A local horseback riding operator is asking community members to pony up some funds to help a longtime employee in need. Santa Maria resident Michael Rudometkin Jr., 67, was put on life support due to sudden kidney and heart failure shortly before Christmas, said his employer, Lisa Leonard, owner of the Pony Rides at Waller […]
Pony Rides at Waller Park raises funds for hospitalized employee
Posted inNews
County Animal Services reopened Lompoc shelter after nearly three years
Pet adoptions, lost and found assistance, microchipping, and volunteer opportunities return to Lompoc as county Animal Services opened its Lompoc shelter—located at 1501 West Central Ave.—for the first time since 2020, Animal Services Director Sarah Aguilar said. When the facility first closed, a lot of people were at home and adopting pets, providing the shelter […]
Posted inNews
VOLUNTEERS 2023
For our annual Volunteers issue, Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor spoke with LGBTQ-plus organizations in North County about creating community and support. Volunteer at LGBTQ-plus organizations to help strengthen their presence in North County Trish Heckler didn’t expect a lot of interest or support for an LGBTQ-plus organization when she first moved to the Santa Ynez […]
Posted inNews
The Santa Maria Public Library received a grant to purchase science, technology engineering, arts, and math kits for several branches
The Altrusa International Foundation has several branches dedicated to serving local communities—including Santa Maria—through grants and education scholarships. The Santa Maria chapter has donated money to the Oasis Senior Center and its senior lunch program, the Orcutt Academy Dance Team, and recently provided a $3,688 grant for the Santa Maria Library to purchase science, technology, […]
Posted inOpinion
Our community
Our community got hit hard, some say harder than expected. Meteorologists say harder than we’ve been hit in decades. All we have to do is look around. It seems folks in South County got more government resources to take the sting out of the crisis, while some in our community got hit with less help. […]
Posted inOpinion
Biden continues producing real results
Just as Republican Kevin McCarthy was losing yet another vote for speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were doing a victory lap in Kentucky touting a new bridge across the Ohio River that was made possible by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Volunteers 2023
For our annual Volunteers issue, Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor spoke with LGBTQ-plus organizations in North County about creating community and support.
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
DANA Adobe and Cultural Center showcases photos by John Craig
On Sunday, Jan. 22, the DANA Adobe and Cultural Center will host an opening reception for its new exhibition, Photography of My Diné (Navajo) Family and Images of the Southwestern Landscape, a solo showcase of photos by John Craig. Admission to the reception, which starts at 1 p.m., is free for DANA members, $8 for […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Allan Hancock College co-sponsors Central Coast Film Society screening of ‘Dear Rider’
On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Central Coast Film Society is partnering with Red Bull Media House to host a screening of the HBO documentary, Dear Rider, at the Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo. The screening starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a Q-and-A with some of the filmmakers behind the documentary, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Proof and Gather’s Kaitlin Munoz crushes her career goals with the launch of two bakeries on the Central Coast
Kaitlin Munoz has had a lot to celebrate this holiday season. A little more than a year ago, she relocated her fledgling Proof and Gather Baking Company from a registered cottage food kitchen in Lompoc to a larger-scale commercial kitchen in San Luis Obispo. Her stated long-term goal at the time was to open her […]
Posted inNews
Orcutt Branch Library gets $2 million for new facility
With the new year comes new possibilities for the Orcutt Branch Library, which received $2 million in federal funds near the end of 2022. On Dec. 23, U.S. Rep Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced that $16.5 million in direct federal funding would be used to support various community projects in Santa Barbara County. One of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
NEW FLICKS: BABYLON
NEW FLICKS: BABYLON Where’s it playing? Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande, Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria What’s it rated? R “Excessive” is probably the best word to describe Babylon, writer-director Damien Chazelle’s (Whiplash, La La Land) new film—an often gross and graphic exploration of Hollywood’s pre-code nascent days, its transition from silent films to […]