Rainbow Reads Book Club Saturdays made a comeback this summer at the Santa Maria Public Library. In June, members discussed No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull. In July, The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. On Aug. 9, members will talk about Samuel Burr’s The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers at 3 p.m. inside the Learning Loft. […]
Focus on LGBTQ-plus literature with the Rainbow Reads Book Club
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Something Rotten! heads to the Solvang Festival Theater
The PCPA Pacific Conservatory Theatre joins the Bottom brothers on a “riotous quest to outshine Shakespeare” at the Solvang Festival Theater with Something Rotten!, a musical showing through Aug. 23. Nick and Nigel Bottom aim to pen the world’s first musical, targeting Shakespeare as the bard to beat, but along the way the Bottom brothers […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Solvang’s nature and art museum displays William Neill’s photos in Yosemite: Sanctuary in Stone through August
Valley magic Located at 1511-B Mission Drive in Solvang, the California Nature Art Museum is open Thursday, Friday, and Monday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. William Neill’s Yosemite: Sanctuary in Stone exhibit is on display until Aug. 31. For more about the exhibit, visit […]
Posted inOpinion
We need to protect ourselves from the unimaginable
I attended the July 11 California Coastal Commission meeting to support the Mothers for Peace request for a hearing on relicensing the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The aging plant and its radioactive waste sit atop a thrust earthquake fault. PG&E has been granted a five-year extension but is now asking for 20 more, saying five […]
Posted inOpinion
The Constitution guarantees due process for our undocumented workers
We’ve been seeing the relentless march of ICE officials. First, they hunted undocumented workers in Los Angeles, then Oxnard, Ventura, and Carpinteria. The workers that they are hunting are essential to our economy, often doing vital yet low-paying jobs. What’s more, they are protected by the U.S. Constitution. The Fifth Amendment clearly states: “No person […]
Posted inOpinion
Our similarities are stronger than our differences
I thought I’d take a break from all of the grievances, divisions, and outrage of our culture wars, and write about how, despite all the opportunistic goading by our politicians and media, we actually all get along with each other pretty well. This allows me to recount a few of my favorite stories from my […]
Posted inOpinion
Slow your roll
While flying over Northern Santa Barbara County’s neighborhoods, I can’t help but notice the signs: Slow down. Drive like your kids live here. Children at play. There are already speed limit signs on residential streets telling drivers not to go faster than 25 mph (only a bit faster than the average airspeed velocity of an […]
Posted inNews
Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria raises funds for youth programs through its annual Bunco Bonanza
Regardless of where the dice fall during an upcoming bunco tournament in Santa Maria, the real winners are the beneficiaries the annual event supports. Proceeds from Bunco Bonanza and other programs hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria throughout the year benefit several local causes, scholarships, and groups, including Children’s Resource and Referral of […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: July 31, 2025
• On July 25, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, announced legislation to expand a pathway to lawful permanent residency for millions of long-term U.S. residents, according to Padilla’s office. Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, also known as the Registry, gives the secretary of homeland […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe considers improving oversight on the Royal Theater project’s progress
In Guadalupe Councilmember Whitney Furness’ experience, the only way to get clear info on the Royal Theater project’s status is with “quite a bit of pointed questions,” she told the council during its July 22 meeting. The kind of questions that sparked a heated discussion between her and the multi-year renovation effort’s project manager Tom […]
Posted inNews
Assemblymember Dawn Addis proposes Monarch Protection Week
As monarch numbers continue to decline, California could have a week dedicated to the butterfly’s preservation if a Central Coast legislator’s resolution passes the Senate. Over the last 25 years, the Western monarch population has declined by at least 80 percent, dropping from what was once 1.2 million to an estimated 233,000 last year—the Pismo […]
Posted inNews
Buellton City Council overturns Planning Commission’s denial of Waldorf school project
Less than an acre in size, a vacant sliver of Dairyland Road in Buellton bookended the month of July for city officials who couldn’t agree on a private school proposed for the site. During its July 3 meeting, the Buellton Planning Commission voted on back-to-back motions for the Hundred Hills School project’s approval or denial, […]
