On Aug. 30, a fire was set on the hillside not far from my home in Pismo Beach. We are very grateful to the workers who extinguished the fire quickly. I could tell that there were two troops of firefighters, some wearing orange and some wearing yellow and black. The ones wearing orange are inmates. […]
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Normal finds Bob Odenkirk revisiting his unlikely action hero role
NormalWhat’s it rated? RWhen? 2025Where’s it showing? HBO Max Directed by Ben Wheatley (Meg 2: The Trench, Free Fire, Kill List) from Derek Kolstad’s script based on a story co-written with star Bob Odenkirk, Normal follows an interim sheriff, Ulysses (Odenkirk), of the fictional town of Normal, Minnesota. After a botched bank robbery, Ulysses discovers […]
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Slow down and step into the yesteryear with Noland’s Horse Drawn Carriages
FEATURE Before San Luis Obispo’s Château Noland was the luxe vacation rental it’s known as today, it was the home of Chad Noland and his family, complete with a carriage house to telegraph his first venture on the Central Coast—Noland’s Horse Drawn Carriages. Noland rode horses all his life, and he found no reason to […]
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A look at what archers of all experience levels need to carry during an outdoor target shoot
GEAR HUB Last October, almost exactly a year after I got my wooden recurve bow, I packed a new quiver for my first archery competition. I’d put a lot of thought and research into how to attach my arrows and other necessities to my waist ahead of the day-long outdoor shoot, but what would I […]
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Tap Truck Central Coast will bring vintage vibes and alcohol to your next shindig
OUTDOOR KITCHEN A 1969 Chevy Camaro.A 1956 Ford pickup. A 1958 Chevy Apache. A childhood spent around these old cars cemented Sharon Redwine’s love for vintage vehicles. “As a kid, I just really loved the sound of those old engines,” Redwine said. That love eventually drove her to hunt for one she could call her own: […]
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Balls Up offers big dumb mismatched buddy comedy vibes
Peter Farrelly (Green Book) directs this script by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese about product inventor Elijah DeBell (Paul Walter Hauser)—who dreams up a condom that fully covers male genitals, which he calls The Testicle Sentinel—and salesman Brad Lewison (Mark Wahlberg), who with Elijah is tasked with pitching the product to Brazil’s Travel Ministry as […]
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Discovery beckons all ages and experience levels to the Old Orcutt Yarnery
Lisa Long learned how to knit at a Del Taco 15 years ago. At that point in her life, her routine was a long cycle of working, cooking dinner, studying for her degree, and falling asleep in the early hours of the morning. She needed to reactivate her creative brain. “I called a friend of […]
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Three candidates vie for Santa Barbara County’s 5th District seat
The race to fill the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ 5th District seat in 2027 is on, as 2026 marks the end of longtime Supervisor Steve Lavagnino’s time on the dais. Lavagnino’s Chief of Staff Cory Bantilan is among the three candidates who have formally commenced their campaigns so far, along with Santa Maria-Bonita […]
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Santa Maria Fire Department sees improvements from new dispatch center and internal changes
Anyone in Santa Barbara County who calls for emergency fire or medical help receives the quickest response possible from firefighters thanks to the new regional dispatch center. It’s the same story in Santa Maria, and this year, the city’s Fire Department also made changes to improve efficiency. “You’re getting the closest unit down to the […]
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Gallery Los Olivos artists participate in a communal exhibit
The annual group show at Gallery Los Olivos will be featured through January 2026. It’s an optional show for artists who are members of the gallery and will showcase a wide variety of work including photographs, paintings, sculptures, and ceramics. The show is called a Winter Celebration to encapsulate the diversity of media. “We try […]
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Santa Maria residents produce and star in award-winning Filipino film
In the Philippines, umbag means punch. It’s also the title of an independent Filipino-American movie produced by a Santa Maria resident, Rose Dumadara Koerner. Unlike traditional executive producers, she was also involved in many more of the nitty-gritty details. After being displeased with the first cut of Umbag, which follows two estranged sisters who go […]
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Train Dream is a poetic rumination one life’s ups and downs
Train DreamsWhat’s it rated? PG-13What’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Netflix Co-writer and director Clint Bentley and his screenwriting partner Greg Kwedar (Jockey, Sing Sing) adapt Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name to the big screen. The film debuted at Sundance in January and had a two-week […]