Cover Story
Santa Maria-Bonita integrates students with disabilities into general education classrooms to comply with new laws
While Betsy Jones leads her students through multiplication charts, English lessons, and science experiments, a special education co-teacher goes around the room, making sure students with disabilities understand and are keeping up with their peers. “I am a general education teacher and I co-teach with her all day long,” the fifth grade Liberty Elementary School…
NEW FLICKS: DAY SHIFT
NEW FLICKS: DAY SHIFT Where’s it playing? Netflix What’s it rated? R In his directorial debut, J.J. Perry helms this comedy-horror about Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx), a divorced pool cleaner with a precocious 10-year-old daughter, Paige (Zion Broadnax); and a disgruntled ex-wife, Jocelyn (Meagan Good), who’s threatening to move if Bud can’t pay for his…
County allocates funding to child care, but only ‘a drop in the bucket’
After a major advocacy effort and an analysis of child care’s impact on the economy, Santa Barbara County will release $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds over the next three years for the child care sector’s pandemic recovery and resiliency. “The child care sector struggled pre-COVID and of course, COVID made it…
Jim Mosby runs against Jenelle Osborne for Lompoc mayor
Former Lompoc City Councilmember Jim Mosby is returning to politics after losing his seat to Jeremy Ball in 2020. Only this time around, Mosby’s running for mayor. “I’ve been paying attention and I’m invested in this community, and I see it drastically stepping backwards,” he said. “We need to stop making excuses and come up…
Vernon Group proposes new mixed-use development at the former site of Santa Maria’s Bradley Hotel
A local real estate firm is planning to develop some new commercial businesses and more than 80 apartments on a city-owned parcel in downtown Santa Maria. The Vernon Group’s proposal to build a five-story mixed-use building on the site, known as Lot 3, was initially met with mixed feedback during the Santa Maria City Council’s…
C.A.R.E.4Paws and Domestic Violence Solutions partner to provide pet care for victims leaving abusive homes
Up to 40 percent of domestic violence victims report they’re unable to leave their abusers because they’re concerned about what will happen to their pets when they leave, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “What we’ve learned is that pets are used as pawns in domestic violence situations where the abuser is using…
Political Watch: August 25, 2022
• Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled California’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health to ensure all California children, parents, and communities have increased access to mental health and substance use services, according to an Aug. 18 statement from the governor’s office. Nationally, kids are reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety at record rates and are considering…
PCPA transports theatergoers ‘Into the Woods’ with fanciful flair
During summertime, one of my favorite places to let my hair down is the Solvang Festival Theater. It’s evident from the outdoor venue’s current production, Into the Woods, that long-haired legend Rapunzel (played by Elizabeth Martinie) occasionally shares my sentiment. Stairs are not an option when it comes to reaching the top floor of Rapunzel’s…
Santa Maria Valley growers and vintners gear up for fourth annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day
Fresh fruit and vegetable giveaways, free food samples, and complimentary wine tastings are among the festivities scheduled for 2022’s Santa Barbara County Farm Day celebration. This year marks the annual program’s fourth iteration and will take place in Santa Maria on Saturday, Sept. 17. The multi-venue event is organized by the Students for Eco-Education and…
Upcoming Solvang exhibit showcases dune vistas by photographer Bob Canepa
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang presents Dunes: Visions of Sand, Light, and Shadow, a new photography exhibition, which is scheduled to debut on Saturday, Sept. 10, and remain on display at the venue through the end of March 2023. The solo exhibit will showcase photographs taken at the Oceano dunes by…
Touring circus group brings Paranormal Cirque to Santa Maria
Cirque Italia presents Paranormal Cirque, a circus and cabaret show scheduled to premiere at the Santa Maria Fairpark on Thursday, Aug. 25, at 7:30 p.m. Additional performances will take place on Friday, Aug. 26, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 27, at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 28, at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. The…
Lompoc’s school district should wait to try again for its $125 million bond
The Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) is asking voters to approve a bond measure four years after they twice rejected similar efforts. This bond would be used to fund facility improvements. Recent events over at the LUSD should cause the board of trustees to withdraw a school bond from consideration on this ballot. Why? Well,…
Gunning for you
Jim “Don’t Point Those Finger Guns At Me” Mosby is sick of seeing Lompoc rise from the ashes of its once derelict City Council to actually increase funding for things like public safety. In the year and a half since the council’s been freed from his toxic grasp, the city has made real progress—and he’s…
Where will the water come from?
It is not fair to the taxpayers of Santa Maria for our City Council and Planning Commission to give the developer of the recently approved housing on the site of the old Fallas property in Town Center West $1.25 million in incentives, when he will make millions on this project without taking money out of…
I also grew up with guns
Ken Haggard’s opinion piece from Aug. 18 titled “Growing up with guns,” like so many others, misses the point, although he does brush up against it. He says, “It never crossed our minds to actually point these weapons at anyone, much less load and shoot at a person.” It is not the change in guns,…
