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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Cal Poly’s Strawberry Center shares research with farmers during July field day
In eight years, the cost of growing strawberries in California has increased by 40 percent. In 2016, farmers spent about $62,000 per acre of the red berry. By 2024, they were paying $105,000, according to Mohammad Amir Aghaee, who leads the entomology program at the Cal Poly Strawberry Center. “When you have a situation like […]
Posted inNews
Safety first: Caltrans increases roadwork protections for workers
The whooshing breeze of freeway traffic “whizzing by” is occasionally powerful enough to fling Caltrans workers’ hard hats from their heads, District 5 Maintenance Manager Micah Gammons said. Once while crack-sealing a stretch of U.S. 101 near King City, Gammons said that a car skidded into the construction enclosure he was working in, but no […]
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Political Watch: July 31, 2025
• On July 25, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, announced legislation to expand a pathway to lawful permanent residency for millions of long-term U.S. residents, according to Padilla’s office. Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, also known as the Registry, gives the secretary of homeland […]
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Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria raises funds for youth programs through its annual Bunco Bonanza
Regardless of where the dice fall during an upcoming bunco tournament in Santa Maria, the real winners are the beneficiaries the annual event supports. Proceeds from Bunco Bonanza and other programs hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria throughout the year benefit several local causes, scholarships, and groups, including Children’s Resource and Referral of […]
Posted inOpinion
Slow your roll
While flying over Northern Santa Barbara County’s neighborhoods, I can’t help but notice the signs: Slow down. Drive like your kids live here. Children at play. There are already speed limit signs on residential streets telling drivers not to go faster than 25 mph (only a bit faster than the average airspeed velocity of an […]
Posted inOpinion
Our similarities are stronger than our differences
I thought I’d take a break from all of the grievances, divisions, and outrage of our culture wars, and write about how, despite all the opportunistic goading by our politicians and media, we actually all get along with each other pretty well. This allows me to recount a few of my favorite stories from my […]
Posted inOpinion
The Constitution guarantees due process for our undocumented workers
We’ve been seeing the relentless march of ICE officials. First, they hunted undocumented workers in Los Angeles, then Oxnard, Ventura, and Carpinteria. The workers that they are hunting are essential to our economy, often doing vital yet low-paying jobs. What’s more, they are protected by the U.S. Constitution. The Fifth Amendment clearly states: “No person […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Solvang’s nature and art museum displays William Neill’s photos in Yosemite: Sanctuary in Stone through August
Valley magic Located at 1511-B Mission Drive in Solvang, the California Nature Art Museum is open Thursday, Friday, and Monday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. William Neill’s Yosemite: Sanctuary in Stone exhibit is on display until Aug. 31. For more about the exhibit, visit […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a study in retro idealism
The Fantastic Four: First Steps What’s it rated? PG-13 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 Arroyo Grande, Fair Oaks Matt Shakman (Cut Bank, WandaVision) directs this reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise about four superheroes—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro […]
