Cover Story
Supervisors approve cannabis farm west of Buellton
Nearly a year after the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department approved plans for a cannabis farm on Highway 246 about a mile west of Buellton, the project has received a final stamp of approval from supervisors following a lengthy appeal process. The county Planning and Development Department first approved the plans for Busy…
Organizations in the Cuyama Valley look for money and food donations to help the rural community stay fed through the pandemic
While the Cuyama Joint Unified School District is providing meals for students every weekday during the COVID-19 school closures, community members are working to ensure those students get a second meal during the week. Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to noon, any child 18 years of age or younger can pick up a meal…
Elverhoj Museum extends rare Rembrandt exhibition through July in light of COVID-19 precautions
Originally scheduled to run through the end of May, the Elverhoj Museum’s Legacy of Decency: Rembrandt, Jews, and Danes exhibition will remain on display through July, although the museum is temporarily closed without an official reopening date. The museum’s closure was announced on March 17, with a statement from Executive Director Esther Jacobsen Bates. “We…
Local filmmakers and enthusiasts discuss all things cinema on the Central Coast Film Society’s new podcast, Take 18
With COVID-19 mitigation measures in full swing and movie theaters closed indefinitely, film buffs can either rely on streaming services or their own personal VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray collections to get their fix (sorry LaserDisc). When Daniel Lahr, founder and executive director of the Central Coast Film Society (CCFS), took his family out to see…
PCPA cancels ‘The Sound of Music,’ formerly slated for April
Originally scheduled to run April 23 through May 10 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria, the Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s production of The Sound of Music has been canceled, according to a statement from the company’s associate dean and artistic director, Mark Booher. The difficult decision was made in response to CDC guidelines, which recommend…
Central Coast local offers free art lessons, safety tips through YouTube
Virginia Peterson Elementary School teacher Stormy Capalare is currently offering free art lessons through her YouTube account. The Paso Robles resident’s series is titled Art with Me and includes 26 videos (ideally to last 26 days, with one lesson per day). The videos cover simple, in-home art lessons and activities. Other videos on Capalare’s channel…
CANARY: Over the rainbow
I’m feeling a little mopey these days, a little less flamboyantly yellow and a little more decidedly gray, similar the cloudy skies that seem to be following this whole COVID-19 pandemic around on the Central Coast. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy about all the rain. We don’t need to be all drought-weary on top…
Coronavirus is not a joke!
On March 15, 2020, the Santa Maria Times published a column by Andy Caldwell who deliberately understated the effect of COVID-19 virus on the American public. The Republican candidate for the 24th Congressional District followed a long list of conservative lawmakers who have been gaslighting the public for weeks regarding the novel coronavirus. It started…
Lompoc just might not get what it voted for
Sixty-eight percent of voters in Lompoc approved a 15-year, 1 percent increase in the sales tax for purchases both in and out of the city limits. Now the City Council majority will decide what to do with the new revenue. The ballot language and public informational forums provided by the city stated that the measure…
State and local leaders are working to protect the homeless from COVID-19
As COVID-19 continues to change the daily lives of people throughout the world, local and state leaders are trying to protect the most vulnerable in our society, including those experiencing homelessness. Unsheltered people living outside without consistent access to hygiene supplies as well as those in large shelters where it’s more difficult to keep distance…
Political Watch: March 26, 2020
• On March 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that President Donald Trump approved California’s request for a presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster California’s COVID-19 emergency response efforts, according to a press release. “The declaration will supplement our state’s comprehensive COVID-19 surge planning and make vital resources available,” Newsom said in the release. “We appreciate…
Local chamber of commerce aims to help businesses stay afloat amid COVID-19 closures
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce’s mission to help local businesses hasn’t changed since the spread of COVID-19, but closures related to the pandemic have prompted a new sense of urgency. As new local, state, and federal orders roll out aimed at stopping the spread of the virus, most businesses have had to close…
Oil spill into the Cuyama River exposes the risks of trucking oil, environmentalists say
A tanker truck containing thousands of gallons of crude oil overturned on Highway 166 March 21, resulting in an oil spill into the Cuyama River, Santa Barbara County Fire Department Public Information Officer Daniel Bertucelli told the Sun. The truck involved with the accident is from Petrol Transport Inc., a California crude oil transport company,…
Supervisors approve eviction moratorium during COVID-19 pandemic
Santa Barbara County residents anxious about their ability to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic have received some relief through a moratorium on evictions now in place in the unincorporated areas of the county. At its March 24 meeting, the board unanimously approved an urgency ordinance that temporarily prohibits any evictions involving people who have…
Filling out the census is easier than ever, but COVID-19 closures may affect completion rates
For the first time, the 2020 census can be completed online, making it easier than ever to fill out this once-a-decade demographics gauge—which, according to city officials, secures around $2,000 of federal funding for each counted citizen. But as of March 19, some of the main avenues for promoting census completion are affected by the…
