PlaydateWhat’s it rated? PG-13When? 2025Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime If you’re looking for a silly, lightweight 90-minute diversion, director Luke Greenfield’s Playdate fits the bill. The absurdist mismatched buddy action comedy follows recently laid-off forensic accountant and new stepdad, Brian (Kevin James), who’s struggling with his father figure role to Lucas (Benjamin Pajak). Brian wants […]
<i>Playdate</i> is dumb, lightweight fun
Posted inFood & Drink
Roblar Winery, Yes Cocktail Co. are the best in the nation, USA Today says
For the perfect autumn concoction, Yes Cocktail Co.’s Falling Leaves recipe combines whiskey or rye with its Charred Oak & Maple Syrup. Owners Lauren Butler and Brandon Alpert, of Atascadero, prefer rye. You won’t find a better mixer, according to New York-based USA Today, which named the company America’s best craft mixer brand for 2025. […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Holiday Guide 2025: ’Tis the season for gifts that mean something, festive fun, and giving back
What happened to 2025? It’s almost over! As the holidays draw near, maybe some of their special magic can bring us together in the spirit of the season. We’ve included some events, opportunities, and ideas that could help in our annual Holiday Guide! This includes places full of lights and sights—from Buellton to Paso Robles—and […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
A Santa Ynez couple publishes a Christmas picture book
Every year in Solvang, community members gather around a giant Christmas tree for the lighting ceremony. The festivity draws from a tradition in Denmark, where people hold hands around the tree and sing. The scene is one of the very last images in Kate and Adam McHugh’s first children’s book, Ferd and the Magic Hat: […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden decks out for its annual Holiday Lights Festival
The gifting treesThe Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden will host its Holiday Lights Festival on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, between Dec. 5 and 21 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. For tickets and more info on the event, visit syvholidaylights.com. The garden is located at 151 Sycamore Drive, Buellton. Gray pines. Blue oaks. Warm and cool […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Norma Moye keeps Paso Robles’ Vine Street Christmas tradition alive
Visit Paso and be merryThe Vine Street Victorian Showcase celebrates its 39th annual event on Dec. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is free. For more information, contact the Downtown Paso Robles Main Street office at (805) 238-4103. When Norma Moye bought her Victorian home on 18th and Vine in 1975, she never […]
Posted inNews
Recent ICE arrests in Santa Maria draw criticism from immigration rights advocates
After asking to see the warrant for her husband’s arrest, a woman in Santa Maria was handed an insurance claim for the car window ICE agents broke to apprehend him, 805 UndocuFund volunteer Michelle Ambriz-Quintero told the Sun. A member of 805 UndocuFund’s rapid response team, Ambriz-Quintero was alerted on Nov. 16 about an Immigrations […]
Posted inNews
Solvang ups pledge to Santa Ynez aquatics center
The Solvang City Council greenlit an additional $50,000 to support the Santa Ynez Valley Community Aquatics Complex. With the council’s Nov. 10 approval, the city’s contribution has increased to half a million dollars since June, which will be released when construction begins. The decision came after a friendly challenge from Buellton. The cities have engaged […]
Posted inNews
Buellton refreshes its tree policies while pursuing Tree City USA status
There are plenty of guidelines and recommendations for developers related to tree upkeep in Buellton, but not enough enforceable do’s and don’ts, some city officials recently argued. “I don’t like the fact that, … ‘Should’ leads to ‘I don’t need to,’” Buellton Mayor David Silva said at the council’s Nov. 13 meeting. The city is […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: November 20, 2025
• On Nov. 17, U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-California) and John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced the bipartisan Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act. This legislation would create the first respiratory protection standards for wildland firefighters. According to Schiff’s office, federal firefighters were prohibited for decades from wearing respiratory protection, despite a growing body of evidence warning about […]
Posted inNews
Santa Margarita’s Christmas at the Ranch celebrates third year of holiday cheer
The 14,000-acre ranch that temporarily housed thousands of firefighters—dispatched from agencies across California to contain the Gifford Fire in August—is inviting them back to see the former site of their base camp in a different light, literally. “While they were there, a lot of local ranches around Santa Margarita and Pozo all said, ‘We want […]
Posted inOpinion
The middleman
While warm-blooded American patriots were enjoying their weekends like warm-blooded patriots, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was out doing the work of the people: arresting rapists, pedophiles, and murderers (and I assume, good people, too)—according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security press release you can find right on its website! Direct-to-the-people news, direct from […]