Looking at Santa Barbara County’s probation routine for formerly incarcerated youth with a fresh pair of eyes, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley is also providing those juvenile offenders with a new face. “I believe, and research shows, that young people thrive when they have adults who care about them in their lives. So, getting another…
Skaters in Guadalupe are excited. Right now, the closest skate parks are located in Santa Maria and Nipomo, but that’ll change when construction on Las Mujeres Park is complete. Instead of driving 20 minutes away, Guadalupe residents will be able to walk 10 minutes to the new park from anywhere in town, explained the city’s…
With 20 years of experience running a preschool behind him, Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) described the Trump administration’s recent push to freeze federal child care funds in five states as hitting close to home. “As that applies to California, it means we are kind of out of the business of helping parents, kids, and…
• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) drafted a Jan. 29 letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in response to her letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urging him to surrender the state’s voter rolls as part of an exchange for the Trump administration calling off its deployment of Immigrant and…
Cheryl DeLaby thinks of life as the passage of seasons. People experience them in all kinds of ways, under varying circumstances, and at different ages, but everybody goes through changes. Reaching for resourcesFor more information about Monarch Senior Transitions and its free services, visit monarchseniortransitions.com or follow Monarch Senior Transitions on Facebook. Contact founder Cheryl…
Santa Maria is no longer the only game in North County for skater kids looking for a place to play. First, Nipomo stepped up and built a skate park—it only took a decade to make it happen. That park opened in 2022. Now, Guadalupe’s four-wheel fiends will soon get a spot they can walk to—skate…
Lompoc is probably the pothole paradise of the county. The city staff estimates that there is a maintenance backlog of more than $70 million needed to bring all city streets up to acceptable service levels. I live on a cul-de-sac that is just one block long. There are well over a dozen potholes on our…
Have you ever asked yourself, “If I had been alive during the Holocaust, what would I have done? If I had been alive during slavery, what would I have done? If I had been alive during the battle for equal rights for all Americans, what would I have done?” Well, we each are doing it…
Many people now turn to therapy not only for treatment, but for guidance, reassurance, and belonging. Therapy has become a massive industry. Some people truly need professional care. But many others are using therapists to replace relationships that once existed elsewhere. This concept is outlined in detail in Freya India’s Jan. 8 blog post, “Therapists…
Leading up to Hilda Freyre’s childhood home was a thick canopy of trees. She grew up on a sugarcane plantation in Peru, an environment she was reminded of while on a drive in Los Olivos a few months ago. She saw an archway of leaves blanketing the road from above. “The trees were different, and…
Faculty at Allan Hancock College will be showcasing their work at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery, located on the school’s Santa Maria campus from Feb. 9 to March 12. There’ll be a reception on Feb. 11 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and the gallery invites community members to attend. “The exhibition features work by Hancock’s fine…
On Feb. 13, Youth Arts Alive is hosting a celebration at the Santa Maria Veterans’ Memorial Center to commemorate its 10th year of providing free classes to local kids. The event starts at 6 p.m. with dinner and a lineup of performances. The fiesta celebrates the hard work of teachers, site coordinators, volunteers, and interns…
Angel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle) directs Jonathan Tropper’s (The Adam Project) script about estranged half-brothers—reckless Oklahoma reservation cop Jonny (Jason Momoa) and disciplined former Navy SEAL turned drill instructor James Hale (Dave Bautista)—who reunite in Honolulu after their shady private eye father, Walter (Brian L. Keaulana), dies in a hit-and-run. Was it murder? As they…
Kidnapped: Elizabeth SmartWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix It’s a familiar story for anyone who was around in the early 2000s. At 14, she was abducted from her Utah home while her family slept, except her little sister Mary Katherine, who witnessed the kidnapping. The media storm that followed was deafening,…
ShelterWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Ric Roman Waugh (Greenland) directs this action thriller about a recluse (Jason Statham) living on a remote Scottish island with his dog. A young girl, Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), delivers supplies every week, but during…
A retrofitted 1959 Airstream camper remains parked on Nojoqui Avenue in Los Olivos, right next to a historic Victorian home. The vehicle, dubbed The Caravan, is a fully fledged coffee shop, appointed with a classic espresso machine, a gigantic ice maker, and cooking appliances. “It’s like the cutest thing ever,” co-owner Alyce Barrick said. CaravaningQueen…
