Walk into Niya Restaurant in Old Orcutt and a stately elegance is immediately apparent. Suddenly, any illusion a visitor may get from the “old” in Old Orcutt fades away behind a contemporary modern aesthetic and the aromas of fresh fusion happening in the kitchen. Of course, it’s more than design and aromatics that make a […]
Orcutt fusion: Niya restaurant brings contemporary Asian-style cuisine to old town
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Etiquette du toilet
The men’s restroom has rules. These are strict procedures not to be broken under any circumstances, even if there is a fire. There are certain things men do not do in the restroom, things like talk. Rule No. 1: There is no talking in the men’s room, even amongst friends, and certainly not with strangers. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Unfinished Business explores the British Invasion
The driving, dominant chords that open the song “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” heralded the beginning of something big when The Beatles strummed them over the screams of The Ed Sullivan Show’s studio audience on Feb. 9, 1964. Beatlemania gripped the country during the group’s first visit to the United States, but the explosion […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Artists Guild of Santa Ynez Valley announces scholarship winners
The Artists Guild of the Santa Ynez Valley announced the winners of its 2015 scholarship cycle, recognizing three local art students for achievements in visual arts. The winners are Jordan Swidenbank from Midland School in first place, Sofia Torres-Small from Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in second place, and Kaitlin Goodwin of Santa Ynez […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Poetic Justice Project actors to perform at Alcatraz
The Poetic Justice Project, along with collaborator and director Gale McNeeley, will perform the production Inside Out during the Arts in Prisons Conference at Alcatraz happening June 17 through 20. Inside Out is a play in the style of commedia dell’arte, which features the use of character masks to explore the lives of those entering […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Hugh Jackman documentary needs ticket sales to show in Santa Maria
A special screening event for the film Dukale’s Dream, featuring actor Hugh Jackman’s visit and subsequent mobilization of aid in Ethiopia, is scheduled for June 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Santa Maria. The screening requires 77 advance tickets sold by May 28 to ensure the film screens at the Edwards Santa Maria 14 and RPX […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria Public Library kicks off summer reading program
The Santa Maria Public Library—along with its Orcutt, Guadalupe, and Cuyama branches—will kick off the Read to the Rhythm summer reading program on June 15. The program continues through Aug. 8 with three groups available for adults, teens, and children. Adult attendees can participate by signing up and visiting the library during each week of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
St. Joseph High School reboots its drama program with comedic mystery ‘Where There’s a Will, There’s a Murder’
St. Joseph High School is one of numerous educational institutions forced to pull art programs during the budget struggle of the last decade. The private school in Orcutt recently rekindled its drama program, which went by the wayside eight years ago, and will produce its first production since the program restarted last semester, Where There’s […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Torey Barrett
Long-time Pioneer Valley wrestling coach and social science teacher Kevin Ilac said senior female wrestler Torey Barrett is a great example of how commitment and sacrifice can transform your life. “Torey is the most decorated athlete from our girls’ program and one of the greatest in Pioneer Valley history,” Ilac said. Ilac first met Barrett […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Mission Hope Cancer Center puts on yoga classes for restorative and fundraising efforts
The “C” word. The “Big C.” Cancer. This is not a diagnosis any of us want to hear during a trip to the doctor’s office. Cancer kills an astronomical amount of people annually, that much is obvious. It is a killer that doesn’t discriminate by age, race, or gender. It is a killer that has […]
Posted inOpinion
Regulatory, schmegulatory
Last summer (2014) the California Department of Conservation discovered a little hiccup in the regulatory oversight of one of its agencies (a department within the department)—the Department of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, also known as DOGGR. That little curve in the road led state regulators to review 50,000, that’s a lot, underground injection wells […]
Posted inOpinion
Salamanders don’t need to be saved
When I recently read that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was promoting the idea of protecting the “endangered” tiger salamander in a project of condemning 30,000 acres of producing land and at a cost of $46 million in Santa Barbara County, I didn’t know whether to be appalled or laugh. Who in their right […]
