On Feb. 13, Youth Arts Alive is hosting a celebration at the Santa Maria Veterans’ Memorial Center to commemorate its 10th year of providing free classes to local kids. The event starts at 6 p.m. with dinner and a lineup of performances. The fiesta celebrates the hard work of teachers, site coordinators, volunteers, and interns […]
Youth Arts Alive invites the community to its 10th anniversary fiesta
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Wrecking Crew is a well-cast mismatched buddy action comedy
Angel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle) directs Jonathan Tropper’s (The Adam Project) script about estranged half-brothers—reckless Oklahoma reservation cop Jonny (Jason Momoa) and disciplined former Navy SEAL turned drill instructor James Hale (Dave Bautista)—who reunite in Honolulu after their shady private eye father, Walter (Brian L. Keaulana), dies in a hit-and-run. Was it murder? As they […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Kidnapped reveals new insights into the Elizabeth Smart abduction
Kidnapped: Elizabeth SmartWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix It’s a familiar story for anyone who was around in the early 2000s. At 14, she was abducted from her Utah home while her family slept, except her little sister Mary Katherine, who witnessed the kidnapping. The media storm that followed was deafening, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Shelter is a serviceable but predictable Jason Statham vehicle
ShelterWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Ric Roman Waugh (Greenland) directs this action thriller about a recluse (Jason Statham) living on a remote Scottish island with his dog. A young girl, Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), delivers supplies every week, but during […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A Santa Ynez café moves to an Airstream in Los Olivos
A retrofitted 1959 Airstream camper remains parked on Nojoqui Avenue in Los Olivos, right next to a historic Victorian home. The vehicle, dubbed The Caravan, is a fully fledged coffee shop, appointed with a classic espresso machine, a gigantic ice maker, and cooking appliances. “It’s like the cutest thing ever,” co-owner Alyce Barrick said. CaravaningQueen […]
Posted inNews
Dollars dispute: Del Cielo Mobile Estates residents fight back against a rent increase tied to lawsuit expenses
Two attorneys. Seven witnesses. Eight hours of cross examination. Those with stakes in a recent arbitration hearing’s outcome will probably not hear Santa Barbara County’s verdict on a rent dispute between an Orcutt mobile home park’s ownership and residents until April. One consolation for attendees of the Jan. 21 proceeding was the arbitrator’s closing commentary, […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria to formalize ‘a clear message that we do stand with immigrants’
With one hand holding onto a cardboard cutout of a silhouetted body, Jeanne Sparks told the Santa Maria City Council she doesn’t want to see local officials stand idly by while Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations escalate. “We can’t let them do to our community what they have done elsewhere,” Sparks said at the […]
Posted inNews
SLO County man sues Grover Beach, Santa Maria over alleged police misconduct
A San Luis Obispo County resident sued the cities of Grover Beach and Santa Maria, alleging that their police departments colluded to protect an officer with a reported history of misconduct. In his April 2025 lawsuit, SLO resident Casey Johnston claimed that Santa Maria police officer Jason Zickuhr “assaulted” him using a firearm after an […]
Posted inNews
Solvang targets ‘derelict’ news racks with tighter code enforcement
Whether the perpetrators realized they were littering or not, too many people have treated Solvang’s newspaper racks like trash bins in recent years, City Manager Randy Murphy told elected officials. “They were attracting nuisance. People were leaving their garbage in them, and on them,” Murphy said at the Solvang City Council’s Jan. 26 meeting. “The […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: January 29, 2026
• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) announced new legislation on Jan. 26 to enforce new restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention practices. The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act would restrict the use of private, for-profit detention facilities, ensure due process for detained […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center kicks off its 2026 membership drive
The perks of lending the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center a helping hand can appeal to folks from pretty much all walks of life, Outreach Coordinator Saule Baipsys explained. “There is really a place for everyone if you are willing to learn and grow,” Baipsys told the Sun via email. Just dune itTo get involved at the […]
Posted inOpinion
Symbolic support
The Santa Maria City Council finally decided to weigh in on immigration enforcement activities, symbolically. At the Jan. 20 council meeting, Councilmember Maribel Aguilera got to business before Councilmember Gloria Soto could even turn her mic on, requesting that the mayor put a resolution or proclamation on the agenda to send a “clear message that […]