Raymond Leon delayed his wife’s wake by a month because of damages to the Apostolic Church in Guadalupe during the January 2023 storms. “We couldn’t hold a church service. Some struggled to come back. It was very hard for everybody,” Leon said. Heavy rains in January caused the Santa Maria River to veer off its…
As Santa Maria approves more housing as part of the Downtown Revitalization Plan, new creative spaces are bringing residents a unique set of experiences, including Flow: a co-working space where residents can rent out office space with the goal of bringing people together and forming a professional community, said Flow’s co-founder, Matt Ladin. Individuals can…
One Solvang City Council member is very concerned that her city could attract the next protest where people glue their hands to the streets. Not only is she concerned about that, she’s also worried about the damage that glue could do to the city. Councilmember Elizabeth Orona was so perturbed about the possibility that she…
Canyon can-dos For more information on wineries located along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, visit foxencanyonwinetrail.net. The Christmas on the Trail program will include festivities at various venues in the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez valleys on Saturday, Dec. 2, and Sunday, Dec. 3. Bribing Santa Claus is probably not the best way to get…
When politicians make a mistake, who suffers the consequences? It’s usually tax-paying citizens who pay the price, and in one case it could have a dramatic impact on your health if you need emergency medical transportation. Recently the Board of Supervisors unanimously chose to award a 10-year ambulance services contract to the Santa Barbara County…
The recent Sun article, “Sticking point” (Nov. 9), highlighted concerns from residents and the California Native Plant Society regarding the proposed Dana Reserve Project in Nipomo. The project aims to remove 3,000 mature oak trees, impacting the Burton Mesa chaparral habitat. The developers’ stated focus is on carbon reduction and oxygen replenishment, with plans to…
As a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor, I have always been proud to be a Jew. I have no desire for that pride to diminish. However, a unique opportunity has been lost forever. The inhuman barbarism that Hamas released on Israel on Oct. 7 provided an ideal chance to show the world that Jewish values of life…
Elf off the shelf The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) presents its production of Elf: The Musical through Dec. 23 at the Marian Theatre, located at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. Visit pcpa.org or facebook.com/pacificconservatorytheatre for tickets and show times. For more info, call the PCPA box office at (805) 922-8313. If singing loud for…
Participants of an upcoming art class in Nipomo will have the chance to learn about the basics of painting with alcohol inks in a casual environment, according to the workshop’s host. Led by local artist Marcia Kortas, the event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Kortas’ studio…
The Lompoc Valley Master Chorale will hold its Holiday Joy concert at the First United Methodist Church in Lompoc on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. Musicians in the local ensemble will be joined by some special guest instrumentalists during the performance, according to press materials. The concert’s featured accompanist is local pianist and thespian…
All the Light We Cannot See What’s it rated? TV-MA What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Netflix Anthony Doerr’s 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning war novel All the Light We Cannot See has been developed by Steven Knight and directed by Shawn Levy into a four-part Netflix miniseries…
The Killer What’s it rated? R When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Netflix David Fincher is one of my favorite living directors, who started directing music videos but went on to make classic films such as Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, and Gone Girl. Much of his work is about obsession, and The Killer fits…
Quiz Lady What’s it rated? R When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Hulu Anne Yum (Awkwafina) leads a tightly wound, boring life. She’s pretty solitary, except for her aging pug, Mr. Linguini, with whom every night she faithfully watches her favorite game show, Can’t Stop the Quiz. When Anne’s mom flees the country to escape gambling…
The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board issued penalties against four Central Coast growers, with two in Santa Barbara County, for failing to report the amount of nitrogen used in their operations. Nitrates are inorganic compounds containing nitrogen that are often used as fertilizers, but they have potential to cause health problems like cancer…
Partly designed as a guide to help differentiate events in Solvang that require city permits from public gatherings protected by the First Amendment, a proposed ordinance faced scrutiny at the end of November from officials who felt it would leave the city unprotected under certain circumstances. In September, the Solvang City Council directed staff to…
While Guadalupe’s first air quality monitors reported healthy air quality levels, there’s still a lot to learn about the city’s air quality and other pollutants that concern residents, Alhan Diaz-Correa told the Sun. “The Santa Maria Valley area is a big agricultural [community] with a lot of farmworkers and farmworker families and schools and public…
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) and a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers urged NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to reverse unilateral funding cuts to the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, which would result in the loss of hundreds of California jobs, prevent the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from making its 2030 launch window, and lead to…
