Cover Story
Muskie Love is a must-see at the Great American Melodrama
Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann traded swords for guns when he gave Romeo + Juliet a contemporary setting. But you won’t find either of those in playwright Dave Hudson’s Muskie Love, another modern retelling of a Shakespeare classic. “Mine is bigger than yours!” one character exclaims to his rival as they brandish fishing rods during a lightsaber-esque…
The Garagiste Wine Festival shines a spotlight on small production wineries throughout Santa Barbara County and beyond
Even while bringing more than 150 wine tasting options under one roof, the organizers behind the Garagiste Wine Festival are more interested in quality over quantity. Luckily for them, finding rare and unadulterated wines comes easy with showcasing micro-production wineries, festival co-founder Douglas Minnick said. “Wineries at this level of production are not making wines…
Santa Maria Valley Senior Club holds Valentine’s Dance with live music
The Santa Maria Valley Senior Club presents its Valentine’s Dance, featuring live music from the Riptide Big Band, at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center in Santa Maria on Sunday, Feb. 13, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. The band will be accompanied by guest vocalist Bob Nations. Admission to the dance is free, thanks to funding…
SMCT postpones ‘The Full Monty’ to mid February
The Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s (SMCT) production of The Full Monty: The Musical was originally scheduled to run in January, but it’s been rescheduled to debut on Friday, Feb. 18, and run through Saturday, March 5. Admission to the show ranges from $15 to $20, and tickets are available online and in advance at my805tix.com.…
Local rock group Ghost/Monster performs concert in Buellton
The Brick Barn Wine Estate in Buellton presents Ghost/Monster live in concert on Sunday, Feb. 13, from 1 to 5 p.m. Reservations to this outdoor event are recommended but not required. Wine will be available for purchase throughout the show. Led by musician and singer Nataly Lola (pictured, right), Ghost/Monster is a local pop and…
The Santa Maria-Lompoc NAACP receives county recognition and hosts several Black History Month events
At the beginning of the month, Santa Maria-Lompoc NAACP President Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt drove up and down Santa Barbara County to receive resolutions from several cities and the Board of Supervisors recognizing February 2022 as Black History Month. “Our theme is Black joy and legacy and focuses on health and safety. … We talked about highlighting…
Political Watch: February 10, 2022
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced on Feb. 2 the first round of investments to repair California bridges under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act he helped pass. Carbajal voted to deliver $4.25 billion to fix bridges this year, as part of a total $27.5 billion investment in bridge repair over the next…
Solvang struggles with ongoing backyard shed debate
A Solvang resident who urged the city to change its tune on backyard shed policing is not satisfied with the city’s suggested solutions so far, and neither is the Solvang Planning Commission. Both the resident, Chris Horn, and some members of the Planning Commission expressed concerns with a recent proposal from city staff, heard during…
Grand jury points out issues with projects Homekey and Roomkey
While state-funded projects helped address some homelessness issues by creating more housing units during the pandemic, a recent Santa Barbara County grand jury report found that the county needs more permanent funding sources to continue its recent successes. “The grand jury found there was overwhelming evidence that demonstrated the effectiveness of Project Roomkey in providing…
Santa Barbara County passed its omicron peak
COVID-19 case numbers had dropped by 66 percent from Santa Barbara County’s peak in January, county Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said on Feb. 8. “We looked at other places internationally that were ahead of us, and we saw that same rapid decline. We are pretty confident that the omicron variant had its peak in…
Political quagmire
Sheds. Homeowners can’t live with ’em and they can’t live without ’em. And in Solvang, regulators seem to be having a hard time with the unintended consequences of a shed regulation situation caused by shed-stirrer and Skytt Mesa resident Kristin Kellner She complained about a neighbor’s shed not following city code guidelines, which eventually put…
Big energy fights solar
The Santa Barbara Planning Commission recently voted to deny ExxonMobil’s proposal to restart offshore drilling and truck oil to Kern County on the dangerous and windy route 166; in March the final decision will be voted on by the Board of Supervisors. Meanwhile, we face another threat to California’s goal of 100 percent clean energy…
There are no easy answers to the problem of providing housing for the homeless
Recently the county Board of Supervisors declined $17.9 million in grant funding and then later reinstated part of a request by the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara to purchase an old motel in Santa Maria and operate it as housing for the homeless. In the process, they reserved the right to deny the project at…
