Gary Robinson has worked closely with Native American tribes for 45 years, but his cultural heritage wasn’t a big part of his upbringing. He was a city boy from Texas and doesn’t remember his parents taking interest in their Native culture. “I had a couple of generations of people who ran from it because in […]
After a long career embracing Native American history, an author and filmmaker tackles a new topic
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Cypress Gallery displays tributes to winter
To kick off 2026, artists of the Cypress Gallery are putting together a tribute to winter’s cozy and serene delights. Simple Pleasures will be up from Jan. 2 to 25. “As January brings some of the darkest and coldest days of the year, take a moment to find comfort in the simple pleasures that make […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Art Spot on Wheels hosts mixed media classes for kids
The Solvang studio Art Spot on Wheels is hosting two six-week-long art camps for kids starting in January. For ages 7 to 12, the fun begins on Jan. 12. Each week, instructors teach a new medium and allow students to explore their own creativity. The class will meet on Mondays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Housemaid is twisted but ham-fisted
Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, A Simple Favor) directs this psychological thriller by screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel of the same name about Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney), a troubled woman with a sketchy past who goes to work for a Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar), whose affluent household has dark […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
All Her Fault follows the fallout of a child abduction that reveals a buried family secret
All Her FaultWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Peacock Marissa’s (Sarah Snook) world turns into a nightmare when she shows up at the address provided by fellow mom, Jenny (Dakota Fanning), to pick up her young son, Milo (Duke McCloud), from a first-time play date. However, the nice older woman at the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Down Cemetery Road pits a wily private investigator against government conspiracy
Down Cemetery RoadWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Apple TV+ Based on Mick Herron’s novel of the same name, this British TV series follows wily and resourceful private detective Zoë Boehm (Emma Thompson) as she unravels a government conspiracy and searches for a missing child. The case centers on Sarah Trafford (Ruth […]
Posted inFood & Drink
An Orcutt baker is on a mission to deliver top-tier goods, minus the gluten
Melissa Bagley tries not to start her workdays before 6 a.m. If everything goes to plan, nine hours later she’ll be heading out the door to deliver dozens of freshly baked cookies, decadent cakes, and soft loaves of bread that customers ordered from her business, La Dolce Vita. During her childhood, baking was a big […]
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Finding fugitives: Santa Barbara County tackles arrest warrants with focus on most violent felonies
Robbery. Carjacking. Assault with a deadly weapon. Brandishing a firearm. Several outstanding felony warrants were stacked against Victor Manuel Ayala Sanchez on the day of his arrest in Santa Maria Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies took the 30-year-old into custody in mid-August after a four-hour standoff outside of Sanchez’s residence on East Sunset Avenue. […]
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LAFCO highlights struggling cemetery districts
Hoping to clear the cobwebs around an ongoing issue plaguing Central Coast cemeteries, the Santa Barbara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) wants to explore the possibility of consolidating some of those cemetery districts. In its 2025 review of countywide municipal services, LAFCO staff highlighted a handful of cemetery districts, including Oak Hill Cemetery in […]
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More cultural arts programming is headed to Santa Maria-Bonita schools
Starting in January, students at 15 elementary schools will have the opportunity to join a ballet folklórico dance program after school. The Santa Maria-Bonita School District board approved a roughly $59,000 contract with Children’s Creative Project at the Dec. 10 meeting. “By securing these services, we demonstrate our commitment to providing students with high quality, […]
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Los Olivos CSD considers testing groundwater wells once a year
A local agency’s decision to postpone one of Los Olivos’ regularly scheduled groundwater well tests—used to measure nitrate concentration levels—opened the floodgates to a different kind of monitoring for resident Kathryn Lohmeyer Rohrer. “It seems problematic on several fronts,” Rohrer said during public comment at the Los Olivos Community Services District’s (CSD) Nov. 12 meeting. […]
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Political Watch: December 18, 2025
• The House of Representatives recently passed U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (D-Santa Barbara) legislation to rename a post office in Goleta for Frederick Lopez, a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Marine Corps with a 30-year career of distinguished service. “General Lopez represents the best of the Central Coast and of our nation’s armed forces,” […]