In its 141 years of existence, the Rancho El Alamo Pintado Adobe has lived many lives. It was a French countess’ social spot, an innkeeper’s guest house, and a rancher’s home. In 1996 Iris Rideau bought the estate, and Rideau Vineyard was born. The adobe is now Rideau’s tasting room, where guests take in a […]
Category Feature
Posted inOpinion
Now is the time to help each other prepare for eventual evacuations
Two friends, who have lost absolutely everything to wildfires, say now is the time to help one another prepare to evacuate. If it’s not this fire, or an earthquake, or a tsunami warning … it will be some big challenge in the near future. How about we each help an elderly or disabled neighbor? Help […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc art duo’s fifth show is on display at Gallery Los Olivos
Visit the gallery Gallery Los Olivos is located at 2920 Grand Ave. in Los Olivos and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The current show, Rhapsody in Hue, will be on display until Aug. 31. For more information, visit gallerylosolivos.com. On a 12-by-16-inch canvas, artist Neil Andersson intertwines shapes and colors as […]
Posted inNews
Breaking ground: An empty Santa Maria department store begins its transformation into apartments—aiming to revitalize downtown
Making its downtown area more lively and walkable has been a goal of Santa Maria’s since 2004. About four years’ worth of community workshops ushered in the city’s first downtown revitalization plan, adopted in 2008 with hopes of increasing foot traffic through new retail, restaurants, and housing opportunities. But over the course of the next […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: August 14, 2025
• Approximately 190 million barrels of recoverable oil reserves are estimated to remain in the area off the coast of Santa Barbara County, according to the federal Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which announced on July 25 that it was working with Sable Offshore Corporation to bring a second Santa […]
Posted inOpinion
Newsom’s mid-decade redistricting is dangerous gerrymandering and political revenge
Gov. Newsom has proposed mid-decade redistricting to redraw California’s congressional lines—not to serve the people, but to play political revenge games with Texas. This is gerrymandering, plain and simple. And a dangerous step backward. Californians fought hard to end the days of shady, backroom map deals. In 2008, we passed Proposition 11 to create the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Great American Melodrama turns 50 with a special show mixing melodrama with vintage, contemporary vaudeville
Get your tickets for the 50th The Great American Melodrama presents its 50th Anniversary show that will mix traditional melodrama, vintage vaudeville, and contemporary vaudeville at its Oceano theater (1863 Front St.) from Friday, Aug. 8, through Saturday, Sept. 20. Purchase tickets online at americanmelodrama.com or call (805) 489-2499. Melodrama may have enjoyed its theatrical […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Naked Gun is silly fun
The Naked Gun What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Stream it What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Akiva Schaffer (Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers) directs and co-writes this fourth installment of the Naked Gun franchise. Following in the footsteps of […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Advocates organize to bring more food access to North Santa Barbara County with a Guadalupe farmers market
Although Guadalupe is surrounded by agricultural fields, what they produce doesn’t often make its way into local households. “We find ourselves in this position in North Santa Barbara County and Lompoc where food is grown all around us,” said Shelby Wild with Route One. “There’s very few, if any, opportunities in those communities where people […]
Posted inNews
Gifford Fire scorches more than 82,000 acres east of Santa Maria
Less than a week after the Madre Fire was declared 100 percent contained, it was dethroned by the Gifford Fire as California’s largest wildfire of the year. Both wildfires impacted several areas along Highway 166, prompting evacuation warnings and orders across different parts of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. While the Madre Fire […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: August 7, 2025
•On Aug. 4, U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced the adoption of a bipartisan resolution to celebrate National Farmers Market Week (Aug. 3 through 9). The resolution recognizes the vital role that farmers markets play in bringing communities together, supporting livelihoods, and enriching the lives of millions of Americans, from farmers […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria’s Central Coast Orthodontics celebrates 30th anniversary
Sunsets and cups of coffee are among the units the musical Rent suggests measuring a year in the life with. For local orthodontist Dr. Kirk Specht, the amount of patients he’s seen since opening his first office in Santa Maria helps sum up the past three decades. “It could be 6- to 8,000 maybe,” he […]
