Umbag, an independent Filipino-American film, will be playing in Santa Maria on Aug. 25. Rosemarie Dumadara Koerner, a member of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, executive produced the movie, and her daughter, Marie Dumadara, stars in one of the leading roles. “The story delves into universal experiences of family dynamics, sibling rivalry, and […]
An indie movie with local ties plays in Santa Maria for one night only
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A Lompoc artist strengthens the community with art clubs and shows
See the show Visit the Creating Through Chaos show through Aug. 24 at the Cypress Gallery, which is located at 119 E. Cypress Ave. in Lompoc. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Reach Manic Creative online at maniccreativeart.com or on Instagram at @maniccreativeart. Mixed-media artist Jasmine Gonzalez moved […]
Posted inOpinion
‘American silence is a crime’
With so many humanitarian atrocities continuing to happen here locally on the Central Coast, in our state, across the United States, and globally, I’ve spent many sleepless hours pondering how I’ve become so disillusioned and frustrated with Americans. Until this year, I’ve been proud to be an American and part of our society that I […]
Posted inOpinion
The land itself is the area’s biggest loss in the aftermath of the Gifford Fire
The Gifford Fire has been burning in two counties for a couple of weeks. This fire, combined with a previous burn in the same area, has incinerated well over 200,000 acres of vegetation; that’s more than 300 square miles of now barren land. The immediate losses, millions of dollars in losses, are associated with ranches, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Pico Los Alamos hosts a tomato-forward lunch with the farmer who grew them
Nine years ago, Kali Kopley and Will Henry bought the original Los Alamos General Store that was built in 1880 and turned it into their restaurant, Pico Los Alamos. Their goal was to create a farmer-driven, fine dining spot. The husband-wife duo tore out the parking lot behind the building and planted a garden. Let’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Best of the best
We’ve had not just one fire, but two this summer. Both started along Highway 166’s lonely stretch of two-lane road and lapped up vegetation, grassland, and oak-studded hills stretching through federal land—Los Padres National Forest, Carrizo Plain National Monument, the Caliente Mountain Wilderness Study Area, the Garcia Wilderness—threatened ranches, remote houses, county parks, cattle, crops, […]
Posted inNews
Students learn from nurses and doctors during a summer mentorship program at Dignity Health hospitals
St. Joseph High School senior Ysabel Adoremos always knew she wanted to be a nurse. Both of her parents are nurses, and she loved the idea of working in the medical field. After her first week in the Dignity Health Centers of the Central Coast physician mentor program this summer, Adoremos discovered her interest in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Butterfly is a family soap opera with action thriller trappings
Butterfly What’s it rated? TV-16 When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Prime Daniel Dae Kim stars as David Jung, a former CIA operative living in South Korea. He’s presumed dead from an operation gone wrong nine years earlier, now living a quiet life with his new wife, Eunju (Kim Tae-hee). His big regret was leaving his […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Culture in the Valley flies through Santa Maria’s aviation history
Remnants of decades-old movie sets are still evident at the Santa Maria Museum of Flight. Museum docent Jerry Simas explains more about the Santa Maria Valley’s aviation history in the newest episode of the city’s online educational series Culture in the Valley. The Museum of Flight is located at the Santa Maria airport and houses […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: August 14, 2025
• Approximately 190 million barrels of recoverable oil reserves are estimated to remain in the area off the coast of Santa Barbara County, according to the federal Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which announced on July 25 that it was working with Sable Offshore Corporation to bring a second Santa […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County is ready to build out rural broadband networks
Designs are complete for high-speed internet networks in nine rural Santa Barbara County communities, but the projects are still waiting on funding for construction. The county received a state grant in 2023 to kick-start its broadband effort, Marjie Kirn, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) executive director, told the Sun. Using the grant, […]
Posted inNews
Local water agencies weigh in on federal cloud seeding bill
Solvang is planning to send a letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee opposing U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Georgia) bill that aims to ban cloud seeding. On Aug. 11, the Solvang City Council unanimously approved the move as part of its consent agenda. City Manager Randy Murphy told the Sun that he […]