The PCPA Pacific Conservatory Theatre serves up Waitress, a heartfelt tale of love, liberation, and the pursuit of dreams, from April 24 to May 11 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria. Jenna, a talented piemaker and waitress, dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. With the help of her […]
Emma Montalbano
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria Philharmonic, Allan Hancock College Singers collaborate for upcoming concert
To close out the Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2024-25 season, the orchestra welcomes a guest ensemble for a concert—The Sacred and The Profane—that explores the range of human expression on May 3 at Grace Baptist Church. The orchestra will perform a ballet suite from early 20th century composer Darius Milhaud, La Creation du Monde, which […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Local woman’s ‘hard work pays off’ through desserts and determination
Treat yourself Rositas Manzanitas, now based in Guadalupe, can be found on Instagram @rositas.manzanitas. Since September of 2024, when she launched her treat-making business, Rose Angulo has overcome homelessness, moved into her first-ever apartment, taken classes at Allan Hancock College, and secured a job at a local preschool, all while selling homemade desserts and taking […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Art exhibition in Santa Maria highlights the talents and perspectives of local artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities
View the visions The New Muralism: Valley Visions exhibition will tentatively be on display throughout the rest of the year in the Betteravia Gallery at the Government Center in Santa Maria. Find more information at sbac.ca.gov/current-gallery-exhibitions. What began as colored pencil drawings depicting local artists’ interpretations and perspectives of the Santa Maria Valley evolved into […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County continues to support Racial Equity Grant to advance anti-racism work
Barbareno Chumash Tribal Council; 805UndocuFund; Collective Cultures Creating Change Lompoc; Gateway Educational Services; Healing Justice Santa Barbara; Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, Santa Barbara; NAACP Santa Maria-Lompoc; and the Regents of the University of California, Santa Barbara. These are the organizations the Fund for Santa Barbara’s Racial Equity Grant (REG) committee chose to receive money […]
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Beyond bars: County supervisors approve North County jail expansion set to cost more than $165 million
The county Board of Supervisors’ decision on the Northern Branch Jail expansion will impact future boards, sheriffs, county staff, and community members, Sheriff Bill Brown said at the April 1 meeting. In a 3-2 vote (with 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson and 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino dissenting), the board decided to build 1.5 new […]
Posted inNews
CenCal Health works to expand healthcare services for local residents through partnerships and implementation of CalAIM
Local lifeline For more information on CenCal Health and the services it provides, visit cencalhealth.org. To learn more about the CalAIM initiative and how it seeks to transform Medi-Cal, visit dhcs.ca.gov/calaim. One-third of Santa Barbara County residents are members of CenCal Health. In San Luis Obispo County, 1 in 4 residents use the plan. CenCal […]
Posted inNews
OmniTRAX enters joint venture with Coast Belle Rail Corporation to improve century-old Santa Maria Valley Railroad
The Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) has been in operation for 114 years and survived both the Great Depression and World War II under Capt. G. Allan Hancock’s ownership. After struggling with the rise of trucking, the railroad remained under Hancock’s descendants until the Himoto family acquired it in 2006. According to Rob Himoto, president […]
Posted inNews
LEAP opens new early learning center to bridge education gap in Lompoc
Just 7 percent of children ages 0 to 2 and 62 percent of children ages 3 to 5 have access to licensed early childhood education in Lompoc, according to data from the Lompoc Early Learning Project. To help bridge this early education gap, LEAP opened the Lompoc Children’s Center at the Trinity Church of the […]
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Got odor?: County’s updated cannabis ordinance establishes threshold for odors from indoor grows
While standing on the property line of a licensed cannabis grower in a little more than one year’s time, a trained operator of a Nasal Ranger device will need to measure 4 or less D/T—dilution over threshold—for three minutes to determine whether the grower complies with the now amended cannabis ordinance. Arriving at this number […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Amada Cellars opens wine tasting room in Los Alamos, making decades-old dream a reality
Opening soon On April 19, Amada Cellars will host the grand opening for its tasting room at 490 Bell St., No. 104, in Los Alamos. The event will feature a selection of their wines and live music. For more information on the new tasting room, visit exploretock.com/amada-cellars. Seated at a picnic table at Sequoia Grove […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County boosts transportation access for wheelchair users
Every time a Santa Barbara County resident books a ride through a transportation network company (TNC) like Uber or Lyft, a 10 cent fee is collected to support the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments’ (SBCAG) Access for All program, which aims to enhance reliable, on-demand transportation for people with disabilities and mobility challenges. Care […]