Canned and bottled beer sales are commonplace at many convenience stores, but Jim’s Service Center in Solvang isn’t one of them. In business for nearly 50 years, the local gas station recently asked the Solvang City Council to endorse its application for an off-sale beer and wine license. In order to move forward, the California […]
Solvang gas station seeks ABC approval in area ‘oversaturated’ with beer licenses
Posted inNews
Santa Maria, Vernon Group negotiate development agreement for downtown
Santa Maria city staff is working on an agreement with the Vernon Group to move forward with developing four city-owned parcels, a big step toward realizing the city’s Downtown Revitalization Plan. “This is the hardest part. This is moving beyond the planning efforts into implementation and getting stuff built,” Assistant City Manager Chuen Wu told […]
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Vital draw: The FDA changes guidelines for LGBTQ-plus men who want to donate blood for the first time
An update to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidelines on blood donation allows a whole new cross-section of people to roll up their sleeves and help those in need. In May 2023, the FDA eliminated time-based postponements and screening questions posed to men who have sex with other men (MSM population). Previous instruction deemed […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t knock EV ownership till you try it—at least learn more now
If I was going to write an editorial in the opinion section, I would make sure I knew the topic that I was talking about. If I was an editor, I wouldn’t print an editorial from someone who knows nothing about the topic. Ron Fink just wrote an article about the electric vehicle mandate (“Who […]
Posted inOpinion
We cannot achieve greenhouse gas reduction if the goals are continually changing
As Santa Barbara County and the state of California continue with their efforts to save the Earth, the metrics for measuring success of the effort continue to change like the weather. For example, in 2021 the Board of Supervisors set a goal of reducing so-called greenhouse gasses (GHG) by 50 percent of the 2007 levels […]
Posted inOpinion
Risky donation
Did you know that every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion? Did you also know that until recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had rules regarding collecting “gay” blood? As if homosexuality isn’t stigmatized enough, amirite? Well, presto-chango, because now, like magic, the FDA has decided that gay and bisexual […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Rail excursions through Central Coast wine country spotlight local wine tastings and terroir
All aboard! To book wine-inspired rail journeys from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara with the SLO Railroad Museum, located at 1940 Santa Barbara Ave., visit slorrm.com. The first excursion is on May 18. For northern SLO County train excursions, check out Halter Ranch Estate at 8910 Adelaida Road in Paso Robles, or visit halterranch.com. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: Palm Royale
Palm Royale What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin—need I say more? Palm Royale is a comedy and casting feast! Wiig stars as Maxine, ex-pageant queen and society-obsessed newcomer to Palm Beach, Florida. She knows she wants to get featured […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: Them: The Scare
Them: The Scare What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Created by Little Marvin, this second season of the anthology horror series Them continues with Deborah Ayorinde in the lead, this time as LAPD police detective Dawn Reeve. It’s 1991, the year Rodney King was savagely beaten by police, and the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes offers a compelling continuation of the series reboot
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes What’s it rated? PG-13 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 Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) directs this sequel to the rebooted series that includes Rise of the Planet […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Five novelists participate in local dramatic reading program
The Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay will hold a book signing and dramatic reading event with five novelists, including Santa Maria local Tony Piazza and Los Osos locals Anne R. Allen and Christine Ahern, on Sunday, June 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. California-based authors Mara Purl and Chrysteen Braun will join Piazza, Allen, and […]
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Residents can check out seeds through Lompoc Village Library’s new seed library program
Lompoc Village Library Manager Sierra Foster started a seed library at her branch after noticing several residents checking out gardening and landscaping books. “Since we are in a small town, there isn’t a lot of things to do, so I wanted to give people some hobbies to do,” Foster said. “I wanted to support those […]