The room was dark and loud. The crowd jumped and punched, undulating with the heavy rock sound. It was the closing set of a punk rock show at Rancho Nipomo BBQ’s Gold Rush Cantina, and the local band Yearbooks was in the spotlight. The five-piece punk/pop band didn’t have more than a half hour to […]
Local punk/pop band Yearbooks performs across California with new album ‘Peer Pressure’
Posted inNews
Brian Olmstead gathers support in bid for Santa Barbara County Sheriff
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Lt. Brian Olmstead was the sole challenger to Sheriff Bill Brown. Lt. Eddie Hsueh is also running as of March 8, 2018. The current favorite to derail Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown’s continued tenure is Lt. Brian Olmstead, 48, a New Cuyama native with nearly […]
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Nipomo High School students and faculty happily stranded on Ag Island
Community members watched as Christine Ready, an agricultural science teacher at Nipomo High School, poured acetic acid into a glass flask containing sodium bicarbonate. The ingredients—more commonly referred to as vinegar and baking soda—combined to create carbon dioxide, a gas that Ready said can smother flames. “It’s actually the same principle used in fire extinguishers,” […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria Arts Council honors Craig and Linda Shafer for decades of service to the arts
Every year the Santa Maria Arts Council awards thousands of dollars to burgeoning artists with its annual Individual Grants in the Arts Competition. While awarding the upcoming generation, the council also honors someone in the arts community for longtime contributions, giving the grants in their name. This year’s competition honors Craig and Linda Shafer, who […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Betteravia Gallery showcases the student art exhibit Come Together
Hands clasped in loving solidarity. Two figures locked in the moment before a kiss. The view of a lemon distorted through a glass jug. These are all images featured in a new exhibit in Santa Maria that highlights the work of some of the region’s most promising young artists. Come Together features artwork created by […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Dulcie Taylor performs songs from new album at Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria
Singer/songwriter Dulcie Taylor has a sweet voice, but not sweet in a cotton candy kind of way. It’s more like a hickory-smoked barbecue sauce kind of sweet. It might have something to do with being brought up in South Carolina, and her relaxed Southern drawl, but the acclaimed artist has called the Central Coast home […]
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Spotlight on: My805Tix
A new ticketing portal for live events is now available to Central Coast residents. The recently launched My805Tix owned by New Times Media Group (the Sun’s parent company) promises to provide a one-stop shop for locals to find and purchase tickets to local concerts, events, and shows. The media group, which also includes the New […]
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Lompoc City Council shoots down proposed cannabis tax
The nearest legal marijuana dispensary is currently some 120 miles from Santa Maria proper. That number promises to drop once the industry slowly establishes a foothold in Lompoc, which is just a 20-minute drive away. Santa Maria and Lompoc stand in stark contrast to each other on the issue of the cannabis industry. The Santa […]
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Second sexual assault lawsuit filed against Church for Life and former pastors
A second civil lawsuit was filed against two former Santa Maria residents and pastors on March 7, accusing them of sexual battery, harassment, assault, and gender violence. The suit, which was filed in Santa Maria Superior Court anonymously by three women, also claims that Santa Maria’s Church for Life failed to appropriately investigate the women’s […]
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Never again: School shootings are a norm that some local students are no longer willing to accept
Passing cars honked in support as dozens of energetic community members stood outside Get R Gun—a gun store situated directly across from Santa Maria High School—and chanted, “Hey, hey, NRA: How many kids have you killed today?” The store was empty—it had closed for the day as usual by the time protesters gathered outside the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Dragonette Cellars in Los Olivos stocks an elegant array of locally sourced reds and whites
It’s always a treat when you stumble into something that’s been right in front of you the whole time. That was the case recently with myself and an impressive local winery that’s carved out a niche on the Central Coast. Don’t let the size of Los Olivos fool you. Within its 2.5 square miles there […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Doggy dance: Krider’s dog doesn’t respect his sleep patterns
Most people these days wake up every morning using an alarm on their iPhone. At my house we do it much more organically. Instead of an electrical device with an app, we just have a 20 pound dog. It is very green of us. The only setback with the dog is we don’t get to […]