On May 5, the Lompoc City Council received a sobering presentation by interim Fire Chief Kevin Shay. Chief Shay reported that the Lompoc City Fire Department has the two busiest fire stations in Santa Barbara County. The three fire units and nine crew members respond to more than 5,300 calls for service each year—that’s an […]
Lompoc Fire Department’s unresolved ‘at risk’ conditions will only worsen its service over time
Posted inOpinion
Jimmy Paulding is a real leader
As a senior registered as No Party Preference, I study the issues and listen carefully to debates and radio interviews. I vote for the candidate, not the political party. Mr. Paulding is the clear winner. He was enthusiastic and well prepared at the League of Women Voters debate forum. Mr. Verdin was bored and only […]
Posted inOpinion
Dead seabirds are the harbingers of apreventable future
I’ve been seeing a lot of dead seabirds on Pismo Beach lately. Most of them were common murres—those handsome black birds with white throats and stout, black beaks. There were also some dead cormorants, and even a whimbrel, with its long downcurved bill. As I walked up the beach carrying my surfboard, I counted seven […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
With help from her mentor, a Lompoc native reunites the Polynesian dance group she grew up performing in
Michelle Lujan looks back at her wedding day with bittersweetness because although she didn’t know it at the time, the December day in 2019 was the last time the Pacific Legends danced before the pandemic exploded. “To me, that’s like the marker of when it ended, but we had no idea,” Lujan told the Sun. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Klein Dance Arts presents its Spring Selections recital
Support Santa Maria’s youth dancers as they perform a variety of styles they’ve been hard at work perfecting. The recital will be held at Santa Maria High School inside the Ethel Pope Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. on June 5 and 2:30 p.m. on June 6. Guest performers and Klein Dance Arts students have prepared ballet, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Presqu’ile Winery unveils a new art exhibition
Visitors will have to journey up to an old bunker to see artwork by Cole Sternberg at Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria, which is up until Sept. 20. The collaboration is supported by the Los Angeles Nomadic Division, an organization that connects people to places through art. Sternberg is a conceptual artist who paints, sculpts, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu may satisfy Star Wars super fans
Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man, The Lion King) directs this screenplay co-written with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor about former lone bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), also known as The Mandalorian, and his Yoda-like apprentice, Grogu, who are working for the New Republic under orders from Col. Ward (Sigourney Weaver) to hunt down Galactic […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Send Help is a wicked, twisted, black comedy surprise
Send HelpWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Hulu Linda (Rachel McAdams) is great at her job—too great. Credit for her work is overlooked or stolen by her superiors. When the one person she connected with—the boss—dies, Linda’s hope of moving up is crushed by his douchebag son and nepo-baby CEO Bradley Preston […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War takes the TV show movie length
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost WarWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Prime Video Andrew Bernstein directs this feature length installment in the Jack Ryan franchise, this time starring John Krasinski from the Jack Ryan TV show spinoff (2018-23). Before Krasinski, Harrison Ford, Chris Pine, and Ben Affleck had played the character—a former […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Los Padres ForestWatch hosts a dinner that connects people with the land
Save a seatBuy tickets to The Wilderness Table by visiting forestwatch.org. The June 7 dinner runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at Larner Vineyard (955 Ballard Canyon Road in Solvang). For more on the food and beverage providers, visit larnerwine.com, rock12distillery.com, and highonthehogcatering.com. One summer evening, 50 strangers will have the luxury of breaking bread […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Best of NSBC 2026
Start thinking about your best of the best Get ready for our 26th Annual Best of Northern Santa Barbara County 2026 Readers Poll. Voting starts June 4 through June 22, 2026. Come back here to get access to the 2026 ballot and begin your quest for the best!
Posted inNews
Mounting losses: Horseback ride and petting zoo operator alleges pony’s death caused by nearby construction
Runny noses. Swollen eyes. Rashes. Hives. A wave of illness that plagued Bob Sweeney’s horses last summer, he said, coincided with construction work happening adjacent to his stables in Buellton. Sweeney described the city’s nearly yearlong construction of a new 100-space parking lot on Sycamore Drive in 2025 as detrimental to his business—SYV Horseback Rides, […]
