Four North County school districts placed bond measures on the ballot this year to make site improvements or build a new school—with two passing the 55 percent voter approval threshold. The Santa Barbara County Elections Office certified elections on Dec. 3, with more than 187,000 voters casting their ballots for the general election—which is nearly […]
Santa Maria-Bonita and Lompoc Unified bond measures pass
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
NEW FLICKS: Blitz
Blitz What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus Written and directed by Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Widows), this World War II film does something films about this war rarely do, which is to look beyond the good-versus-evil trope of the Allied Forces versus the Nazis and examine another […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: A Man on the Inside
A Man on the Inside What’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Netflix Mike Schur is back doing what he does best, giving his audience loveable, quirky characters in deliciously bite-sized episodes. The Parks and Rec and The Good Place creator has brought Ted Danson back in the leading role of Charles in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Gladiator II is epic, gory, campy fun
Gladiator II What’s it rated? R 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 Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Black Hawk Down) directs this sword-and-sandal sequel to his Oscar-winning Gladiator (2000) set 16 years […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Friendly Neighborhood Big Band holds two free Christmas concerts in Nipomo
Holiday music fans can look forward to two upcoming Christmas-centric performances in Nipomo from the Friendly Neighborhood Big Band—one outdoors and the other indoors. The group will hold a free outdoor concert in a residential area, on the driveway of 755 Honey Groove Lane, Nipomo, on Sunday, Dec. 8, from noon to 2 p.m. Attendees […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Orcutt playwright debuts holiday show, Turkey Boy, at the SLO Library
Performances of Turkey Boy: A Christmas Carol Addendum will be held in the San Luis Obispo Library’s Community Room on Saturday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. on both evenings. Written by Orcutt local Weston Eric Scott, this original play follows a child actor who has played Tiny Tim in his local […]
Posted inOpinion
We’re cutting down an oak forest in Nipomo
The Dana “Reserve” is an oxymoron, since it reserves nothing. More than 3,000 native California quercus agrifolia, which have lived free in the land of their ancestors for millennia, are to be sacrificed on the altar of lucre. Take a deep breath, and it is air they have filtered. Walk beneath their canopy, take a […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t be afraid to talk about climate change during the holidays
It’s drizzling as I write this, just before Thanksgiving. Maybe we’ll have a “normal” rainfall year! Maybe we can set aside our perpetual worries about another drought cycle. As the hills “green up,” we can worry less about wildfires erupting in our hillsides and destroying us, as we saw in the Mountain Fire in Ventura […]
Posted inNews
County Education Office, YouthWell train education staff assisting homeless and foster students
More than 13 percent of students enrolled in Santa Barbara County K-12 schools are considered homeless, and more than 260 students were in foster care during the 2022-23 school year. “In our county, the biggest issue that we face with our foster and homeless youth is that they are changing schools a lot, and so […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: December 5, 2024
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) celebrated the official designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, which took place on Nov. 30, according to a Dec. 2 statement from Carbajal’s office. “Nearly a decade after the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was first proposed to the federal government, the Biden-Harris administration has now […]
Posted inNews
Maximizing dollars: Allan Hancock and Cuesta College hope to receive needed infrastructure funding from Proposition 2
California’s community colleges, including Allan Hancock College and Cuesta College, rely on bond measures to help fund campus enhancements—anything from adding new buildings to renovating existing structures. In the Nov. 5 election, voters approved Proposition 2, a statewide $10 billion bond intended for public schools and community colleges. Public schools would receive $8.5 billion for […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Ebenezer Scrooge and Princess Aurora take the stage at the Great American Melodrama
Selling fast Get tickets to the Great American Melodrama’s Holiday Extravaganza show running until Dec. 31 at americanmelodrama.com. Changing leaves, crisp mornings, and Christmas music on the radio all mark the holiday season’s approach. For theater lovers on the Central Coast, the Great American Melodrama’s annual Holiday Extravaganza is another holiday harbinger. Playing until Dec. […]