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K-12 students experience heightened anxiety and combat other mental health-related issues as they return to in-person learning
Fighting, fidgeting, or a lack of focus. Sudden withdrawal or violent outbursts. Students can express their anxiety in many ways, it all depends on the individual and their experiences, said Lompoc Unified School District Social-Emotional Learning Counselor Emily Stone. “A lot of students are coming in for panic attacks. Often they say, ‘I zone out…
BINGEABLE: INVENTING ANNA (2022)
BINGEABLE: INVENTING ANNA (2022) Where’s it playing? Netflix What’s it rated? TV-MA I remember hearing about Anna Delvey while her trial was going on, but I had no idea the depths to which her deceptions went. The “this whole story is completely true, except for all the parts that are totally made up” retelling of…
More than a dozen arrested during human trafficking sting
Almost 500 people across the state were picked up for crimes associated with human trafficking in a February sting operation that included more than 80 federal and local law enforcement agencies—14 were arrested in Santa Barbara County. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force participated in the eighth annual Operation Reclaim and…
Lompoc man sentenced to federal prison for involuntary manslaughter
Lompoc resident Michael Culligan—who crashed a stolen Jeep near Vandenberg Space Force Base, killed another driver, and severely injured the passenger while under the influence of drugs—was recently sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison. The 30-year-old drove a 2019 Jeep Wrangler on base property, swerved into oncoming traffic, and collided head-on with a…
Lompoc officials debate unenforced dance laws
While the majority of the Lompoc City Council recently agreed that the city’s current laws on public dances are outdated and unnecessarily strict, one member fought against the tide and argued for even stricter regulations. During the City Council’s Feb. 15 meeting, Councilmember Gilda Cordova opposed City Attorney Jeff Malawy’s recommendation to repeal three chapters…
California ‘whale tail’ grants benefit local projects that connect people with the ocean and its ecosystems
Ever wonder what the California “whale tail” license plate is all about? Drivers who pay a little extra for the ocean-themed plate are contributing to a statewide fund that the California Coastal Commission uses each year to fund grassroots projects that protect or educate about the coast. On Feb. 9, in a record-breaking year of…
Political Watch: February 24, 2022
• State Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) announced a bipartisan bill to increase access to financial literacy courses in high school, according to a Feb. 15 statement. California received an “F” in financial literacy instruction in a 2017 report commissioned by the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College in Vermont. “Many California kids…
PCPA’s ‘As You Like It’ is downright lovable
Love isn’t just in the air, it’s in the trees, too, during the Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) hopelessly romantic take on William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Centered on a quirky band of forest dwellers cast out from society, the play follows multiple love-stricken characters, one of whom proclaims his admiration with dozens of love…
Orcutt Community Theater presents ‘Picasso at the Lapin Agile’
Performances of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, presented by the Orcutt Community Theater, will run between Friday, March 11, and Sunday, March 27, at Klein Dance Arts Studio in Santa Maria. Steve Martin wrote this comedy that imagines a fictional meeting between Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a small Paris cafe in 1904. Visit…
Grace Baptist Church holds live concert with the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society will host its next live performance, Peace and Tranquility: Pastoral Landscapes, at the Grace Baptist Church in Santa Maria on Saturday, Feb. 26, starting at 7:30 p.m. A free pre-concert lecture will be held shortly before the show, from approximately 6:50 to 7:10 p.m. All state and county health guidelines…
Elverhoj Museum of History and Art hosts an artist panel, Do Sculptures Speak?
On Saturday, March 5, the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art in Solvang will host a special artist talk, Do Sculptures Speak?, with featured speakers Susan Read Cronin and Laure-Ann Bosselaar. Cronin is a bronze sculptor and poet with a current solo exhibition at the museum and Bosselaar is a Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Emerita.…
Chef de Cuisine Adam Measurall puts a fresh spin on Alisal Ranch’s dining options
As far as menu items go, Santa Maria-style barbecue is just the tri-tip of the iceberg at Alisal Ranch’s two on-site restaurants. The resort’s new chef de cuisine, Adam Measurall, oversees both—River Grill and Ranch Grill—and often juggles different cooking techniques. But one consistency is fresh, locally sourced ingredients. “The style of food is pretty…
Dance hall danger
In an apparent effort to protect Lompoc’s minors from any human traffickers who might want to open a dance hall, Lompoc City Councilmember Gilda Cordova went to bat for the city’s unenforced 50-year-old laws on dances, dance halls, and dance studios. “These are basic regulations that protect the activity of minors in those locations,” she…
No pot of gold
Why is it so important to save Diablo Canyon Power Plant from closing, from losing vital energy to sustain a reliable electrical grid, and avoid power shortages? As I have written many times before, there is no perfect source or solution to fill the needs for electric power. Every single one has environmental and or…
Does Lompoc City Council really need to redistrict?
On Feb. 2, the Lompoc City Council and the public received a presentation concerning the need to adjust the four City Council districts. The staff report started with “Every 10 years, cities with by-district election systems must use new census data to review and, if needed, redraw, district lines to reflect how local populations have…
