May 8-18, 2025

May 8-18, 2025 / Vol. 26 / No. 11
As the space formerly known as the Wildling Museum celebrates 25 years, it welcomes Danish artist Thomas Dambro’s first permanent troll in California. Lulu Hyggelig, visible both day and night, is stuck inside the California Nature Art Museum’s tower. Dambo’s gigantic trolls built from recycled materials are spread out all over the world, and Lulu […]

Cover Story

Money trumps quails

What can I say about quails? They’re kind of cute, especially the babies. They can’t fly like I can, but they are native to California. You can attract them into your yard by sprinkling the right food around and providing them with some thick shrubbery for cover. Which is cool, unless you live in Solvang’s…

Elverhoj Museum screens Danish film The Kiss

The Elverhoj Museum of History and Art and World Wide Motion Pictures corporation will host a reception, discussion, and screening of Danish film, The Kiss, on May 31, following the movie’s May 16 premiere in the U.S.  The Danish feature film directed by Academy Award winner Billie August is based on the classic German novel…

Cypress Gallery features Kristine Kelly, who paints with glass

In May, the Cypress Gallery in Lompoc’s featured artist of the month is Kristine Kelly, a painter who uses glass as her medium.  She started working with glass 30 years ago, making fused glass jewelry and decorative pieces from molds. But once she discovered the art of landscape painting using kiln-fired glass, there was no…

Solvang shelves quail-inspired remodel of Skytt Mesa’s rainwater drainage

Reports of baby birds trapped in a storm drain prompted Solvang’s city staff to consider a neighborhood-wide retrofit in the Skytt Mesa area—one that would reduce the space between Skytt Mesa’s existing rainwater grate bars to help prevent small critters from falling through the gaps. After a preliminary study, staff revealed the project’s estimated price…

Lompoc police get a radio upgrade after decades of old technology

For the first time in more than 30 years, Lompoc police officers received new portable radios on May 5. Police Chief Kevin Martin said officers received more modern devices as part of a $4 million plan to replace the city’s three-decade-old radio network.  “My biggest concern was the portables police officers were carrying,” Martin said.…

Political Watch: May 8, 2025

• The California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, co-chaired by Assemblymembers Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and vice chaired by state Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), announced its bill priorities for the 2025 legislative session on May 2. “From protecting our coasts from offshore drilling to protecting our homes from wildfires, this…

Thunderbolts follows the misadventures of a team of antiheroes

Thunderbolts* 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, Fair Oaks, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank, Paper Towns, Beef) directs this superhero story about Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava…


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