Flanked by unmarked gravestones, vampire coffins, and headless mannequins, scenic carpenter Martin Ramirez stands inside a two-story building on the north end of the Great American Melodrama’s parking lot. He’s one of the employees who breathes fresh life into the theater’s archive department on a regular basis. His workspace across from the theater preserves oodles…
•Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) recognized the Immigrant Legal Defense Center as the California Nonprofit of the Year for Assembly District 37 on May 21. This recognition was part of the Legislature’s annual California Nonprofits Day, a statewide effort honoring the vital role that nonprofit organizations play in California communities, according to Hart’s office. Founded…
Samantha McDonald was 13 years old when the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm, forcing schools across the United States to pivot from in-person to virtual learning sessions. Then a seventh grader, Samantha suddenly discovered she had a lot of free time for the first time in her young life. Most kids that age…
Even as a fully fledged bird, I need a mother every now and again. Sometimes I miss the comfort of a sheltering wing; sometimes I just need to be reminded of what’s right and what’s wrong. But needing someone to fill that mama-shaped hole in my heart is no excuse for going all cuckoo on…
Old guys like me like to tell “war stories” about their military service, stories you never heard about on the news; I am no different. Like hundreds of thousands of military members, in 1976 I was chosen to serve a one-year “remote” tour of duty—that means that you don’t take your family with you, only…
I’ve been living with kidney failure since 2019. Like so many Californians, I’ve faced more than just one diagnosis—diabetes, high blood pressure, gastroparesis, gout—and even the amputation of my foot due to sepsis. Dialysis, an intensive treatment done three times per week to keep me alive, has permanently affected my life. But I’ve fought every…
Proud to represent On May 30, view Nuestra Lotería, which showcases the artwork of 220 students from Ernest Righetti and Santa Maria High Schools at the Santa Maria Fairpark from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit corazondelpueblo.org/nuestra-loteria. The Fairpark is located at 937 S. Thornburg St. Helen Yanez said she was always the…
The city of Lompoc’s Parks and Recreation Division will host three free movies for community members throughout the summer at Ryon Memorial Park. Beginning with Moana 2 on Saturday, June 14, the Parks and Recreation Division will welcome families around 8 p.m. for a night of cinema under the stars. The division will screen Dog…
Fossemalle Dance Studio’s Santa Ynez Valley Performing Arts Company will host its 36th season of An Invitation to Dance at the Santa Ynez Valley High School Little Theater. Under the direction of Christine Fossemalle, students will perform on June 18, 20, and 21 starting at 7 p.m. each night. Guests will be treated to three…
Pour it up Located at 724 E. Ocean Ave., Pour Decisions encourages thirsty locals to come in and try their fresh-squeezed margaritas and signature espresso martinis. The cocktail bar shares information about upcoming events on Facebook under the name Pour Decisions or on Instagram @pourdecisionslompoc. For more information, call (805) 972-3107. It’s happy hour in…
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning 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, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Christopher McQuarrie helms this part 2 to Dead Reckoning (2023), where Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his Impossible Missions Force must…
Fountain of Youth What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Apple TV+ Guy Ritchie (The Covenant, Sherlock Holmes) directs James Vanderbilt’s (Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man) screenplay about estranged siblings—Luke (John Krasinski) and Charlotte Purdue (Natalie Portman)—who reunite to seek the legendary Fountain of Youth. I usually enjoy these fantasy adventure movies. Think Raiders…
Fred & Rose West: A British Horror Story What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix Fred and Rose—you may know their names well or not at all, but once you know their story, you’ll never forget them. The murderous British couple looked as normal as could be, but behind the Sears portrait…
Convicted of stealing more than $2.2 million over the course of seven years, a former financial advisor based in Orcutt will face a prison sentence of more than three times the amount her attorney argued for. On May 19, U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II sentenced Julie Darrah to serve 121 months—a little more…
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution to prepare for the next pandemic on May 20. In response to the 2024-25 Santa Barbara County grand jury’s March 10 report that identified a need for the county Health Department to develop a proactive approach to the next potential epidemic, board members Laura Capps,…
Planned Parenthood clinics in Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, and Oxnard are poised to stop services until management improves labor practices contributing to high turnover rates. “We’ve heard a few different things from staff who have quit recently,” Planned Parenthood staff physician Mike Solemar said. “Some of the most common…
