Cover Story
Residents and workers complain about oversight at the Santa Maria Cemetery, which is showing little sign of changing
To honor the memory of her son, Connie Branquinho recently placed a $100 personalized cross on his gravesite at the Santa Maria Cemetery, but it disappeared. He passed away from an accidental fentanyl overdose in May 2021, and it’s not the first time items have disappeared from the family’s gravesites. Branquinho’s father—a war veteran—is also…
NEW FLICKS: FRESH
NEW FLICKS: FRESH Where’s it playing? Hulu What’s it rated? R Fans of black comedy horror, rejoice. This new film by director Mimi Cave and writer Lauryn Kahn will give you something to chew on. Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is fed up with modern dating. She commiserates with her bestie, Mollie (Jojo T. Gibbs), and has…
BINGEABLE: LIFE & BETH (2022)
BINGEABLE: LIFE & BETH (2022) Where’s it playing? Hulu What’s it rated? TV-MA I know some people don’t dig Amy Schumer, but I have no qualms with stating that you’re wrong, and her new series Life & Beth may as well be a Chicken Soup for the Soul book with more humor and way better…
MENUS – Spring/Summer 2022
The Central Coast Guide to All Things Food & Drink
Lt. Juan Camarena challenges Bill Brown for sheriff
After 16 years with Bill Brown in office, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Juan Camarena thought it was time for a change and decided to run for sheriff in the June 2022 election. “I’m very passionate about law enforcement, and I want to bring new leadership and ideas. I want to bring the Sheriff’s…
Santa Maria funds cleanup of railroad-based homeless encampment
It took three days and more than 24 trips to the Santa Maria Regional Landfill for a group of collaborators to clear a half-mile stretch of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad. The railroad corridor, which borders some businesses and residential neighborhoods between West Depot Street and Blosser Road, has repeatedly been a site for homeless…
Environmental nonprofit plans to sue Santa Maria Airport
Disturbing land that’s home to the California tiger salamander put the Santa Maria Airport District on the Center for Biological Diversity’s short list for a potential lawsuit. Despite acknowledging the salamander’s existence by putting together a habitat conservation plan (HCP) on behalf of the endangered species in 2016, center Senior Scientist Tiffany Yap said the…
Political Watch: April 7, 2022
• U.S. Rep Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) voted to cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 per month for those on Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance, the Congressman announced on March 31. The legislation advanced by the U.S. House of Representatives ensures vital and affordable access to medication for more than 37 million people…
Presale tickets are available for the Santa Maria Strawberry festival’s in-person return
Bright pink strawberry lemonade and powdered-sugar coated strawberry funnel cake will soon be sipped and devoured as the Santa Maria Strawberry Festival makes its return to an in-person event at the Santa Maria Fairpark. “The strawberry festival has been around for over 30 years. In 2020 we were unable to do it, and in 2021…
Lompoc artist Vicki Andersen brings flower-centric paintings to Cypress Gallery
When it comes to painting, Vicki Andersen constantly draws inspiration from her own photographs. The Lompoc-based artist has a “humongous stack” of photos—taken at various times over the past four decades—she’ll peruse before picking the subject of her next acrylic piece, she said. One of Andersen’s most recent paintings, Glory in the Flower, was based…
PCPA presents ‘Into the Woods’ at the Marian Theatre
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) next production, Into the Woods, debuts at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria on Thursday, April 28, and is scheduled to run through Sunday, May 15. The plot of this popular musical interweaves a variety of classic fairy tale and storybook characters, including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and the…
Santa Maria Ameriprise showcases photos from local photographer Kathleen Gerber
A meet-the-artist reception for Kathleen Gerber, whose photographs are displayed in a new exhibit at Santa Maria Ameriprise, will be held on Thursday, April 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. This exhibit is part of an ongoing series curated by Terry Dworaczyk, private wealth advisor at Santa Maria Ameriprise, to showcase local art and artists…
Dinners, tastings, and more await the guests of Cuyama Buckhorn’s Wild Flour Celebration
Pizza, cocktails, live music, and a beginner-friendly bread-making class—all wrapped up in a two-night stay at a scenic roadside resort. This is just a handful of goodies and events that attendees of Cuyama Buckhorn’s Wild Flour Celebration can expect. This year’s weekend-long celebration—which also includes a four-course farm-to-table dinner, mead tastings, and more—marks the second…
Call, response?
Empty liquor bottles, bullets, and Porta-Potties aren’t allowed on or near gravesites at the Santa Maria Cemetery. You’re not allowed to drink alcohol or have a barbecue there either. While that may sound like common sense, it apparently is not common knowledge—according to the Santa Maria Cemetery District, which posted a long PDF on its…
Is Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne really ‘glossing over’ the violence that’s happening in Lompoc, as the Canary says?
A recent headline in the Sun reported, “Lompoc officials, community organizations respond to violent crimes through investment in public safety and youth violence prevention” (“Pieces of the puzzle,” March 17), and a follow-up editorial opined that Mayor Jenelle “Osborne does a lot of glossing over of the violence that’s happening in Lompoc”; and claimed that…
