For SunBuggy Fun Rentals owner Randy Jordan, when the Oceano Dunes reopened to vehicle traffic and campers on May 21, it meant his business could start renting out ATVs, dune buggies, and side-by-sides again. “I think it’s great, and I think you really know how much you’re going to miss something when you have to…
For the first time in years, the race for 5th District Santa Barbara County supervisor will extend to the general election. Initial vote counts for the June 2 primary put Ricardo Valencia and Maribel Aguilera on the November ballot, with Cory Bantilan out of the running. Count totals released on June 8 show Valencia with…
As much as people in town want the potholes fixed, Lompoc’s attempt to pass a special sales tax for road maintenance failed. It would’ve brought in roughly $3.75 million annually. In January, the City Council discussed putting a tax measure on the primary election ballot. The Sun reported that a half percent special sales tax…
Santa Maria is looking for a way to keep the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center open year-round next year, despite an initial budget proposal that would have closed it for six months from December to May. “Please be sure we are listening to the community’s feedback,” Mayor Alice Patino told a packed City Council chamber on…
• With about a month left to officially certify the June 2 primary election results, state and federal incumbents led the races to represent northern Santa Barbara County. In the 24th Congressional District, which covers Santa Barbara County and parts of Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties, longtime liberal U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal led with…
Trends have changed drastically since Amy Marlan posed for her high school senior portraits. She remembers wearing the same pearls and drape as the rest of the women in her class. The men put on the top half of a suit. Then, their family photographer took some shots of Marlan on a film camera, but…
The Paul Nelson Aquatic Center’s potential six-month closure really got Santa Maria residents interested in what the city is doing with its budget! With 120 public comment letters submitted prior to the City Council’s discussion about the next two-year budget cycle on June 2, the city had no choice but to listen. The meeting was…
As everyone who pays attention to California politics knows, elections are never resolved on Election Day. It’s always weeks and sometimes months before the final tally is complete. But initially, it appears that Democrats are satisfied with the pitiful condition of our state and county as they continue to support politicians who couldn’t care less…
The recent weeks of quiet, with no roar from dune buggies, brought forth a realization. Living 2 miles from the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, parts of Oceano and the Nipomo Mesa bear an undiscussed, invisible physical toll. When coastal wind carries engine roars into our yards and homes, it does more than disturb…
There was something terribly morbid and terribly wrong about the report of FBI Director Kash Patel’s VIP snorkeling dive on USS Arizona. It’s yet one more example of this administration’s casual indecency. I take it personally, and this is why. Two sailors who died on the Arizona were from my hometown, Arroyo Grande, population 1,090…
Most people have never been the puppeteer inside a 12-foot-tall puppet, but Jennifer Racusin has. “You are completely surrounded by fabric, and you have this big, heavy wooden thing attached to you,” Racusin recounted. “You don’t feel like yourself at all because you’re hidden inside of this thing. … You kind of become whatever it…
Celebrate the Fourth of July a little early with the Lompoc Pops Orchestra’s recognition of America’s 250th birthday. The group’s performance on June 21 will honor those who have served the country through tributes to the nation’s Broadway, Hollywood, opera, and Americana traditions. “The program will feature familiar patriotic favorites, stirring selections, and a special…
After a sold-out debut year, the Corkscrew Comedy Festival is returning to the Santa Ynez Valley from June 18 to 20 starting at 7 p.m. each night. Three venues are set to host the locally produced festival. This year’s event is a fundraiser for Atterdag at Home Meals on Wheels, which delivers nutritious food to…
The BoroughsWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Last year The Thursday Murder Club saw some older stars solve a mystery in their retirement home, and now The Boroughs does the same—but with a very Stranger Things twist. Sam, played by the always epic Alfred Molina, has come to the “idyllic” community…
Memory of a KillerWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Hulu Based on the 1985 Belgian novel and 2003 film De Zaak Alzheimer, this TV series follows Angelo Doyle (Patrick Dempsey), a contract killer trying to keep his family life separate from his life of crime while experiencing early signs of dementia. He…
Tamara Warren has a selectively superb memory. When it comes to her passion for baking, she has muscle memory. Anything else, and it can get a little murky. The baker doesn’t keep an ingredient list or measure anything out. Recently she debuted a banana chocolate chip cookie, and somebody asked her what’s inside. “I was…
