After originally saying it didn’t have enough bus seats for every student who needed a ride to and from Mesa Middle School, the Lucia Mar Unified School District fixed the issue before school started. Dozens of parents received word that their students didn’t get bus pass applications approved, but Lucia Mar Marketing and Communications Director […]
Lucia Mar school district fixes its bus shortage in time for school year
Posted inNews
Nipomo CSD votes to annex Dana Reserve, split its property tax with SLO County
The Dana Reserve moved one step closer to breaking ground after the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD) voted in favor of splitting the development’s future property taxes with SLO County and annexing the project into its service area. More than 100 community members were present at the NCSD’s Aug. 28 board meeting to show their […]
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Farmworkers advocate wage increases at Board of Supervisors meeting
Instead of spending summers at camp when she was a child, Blanca Antonio Aquino—alongside other children of farmworkers—worked in the fields to help their families pay bills. “At age 8, I recall my mom telling me, ‘When you’re picking strawberries, think as if you’re picking up a single cent,” Antonio Aquino told the Santa Barbara […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Spud Street’s food truck is the quickest route to every local french fry fanatic’s heart
Fry parking Visit spudstreetinc.com for more info on Spud Street, based in Santa Maria and surrounding areas. For updates on the local food truck’s weekly pop-up locations, follow Spud Street on Instagram, @spudstreet, or text the word “schedule” to (820) 500-7783. One of the Santa Maria Valley’s newest food trucks is a well-oiled machine with […]
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Lompoc debates how to fund road improvements, fix potholes
Raising the sales tax in Lompoc is one path to revamping the city’s deteriorating streets, but it’s not a road some local leaders want to take. During the Lompoc City Council’s Aug. 20 meeting, Councilmember Jeremy Ball and Councilmember Dirk Starbuck responded to city staff’s presentation on potential options to improve road health with differing […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
NEW FLICKS: The Union
The Union What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Netflix Oh, Marky Mark, you do know how to churn out the cheese. Mostly TV director Julian Farino helms this action spy comedy about regular guy Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg), a New Jersey high-rise steel worker who likes to drink beer with his pals […]
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Housing, homelessness highlighted in 2nd District City Council Race
First-time candidates Gloria Flores and Benjamin Ortiz are fighting long-time councilmember Mike Cordero for the Santa Maria City Council 2nd District seat. The 2nd District sits between N. Railroad Avenue and N. Suey Road, with the 1st and 4th districts hugging its west and east sides. The Santa Maria River acts as the district’s northern […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: Lady in the Lake
Lady in the Lake What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus In this noir thriller, Natalie Portman stars as Jewish housewife Maddie Schwartz, whose world is upended when an 11-year-old white girl goes missing from her community and is found dead. While the tragedy is indeed heartbreaking, Maddie’s reaction has […]
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Blink Twice is an inky-dark psychological horror film with a lot to say about gender roles
Blink Twice 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, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Zoë Kravitz directs this black comedy she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum about tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) who at his fundraising gala meets cocktail […]
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Oil tanker tussle
Three days after Ken Hough told county planning commissioners about “the dangers of crude oil tankers,” a semi-truck carrying 150 barrels of crude oil crashed into another vehicle a half mile from his home. The Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) co-executive director had filed an appeal on the county’s approval of Sentinel Peak Resources’ […]
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Climate Future Film Festival screens shorts in Nipomo, Morro Bay, and more
Some local libraries will be hosting special film screening events in conjunction with the Climate Future Film Festival in late August and early September. This touring film festival highlights a collection of international short films of various genres that examine “our interior responses to many possible climate futures,” according to the fest’s Film Freeway page. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Riptide Big Band makes waves at pirate-themed dance in Santa Maria
The Santa Maria Valley Senior Citizens Club hosts its Talk Like a Pirate Dance, with live music from the Riptide Big Band, at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center in Santa Maria on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Admission to the event is free, thanks to grant funding from the Community Foundation of […]