Another rocket was successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base during the early morning hours of Feb. 10. This time it was a Delta IV “heavy” rocket carrying a super-secret payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). But don’t freak out too much. Known as the “eyes and ears of space,” the NRO’s in charge […]
Vandenberg launches National Reconnaissance Office satellite
Posted inNews
Cubans in Santa Maria react to the recent thawing of U.S.-Cuba relations
During one evening in May 2000, Henrik Gonzales boarded a boat on the northern shore of Cuba. Under the cover of darkness, the boat pushed off and entered the barren 90-mile stretch of ocean that separated him from the United States, or in his mind, the land of the free. It was his third attempt. […]
Posted inOpinion
What pest concerns you the most?
Gail Daniel cosmetology teacher “Mosquitoes. Because of the diseases, like the Zika virus, it’s just kind of creepy the way it’s multiplying.” Jess Anguiano cosmetology student “Everything. I hate all pests, like bees and mosquitoes and rats and bugs; even butterflies are kinda lame.” Biridiana Garcia cosmetology student “I don’t like spiders or mosquitoes. There’s […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The password is ‘beer’: The BarrelHouse Speakeasy is open for barrel-aged brews and beard trims in SLO
View more photos from BarrelHouse Brewing’s new San Luis Obispo location. Make your way down Chorro Street in San Luis Obispo toward the creek, and you can’t miss it: an old-fashioned white-and-teal barber chair, sitting alongside a spinning antique barber pole. The sign above the storefront reads “BarrelHouse Brewing Company,” but the space smacks more […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Netflix and chill
I know nowadays it’s hard to imagine, but my wife and I found each other without the help of the Internet. In the World Wide Web’s defense, back then the Internet was mostly used for stealing music, not really for making matches. We didn’t have Tinder or eHarmony or any other digital assistance for finding […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Beyonce, blackness, and the beat: Outrage over Super Bowl performance and new song is part of a long tradition of musical intolerance
It didn’t take long for the outrage machine to get churning following Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 17. Sharing the field and stage with Coldplay and Bruno Mars, Beyoncé’s performance raised ire—mostly among conservative white Americans—for a number of reasons. Many complained of the outfits the singer and her […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Wildling Museum elects new board members
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature announced the election of four new board members to its large team of dedicated volunteers. The new members bring a wealth of experience to the museum, each with their own unique skills to offer, according to a museum press release. The new members include Susan Belloni, Katherine Godfrey, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Daytripper: The Piedras Blancas Light Station turns 141
Check out more photos of the Piedras Blancas Light Station. More than 100 people line up alongside the normally vacant white walls of the old Piedras Blancas Hotel on Saturday, Feb. 13. It’s 9:45 a.m., foggy, windy, and the cracked concrete of the parking lot is full of cars, also in line. Everybody is waiting […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc Civic Theatre explores artificial intelligence and tech in ‘Two Point Oh’ by Jeffrey Jackson
The human race is on the brink of big change—if you listen to technologists—and artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the big movers and shakers that will change all of our lives, whether it’s in the automaker Tesla’s new auto pilot mode or autonomous computers that can maintain casual conversation. The blurred line between humanity […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria-Bonita School District Board of Education invites community to provide feedback on school spending
The Santa Maria-Bonita School District Board of Education has begun the process of reviewing and updating the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)—the plan that outlines the direction of the district and the programs and services that are provided to students. Students, parents, staff, and the community can provide feedback on how the district’s state-provided LCAP […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria-Bonita School District students and teacher recognized for achievement
Schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District have been getting recognition for teacher and student achievements. According to Maggie White, public information officer for the district, Veronica Tadeo, an English teacher at Fesler Junior High School, was recently named Outstanding Teacher for 2016 by the Computer Using Educators of Santa Barbara County (CUE) for her […]
Posted inNews
Righetti High School Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico set to perform
Righetti High School Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico will celebrate traditional Mexican and Latino music during performances of its annual Big Show, March 18 and 19. The shows, which have become a community favorite, start at 7:30 p.m. inside the historic Ethel Pope Auditorium at Santa Maria High School, 901 S. Broadway. Forty student musicians […]