Full season aheadBuy tickets for upcoming productions at the Pacific Conservatory Theatre online at pcpa.org. Season 63 kicks off with La Comedia of Errors running from Sept. 10 to 27. As Valerie Rachelle prepares for her return to the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA), she can’t help but notice a few coincidences. The actor and director […]
Santa Barbara County
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A photographer’s desert collection hangs at CalNAM
See Paulette Donnellon’s tribute to Southern California’s Anza-Borrego State Park at the California Nature Art Museum in Solvang. Untamed Desert will be up through Jan. 18 at the Valley Oak Gallery. “The desert has always held a special place in my heart,” Donnellon said in press materials. “In my work as a nature and wildlife […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria commemorates 50 years of public transit with a new mural
A public art installation at the Santa Maria Transit Center celebrates the city’s evolution throughout the past five decades. On July 28, city staff held an unveiling event for the community. “Designed by local artists Loyal and Joan Newville, the mural, The Spirit of Santa Maria: A Journey Through Time, celebrates the community’s transportation history […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Analogue Room in Solvang spins records, pizza dough, and corks
A slight scratch from the turntable. Quiet chatter from guests. Sound waves vibrating from a record player. The aural experience is at the heart of John Wright’s latest ambition, a vinyl lounge in Solvang called Analogue Room. He likes the idea of considering the space a listening room, not a bar. “It just seemed like […]
Posted inNews
A courthouse divided: Assembly Bill 46 gives judges more discretion in mental health cases
Bipartisan support from legislators helped push a new directive forward that changes how courts throughout California decide whether to grant criminal offenders diagnosed with a mental illness a treatment-based alternative to jail time. Recently signed into state law, California Assembly Bill 46 redefines a judge’s discretion when considering a defendant’s application for mental health diversion. […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc changes how it bills wastewater customers
A new method of calculating wastewater rates caused a slippery debate at the Lompoc City Council meeting on July 21. Residents and businesses will still be paying based on water usage, Management Services Director Bob Cross explained, and customers who see an increase in cost would’ve seen one under the previous calculations, too. “I think […]
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Lompoc prison reports a ‘walkaway’ inmate
Often set to polka or waltz-style melodies, songs labeled as narcocorrido—or drug ballad—are banned from radio use in several states in Mexico due to the subgenre’s reputation for glorifying cartel activity and drug culture. About four years before being incarcerated in Lompoc, convicted drug trafficker Omar Briceno-Quijano was the subject of the 2021 ballad titled […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Indah Gallery in Santa Ynez raises funds for the Artist Advocacy Foundation
At the opening reception for Bridging Worlds at the Indah Gallery, many of the 100-plus gallery visitors asked artist Max Gleason, “What’s going on with this one?” They stood in front of Entering the Arctic, a 6-foot-tall painting blending blues, greens, oranges, and pinks. It’s not just the colors that turn heads, though. Viewers inquired […]
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Seniors star in the latest Orcutt Community Theater production
Fabulous. Fed up. Flippin’ funny. That’s a good description of the protagonists in Orcutt Community Theater’s The Hallelujah Girls, directed by L. Chatel. Join the girl gang at the OASIS Senior Center to watch their trials and tribulations, evoking emotions across the spectrum. “An old flame struts back into town, a surprise proposal turns heads, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Discuss a book with local ties at Bob’s Well Bread Bakery
If you don’t have three hours to spare at your local movie theater watching Christopher Nolan’s rendition of an epic poem from more than 2,000 years ago, perhaps a shorter conversation about a contemporary odyssey will tickle your fancy. Author Irena Smith penned Troika, published in April, about a California road trip with her mother […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A hidden gem in Los Olivos serves pies, pastries, and wholesome vibes
When Tracy Fleming started her first catering business, there was no social media. “It was word of mouth and a little bit of advertising and treat your clients really well because you need to keep them,” Fleming remembered. So, she “cracks up” at the fact that because of social media, two women appeared at her […]
Posted inNews
Vandenberg airman dies on base after an equipment accident
An accident at Vandenberg Space Force Base killed a 23-year-old airman on July 16. The heavy equipment that Airman 1st Class Cedric Eneluna was operating rolled down an embankment, Vandenberg reported in a news release on July 17. The Santa Barbara Coroner’s Office hasn’t yet determined Eneluna’s cause of death. There were no other personnel […]
