After four years on Orcutt Academy High School’s varsity swim team, breaking numerous school records, and a currently undefeated season, senior Marcos Hillje-Enthoven plans to continue his swimming career at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida, next year. As captain of his team, Hillje-Enthoven often leads meetings and acts as a mentor to younger […]
Marcos Hillje-Enthoven
Posted inFood & Drink
Santa Maria’s North China continues to dominate the valley’s restaurant landscape
I will admit I grossly underestimated the food at North China Restaurant. When I was first asked my thoughts on the Santa Maria staple, I scowled and realized that for some tragic reason, I had managed to overlook them in my quest to eat my way through every restaurant in the Central Coast. Now, I […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Grants available for Santa Maria Valley artists and performers
Artists and performers can now apply for the Santa Maria Arts Council’s Lester B. Hayes Project and Performance Grant. The total available amount for the grant is $1,000. The goal of these grants is to support Santa Maria Valley programs through short-term projects that enhance the arts. Emphasis of the project should be on youth […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Orcutt Community Theater’s production of ‘Mama Won’t Fly’ highlights the soul of local theater
Backstage in a dressing room, tucked behind a dark corner, Dixie Arthur is busy fixing her hair, while Emily Zaas puts the final touches on her makeup. Jo Grande is similarly busy, wrapping up a repair for a costume for another performer, all the while taming another wig to be used in the Orcutt Community […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Jo-Neal Boic brings influences from Yosemite and Italy to her watercolors on display at Gallery Los Olivos
It’s a promising sunny Friday morning as Jo-Neal Boic takes her dog Dea for a swim in Morro Bay. The 14-year-old Labrador retriever, a beloved companion of the painter, is in need of a hydrotherapy session for her aging joints, and today is the perfect day. The sea waters and panoramic view of Morro Bay […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Eric Andersen brings decades of lyrical work to Tales from the Tavern in Santa Ynez
The 1960s folk music scene in Greenwich Village, New York City, was an explosion of creativity, with artists like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Maria Muldaur filling the coffee shops and pubs with their no-frills sound. Eric Andersen was one of those artists, picking an acoustic guitar and sharing his unique poetry with audiences in […]
Posted inNews
Spotlight on: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Santa Maria open house
For the past nine years, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System has staged an open house event for local veterans at the Santa Maria Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), connecting servicepeople with myriad resources for both health and success. April 18 marks the open house’s 10th anniversary, explained Charles […]
Posted inNews
A new life: Social Services, volunteers, and community come together to give foster youth a chance at a better life
The last thing that Amber Davis remembers before the chaos erupted was tying up the laces of her purple Vans. Davis was 15 years old, living at home with her biological mother, stepfather, two brothers, and stepsister. Six months before, Davis had been in and out of Vista Del Mar Hospital in Ventura for multiple […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Rebecca Rose asks that you kindly stop telling her how to dress
*In the voice of every woman in every office everywhere who loves fashion and doesn’t need your opinion about it* Hey, friendly coworker person! Thanks for sticking your head in my door every time you walk by to make a comment about my outfit. It’s really awesome that on top of all the other work […]
Posted inOpinion
Making it worse
The struggle for housing on the Central Coast is very real. It’s getting harder and harder to find an affordable place to nest! Even in Santa Barbara County’s bigger cities that have comparatively lower rents, like the Santa Maria or Lompoc valleys, it can be difficult to find a place to rent. More Central Coasters […]
Posted inOpinion
Clueless Canary
Thanks for publishing my letter entitled “Not the NRA” (March 29). But right under it you stick in the clueless “Speak Out” (March 29) Yellow Canary column. In my letter, I objected to the tyranny of the mob attacking the NRA for school disasters when the NRA has nothing to do with any of them. […]
Posted inOpinion
Students want safety
We Americans need to ask ourselves a simple question. What do we value more: our communities and schools, or our beloved guns? This is the issue that has brought hundreds of thousands of students and adults out into the streets to lead our Congress to the right decision. On March 14, students marched across America […]