Corazón del Pueblo is fundraising for its Indigenous Youth Leadership Institute of Arts and Culture, a pilot program serving Indigenous migrant farm-working students. Funds will go toward the program’s last events and scholarships for the students. “We engaged 23 Indigenous farm-working students, providing them with opportunities to connect with others who are facing similar life […]
Santa Maria
Posted inNews
Recent ICE arrests in Santa Maria draw criticism from immigration rights advocates
After asking to see the warrant for her husband’s arrest, a woman in Santa Maria was handed an insurance claim for the car window ICE agents broke to apprehend him, 805 UndocuFund volunteer Michelle Ambriz-Quintero told the Sun. A member of 805 UndocuFund’s rapid response team, Ambriz-Quintero was alerted on Nov. 16 about an Immigrations […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
An artist helps others on their cancer journeys by teaching collage classes
At around 12 years old, Kathleen McKinnon realized she wanted to be a teacher for the deaf after her church brought in a deaf congregation. But during McKinnon’s college years in Florida, when she was studying learning disabilities, she had another realization. “I was walking back to the education department, and I walked past the […]
Posted inNews
Olive Grove Charter School approved for five more years
Superintendent Meg Rydman’s fondest experiences at Olive Grove Charter Schools are seeing students at their graduation ceremonies. With the charter school’s Santa Maria location set to continue educating through June 2031, she’ll have the opportunity to see future classes graduate there, too. The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) approved Olive Grove’s renewal […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria homelessness stats spark mixed feedback from city officials
After hearing an annual update on Santa Maria’s homelessness response efforts, 3rd District City Councilmember Gloria Soto echoed many of the concerns she raised last year. “We need to do more, and I know what’s something we keep reiterating,” Soto said at the council’s Nov. 4 meeting. “I’m deeply worried that our local governments will […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Submissions open for a new mural in Santa Maria
Artists are invited to submit proposals for a public art project at the Santa Maria Transit Center. The final design will be digitally produced, printed on vinyl, and installed on aluminum panels on the exterior wall of the transit center, located at 400 Boone St. “This project offers artists a unique opportunity to bring color, […]
Posted inNews
Coroner’s conflict: A new state law requires an independent autopsy of in-custody deaths
Dozens of law enforcement agencies across California have less than two years to comply with a new state law, one that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office believes will do more harm than good. Inspired by a 2024 county grand jury report, Assemblymember Gregg Hart’s (D-Santa Barbara) FACTS Act calls for independent medical investigations of […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria’s public transportation system goes fully electric
Gamaliel Anguiano remembers when Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) received its first electric bus in 2022. “It’s amazing to see how much the technology has improved over the last three years,” the transit services manager told the Sun. During the first week of November, SMRT was set to receive the last couple of vehicles it […]
Posted inNews
Ritual Reform puts its signature spin on a new Santa Maria studio with XFormer Pilates machines
Carving out some time to focus on the here and now set the tone for Sarah Whitmore Boe’s present and future, the owner and founder of three—soon to be four—local Pilates studios explained. “My journey to it was really during a time of change in my life. I got sober 10 years ago and really […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Take your mind on a thrilling adventure with a local’s audio drama series
A blind protagonist, Miranda Griffin, runs through a maze while a vicious werewolf chases her in episode 6 of Simon Machin’s audio drama, The Black Veil. Out of everything he’s done to produce the drama’s 13 episodes, this scene sticks out to Machin because he invented his own werewolf sound effect by modifying a dog’s […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A 97-year-old artist keeps going by doing what she loves
In her nearly 97 years, Esther Serna Bartlett tried all sorts of new things because she wanted to know what they were like. Violin. Sculpture. Watercolors. Tennis. Ballet. “I think I was the oldest student,” she said about the dance class she took in the late 1990s. “I wanted to know what ballet was about.” […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Vote for the Taylor Park mural design, then lend a hand painting it
Make your artistic voice heard by choosing from designs of tropical flowers, sunshine and a garden, or whimsical doodles for the city of Santa Maria’s next mural, which will be painted at Taylor Park in November. Vote online through the Recreation and Parks Department website until Oct. 28, according to the department’s marketing coordinator, Karen […]
