Surprise! It’s the culmination of this year’s 55 Fiction contest! And much like the endings of the stories that people send us, the stories are always a shock—well not always, but mostly. We’ve got love, war, murder, politics, twists, and more for you in this year’s collection of printable pieces. Our judges sifted through hundreds […]
Category Feature
Posted inNews
Lompoc dissects new arrangements with chamber of commerce and TBID
Local artists, educators, and business owners were among the 40-plus public speakers who protested the Lompoc City Council’s initial decision to cut the Chamber of Commerce’s annual budget down from $108,000 to $60,000 in late June. Their efforts swayed the council to maintain the former allocation, via a newly revised contract that became the focal […]
Posted inOpinion
Vital affordability
In a time when affordable housing is in such high demand, when the California Legislature tries over and over again to alleviate the housing crisis and stimulate building, Buellton is trying to figure out how to kick certain residents out of long-term housing situations and turn those spaces into hotel rooms again. “Those motel uses […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Stories of local foster youth in Trauma to Hope exhibit now on display in Santa Ynez
Hope in art Located at 3596 Sagunto St., the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., and the From Trauma to Hope: Stories of Foster Care exhibit is on display until July 26. For more about the exhibit, visit at sbcasa.org. It was past midnight when a […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Clementine Carter pours cool climate Rhônes from the Sta. Rita Hills in Los Alamos
No two vintages of Clementine Carter are the same. “You should be able to read each vintage in each bottle,” owner and winemaker Sonja Magdevski said. “Everything that happened that year should be in this bottle.” The soil, sun, wind, rain, frost, temperature. The hands that tended the vines, the decisions that were made and […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: July 24, 2025
•Retired U.S. Navy commander and California District 24 candidate for congress Bob Smith issued a statement on July 15 regarding the July 10 ICE raids at Glass House Farms sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo. Smith credited reports from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with info on the raids he summarized. While executing federal warrants […]
Posted inNews
Lumina Alliance’s Lumina Days brings a fashion show that aims to help survivors of sexual and domestic violence
Former San Luis Obispo County resident Kimberly Victor’s nonprofit Fashion for a Purpose is set to be reborn in Nipomo as Lumina Days—a fashion show that ultimately helps survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence. “This event has always been in South County,” Lumina Alliance Development Director Brandee Brown-Puett said. “We do have our transitional […]
Posted inOpinion
The Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce needs to meet obligations before a new contract is signed
There were two items on the Lompoc City Council agenda on Tuesday, July 15. Both concerned similar subjects. The first was the Lompoc Tourism Improvement District (aka Visit Lompoc Incorporated or VLI). A nonprofit organization dedicated to “position Lompoc as a sought-after destination for tourists, meetings, and events.” This special district receives no funding from […]
Posted inOpinion
Let’s champion Vandenberg’s growth together
On behalf of the Space Force Association—Western Region, I write to express our strong support for the increased launch cadence at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Vandenberg is not just a critical national security asset—it is a cornerstone of California’s aerospace industry and our nation’s space enterprise. The Western Range enables polar and sun-synchronous orbit missions […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Eddington explores the divisions created by COVID, BLM, and online conspiracies
Eddington 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, Regal Arroyo Grande Writer-director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid) helms this neo-Western black comedy set in 2020 that chronicles a showdown between Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and […]
Posted inOpinion
A look at the perils facing our liberties and freedoms: the California doom loop vs. the original No Kings movement
I have written previously about California’s war on energy, which is destroying our economy. Yet, the war on energy is but one facet of the war on our liberties and freedoms. I sat in on a meeting decades ago with members of the Santa Barbara County Cattlemen’s Association as they listened to a warden of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Gallery Los Olivos hosts Deborah Kalas exhibition showcasing birds from Santa Ynez Valley, across country
Spreading her wings Find Deborah Kalas on Instagram and Pinterest or at deborahkalas.com. Located at 2920 Grand Ave., Gallery Los Olivos is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit gallerylosolivos.com or call (805) 688-7517. Lying on her stomach in mud, Deborah Kalas shivered for hours as she photographed American avocets […]
