For dozens of Refugio State Beach’s visitors on May 18, stepping into the ocean was a solemn act of remembrance. Local environmental groups co-hosted a morning paddle out that Sunday—one day shy of the 10th anniversary of the Refugio oil spill. Three offshore oil rigs connected to the May 19, 2015, disaster were within eyesight…
Passengers of the Guadalupe Flyer can take advantage of free rides for a limited time this summer thanks to a consolidation of two previously separate bus fare systems. During its June 3 meeting, the Santa Maria City Council agreed to allow Guadalupe’s public transit service to integrate into Santa Maria’s network. Starting on July 1,…
Sip, sip, hurray Coast Range is located at 1635 Mission Drive in Solvang. For menus and more information, including details about its nonalcoholic cocktails, find it on Instagram @coastrangerestaurant, or visit coastrange.restaurant. After he drank himself into the hospital with cirrhosis last November, Steven Fretz had to be revived. The doctors gave him two choices:…
Shaking windows and a sonic boom awoke Orcutt and Lompoc residents around 7 a.m. on June 8, when SpaceX Starlink group 15-8 launched the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Once a relatively rare occurrence, rockets are launching from the Vandenberg base with increasing frequency. With each launch comes a sound loud enough…
Three palm trees are part of a developer’s digital rendering for a proposed medical facility set for the spot where Buellton ironically almost got its first In-N-Out. Shuttered since 2020, the Parks Plaza movie theater was a city focal point in 2023 when the Buellton City Council overturned the Planning Commission’s decision to greenlight In-N-Out’s…
• U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-California) and Alex Padilla (D-California) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) signed a June 9 letter addressed to three federal departments regarding David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California, who was arrested on June 6 during a confrontation at an ICE raid in Los…
Walking along dirt paths in the Santa Maria Riverbed, there’s not much to see but dry brush and the occasional jackrabbit. In the distance, a group of people appear among the bushes. A man in bright mint green scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck rips open a bag of plastic syringes and grabs a…
How many lawsuits does it take to stop Sable Offshore Corporation? At least two: One from the Environmental Defense Center and one from the Center for Biological Diversity. Well, two and a restraining order request—and even then, Sable continues its march to open the oil tap. Both were filed in response to the Office of…
The Fourth of July is coming soon, and that means that hundreds of people in Lompoc will likely be detonating fireworks in every sector of town. Many of these people rent the space they live in. In a December 2024 Lompoc City Council meeting, the police chief reported that “From June 1 to July 25…
A year ago, on June 13, 2024, there was a long-distance drift event from a fumigation using chloropicrin (tear gas) and 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-DCP) seriously impacting 33 known individuals in Oceano and Arroyo Grande with migraine headaches, nausea, flu-like symptoms, respiratory issues, and perhaps causing two pneumonias, according to data that I and others collected. Crows…
Beating heart To see the digital gallery and learn more about Corazón del Pueblo and its programs, visit corazondelpueblo.org. The nonprofit is located at 120 E. Jones St. in Santa Maria. A black ball gown decorated with yellow and white flowers depicted by a Righetti High School student was the one she dreamed of wearing…
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) will host three week-long camps this summer at its Severson Theatre on the Allan Hancock College campus, located at 800 S. College Drive in Santa Maria. Campers will learn how to build confidence and find their voice while socializing and exploring the whimsical, musical world of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka.…
Santa Ynez Valley-based author Jamie Baker released his new novel, You Ate It, on May 25. The 368-page novel addresses school shootings, vigilante justice, drug addiction, sex, and politics. You Ate It tells the story of a teenager named Michael who has a big idea that makes him rich and lands him in Silicon Valley.…
The Phoenician Scheme What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Regal Arroyo Grande Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) directs his script co-written with Roman Coppola about shady international businessman Zsa-zsa Korda…
Stand By Me What’s it rated? R When? 1986 Where’s it showing? The Bay Theatre of Morro Bay on Monday, June 16, at 5:30 p.m. You’ve likely seen this 1986 coming-of-age drama, and if you’re like me, you’ve seen it more than a dozen times. Still, it’s a film that I would always say yes…
Cool Hand Luke What’s it rated? PG When? 1967 Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre of San Luis Obispo on Friday, June 13, 7 p.m. “Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand.” Directed by Stuart Rosenberg, this 1967 anti-establishment film encapsulates the anti-authoritarianism of the ’60s. Set in the early 1950s, the film follows…
