When it comes to the music of 1970s super act ABBA, people either fall in one of two camps. It’s either literal ear poison that makes you want to scream until the pain stops or it is the soul-swelling soundtrack to your life that can send you soaring into another dimension where all your dreams […]
PCPA’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ gives audiences all the ABBA they want and then some
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Artist Trish Campbell featured at Flying Goat Cellars through September
Trish Campbell misses the flower fields that used to cover the lands surrounding Lompoc. The artist, whose work is on display at Flying Goat Cellars‘ tasting room in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto through Sept. 30, remembers them fondly. The lavish colors and perfectly color-blocked compositions of the fields sometimes even show up in her work, […]
Posted inOpinion
Reality check
Just about every time I bring up the president, I get the inevitable angry letter that tells me to “go get a job in a mine,” or something like that. Well, to really flesh out the metaphor I’m named after, in this week’s lesson, the “mine” is discourse in politics, and the dangerously noxious gas […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County cities, nonprofits, take on homelessness and poverty with varying results
There’s no silver bullet for solving homelessness and poverty, especially in Santa Barbara County, where roughly 1 in 5 residents live at or near the U.S. federal poverty level. But in a city like Santa Maria, with more than 100,000 residents and high concentration of at-risk populations, the solutions sometimes have to come in the […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara supervisors hear plan for Santa Maria affordable housing project
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors heard a proposal on Aug. 14 for an affordable housing project in Santa Maria. In total, the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara, the developer of the Residences at Depot Street, is seeking a little more than $3 million in federal loans to be approved by the county. The […]
Posted inNews
Federal appeals court orders EPA to ban possibly harmful pesticide
In a 2-1 ruling on Aug. 9, a federal appeals court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the use of a pesticide that is widely used on California fruit and nut crops within the next 60 days. The order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit panel came as a […]
Posted inNews
Solvang to allow medical marijuana, for now
In a race against the clock to pass cannabis regulations before the Aug. 14 deadline, the Solvang City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that effectively allows medical marijuana operators to set up shop on the western side of the Santa Ynez Valley community. The 4-1 vote came about on Aug. 13 at […]
Posted inNews
Brandon Harper Foundation raises $2,000 for extra scholarship
Just two years into its existence, the Brandon Harper Foundation received 56 applications for its $2,000 college scholarship this school year. The Brandon L. Harper Memorial Scholarship, which is entirely paid for by donations and through fundraising, typically goes to one charismatic and resilient Santa Maria Joint Union High School District graduate each year. But […]
Posted inNews
“Fighting” back: Bullying behavior can both cause and be the result of trauma, and researchers say fun activities can help kids manage
The reggae that had been bumping softly throughout the gym for nearly an hour suddenly stopped, and about a dozen barefoot children stood and lined up along the edge of a bright yellow mat. Each dressed in a different colored gi, the traditional uniform worn by Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors, the students waited to be handpicked […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Love for song: Gale McNeeley and Méami Maszewski present generation-spanning program of duets and solos
Gale McNeeley and Méami Maszewski are at polar opposite points in their acting careers, but the unlikely duo connect over one thing–the classic songs from the Broadway tradition. McNeeley’s acting career began more than 50 years ago on Broadway, but he’s lived in Santa Maria since the 1980s when PCPA, the Pacific Conservatory Theatre, brought […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Dana Adobe seeks original work from famed local painter
The DANA Adobe Cultural Center is looking for paintings from local artist Milford Zornes and is asking residents if they have any of his work to share for an upcoming exhibit. Zornes was an original member of a movement known as the California Scene Painters, which lasted from the 1930s to the 1960s. He lived […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Discovery Museum presents Day at the Ranch
On Aug. 26, the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum will host Day at the Ranch, a free event for children to commemorate the memory of museum benefactor R.H. Tesene. The event features opportunities for children to learn how to rope cattle, make their own custom brands, and participate in ranching-themed games. The day will also […]
