Cover Story
Elks Recreation teams up with Santa Maria Recreation and Parks for drive-through horror event, ‘Haunted Hills’
Thrills and chills await the daring souls brave enough to venture to the Elks Unocal Event Center this Halloween season. The outdoor rodeo venue was recently transformed into Haunted Hills—the inaugural horror-themed drive-through event co-hosted by Elks Recreation and the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department. The three-week festivity begins on Friday, Oct. 16, and…
Battle erupts over Natural Healing Center dispensary as investor sues founder over alleged malfeasance
Helios Dayspring, co-owner and founder of Natural Healing Center dispensary in Grover Beach, faces a civil lawsuit from 81-year-old William Szymczak—an early supporter and investor and a former director in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The lawsuit filed on Aug. 17 in SLO County Superior Court claims that Szymczak recently learned…
Bob’s Well Bread Bakery and Cafe opened a second location, which means that yeasted goodness is now baked daily in the Santa Ynez Valley
Talk about a fruitful lifestyle move. Bob Oswaks had been in the television industry in Los Angeles for 30 years when he decided it was time for a career change. “It wasn’t anything all of a sudden. I had been working for Norman Lear for years. He talked to me after I had been working…
Letter or spirit?
The Second Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1791. More than two centuries later, we’re still arguing over it. Because, quite frankly, it’s written weirdly—and, here’s a shocker, people who want it to mean certain things interpret it differently! “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right…
A note on the Electoral College
What could be more un-American than Brits trashing this country. John Oliver recently took to task the Electoral College with how it misrepresented minorities and more irrelevant falderal. John, become a citizen, and then you might have some standing. The Electoral College is always topical because we stopped teaching the foundations of our government. Headline…
Vote against stupid Democratic proposals
California is facing a financial crisis with two idiotic proposals. First is Proposition 15. Small business owners already have difficulty paying workers. Workers who are struggling to put food on their family’s table and struggling to pay their bills. Proposition 15 is a deceptively worded bad idea trying to gut Proposition 13’s limitation of confiscatory…
We need a moratorium on dunes vehicle operations
California Coastal Commission and State Parks were supposed to review the final draft of the public works plan for Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) on Oct. 15. Unsurprisingly, the public works plan is not ready, and the meeting has been canceled. The public works plan has been an excuse for State Parks to…
Take a hard look at the commander in chief
In response to Ellis Romero’s letter, (“The blame-Trump game,” Sept. 24) decrying those who call Trump “a racist,” I feel you need a bit of Trump’s history before you defend him from that title. My father worked for Trump’s father, and, as a native of New York for 25 years, I had the dubious pleasure…
Santa Ynez Botanic Garden welcomes artists to meet monthly for a social-distance-friendly, outdoor art group
Painters, photographers, poets, and other practitioners of the arts gather once a month on the grounds of the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden for a free, self-directed happening described by art therapist Stacey Thompson as “an outlet for people during this difficult time.” “There is no format or directive. No structure. Artists who wish to…
The Wildling Museum will reopen to the public in November
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang announced it will reopen to the public on Saturday, Nov. 7, with new walk-in hours on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prior to the public reopening, the museum will reopen to members only, starting on Wednesday, Oct. 28 (appointments required). According to…
Readers Choice voting open for New Times Music Awards
New Times will accept votes toward its Readers Choice Award from this year’s annual New Times Music Awards through Monday, Oct. 19. Visit newtimesslo.com to view the list of different artists to vote for and submit your picks for first, second, and third place. Links to samples of the artists’ music are also available on…
Healing Justice SB announces Art is Activism campaign
Healing Justice SB, a Black-led and Black-centered organizing collective based in Santa Barbara County, announces its Art is Activism campaign, which is described as a visual representation of solidarity. As part of the online campaign, Healing Justice SB will showcase a variety of installation photography from several contributors through its website and social media pages.…
Lompoc Public Library staff members are working hard to give local kids a goblin good time this month
Why are ghosts such terrible liars? Because you can see right through them! How can you tell a vampire likes baseball? Every night he turns into a bat! What do witches use on their hair? Scare spray! Everybody loves a good pun and, as much as the Sun would love to take credit, the Lompoc…
Political Watch: October 15, 2020
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Oct. 7 that he had signed an executive order to advance the fight against climate change. The order directs state agencies to “deploy a number of strategies to store carbon in the state’s natural and working lands and remove it from the atmosphere,” according to the governor’s office. Some…
Incumbent Jim Mosby runs against Jeremy Ball, Lompoc’s only new City Council candidate this year outside of the mayoral race
Jim Mosby, a businessman, property owner, and incumbent City Council member, is facing off against challenger Jeremy Ball, a business owner and host of Good Morning Lompoc, for Lompoc’s 4th District council seat this November. While the two contenders hold many things in common—they were both born and raised in Lompoc, grew up attending local…
Santa Maria families receive tablets to keep them connected during pandemic
Twenty Mixteco families from the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) received free tablets on Oct. 9 in an effort to connect parents with online resources as their children continue to learn at a distance. The Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE), an organization that provides programming to engage and empower parents of schoolchildren, was awarded…
Osborne, Ball lead the pack for money raised in Lompoc city races
Candidates running for city office in Lompoc have raked in thousands of dollars in campaign contributions so far. Incumbent Mayor Jenelle Osborne leads the pack for money raised from campaign contributions, while City Council candidate Jeremy Ball has raised the most total money from both campaign contributions and a loan. According to state campaign finance…
If recall vote of Solvang city councilmember prevails, two candidates look to fill the seat
Solvang residents get to vote on whether to recall current City Councilmember Chris Djernaes in November, and if that recall passes, residents can choose between candidates Jim Thomas and Jaime Baker to fill the seat. The recall question and candidate choice will both be on the ballot this November. Both candidates say they have the…
Five chosen for redistricting commission despite representation concerns
The first five Santa Barbara County residents who will serve on a citizens’ redistricting commission were randomly chosen at a Board of Supervisors meeting on Oct. 13, but hanging over the process were unanswered questions about how applicants in the drawing pool were initially chosen and concerns about lacking representation. Laura Katz, William McClintock, Norman…
