Guadalupe City Councilmember Whitney Furness expressed a feeling of déjà vu for the second time in less than two months about the council’s decision to enact a new oversight committee dedicated to monitoring the Royal Theater project. “I’m just not sure why we’re getting asked to revote on something that we did already,” Furness said […]
Guadalupe officials postpone Brown Act board appointment to oversee Royal Theater project
Posted inNews
Political Watch: January 22, 2026
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) was among the 12 senators who co-signed a recent letter to scrutinize the National Park Service’s (NPS) decision to remove Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the list of fee-free days at national parks, while adding President Donald Trump’s birthday to the list. “Not only does this […]
Posted inNews
A Santa Maria obstacle course helps kids build confidence and stay active
At USA Ninja Challenge Santa Maria, the equation for playful fun is a little bit of jumping and swinging plus cargo nets, ropes, and rings. Add in lots of safety padding, and it equals the perfect space for emerging ninjas to train. The Santa Maria gym is a locally owned and operated franchise of USA […]
Posted inOpinion
Aliens and asbestos
It’s not every day that the paper you tweet (as in chirp, chirp not type, type) for gets compared to the National Enquirer! I don’t know whether to be offended, confused, or proud. Guadalupe City Councilmember Eugene Costa Jr. apparently doesn’t really think too highly of the little paper that could: “To go off a […]
Posted inOpinion
Will Lompoc miss the brass ring once again when it comes to capitalizing on Vandenberg’s potential?
Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) has issued a request for information for a major new launch complex on South Vandenberg near Point Arguello Coast Guard Station, about 2 miles south of Space Launch Complex (SLC) 6. Dubbed SLC-14, according to the Space Force solicitation, Vandenberg “seeks to establish operational heavy or super-heavy launch capabilities at […]
Posted inOpinion
Talk to your elected officials about ICE
The time has come for all of us to take a step back and look at what is happening here in our country. Innocent people are being killed, people with no criminal history or background. They are being rounded up like cattle and sent to holding facilities without an arrest warrant or due process for […]
Posted inOpinion
Oceano deserves a vehicle-free beach
First of all, I largely agree with all of the major points made by the commentary column authors (“Make a better plan,” Jan. 15). Rather than a habitat conservation plan, it is an expanded off-highway vehicle conservation plan. As pointed out, the environmental basis of the 2021 California Coastal Commission decision to phase out vehicles […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A new novel takes readers on an adventure along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail
When anyone tells Patricia Mahon she can’t do something, she’ll prove them wrong. It’s happened with sexist professors and stodgy editors, becoming part of the reason she took up fiction writing. “You can’t tell people they can’t do something, especially when they’re creative because creative people can do whatever they want,” Mahon said. “That’s what […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A Bruce Springsteen tribute band comes to the Chumash Casino
Hank Azaria and The EZ Street Band are performing Bruce Springsteen’s classics on Jan. 30 at the Chumash Casino Resort. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets range from $20 to $55 plus fees. Frontrunner Hank Azaria is known for his acting and voice work, including in the television show, The Simpsons. For the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Santa Maria Philharmonic puts on a free orchestra performance
Bring the whole family to a free concert called Fly Me to The Moon on Jan. 31 for an hour of classical music combined with the story of the history of flight. The show begins at 11 a.m. at the First Christian Church of Santa Maria, and registration is required to reserve seats. The orchestra, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is good but gory
Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) directs this fourth installment of the 28 Days Later franchise, the second film in what’s being billed as the 28 Years Later trilogy. Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Ex Machina, Civil War) returns as screenwriter. Taking up where 28 Years Later (2025) left off, the story follows young Spike (Alfie […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
People We Meet on Vacation presses familiar rom-com buttons
People We Meet on VacationWhat’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Quite literally pulled from the storyline of one of the greatest rom coms ever made, this very When Harry Met Sally flick presents us with two opposites who end up being magnets. Both Boston College students, both from Nowheresville, Ohio—that seems […]