Section Feature
Posted inSpecial Issues

Pride Issue 2024

Out and about: Our Pride issue highlights a social group for older members of the LGBTQ-plus community and the need for the Pride in Mental Health Act
Avatar photo by Taylor O'Connor and Bulbul Rajagopal

With this year’s annual Pride issue, we’re taking a little time to focus on support systems for the LGBTQ-plus community—what exists and what needs to exist. Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor talks to the Pacific Pride Foundation about a program it’s expanding into North County intended specifically to provide a sense of community that may be […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Orcutt pizzeria lends favorite flavors to Arroyo Grande’s Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria, celebrating the anniversary of its delicious upgrade

Avatar photo by Bulbul Rajagopal

Deli development Enjoy Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria’s transformation every day starting at 11 a.m. It closes at 3 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Check out branchstreetdeli.com and follow the restaurant on Instagram @branch_st_deli_and_pizzeria. Branch Street Deli and Pizzeria in Arroyo Grande has […]

Posted inOpinion

Risky revenue?

by The Canary

Is Lompoc a place that you associate with “Earth-based lodging”? Seems a little targeted toward luxurious hippies, doesn’t it? Like some place someone would pay thousands of dollars a night to stay in the Brazilian Amazon or along the Big Sur coast, where they could zip-line through the forest, get massages under trees, eat all […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Orcutt artisan’s household goods double as serene seascapes

Avatar photo by Caleb Wiseblood

Tidal raves To find out more about Orcutt-based artist  Amy Blankenship and her resin art business, Wild Alchemy, visit wildalchemycollective.com, or follow @wildalchemycollective on Instagram.  Blankenship regularly sells her resin art charcuterie boards and other products during Morro Bay’s bimonthly Waterfront Market, Shell Beach’s monthly Art in the Park event, and additional art fairs and […]

Posted inOpinion

Odor eater

by The Canary

Can we odor abate outdoor anything? Like sewage plants with open-air treatment ponds, for instance—Nipomo, I’m talking to you. Who doesn’t love the smell of poo on the fresh morning air? We arguably should be doing something about that smell—but can we really?  “In the north, we have many complaints of odors particularly with … […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Let’s Crave It Crepes food truck opens new brick-and-mortar shop in Arroyo Grande

Avatar photo by Caleb Wiseblood

Planet of the crepes Find out more about Let’s Crave It Crepes at facebook.com/letscraveitcrepes. The local brand’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant opened at 1474 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande, in May. There’s a new spot in Arroyo Grande where loved ones can bond over a shared dessert one minute and sever their ties during a cutthroat […]

Posted inOpinion

Risky donation

by The Canary

Did you know that every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion? Did you also know that until recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had rules regarding collecting “gay” blood? As if homosexuality isn’t stigmatized enough, amirite? Well, presto-chango, because now, like magic, the FDA has decided that gay and bisexual […]

Posted inNews

Vital draw: The FDA changes guidelines for LGBTQ-plus men who want to donate blood for the first time

Avatar photo by Bulbul Rajagopal

An update to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidelines on blood donation allows a whole new cross-section of people to roll up their sleeves and help those in need. In May 2023, the FDA eliminated time-based postponements and screening questions posed to men who have sex with other men (MSM population). Previous instruction deemed […]

Posted inOpinion

Elemental, my dear

by The Canary

Orcutt, don’t act so surprised. The county’s had its eye on your lovely open spaces for a while now, and all the Board of Supervisors did on May 3 was to approve what’s already been in the works.  That’s part of the message from 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson as the supes were about to […]

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