While Santa Barbara County’s agricultural industry saw a $1.87 billion gross production value in 2023, increased costs and high regulations continue impacting farmers’ ability to survive, Claire Wineman said during the June 18 Board of Supervisors meeting. “The numbers presented today are before any costs and not take-home profit,” the president of the Grower-Shipper Association […]
Farmers struggled in 2023 despite high crop values
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Sex and the City
Sex and the City What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 1998-2004 Where’s it showing? Max, Netflix After years of people recommending the show and not knowing the answer when I was asked whether I was a Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, or Miranda, I finally decided to hop on the train and watch the 25-year-old HBO series Sex […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Hit Man is a solid hit
Hit Man What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Caleb? Full price What’s it worth, Bulbul? Full price Where’s it showing? Netflix Inspired by a true story, co-writer/director Richard Linklater’s Hit Man follows Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), a college professor by day and undercover mole for the New Orleans police by night. Disguised as a […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Oceano Community Services District holds local Repair Café program
With a focus on waste prevention and saving repairable items from ending up in a landfill, Five Cities Repair Café is a group of savvy volunteers who regularly host free community events, including its next program at the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) on Saturday, June 22, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Attendees of the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Solvang Theaterfest announces new executive director and assistant director
Chantel Green—who has served as assistant director and director of development under Solvang Theaterfest’s retiring Executive Director Scott Coe—recently took the reins as the local nonprofit’s new executive director. Solvang Theaterfest also announced the appointment of Ashley Esdaile as its new assistant director. For the past year, Esdaile (pictured, right) served as the organization’s executive […]
Posted inOpinion
We still have time to preserve a livable planet
I appreciate that news publications are increasingly covering our planet’s worsening climate crisis. I read recently that May was the 12th consecutive month with average temperatures higher than all observations since 1850—probably the highest in more than 100,000 years. Shortly after that, I found out that California has in one year seen a doubling in […]
Posted inOpinion
Protest the use of ICBMs till they’re eliminated
“When I say that there is a step that could reduce the risk of nuclear war significantly that has not been taken but could easily be taken, that is the elimination of American ICBMs.” –Daniel Ellsberg (1931-2023) An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a land-based nuclear weapon. U.S. ICBMs are stored in underground silos across […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Great American Melodrama’s Pirates of Pismo-A-Go-Go is a hilarious adaptation of The Pirates of Penzance
Gangs and surf Pirates of Pismo-A-Go-Go is showing at The Great American Melodrama through July 6 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday at 6 p.m. For more information, visit americanmelodrama.com. The age-old battle that young people must face—exploring the freedom of adulthood or remaining […]
Posted inOpinion
We need to transition away from fossil fuels, and wind is part of the solution
Regarding “Semantics and spin” in the May 30 Sun, it really saddens me to see a group like REACT and their spokesperson, Mandy Davis, continue to use divisive rhetoric to oppose offshore wind energy. A few examples of their misinformation: • The article claims that the fossil fuel industry “almost never” funds campaigns against wind […]
Posted inOpinion
Demanding deadlines
Before putting tax measures on the ballot, most cities get the word out and gauge public sentiment. But that didn’t happen in Guadalupe. The City Council recently voted to put a bond measure on the ballot to raise funds that will help pay to revitalize Guadalupe’s historic theater. And while the city may have had […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Sellers of cookware, cookbooks, and more set up shop at 11 local wineries
Trail blazing For more info on Makers Market Crawl’s participating wineries located along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, visit foxencanyonwinetrail.net. The Makers Market Crawl will include festivities at 11 featured wineries between Los Olivos and Santa Maria on Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21. Built to last generations, some skillets and pans available at […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Monk
Monk What’s it rated? TV-PG When? 2002-2009 Where’s it showing? Peacock, Netflix Nearly crippled by the loss of his wife and his OCD coping mechanisms, detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) keeps busy as a consultant for his former commanding officer, Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), at the San Francisco Police Department, solving otherwise unsolvable crimes. […]