Much ado about Muffin For more info on Muffin Music and its offerings, visit muffinmusic.org. Co-founders Sylvia Jiang and Davis Reinhart will present free concert programs on April 11 and 12 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Unity of Santa Maria and Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Santa Ynez, respectively. From an early […]
The music makers: Santa Ynez nonprofit Muffin Music brings performances, education to local schools
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Performers bring jazz and dance to the Oceano Elks Lodge
A local jazz collective is kicking it up a notch with its next Oceano concert, set to feature a lively dance demonstration courtesy of the Cal Poly SLO Swing Dance Club. Organized by the Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Club, the program is slated to take place on Sunday, March 30, from 11 a.m. to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Chumash Casino Resort presents KC and The Sunshine Band
As part of its current world tour, disco and funk group KC and The Sunshine Band is heading to Santa Ynez for a live performance at the Chumash Casino Resort on Friday, March 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets to the concert, held inside the resort’s Samala Showroom, range between $59 and $89. The 14-member ensemble […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria painter Helen Yanez pays homage to her heritage through illustrations and collaborations
Spring showcase For more info on Santa Maria-based artist and freelance illustrator Helen Yanez, visit yanezsart.com. Yanez is one of the featured artists in Corazón Café’s second annual Chingonas show, which opened in early March and is slated to remain up through the end of April. The café is located at 847 Higuera St., San […]
Posted inOpinion
Allow us to bid farewell to Dana Reserve habitat
It is my prayer that the slayers of the “Dana Reserve” native oaks at least allow a ceremony to be performed by the native Chumash and kindred spirits to bid farewell to the 3,000-plus Native Oaks that are to be sacrificed so that nonnatives can now reside on stolen Chumash land. In sympathy with our […]
Posted inOpinion
Buellton is the only city directly impacted by Sable Offshore’s pipeline plans
The city of Buellton is in a unique situation relative to Sable Offshore Corporation’s crude oil pipeline, yet city residents’ and city officials’ concerns are being ignored. To the Buellton City Council’s credit, the mayor recently sent a letter to the county Board of Supervisors explaining Buellton’s perspective and the need to ensure protection of […]
Posted inOpinion
Nasal navigator
Sniff, sniff. Do you smell that? Of course not. You need a Nasal Ranger to really get a good whiff of odorific cannabis. I don’t mean to make light of the plight of Carpinteria’s cannabis-odor-plagued residents, but tying a Santa Barbara County ordinance to something you wear on your nose is simply too much. Especially […]
Posted inNews
LEAP opens new early learning center to bridge education gap in Lompoc
Just 7 percent of children ages 0 to 2 and 62 percent of children ages 3 to 5 have access to licensed early childhood education in Lompoc, according to data from the Lompoc Early Learning Project. To help bridge this early education gap, LEAP opened the Lompoc Children’s Center at the Trinity Church of the […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: March 27, 2025
• Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) spoke at the 10th annual Association of California School Administrators Mid-State Conference held in San Luis Obispo about growing challenges to public education at the federal level, according to her office. “As a former public school teacher of 21 years, I know firsthand the dedication and resilience it takes […]
Posted inNews
Planning Commission punts Richards Ranch decision to Board of Supervisors
After accusing Santa Barbara County of acting in bad faith and playing politics, Richards Ranch didn’t get what it wanted: for the Planning Commission to overturn staff’s decision calling the project application incomplete. “Normally, this is not how the county would treat an applicant. I think politics are afoot,” Richards Ranch attorney Beth Collins told […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria Planning Commission pushes ‘de facto moratorium’ on BESS projects forward
The fallout from Monterey County’s battery plant fire in January continues to take on new forms, legislatively speaking, across the state. About 170 miles from the site of the incident in Moss Landing, Santa Maria is drafting regulations on battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities for the first time. A proposed ordinance, which would restrict […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Documentary TV series Deadly Waters with Captain Lee examines bizarre crimes
Everyone’s favorite Boat Daddy, Captain Lee Rosbach, is back on our screens, but instead of driving mega yachts on reality TV series Below Deck, he’s here to give the audience a tour of exotic locales—and deadly accidents that happened there on the high seas. Lee introduces us to the stories of various ill-fated seamen and […]