Contribute, commemorate The Santa Maria Japanese Community Center is accepting donations for the cultural center, which will be commemorated through a series of plaques in the building. Donations will be in tiers, ranging from $500 to $15,000, and donors must put “donor plaque” in the check’s memo section. Email weskoyama@gmail.com for more information on donations.…
Between 80 and 100 people attended a vigil on Sept. 13 to honor a local farmworker who passed away in a work-related accident “It was beautiful to see the community supporting the family, bringing flowers, candles. A local priest came to support the community,” said Andrea Echeverri Betancur, a senior policy advocate for Central Coast…
• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Mike Braun (R-Indiana) introduced bipartisan legislation to streamline veterans’ access to their benefit claim files, according to a Sept. 14 statement from Padilla’s office. The Wounded Warrior Access Act would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a secure online tool or website to…
From listening to kids read to visiting seniors in bed care, Kelli the liver-spotted Dalmatian has provided a lot of joy on the Central Coast. “She loves everybody. When we work with kids, she will lay down while the kids climb all over her,” said Toni Perez, Kelli’s owner and handler. “I adopted her when…
Apparently, providing emergency services in Santa Barbara County is complicated. I mean, obviously it is. But for some reason I can’t quite grasp, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has made it even more complicated in the last six months. For 50 years, American Medical Response (AMR) has provided emergency medical services to the…
For many years I was a Planning Commissioner, and during several hearings nonprofits or the Santa Barbara County Housing Authority said that Lompoc needed more low-income housing. The state and federal government have been trying to “fix” the affordable housing problem since the early 1960s when they started creating large high-density apartment buildings and crammed…
I read with interest Clive Pinder’s letter in Sept. 7 edition of the Sun (“We’re entitled to our opinions, not our own facts”). According to The Hill, CNN.com, Politico, and PBS, Trump’s Truth Social response (Dec. 5, 2022) to losing the 2020 election was to state in all caps: “MASSIVE AND WIDESPREAD FRAUD AND DECEPTION”…
I do not know the author of “The Sea is Boiling,” Sept. 14. I imagine we would get along, as I share the same concerns about climate change. The small actions suggested are all good ideas, as we must all do something to steer us from disaster. But I was struck that the writer has…
Farm frames The 13th annual SLOPOKE Art of the West Show is open on Sept. 22, 23, and 24 at Flag Is Up Farms, located at 901 E. Highway 246, Solvang. Visit the-slopoke.com to find out more about the group exhibition. Sprawling landscapes and intimate still life paintings will be among the works on display…
Several events are slated to take place between Friday, Oct. 6, and Sunday, Oct. 8, across the Central Coast as part of the 13th annual Central Coast Railroad Festival. The festival’s main event will be held at the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Throughout the…
A Haunting in Venice What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Kenneth Branagh is back with his third go-around rebooting classic mysteries by novelist Agatha Christie. After Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and…
The opening reception for a new juried exhibition, California National Parks: Stories of Water, at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature will be held on Sunday, Sept. 24, from 3 to 5 p.m. The exhibit includes artworks of various media by 37 participating artists and will remain on display through February 2024. The selected…
Hypnotic What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Peacock Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Spy Kids, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) directs this sci-fi mystery that mixes elements of Inception, Looper, Fury, and Firestarter into a detective story with a significant mid-film twist. Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck), an Austin Police Department detective, is…
Down for Love What’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Netflix This five-episode reality series by Netflix follows several young hopefuls looking for love. It’s similar to their program Love on the Spectrum, but instead of autism diagnoses, Netflix introduces us to six young men and women who all have been diagnosed with…
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department will be the new countywide provider for emergency medical services after the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its application. During the Sept. 19 meeting, the supervisors heard from American Medical Response—its current ambulance provider—and County Fire about their proposals to provide ambulance services for the county. These applications came…
With plans to bring two new cannabis shops to downtown Guadalupe, two separate retailers recently entered into similar agreements with the city. Public hearings for both projects, Root One and Element 7, were held back-to-back during the Guadalupe City Council’s Sept. 12 meeting. As part of their applications, each retailer was required to outline “the…
Now boarding Visit refugioranch.com for more info on Refugio Ranch Vineyards, located at 2990 Grand Ave., Los Olivos. The new 29 Ninety food pop-up series at the venue takes place every Saturday and Sunday, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Call (805) 697-5289 for more details on the ongoing program and its menu offerings. Previously…
