I am discouraged by Democrats’ disregard for the oath they took when they were elected to serve in Congress. That oath states in part that “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Article 1 of the Constitution established how the government would be run. […]
Start assisting in immigration issues—and urge Congress to make better laws
Posted inOpinion
Easy-peasy?
Fire season is here, y’all. With more than 80,000 acres burned in the Cuyama Valley and on the Carrizo Plain National Monument since before July 2, and a number of other starts since summer began, now is the time to be careful. That means: Be done with the fireworks, people. I can still hear the […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum and Children’s Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County merge
New kid on the block Located at 705 S. McClelland St. in Santa Maria, the new Children’s Resource and Referral Discovery Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit crrsbc.org or smvdiscoverymuseum.org. The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum and Children’s Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: July 10, 2025
• On July 3, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) released a statement on the passage of the Republican reconciliation bill. Carbajal voted against the bill, while opposing its unprecedented cuts to essential programs like Medicaid and food assistance, according to Carbajal’s office. In his statement, Carbajal said the bill “puts billionaires first and working […]
Posted inNews
Proving continuity: The Salinan Tribe sifts through history, aims for federal recognition
Century-old photographs, handwritten letters, baptism records, and other primary documents confirmed what Michael Erin Woody and the rest of the Salinan Tribe of Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties already knew. “This is a continuous group of Indians that have been here since before European contact, and we’re still here,” the tribal council member said. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Lompoc’s Wild West Pizza selected as finalist for National Real California Cheese Pizza Competition, honored for dedication to community service
Real cheese, real ingredients Wild West Pizza is open from 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Located at 1137 N. H St., suite W, the Lompoc mom-and-pop pizza shop is known for its unique pies. It can be found on Instagram @wildwestpizza and online at wildwestpizza.menu. […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County ag grosses $2 billion in 2024
Nearly half of Santa Barbara County’s ag gross revenue for 2024 stems from a single fruit. According to the county Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, strawberry producers raked in $860 million last year. That’s more than 40 percent of the county’s total gross production value—which the department’s 2024 crop and livestock report listed as approximately $2.01 billion. […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria youth respond to stepped-up ICE enforcement
Fed up with the federal government’s policies and their impact on communities like his in Santa Maria, 17-year-old Cesar Vasquez recently shifted the focus of his organization, La Cultura Del Mundo. “We are here to protect all immigrants—no matter where you are from, who you believe in, who you love, or where you stand,” Vasquez […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Old Guard 2 delivers some heart-pounding supernatural action
The Old Guard 2 What’s it rated? R When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix If you want to see Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde) and Uma Thurman (Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2) square off in epic hand-to-hand combat, step right up to this sequel to The Old Guard (2020), based on […]
Posted inNews
Madre Fire consumes 80,000-plus acres across the Cuyama Valley
It took less than a day for a wildfire near New Cuyama to grow into California’s largest of the year by acreage so far. While the cause of the Madre Fire remains under investigation, fire officials traced back its point of origin to the early afternoon of July 2, along Highway 166 in the Cuyama […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Sirens examines family dysfunction and the weird power dynamics of the uber-wealthy
Sirens What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix Based on show creator Molly Smith Metzler’s 2011 play Elemento Pea, Sirens is set over the course of a long weekend in one of those beach communities whose only non-millionaire visitors are the workers who drive in to serve the uber rich homeowners and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Jurassic World Rebirth is predictably derivative but entertaining
Jurassic World Rebirth What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) directs this new installment in the Jurassic Park franchise. Written by David Koepp (Jurassic […]