Solvang is so far up its own ass about what “Danish” means that it can’t understand the evolution of the European country that it spends marketing money to emulate. I guess Solvang likes to live in the past—like almost 100 years ago, past: pre-1933 Denmark. You know? Back before it was legal to be a […]
Policy prattlers
Posted inOpinion
Santa Maria: Stop the gobble-gobble
The citizens of Orcutt are fed up with the actions of Santa Maria as they attempt to annex the Richards Ranch property into the city. It is located next to Highway 135 and Union Valley Parkway. The Parkway already has significant traffic. If approved, traffic will increase by 20,780 trips per day creating more unwanted […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc’s fire crews are well trained, but the city needs to fund a more robust department to ensure public safety
On Saturday evening, March 11, a very large fire occurred at the north end of Lompoc between Walmart and the airport. The property, known as the “Campbell Coolers,” is a very large vegetable processing facility. There are several football field-sized piles of construction material, pallets, and boxes stored on the property. It was one of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Ryan Carroll’s papercut pieces pop with color in Santa Maria
Just like the Donovan song implies, to catch the wind was no easy task for local artist Ryan Carroll while completing a piece centered on Morro Rock. “I was trying to capture that Morro Bay is very windy,” Carroll said with a laugh. As a papercut artist, Carroll enjoys re-creating imagery from reference photos and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Flying Goat Cellars showcases landscapes by Carol Talley
On Friday, March 24, Flying Goat Cellars in Lompoc will hold an opening reception for its latest art showcase—a solo exhibition of paintings by local artist Carol Talley. The reception is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. The exhibit is titled Luminous Landscapes, and features a collection of Talley’s “abstracted landscapes” that evoke feelings of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Three local high schools team up for student production of ‘Chicago’ in Santa Maria
A new student-led production of Chicago will premiere at the Pioneer Valley High School Performing Arts Center in Santa Maria on Thursday, March 23, at 7 p.m. Additional performances will be held on March 24, 25, 30, and 31 and April 1, at 7 p.m. each evening. This iteration of the popular musical, set during […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Camins 2 Dreams winemakers open new tasting room in Lompoc
As two local vintners were recently putting the finishing touches on their new tasting room, the building shook for a moment. “I just finished hanging all the stuff. I think that was the day before we opened,” said Lompoc-based vintner Mireia Taribó, who recalled the reverberating boom of a missile fired from Vandenberg Space Force […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: THE RELUCTATNT TRAVELER (2023)
BINGEABLE: THE RELUCTATNT TRAVELER (2023) Where’s it playing? Apple TV Plus What’s it rated? TV-PG Eugene Levy isn’t the type of guy who seems like he’s interested in spending any time outside of his comfort zone, so what could be more fun than putting him in some of the most beautiful and most uncomfortable places […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: THE BIG BRUNCH (2022)
BINGEABLE: THE BIG BRUNCH (2022) Where’s it playing? HBO Max What’s it rated? PG-13 I know, I know—what new can a cooking competition show really offer? But hear me out. This one focuses on the best meal there is—the one you’ll wait in line for an hour outside the new pop-up eatery to enjoy, the […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria City Council green-lights permit for Fallas building conversion
Downtown Santa Maria’s old Fallas building should get a facelift after the City Council unanimously approved a permit for the Vernon Group to convert the commercial building into an apartment complex as part of the city’s Downtown Specific Plan. “We’ve been talking a lot about the downtown redevelopment plan and here we have a project […]
Posted inNews
Plains Pipeline proposal to replace valves on the line responsible for the 2015 Refugio oil spill has county residents worried
Prroposal to put in new safety valves on an oil pipeline looks straightforward but raised a lot of questions. “This was brought to us as, ‘Look, this is simple. It’s just putting safety valves, required by law,’” said Santa Barbara County Planning Commissioner John Parke, who represents the 3rd District. “There [are] a lot of […]
Posted inNews
Chumash Foundation’s Technology in Schools grant funds schools’ access to technology
When the Chumash Foundation was looking for a beneficiary for its 2015 Charity Golf Classic, the organization’s team saw a need for funding to upgrade technology resources in Santa Ynez Valley schools and classrooms. “Technology is ever-present in our world, and we realize that teachers and administrators are expected to educate without vital resources they […]