured artists discuss newest artworks and pandemic-induced painting habits
Santa Barbara artist Ellen Yeomans used to consider herself “strictly a plein air painter” for the most part, but gradually less so once March 2020 rolled around. “I began spending a lot more of my painting time at home—refining paintings, painting scenes from around my own house and yard, and so forth,” said Yeomans, one…
Central Coast astronomer and former NASA scientist pens new activity book for children
Astronomy Activity Book for Kids: 100+ Fun Ways to Learn About Space and Stargazing, written by local astronomer and teacher Aurora Lipper, was released in mid-September. The book was published by Zeitgeist, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and is available to purchase through various outlets, including Amazon. The book features a variety of puzzles,…
Los Alamos filmmaker writes, directs new thriller, ‘The Fishnet Hypothesis’
Woodlands Studios presents The Fishnet Hypothesis, a new dark comedy/thriller written and directed by Los Alamos native Elizabeth Fields, which is currently available to stream on the POV Horror Channel and online at povhorror.com. Fields also stars in the film, which was released on Sept. 19. The film’s score was composed by prolific musician Harry…
The recent Firefly Alpha rocket explosion shows there must have been a faulty debris analysis before the launch
When either commercial or government missile and space programs are being planned for launch, the team must prepare the rocket for launch, and the military or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must approve the launch team’s “flight hazard area analysis.” The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) applies to commercial space programs and specifically says that…
Wild words
Is the world too touchy-feely these days? Do we need to go back to the days of gunslingers and fights in the street? At least one man in Santa Maria thinks so! And he told everyone who attended what would normally have been a pretty benign meeting about the Santa Maria Police Department’s goals for…
The sinking of the Santa Maria
Santa Maria High School, and perhaps the city of Santa Maria, will be abandoning its image of Columbus’ flagship, the Santa Maria, as a logo. Duh! Whose idea was it in the first place to adopt that ship as the city’s, and school’s, logo in the first place? I can assure you, it was not…
Behavioral Wellness says there are gaps in the county’s mental health services
The Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness told Santa Barbara County supervisors on Sept. 20 that providing more beds for lower level mental health services will reduce the need for more intense, expensive care. “Gaps or insufficiencies can result in an overuse of higher care needs,” Deputy Director for Mental Health Programs Pam Fisher…
People of all ages benefit from free food programs on Central Coast
From Laguna Middle School SLO students to farmworkers in Santa Maria Valley, hunger impacts all walks of life on the Central Coast. U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal visited these constituents and others during a Hunger Tour of California’s 24th Congressional District on Sept. 16. At Laguna Middle School, Carbajal gathered around an outdoor picnic table with…
Political Watch: September 23, 2021
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-San Luis Obispo) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), along with a bipartisan coalition of legislators, introduced the Safe Skies Act of 2021, Carbajal announced in a Sept. 17 statement. With the support of the Air Line Pilots Association, the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, and the Independent Pilots Association, the…
Santa Maria Police Department wants to enhance mental health services
At some point in the future, the Santa Maria Police Department plans to implement a “mental health car,” which will respond to emergency calls related to mental health crises with an officer and behavioral wellness clinician. Santa Maria Police Chief Marc Schneider said it’s part of the department’s goal of enhancing its mental health services.…
Santa Barbara County Main Jail COVID-19 outbreak increases
As of Sept. 20, 83 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 due to recent outbreaks in Santa Barbara County’s Main Jail. During the COVID-19 update at the Board of Supervisors’ Sept. 21 meeting, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said that 24 of the inmates who tested positive were fully vaccinated, one had received their…
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation steps up during COVID-19 to help families of local children battling cancer
Pediatric cancer is already one of the worst predicaments that a child and family can face. Having to contend with that illness and a global pandemic at the same time is almost unthinkable. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senior Development Director Brittany Avila Wazny with the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation—which has served families…
Communication challenges complicate process for providing resources to multilingual learners with disabilities
Mariana Murillo learned about her son’s special education needs through an interpreter. For two to three years Murillo sat through Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings that she couldn’t understand. “I remember having my first IEP meeting, and for me it was just a meeting. I don’t remember if someone explained the importance of the meeting…
