

Cover Story
Home plight: St. Joseph High School’s neighbors ask county to penalize unpermitted softball field for alleged hazards
Keeping count of how many softballs land in their backyards became an accidental hobby for several residents of Knollwood Terrace, a townhome community near St. Joseph High School in Orcutt. Some condo dwellers make an effort to return stray balls to the school, while others keep them stored away in a bag or box. Eleanor…
Trial for alleged Santa Maria court bomber set two years after explosion
Full of black powder, a can the size of a coffee tin wrapped in duct tape and glued-on nails was inside of Nathaniel James McGuire’s backpack the day he was arrested on terrorism charges in Santa Maria, according to law enforcement. On Sept. 25, 2024, McGuire allegedly threw his backpack into Santa Maria Superior Court’s…
Guadalupe adopts its first food truck ordinance
In the name of public health and safety, the city of Guadalupe now has a concrete set of regulations that operators of food trucks and trailers must abide by. The food truck ordinance saga in Guadalupe has lasted more than seven years, city contracted Planning Director Larry Appel said at a Feb. 24 City Council…
County approves Los Alamos’ Cottonwoods housing development
Yellowtail Lane. Pargo Drive. Gopher Gulch. Naming a few newly proposed private roads in Los Alamos after fish and rodents fell into the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission’s purview at its final hearing of April. County Planner Tina Mitchell assured the commission on April 29 that the road names before them were cleared by the…
Political Watch: May 7, 2026
• Following the Trump administration’s announcement that Morro Bay’s Golden State Wind project will recover $120 million in taxpayer dollars as part of its cancellation arrangement, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) issued a statement on April 28. “I am outraged by this backwards decision to sabotage the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area. In Congress,…
Longtime hearing aid specialist takes on practitioner role with Santa Maria’s Beltone office
Constant ringing. Buzzing. Swishing. Hissing. Tinnitus can take on many different sounds for those who suffer from the condition, commonly due to hearing loss. Local hearing care practitioner Remy Salazar said one seldomly reported form of tinnitus she’s observed over the course of her career is kind of like having a song stuck in your…
Fly balls
St. Joseph High School claims that it aims to be a “thoughtful community partner.” But some of its closest neighbors would beg to differ. Especially since softballs have been raining down in their yards, which butt up against the campus’s newest addition: an unpermitted softball field. How nice for the school’s neighbors! They can now…
Trump takes on the pope, and it’s not a good look
It’s been two months since the president precipitated his brutal air war against Iran. This “little excursion” has morphed into a regional war with devastating consequences for virtually everyone: to the unfortunate Lebanese, caught in the cross fire; to every one of the petro-states on both sides of the Persian Gulf; and to every nation…
Working Families Party support of Ricardo Valencia for supervisor is troubling
As the race to fill Steve Lavagnino’s soon-to-be vacant 5th District supervisorial seat heats up, a particularly troubling fact has emerged regarding one of the candidates. In a previous piece I characterized Santa Maria High School teacher Ricardo Valencia as a “puppet” of local activist organizations. I have also, on occasion, referred to his ever-present…
Teams produce outdoor community theater event in New Cuyama
Wheels are spinningPerformers will present Rec Hallipalooza: A Resilient Cuyama Drama on May 16 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is free to the public and takes place at Richardson County Park in New Cuyama off the Hubbard Avenue exit of Highway 166. For more information about Blue Sky Center, visit blueskycenter.org. Tiny…
Four artists dive into the deep for a CalNAM show
Paddle on over to the California Nature Art Museum for an exhibit under the sea. It’s hanging at the museum until July 20. Four artists contributed work celebrating the dynamic ecosystems that are touched by the saltwater spray. Ocean Forests: Our Coastal Communities highlights giant kelp, the largest marine plant on the planet. Each stalk…
Santa Maria middle schoolers put their creativity on display
Junior high students in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District are proud to present their artwork for one weekend only at the city’s public library. Expanding Perspectives is displayed inside Shepard Hall. Community members are invited to opening night on May 8 from 4 to 6 p.m. The exhibit is also open to the public on…
Apex delivers an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed survival story
Baltasar Kormákur (2 Guns, Everest) directs Jeremy Robbins’ script about adrenaline junkie Sasha (Charlize Theron), who’s haunted by a climbing accident and heads to the isolation of the Australian outback. What was meant as a retreat to reset turns into a cat-and-mouse battle to the death when Ben (Taron Egerton), a local weirdo, makes her…
The Pitt season 2 is a sobering look at the toll on front-line health workers
The PittWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025-present Where’s it showing? HBO Max Another 15-hour day in a Pittsburgh hospital ER with Dr. Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) is upon us with season 2 of the Emmy Award-winning show. End of shift, Robby’s leaving on sabbatical, a three-month motorcycle trip that sounds more like a mental health induced…
Nostalgia, good cause collide with Dr. No screening at Bay Theatre
Dr. NoWhat’s it rated? PG When? 1963 Where’s it showing? Bay Theatre in Morro Bay on Monday, May 11, at 5:30 p.m. (doors at 4:30; $15 benefit for the Morro Bay Senior Center) Terence Young (who went on to helm From Russia With Love and Thunderball) directs this script by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and…
Try something new with the Central Coast Meatless Meetup crew
Thirteen years ago, Steve Key decided to stop eating animal products. Before he flipped the switch, he’d call himself a “wannabe vegetarian,” refraining from meat most of the time but not going against the grain while out to eat with his buddies. He found it difficult in the 1980s and 1990s to find meatless options…






