With school starting, it’s time for the Sun’s annual Education Today issue. One of the most pressing issues in education—other than the remaining impacts of COVID-19—is a teacher shortage. But there’s a program on the Central Coast that’s aiming to do something about it. The Ticket 2 Teach program is all about learning on the…
On the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society’s board of directors since 2021, Sandra Dickerson (pictured, left) was announced as the group’s new board president in late July. Dickerson’s predecessor, Jed Beebe (right), was named president emeritus in recognition of his dedication to the organization over many years, according to press materials. “I am looking forward to…
The producers of American Pickers, an ongoing documentary series on the History Channel, are currently seeking California residents who collect valuable antiques and other unique items. The show is shot in different states throughout the year and will center on California during the month of September. The series does not highlight flea markets, museums, or…
Trailblazing For more info on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail Summer Passport, visit foxencanyonwinetrail.net. The annual promotion runs through Aug. 31. More than a dozen tasting rooms in Santa Barbara County have teamed up to create a passport that can be used for tasting flights rather than international flights. Scattered across a 30-mile stretch between…
MEG 2: THE TRENCH What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Ben Wheatley (Free Fire, Sightseers, Kill List) directs this sequel to 2018’s The Meg, about the research scientists exploring the Marianas Trench who encounter the…
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie What’s it rated? R When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus Now 62 and in the depths of his Parkinson’s disease, which was diagnosed at age 29, Michael J. Fox has been living with the reality of both his fame and his disease for most of his life.…
i>Kandahar What’s it rated? R When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Redbox and streaming platforms In their third collaboration, Ric Roman Waugh (Angel Has Fallen, Greenland) directs Gerald Butler once again, this time as Tom Harris, a freelance special operator working for the CIA. He’s a world-weary mercenary with a young daughter he doesn’t see enough…
A judge pushed back the Cuyama groundwater adjudication’s first phase to Oct. 9 because Bolthouse Farms and Grimmway Farms failed to publish a notice in a local news outlet and still need to serve 314 landowners, Los Angeles Bankruptcy Law Firm Attorney Kay March told the Sun. California civil codes require those serving adjudications to…
Put on hold during the pandemic, a program that regularly stationed police officers at local high schools is being resurrected by the Santa Maria Police Department. Between 1997 and 2021, the department deployed up to five officers a year to act as school resource officers for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. These…
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management began the next steps in a 2022 settlement by issuing an order to E&B Natural Resources to plug 11 dormant oil wells and remove the surrounding infrastructure within the Carrizo Plain National Monument. The settlement occurred after Los Padres ForestWatch and the Center for Biological Diversity sued the Bureau…
“Stop work; substantial work completed without a permit,” on a red tag affixed to your project is one thing a project manager and/or building owner doesn’t want to see. Last October, the Lompoc Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider the architectural design and site development review for the KFC remodel project. The architecturally…
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced that his Ventura County district office is officially open for in-person appointments, according to an Aug. 2 statement. “If you are having trouble with a federal agency, have thoughts on a federal issue, or have concerns that you want to share with my team, I encourage you…
I support the housing development known as the Dana Reserve in Nipomo. Our area is in desperate need of housing, especially affordable housing for young, working adults. This neighborhood will directly address this need by providing a significant number of affordable housing units, which will enable young people like my own kids to find suitable…
Three mobile clinics rolled into Oceano on Aug. 6, aiming to treat animals in the community at no cost to town residents in need. Although Santa Barbara-based C.A.R.E.4Paws charges for its services on a sliding scale and does comp services for those who can’t afford to pay anything, the nonprofit is now able to help…
Santa Maria City Council member Gloria Soto is extremely concerned about the school-to-prison pipeline. It was in full swing between 1997 and 2021 in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, if you take her comments at a recent board meeting at face value. “The last thing I want to do is perpetuate the…
For years, the public discussion regarding the Oceano Dunes and vehicle access has been binary: four wheelers vs. environmentalists. But maybe its not that simple. Not every person who accesses and recreates on the beach and dunes does so in the same manner. There are pedestrians, cyclists, surfers, kite fliers, clammers, and nature lovers getting…
The Central Coast is addressing its early childhood teacher shortage by equipping aspiring educators through an apprenticeship program with the goal of employing them in the local workforce. While teacher shortage is a national problem, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties are facing a serious demand for preschool teachers. But through state grant funding…
Sunrise to sunset Inspired by Light, a duo exhibition highlighting paintings by Karen McLean-McGaw and Carrie Givens, will remain on display at Gallery Los Olivos through the end of August. A closing reception for the show will be held on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. For more info, call (805) 688-7517 or…
If you’re looking for a new sport for your child to try outside of school hours, the United States Youth Volleyball League has been on the Central Coast for 20 years, Executive Director Veronica Sanchez said. “We’ve been in Santa Maria for quite a few years, at least 15 years,” Sanchez said. “There was…
