NEW FLICKS: KIMI
NEW FLICKS: KIMI Where’s it playing? HBO Max What’s it rated? R Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s Eleven, Magic Mike) directs this thriller about Angela Childs (Zoë Kravitz), an agoraphobic tech worker whose job is to monitor data streams from a new smart speaker called Kimi, making corrections to its software. Unlike other smart speakers…
The core of it is about conserving historical social norms, policies, and practices
Authentic conservatism needs advocates capable of addressing the ideas and issues of our time. The core belief of conservatism is its partiality to historically inherited social norms, policies, and practices. Thoughtful conservatives contend that societies—especially traditional ones—are complex and that their consolidation over decades and centuries should not be lightly tampered with because doing so…
A Central Coast Dignity Health nurse raises funds for Cuddle Cots to help families with newborn deaths
After 14 weeks of pregnancy, Ashley Agnitch was told her daughter had trisomy 18 (or Edwards’ syndrome), a genetic abnormality that limited her daughter’s heart from fully developing, and was not expected to survive pregnancy, labor, or delivery, Agnitch recalled. “They had told me that the pregnancy would end in miscarriage and also offered—and recommended—medical…
Solvang shifts stance on reopening Copenhagen Drive
The Solvang City Council changed its tune on the future of Copenhagen Drive, after hearing proposals on both sides of an ongoing debate about whether to reopen the road or permanently close it. In January, city staff presented a handful of different approaches to reopening the street to vehicular traffic, but the City Council opted…
Mental health survey highlights disparities in Spanish-speaking communities
Although the majority of the public experienced mental health impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most Spanish speakers in Santa Barbara County reported no negative impacts, according to a county behavioral wellness assessment. Behavioral Wellness Chief of Strategy and Community Engagement Susan Grimmesey presented these differences and the general need for more universal care at…
Political Watch: March 3, 2022
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), and U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles) announced a bicameral affordable housing bill—the Housing for All Act—that will invest in new affordable housing options and help Californians experiencing homelessness, according to a Feb. 25 press release. The bill includes Carbajal’s bipartisan Naomi Schwartz…
Santa Maria officials and organizations collaborate for riverbed cleanup
Trained volunteers from several organizations collected an estimated 50,000 pounds of trash and abandoned materials from the Santa Maria Riverbed and connected about 35 people to resources during a homeless encampment cleanup, Santa Maria Public Information Officer Mark van de Kamp said. “We’ve had—like most cities in California—homelessness is a very complex social problem with…
2022 marks the Central Coast Music Teachers Association’s 50th anniversary
When music instructor Louise Frye moved from Southern California to the Central Coast, she quickly found a convenient way to connect with colleagues and potential new students in the area. Today, there’s probably an app for that. But this was 1985. “Being a piano teacher and a previous member of the Music Teachers Association of…
A recent Board of Supervisors decision opens doors for cannabis growers, but residents remain concerned
When California legalized adult recreational cannabis consumption in 2016, Santa Barbara County created an ordinance to regulate the new industry and welcomed cannabis into the agricultural community. But that approach created a new set of challenges. “What we’ve done with cannabis in Santa Barbara County is we’ve built the plane while we were in mid-flight,…
Experimental confectioner Jessica Foster reflects on a prolific career in chocolatiering
As a kid, Jessica Foster loved to make mud pies—with real mud—while playing in the dirt. That’s the only memory she can confidently label as foreshadowing her career path. “I liked candy, but I didn’t love chocolate,” the professional chocolatier said. “I was like the fruity candy kid. I was more into Skittles, Starbursts, stuff…
Crime and grime
Being homeless isn’t a crime. But “many kinds of public conduct are illegal.” Santa Maria Public Information Officer Mark van de Kamp told us that. And he’s not exactly wrong. But, if the public conduct associated with being homeless is illegal, aren’t we essentially saying that homelessness is a crime? A recent Santa Maria Riverbed…
Solvang Theaterfest nearly reaches fundraising goal of $4.7 million
During the Solvang Festival Theater’s recent Rejsegilde celebration in February, a special announcement was made regarding the status of the theater’s ongoing fundraising efforts. “We’re now a little more than $100,000 from our original goal,” Ann Foxworthy Lewellen, board vice chair and capital campaign chair of Solvang Theaterfest, said during the gathering, according to a…
Wine and Design hosts new monthly workshop series, West Coast Landmarks
On Saturday, March 5, Wine and Design in Orcutt will host the first entry in a new workshop series, West Coast Landmarks. Participants of the course, held at 6:30 p.m., will paint a landscape of Multnomah Falls in Oregon, and each monthly class to follow will be based on a different well-known landmark. Guests are…
PCPA seeks affordable housing for incoming artists and students
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) is currently seeking low-cost housing opportunities for the company’s incoming interns, students, and guest artists. Santa Maria residents with an extra room to rent out are encouraged to contact PCPA’s assistant production manager Geno Franco at (805) 928-7731, Ext. 3153, or by emailing companymanager@pcpa.org. Housing providers will be required to…
