FriendshipWhat’s it rated? RWhen? 2024Where’s it showing? HBO Max Written and directed by Andrew DeYoung in his feature length debut, Friendship tells the cringey story of Craig Waterman (Tim Robinson), an advertising exec whose cancer-surviving wife, Tami (Kate Mara), recently took up with an ex-boyfriend, Devon (Josh Segarra), due to Craig’s emotional unavailability. Craig’s floundering […]
<i>Friendship</i> is a cringe-filled black comedy about a bromance gone wrong
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish explores the relentless online harassment of teenager Lauryn Licari
Unknown Number: The High School CatfishWhat’s it rated? TV-MAWhen? 2025Where’s it showing? Netflix Lauryn and Owen were just your typical high school couple—planning for prom, texting incessantly, and hanging with their besties. Things took a turn when both teens started receiving cruel online messages and texts from an unknown cyberbully. The messages often took aim […]
Santa Maria screens family-friendly movies in the park
Free movies are playing on two upcoming Fridays outdoors in Santa Maria, organized by the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department. The city is showing Moana 2 on Sept. 19 and Cars on Sept. 26. Both films will be screened at Rotary Centennial Park, located at 2625 S. College Drive in Santa Maria. Viewers should […]
A bluegrass and rock concert benefits Santa Barbara County children in emergency foster care
Join the Bullfrogg Blues Band at the Party with a Purpose concert benefiting Santa Barbara County children entering emergency foster care. The Blast Stockyard in Orcutt is hosting the event from 4 to 8 p.m. with food from Blast 825 Brewery. Guests can expect “a soul-shaking, feel-good evening of live music, local eats, and big-hearted […]
A Nipomo author supported local businesses with the production of her debut novel
Fellow authors have described Maggie Yore as a unicorn—she has a knack for numbers and words. Though she always loved to write, it wasn’t until she became a business owner a few years ago that she got the numbers part down. Turning pagesBuy Maggie Yore’s debut novel on Amazon, her website, or at local bookstores […]
Choosing our Earth
On July 19, the world lost a visionary teacher, scholar, and beloved friend: Joanna Macy (1929-2025). A guiding light in systems thinking, deep ecology, and Buddhist philosophy, Joanna touched countless lives with her intellect, her heart, and her unwavering commitment to life on Earth. On Aug. 15, 2025, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize formalized an agreement […]
Democrats are taking down our once golden state bit by bit
For decades California has had a single political party running the show in Sacramento; this had led to a steady decay in education, infrastructure, and public safety; a massive growth in the homeless population; outrageous cost for housing; and ineffective use of taxpayer dollars. Two recent actions by our elected officials point out how bit […]
Something fishy
Some punishments go too far. Like the prison sentences our justice system once assigned to criminal offenders caught with marijuana thanks to the “war on drugs.” They were aggressive. And aggressive is exactly how the Central Coast Youth Football League is being when it comes to the Orcutt Youth Football League. It’s confusing, but the […]
The Lompoc botanic society offers a community for all degrees of plant-lovers
Plant puns, snacks, and social hour. Those are three things Christine Zuhlsdorf enjoys about being a member of the Lompoc Valley Botanic and Horticultural Society (LVBHS). “Plant people tend to be pretty happy people,” the nonprofit’s president told the Sun. “Unless you get someone going on gophers.” Or deer, another sore subject for gardeners, which […]
Political Watch: September 18, 2025
• U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) recently introduced the Empowering Striking Workers Act, which allows striking workers to be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. According to Schiff’s office, the bill supports workers who exercise their legal right to collectively bargain and improve their working conditions. Workers would be eligible for benefits the day a lockout […]
A $9.5 million grant aims to boost the Central Coast space industry
The state of California awarded a $9.5 million grant to a group of regional organizations aiming to help the Central Coast become a leader in the space industry. The group plans to use the grant for Space Vandenberg, a program that will fund innovation, education, and infrastructure to improve economic growth. One of the key […]
Hancock, Cuesta colleges could lose funding designed to help Latino students
Of the 171 Hispanic-Serving Institutions throughout the state, two of them are right here on the Central Coast. But an executive order from the White House is now posing a threat to the funding that schools like Allan Hancock and Cuesta colleges can receive from the grant program. On Aug. 25, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla […]

