The whooshing breeze of freeway traffic “whizzing by” is occasionally powerful enough to fling Caltrans workers’ hard hats from their heads, District 5 Maintenance Manager Micah Gammons said. Once while crack-sealing a stretch of U.S. 101 near King City, Gammons said that a car skidded into the construction enclosure he was working in, but no […]
Safety first: Caltrans increases roadwork protections for workers
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Heads of State is a diverting mismatched buddy action-comedy
Heads of State What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Prime Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry, Nobody) cooks up another funny, action-packed popcorn flick. John Cena stars as Will Derringer, former action movie star and newly elected U.S. president. His British counterpart, more serious-minded Sam Clarke (Idris Elba), doesn’t much care for the preening […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Titan: The OceanGate Disaster examines the hubris that led to the Titan submersible implosion
Titan: The Oceangate Disaster What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix When the OceanGate disaster happened, I remember thinking that one of the streaming services is bound to make a documentary, and by golly, here it is! This event captured the attention of a lot of people at the time. I remember […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Eddington explores the divisions created by COVID, BLM, and online conspiracies
Eddington What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Regal Arroyo Grande Writer-director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid) helms this neo-Western black comedy set in 2020 that chronicles a showdown between Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The New Times Music Awards entry period opens
It’s time to submit your entries to the New Times Music Awards. The competition is all about local music and is open to anyone in northern Santa Barbara County and SLO County who’s put out music in the last year. Locals can enter up to 10 original songs in five categories. Are you an acoustic […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Local high school students compete in International Thespian Festival
Center Stage Theatre Company performers from Pioneer Valley and Ernest Righetti high schools represented California in Indiana this June while competing in the International Thespian Festival (ITF). They performed 21 Chump Street and competed in vocal solos and duets during the weeklong event at Indiana University Bloomington. Mariah Escobar and Bloom Carrera received superior rankings […]
Posted inOpinion
Dear President Trump
I am the former mayor of Guadalupe, a small agricultural city with a population of less than 10,000 on the beautiful Central Coast of California. I am writing to you, Mr. President, to respectfully urge you to create a legal program for all honest and hardworking migrants who have labored for years, some even decades, […]
Posted inOpinion
Let’s champion Vandenberg’s growth together
On behalf of the Space Force Association—Western Region, I write to express our strong support for the increased launch cadence at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Vandenberg is not just a critical national security asset—it is a cornerstone of California’s aerospace industry and our nation’s space enterprise. The Western Range enables polar and sun-synchronous orbit missions […]
Posted inOpinion
The Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce needs to meet obligations before a new contract is signed
There were two items on the Lompoc City Council agenda on Tuesday, July 15. Both concerned similar subjects. The first was the Lompoc Tourism Improvement District (aka Visit Lompoc Incorporated or VLI). A nonprofit organization dedicated to “position Lompoc as a sought-after destination for tourists, meetings, and events.” This special district receives no funding from […]
Posted inNews
Lumina Alliance’s Lumina Days brings a fashion show that aims to help survivors of sexual and domestic violence
Former San Luis Obispo County resident Kimberly Victor’s nonprofit Fashion for a Purpose is set to be reborn in Nipomo as Lumina Days—a fashion show that ultimately helps survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence. “This event has always been in South County,” Lumina Alliance Development Director Brandee Brown-Puett said. “We do have our transitional […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: July 24, 2025
•Retired U.S. Navy commander and California District 24 candidate for congress Bob Smith issued a statement on July 15 regarding the July 10 ICE raids at Glass House Farms sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo. Smith credited reports from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with info on the raids he summarized. While executing federal warrants […]
Posted inNews
County supervisors amend zoning to protect senior mobile home parks
Almost 7,000 seniors populate housing authority waitlists for affordable senior housing in Santa Barbara County. “In the face of such high demand, the preservation of existing affordable housing, including mobile home parks, is clearly important,” county planner Lila Spring said at the July 15 Board of Supervisors meeting. “However, the county lacks regulations to prevent […]
