At around 12 years old, Kathleen McKinnon realized she wanted to be a teacher for the deaf after her church brought in a deaf congregation. But during McKinnon’s college years in Florida, when she was studying learning disabilities, she had another realization. “I was walking back to the education department, and I walked past the […]
An artist helps others on their cancer journeys by teaching collage classes
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Julefest traditions return to Solvang
The traditional Danish holiday celebration starts on Nov. 28 with more than a month of parades, music, lights, and more in Solvang. “Julefest’s fun festivities provide entertaining options for all ages, for our locals and our visitors, with new daytime events and extra evening magic,” Solvang City Manager Randy Murphy said in press materials. One […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc Pops bring seasonal tunes to town
The Lompoc Pops Orchestra will spread holiday cheer with its concert on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. Prepare for a night of seasonal favorites, sing-along tunes, and surprise appearances by classic characters. The 60-piece orchestra has prepared popular carols and traditional melodies featuring performances by the Herman Family Quartet, the Opera San Luis Obispo children’s […]
Posted inSun Screen
The Running Man is funny, action-packed romp
Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgram vs. the World, Baby Driver) directs and co-writes this dystopian sci-fi thriller based on Stephen King’s 1982 novel The Running Man (published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman), about a televised gameshow in which contestants are allowed to go anywhere as they’re pursued by “hunters” hired to kill […]
Posted inSun Screen
Death by Lightning chronicles the assassination of President James Garfield
Death by LightningWhat’s it rated? UnratedWhen? 2025Where’s it showing? Netflix James Garfield is a name you’d expect to find as the answer to lightning trivia, and as a decidedly non-history buff, I could have told you he was president—but not when or for how long. Also, I’d probably have said Andrew Garfield—another person altogether. Point […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A House of Dynamite is an all-too plausible nuclear war scenario
A House of DynamiteWhat’s it rated? RWhen? 2025Where’s it showing? Netflix Kathryn Bigalow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) directs Noah Oppenheim’s script about a missile launched at the U.S.—but by whom and why? Told from three different perspectives, the story depicts the various governmental elements scrambling to determine how to respond. As political drama […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Pono Pacific Kitchen launches craft vodka and gin label
When bartender Dylan Koch makes Pono Pacific Kitchen’s Water Lily cocktail, he gently shakes together gin, Cointreau, and Crème de Violette. Koch pours the cocktail into a Nick and Nora glass, the kind that “looks like it would be at a luncheon in the 1950s,” he described. “It’s going to be this beautiful blue color, […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County re-evaluates Sable Offshore’s capacity to operate safely and lawfully
Nine months after a stalemate prevented Santa Barbara County officials from taking action on a controversial oil pipeline’s proposed restart, 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino moved from one side of the vote to the other. In February, Lavagnino supported Sable Offshore’s pursuit of the permit transfers needed to revive the Santa Ynez Unit, which includes […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc considers altering its fee program that regulates RVs
A new parking rule in Lompoc inadvertently clashes with a separate protocol that allows RVs on streets in residential neighborhoods, one city official recently argued. In late October, the Lompoc City Council amended the city’s parking restrictions to require any vehicle parked on the street to move at least 150 feet every 72 hours. Lompoc’s […]
Posted inNews
Olive Grove Charter School approved for five more years
Superintendent Meg Rydman’s fondest experiences at Olive Grove Charter Schools are seeing students at their graduation ceremonies. With the charter school’s Santa Maria location set to continue educating through June 2031, she’ll have the opportunity to see future classes graduate there, too. The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) approved Olive Grove’s renewal […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria homelessness stats spark mixed feedback from city officials
After hearing an annual update on Santa Maria’s homelessness response efforts, 3rd District City Councilmember Gloria Soto echoed many of the concerns she raised last year. “We need to do more, and I know what’s something we keep reiterating,” Soto said at the council’s Nov. 4 meeting. “I’m deeply worried that our local governments will […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: November 13, 2025
• U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and Lloyd Smucker (R-Pennsylvania) recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation aimed at improving housing access and affordability for U.S. veterans. The Home for the Brave Act would exempt veterans’ disability benefits from counting toward total income when determining their eligibility for housing assistance programs through the Department of Housing and […]