At the Feb. 3 City Council meeting, a resolution expressing support for immigrant residents was brought forward and approved. I could not support it, not because I oppose standing with immigrant families, but because what unfolded during council’s discussion revealed how easily words of support can be undermined by harmful rhetoric and a refusal to […]
Harmful rhetoric
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
With many instruments in his toolbelt, a Central Coast musician passes his knowledge on to students of all ages
In kindergarten, Michael Nunez learned how to play the accordion. It was a popular instrument at the time, so his parents started him in group lessons. By the time he was in junior high, Michael was also playing drums, piano, and guitar. When his friends took interest in the instruments, he lent them a hand […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Buellton Rec Center hosts kids’ art classes during break
Registration is open for kids’ activities and day camps organized by the Buellton Rec Center for students to enjoy during school break. From Feb. 17 to 20 the Rec Center is holding a day camp for 6-to-12-year-olds. Students will go on field trips and take part in games and crafts each day from 8 a.m. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
PCPA’s next show transports viewers back to the Wild West
A quiet, mysterious gunslinger settles in a Wyoming town, stirring up trouble for the characters of Karen Zacarías’ Shane, presented by the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA). The play, adapted from a 1949 novel by Jack Schaefer, opens at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria on Feb. 12 and runs until March 1. In a story […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Dracula is mostly straightforward take on Bram Stoker’s Gothic vampire tale
French writer-director Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, The Professional, The Fifth Element, Lucy) reimagines Bram Stoker’s classic vampire story about 15th century prince Vladimir of Wallachia (Caleb Landry Jones) who after the death of his wife, Elisabeta (Zoë Bleu), renounces God and is cursed with vampirism. Determined to find the reincarnation of Elisabeta, he searches […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Queen of Chess documents prodigy Judit Polgár as she becomes a grandmaster
Queen of ChessWhat’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Hungarian chess prodigy Judit Polgár was raised to be a champion, and that’s exactly what she became. Alongside her sisters and under the controlling hand of her father, the Polgár family forwent formal education, instead focusing on a singular task—mastering chess. Judit especially […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Steal is super bingeable British crime thriller about a $5.5 heist
StealWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Prime Sotiris Nikias (Café 404) created this British crime thriller about an armed heist of a pension management company. A group of highly trained criminals takes control of the office and its workers, using phone jammers to prevent outside communication. The robbers force office workers Luke […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Early Central Coast lavender proprietor continues sharing the flower’s many uses
Bees and lavender are a natural combination. When the weather was warm, the fields of lavender at Lila Avery-Fuson’s family farm hummed. “Basically, the bees own the lavender. We just get to borrow it when it’s cool,” she said. The 7-acre farm was known for hosting you-pick events before the summer heat in Paso Robles […]
Posted inNews
Life skills: Fighting Back Santa Maria is expanding its youth outreach, including focusing on life after incarceration
Looking at Santa Barbara County’s probation routine for formerly incarcerated youth with a fresh pair of eyes, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley is also providing those juvenile offenders with a new face. “I believe, and research shows, that young people thrive when they have adults who care about them in their lives. So, getting another […]
Posted inNews
Local high school students take part in nationwide walkouts to protest ICE
High school senior Addisynn Laliberte spent the night of Jan. 29 painting as many protest signs as her energy supply and CVS budget allowed. “I had some paint left over from projects that I was able to use but had to go buy some poster paper from our local CVS,” she said. “I encouraged people […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe is building its first skate park at Las Mujeres Park
Skaters in Guadalupe are excited. Right now, the closest skate parks are located in Santa Maria and Nipomo, but that’ll change when construction on Las Mujeres Park is complete. Instead of driving 20 minutes away, Guadalupe residents will be able to walk 10 minutes to the new park from anywhere in town, explained the city’s […]
Posted inNews
Gregg Hart leads state oversight hearings on federal child care budget
With 20 years of experience running a preschool behind him, Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) described the Trump administration’s recent push to freeze federal child care funds in five states as hitting close to home. “As that applies to California, it means we are kind of out of the business of helping parents, kids, and […]
