

Cover Story
Protesting the president: Santa Maria residents participate in the nationwide demonstrations against the Trump administration
Dozens of protesters converged at the intersection of Broadway and Cook streets in Santa Maria on President’s Day. Some arrived with text-heavy banners in hand, while others laid out blank posters on the lawn outside of Santa Maria City Hall to mark with colored Sharpies. “Nobody elected Musk,” “Democracy not oligarchy,” “Fight against fascism,” “This…
The Sidney Poitier classic To Sir, with Love screens Feb. 24, at The Bay Theatre
To Sir, with Love What’s it rated? Not rated When? Monday, Feb. 24, at 5:30 p.m. Where’s it showing? The Bay Theatre In honor of Black History Month, the Bay Theatre is screening writer-director James Clavell’s aspirational 1967 film, To Sir, with Love, based on the autobiographical novel by E. R. Braithwaite. The story deals…
Kinda Pregnant is kinda funny
Kinda Pregnant What’s it rated? R When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix Amy Schumer is often thought of as a comedian you either dig or you don’t, and luckily, I personally find her pretty dang funny. This new feature-length offering tells the story of Lainey, a woman who’s been a bit obsessed with pregnancy and…
Santa Maria local Juliana Neel takes on new leadership role at Talley Vineyards
Talley chart Call (805) 489-0446(805) 489-0446 or visit talleyvineyards.com to find out more about Talley Vineyards, located at 3031 Lopez Drive, Arroyo Grande. Imagine a cozy blanket in wine form. That’s what makes Talley Vineyards’ 2022 grenache perfect for cold, stormy nights, according to the local winery’s new tasting room manager, Juliana Neel. “[It’s] pure…
Santa Maria solidifies coordination efforts with counties, Caltrans to strengthen homelessness response in riverbed
Find support The Good Samaritan Shelter aims to offer emergency, transitional, and affordable housing as well as other support services for those in need across the Central Coast. To find out about the services, visit goodsamaritanshelter.org. The Santa Maria River runs through multiple jurisdictions, including those belonging to Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County,…
Federal agency approves state waiver for Sable oil pipeline in Santa Barbara County
The list of steps that Sable Offshore Corporation needs to take to restart the oil pipeline that was shut down after the 2015 Refugio oil spill is getting shorter. “The big picture is that Sable is trying to restart this pipeline system that ruptured in 2015,” said Julie Teel Simmonds, the Center for Biological Diversity’s…
Political Watch: February 20, 2025
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) helped introduce legislation that would restore guardrails on federal enforcement activities to protect immigrant communities at sensitive locations, according to a press release from his office. Since 2011, the Department of Homeland Security’s sensitive locations policy prohibited immigration enforcement actions in places that provided vital services such as…
Concussion Navigation Services offers early rehabilitation to patients for faster and more complete brain healing
In the past, health care practitioners advised patients with concussions to “rest and wait.” Now, research suggests this might not be the most effective approach after all. According to Stacey Ritter, a certified athletic trainer and founder of Concussion Navigation Services, patients recover faster and more fully by participating in physical, cognitive, balance, and visual…
Re-encampment
Is re-encampment the same as an oil pipeline restart? Can’t unhoused people just get a waiver to restart their lives in the Santa Maria Riverbed? After all, the system that aims to provide resources, housing, and help to these folks isn’t quite working for them. So we should all collectively shrug, right? Live and let…
Californians were duped into policies that raised the cost of eggs—avian flu’s only making things worse
In 2018, California voters were dupped by animal rights activists into passing Proposition 12, which required farmers who raise laying hens to allow them to “roam freely”; it went into force in 2022. The theory was that this would be more humane and “free them from confinement.” Several other states also adopted this new idea…
Until Palestine is free
Since Oct. 7, 2023, all of us have experienced continuing, intense grief. Many of us are mourning cousins, siblings, classmates, parents … all of us are grieving the astounding loss of Palestinian lives as well as the very structure of Gazan life. There is nothing left of Gaza, yet its people rush back—on foot—to sift…
Local leaders must protect our immigrants
In one of Donald Trump’s first acts in office, he stripped away protections for schools, hospitals, and places of worship from immigration enforcement. These were once safe spaces where people could learn, receive health care, and pray without fear. Now they have been turned into targets for ICE raids. This is unconscionable. As the world’s…
Improv for Good supplies local laughs at workshops and fundraisers
On the spot To find out more about Improv for Good and its lineup of monthly classes and periodic performance events, visit improvforgood.fun or email improvforgood@gmail.com. Striking gold in the world of improv is more about being off-the-cuff than thinking on your feet, according to Pismo Beach resident Thia Anlo, who once feared that the…
Local teen spearheaded crafty gift drive at Marian Regional Medical Center
Young patients in the pediatric unit at Santa Maria’s Marian Regional Medical Center were given stuffed animals, coloring books, crayons, and other fun prizes during the week of Valentine’s Day, thanks to a project organized by 17-year-old high school student Sophia Ferreira. Inspired by her own childhood experience of staying in the hospital, Ferreira organized…
2025 Buellton Wine and Chili Festival announces music lineup
Attendees of this year’s Buellton Wine and Chili Festival (Sunday, March 16, from noon to 4:30 p.m., at Flying Flags RV Resort) can look forward to live entertainment from multiple featured acts. Known for his signature, high-energy yodeling and genre blending, local musician Jared Nels will be among the festival’s music lineup, which also features…
The Gorge is sci-fi horror rom com-drama action flick
The Gorge What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Streaming What’s it worth, Glen? Streaming Where’s it showing? Apple TV+ Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, The Black Phone) directs Zach Dean’s (Deadfall, The Tomorrow War) script about two highly trained snipers—Levi (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy)—stationed on either side of a vast crevice containing…






