RocketTown Comic Con is making its final return to Lompoc this weekend The annual family-friendly event turns the Lompoc Valley Middle School gym into a vibrant hub of pop culture celebration offering cosplay contests and vendor exhibits organizers say there will be autograph sessions and celebrity appearances from Sam "Flash Gordon" Jones If you missed the first day of the event on Saturday you can catch the final day on Sunday from 10 a.m Tickets can be purchased on the RocketTown Comic Con website A major milestone for downtown Lompoc was reached Friday as community leaders and elected officials gathered to break ground on the long-awaited renovation of the Lompoc Theatre The historic building has remained dormant for more than 30 years the Executive Director of The Lompoc Theatre Project who announced that a new phase of the plan has been reached “This was the heart and soul of the town when it opened,” explained Herrier “It had an emotional connection to the community everyone will be able to experience what this building can do The theatre’s renovation is being carried out in three phases Phase one focused on cleaning and stabilizing the structure and utilities to allow for live performances and community events phase three will complete the full restoration including backstage areas and additional public spaces That portion of the project is being funded through a combination of tax credits and ongoing donations “Phase two is designed to stand on its own,” Herrier explained we’ll still have a functioning theatre and stage space as soon as this phase is complete.” the theatre is projected to generate over $6 million a year by bringing in new restaurants and business investment to downtown Lompoc including Senator Monique Limón and Assemblymember Gregg Hart joined local leaders at the groundbreaking “This moment is so important because it reminds us of what we can do when we make long-term investments,” Limón said this shows where public-private partnerships can make a real difference.” “I remember going to the movies here in the '60s,” Abrams recalled people have wanted to bring it back for years It’s really something that needs to be done.” The Lompoc Theatre originally opened in 1927 and was once a state-of-the-art hub for film, live music, and more. After closing in the late 1980s, the building remained unused until residents formed The Lompoc Theatre Projectnonprofit in 2012 to save it Lompoc police arrested 28-year-old Jorge Medina for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a juvenile girl a Lompoc parent alerted police about a relationship between her underage daughter and Medina Detectives say Medina met and groomed the juvenile girl on social media ultimately engaging in felonious sexual acts booking him on a $350,000 warrant with multiple felony charges including possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material Authorities believe there may be more victims—anyone with information is urged to call Detective Renner at (805) 736-2341 Juliet is your community news reporter covering the South Coast of Santa Barbara County Lompoc Valley Medical Center projects it will provide care to more than 120,000 patients this year access to timely care could change if cuts are made to Medicaid funding potentially putting the hospital at an annual loss of $21 million dollars "This funding is for us to get paid for the services that we are actually rendering," Dr Although no official decisions have been made a statement from LVMC says the Energy & Commerce Committee has proposed an $880 billion savings plan over the next 10 years we're going to be looking at what areas we're going to have to cut," Dr Novin-Baharen tells me the first programs to see cuts would be OBGYN care outpatient services and reductions in staffing There’s going to be longer wait times and shortages," Dr According to LVMC Chief Financial Officer Dustin Cheney the hospital's current budget projects a profit of $6 million they will have a net loss of $15.2 million MSN Yvette Cope says she will be going to Washington on behalf of the hospital in June but urges the community to reach out to local officials "Everybody uses their voice because this is not just about poor people this is about everybody in the community," Cope says Proposed cuts still need to pass through the House and Senate before being enacted A six-day project to resurface State Route 246 from Mission Gate Road to Sweeney Road near Lompoc is set to begin on Monday Officials say the operation will result in a full closure of State Route 246 at this location from 7:30 am until 3 pm The work will reportedly last from Monday through Friday Caltrans says detours will be in place throughout the project and delays should not exceed 10 minutes A new supportive housing development is now open in Lompoc A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday for the development on Cypress Avenue and 7th Street The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara (HASBARCO) calls the development’s opening “a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to provide safe and affordable housing for our community.” “The positive comments that we've received not just from the residents now finally having a place to live being able to stabilize and then take care of whatever the needs are beyond that from the local community,” said HASBARCO Director of Development John Polanskey community spaces and access to services “aimed at fostering a sense of belonging and stability.” Operation Homefront gives out an award to one dependent of each of the branches of military service This year's winner for the Space Force was a local high school student from Lompoc is a junior at Cabrillo High School and is currently in Washington where she was honored at a gala Thursday night so it was really cool seeing the Lincoln Memorial and then we got to go see the Air and Space Museum so it was pretty cool seeing that,” so told KSBY's Richard Gearhart “After attending 12 schools across five states and one foreign country Natalia transformed the challenges of military life into opportunities for growth Natalia logged 172 service hours last year while excelling in honors She’s known for her advocacy and work as a translator for families helping build an inclusive school community With aspirations to study law and run for public office she’s already setting the pace for a future in leadership,” according to Operation Homefront a laptop and other gifts and was one of seven people who received their award from top military leadership Natalia will graduate next year with both a high school diploma and an AA degree She plans to attend college and law school after graduation A local hospital is recognizing April as National Donate Life Month Lompoc Valley Medical Center marked the occasion with an event Wednesday afternoon to highlight organ Community members and hospital staff gathered as a Donate Life flag was raised at the hospital's entrance another kidney to someone else and also her lungs so I'm able to play with my grandnephew who lives in Lompoc and I was there this last week," said Santa Barbara resident and organ recipient W Officials say the flag will fly throughout April to recognize National Donate Life month Lompoc Valley Medical Center was all commended for facilitating two organ donations and 22 tissue donations over the past 15 years Tuesday): Lompoc police say the motorcyclist involved in the crash Monday evening has died Police say the investigation is still ongoing and are not releasing much information at this time but did tell KSBY speed was likely a contributing factor The man's name has not yet been released.— ORIGINAL STORY: One person was hospitalized following a crash in Lompoc Monday evening An SUV with damage to the left side passenger door could be seen stopped in the intersection next to a wrecked motorcycle Police on scene were not releasing much information only telling KSBY one person was hospitalized Ocean Avenue between J and L streets remained blocked off as of 7:30 p.m Police said more information would be released at a later time The Lompoc Unified School District has announced planning for Measure M upgrades is well underway Measure M is a $160 million bond measure to upgrade school facilities and was passed by voters in the Lompoc community in November The school district announced they have opened a new bond project manager position established two bond funds and authorized the issuance of the first series of bonds District leaders also released findings of a staff-wide survey and have identified asbestos ceiling tile replacement roofing and window replacements as some of the top priorities for the school upgrades Authorities are searching for an inmate who reportedly walked away from the satellite camp next to the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Lompoc The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) reports Marcos Castaneda He was reportedly serving a 20-year sentence from Wisconsin for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine Local law enforcement agencies were notified along with the U.S Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation An internal investigation was also said to have been initiated.  Anyone with information on where Castaneda may be is asked to contact the United States Marshals Service at (805) 346-2728 Several people have been displaced after a structure fire erupted in Lompoc early Saturday morning The Lompoc City Fire Department reports that units responded to a fire on the 1300 block of North L Street at around 2:15 a.m Officials say crews arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming from a first-floor apartment with an extension to the second floor According to the Lompoc City Fire Department firefighters were able to knock out the fire at 2:35 a.m Several individuals were reportedly displaced The cause of the fire is still under investigation UPDATE (3:39 p.m.) - The motorcyclist has been identified as Sean Birdsell of Lompoc.—ORIGINAL STORY: A motorcyclist was killed in a crash in Lompoc on Tuesday afternoon According to the California Highway Patrol an 83-year-old woman driving a pickup truck stopped at the stop sign on S then pulled into the intersection directly into the path of a 53-year-old man on a Honda motorcycle traveling eastbound on W The two vehicles collided and the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene According to Santa Barbara County Fire officials for about an hour and 40 minutes after the crash The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash Officers ask anyone with further information about this incident to call (805) 691-6160.