Well, the Christmas parades are behind us; all the Christmas displays are up and running, and the Lompoc City electric division is counting more revenue from all those home-lighting themes. When I was young, Christmas morning was the long-awaited culmination of a boy’s hopes and dreams. We saw angels, mangers, tumbleweed snowmen, and Santa’s sleighs […]
Reflect on the most wonderful time of the year before 2026
Posted inOpinion
Trump’s deal-making benefits the world, not us
The international equivalent of the S&P 500 Index is the ACWI Index, which tracks large and mid-cap stocks in almost 50 developed countries and emerging markets. It usually performs similar the S&P 500 and at times even underperforms it. This year, since Trump took over, the S&P 500 is up almost 18 percent, which is […]
Posted inOpinion
We don’t need them, we don’t want them
The idea of building new houses, creating new jobs isn’t all that great if this offshore wind thing unfortunately unfolds. There will come a time when the construction jobs are done and the people who live in those houses will be off to other work. The noise, the bad air that will be present during […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
After a long career embracing Native American history, an author and filmmaker tackles a new topic
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 […]
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 […]
Posted inNews
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. […]
Posted inNews
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 […]