Visitors will have to journey up to an old bunker to see artwork by Cole Sternberg at Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria, which is up until Sept. 20. The collaboration is supported by the Los Angeles Nomadic Division, an organization that connects people to places through art. Sternberg is a conceptual artist who paints, sculpts, […]
Presqu’ile Winery unveils a new art exhibition
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu may satisfy Star Wars super fans
Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man, The Lion King) directs this screenplay co-written with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor about former lone bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), also known as The Mandalorian, and his Yoda-like apprentice, Grogu, who are working for the New Republic under orders from Col. Ward (Sigourney Weaver) to hunt down Galactic […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Send Help is a wicked, twisted, black comedy surprise
Send HelpWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Hulu Linda (Rachel McAdams) is great at her job—too great. Credit for her work is overlooked or stolen by her superiors. When the one person she connected with—the boss—dies, Linda’s hope of moving up is crushed by his douchebag son and nepo-baby CEO Bradley Preston […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War takes the TV show movie length
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost WarWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Prime Video Andrew Bernstein directs this feature length installment in the Jack Ryan franchise, this time starring John Krasinski from the Jack Ryan TV show spinoff (2018-23). Before Krasinski, Harrison Ford, Chris Pine, and Ben Affleck had played the character—a former […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Los Padres ForestWatch hosts a dinner that connects people with the land
Save a seatBuy tickets to The Wilderness Table by visiting forestwatch.org. The June 7 dinner runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at Larner Vineyard (955 Ballard Canyon Road in Solvang). For more on the food and beverage providers, visit larnerwine.com, rock12distillery.com, and highonthehogcatering.com. One summer evening, 50 strangers will have the luxury of breaking bread […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Best of NSBC 2026
Start thinking about your best of the best Get ready for our 26th Annual Best of Northern Santa Barbara County 2026 Readers Poll. Voting starts June 4 through June 22, 2026. Come back here to get access to the 2026 ballot and begin your quest for the best!
Posted inNews
Mounting losses: Horseback ride and petting zoo operator alleges pony’s death caused by nearby construction
Runny noses. Swollen eyes. Rashes. Hives. A wave of illness that plagued Bob Sweeney’s horses last summer, he said, coincided with construction work happening adjacent to his stables in Buellton. Sweeney described the city’s nearly yearlong construction of a new 100-space parking lot on Sycamore Drive in 2025 as detrimental to his business—SYV Horseback Rides, […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc Planning Commission ushers theater project forward
Quinceañeras, weddings, and festivals are a few of the potential uses for a future event area outside of the Lompoc Theatre. On May 13, city Planning Commissioners gave the go-ahead for the space, a building addition, and a partial demolition that’ll support the long-planned project meant to help revitalize Old Town Lompoc. The Lompoc Theatre […]
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St. Joseph High School puts principal on leave
A few weeks shy of St. Joseph High School’s summer break, the proverbial bell rang early for Principal Erinn Dougherty. In mid-May, the private school’s superintendent announced that Dougherty “has been placed on administrative leave pending a review of reported verbal comments made in a meeting of students.” “Please know that the well-being and care […]
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Guadalupe approves new family housing with carport caveat
Porch swings. Picket fences. Homeowners associations. Among the tropes often associated with quiet, suburban neighborhoods, the concept of an enclosed garage seemed like a given for some attendees of the Guadalupe City Council’s May 12 meeting. Against the wishes of a local developer, however, the council decided that evening to approve his new 15-unit single-family […]
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Political Watch: May 28, 2026
•On May 11, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal conducted an oversight visit to the Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility to meet with detainees, three of whom are Central Coast residents. The detained constituents are from Santa Maria, Goleta, and Ojai, according to Carbajal’s office. “The stories shared by these Central Coast residents reflect […]
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Yoga instructor and self-care author hosts free monthly wellness workshops in Nipomo
Not long after St. Patrick’s Day rolled around this year, Marilyn Mercado felt it was fitting to teach the attendees of her new yoga series’ debut class about clover breathing. This breathwork technique includes four simple steps, or “clover leaves” as they’re nicknamed: inhale, hold, exhale, and pause. Casually structuring some segments of her monthly […]