It looks like Allan Hancock College is reaping the rewards of its long-standing effort to bring a four-year-degree program to Santa Maria. The school launched a partnership with Cal Poly at the beginning of this school year on its first bachelor’s degree program in sociology and just added a business major with two more as-yet-to-be-decided […]
Category Feature
Posted inOpinion
‘Let’s have a conversation’ is the least productive political phrase in common use
You hear the phrase “let’s have a conversation” a lot as the liberal arm of our political class confronts problems. Does it solve anything or is it an excuse for doing nothing? When I was a kid in 1950s Los Angeles, the six local TV stations would haul their large cameras down to “skid row” […]
Posted inOpinion
Democrats, take this opportunity to engage!
We’ve all seen the many viral videos of town hall meetings during which Republican voters are haranguing their elected Republican officials over the gutting of federal programs crucial to American families. As a result, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has been advising Republicans to stop holding town hall meetings for their […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A $500,000 matching grant boosts SLO REP’s new theater capital campaign
Donate before June 30 Thanks to the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust’s generosity, through June 30, donations to the SLO Repertory Theatre will be doubled. Altogether, the project will cost $21.5 million, and there’s still $2.4 million to raise. More than 90 percent of the goal has been met to break ground in early 2026. […]
Posted inNews
Road to nowhere: Residents remain unable to access Los Padres Forest via Colson Canyon Road after 2023 storms
Multiple signs note Colson Canyon Road’s closure: a big red one along Tepusquet Road a few miles from its intersection and at least three at the dirt road’s entrance. “Colson Canyon Road closed to all traffic including foot traffic,” a green and yellow U.S. Forest Service sign states. The road has been closed since January […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Miller Family Wine Company named Grower of the Year, launches AI sommelier service
Not long after accepting a coveted award for winemaking innovation at the state’s capital, the Miller Family Wine Company pushed industry boundaries further with a state-of-the-art update. In January, the local producer—the umbrella company that includes Bien Nacido Estates, J. Wilkes, Ballard Lane, Pandemonium, and other Central Coast staples—was recognized as the 2025 Grower of […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: March 13, 2024
• U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (D-California) sent a letter to the Department of the Interior on March 6 asking it to ensure that there are no more cuts to the Bureau of Reclamation, which is set to lose about 100 employees in California. That’s about 10 percent of its regional staff, according […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria High School’s Future Farmers of America chapter ranked No. 1 in California
Out of more than 360 chapters across California, Santa Maria High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) was ranked No. 1 in the state for 2024. According to Santa Maria High School FFA Chapter President Kayce Van Horn, students involved in the high school’s FFA chapter build a variety of life and leadership skills through […]
Posted inOpinion
Cry fowl
Our North County Supervisors are looking to my waterfowl cousins for wisdom these days, drawing upon the adage, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” Instead of benefitting the area’s feathered friends, 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino is crying fowl, I mean foul, about battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities being subjected […]
Posted inOpinion
A closer look at the county supervisors, farmworkers, pay raises, and hypocrisy
I admire the Santa Maria Sun Canary. Truly! The Canary is one straight-from-the-hip-shooting commentator, heavy on the acerbic humor. The bird’s bite definitely hurts more than its chirp. And I am flattered the Canary referred to me in the bird’s commentary about the Santa Barbara County supervisors giving themselves a raise—which I support (“Eyebrow Raise,” […]
Posted inOpinion
A coastal assault
Here are some questions that probably aren’t keeping you up at night: Why isn’t the Hearst Ranch a golf resort? Why aren’t we still arguing about whether Los Osos should have a sewer system and how it should work? Why wasn’t a seismic survey allowed to devastate our local fisheries and marine wildlife with underwater […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Mickey 17 broadly satirizes capitalism and cult of personality
Mickey 17 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, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Writer-director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer, The Host) adapts Ashton Edward’s 2022 sci-fi novel Mickey7 to the big screen, with Robert Pattinson as Mickey […]
