Teamsters working for MTD avert strike, just for one day

KEYT on July 1, 2025

Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Running for the bus may be put on hold if teamsters go on strike.

The union agreed to a one-day contract extension on Monday. If no agreement is reached by Tuesday night, members of Teamsters Local 186 plan to begin picketing outside the Santa Barbara Transit Center.

“MTD has been surface bargaining for the past two months. We’re in mediation, but little progress was made today,” said Teamsters Local 186 Secretary-Treasurer Abel Garcia. “The Teamsters extended the contract by 24 hours in a good-faith effort. The contract will expire at midnight on July 1.”

Garcia said it’s time for MTD to stop pushing for concessions.

“If employees at MTD go on strike, it’s because management put them on strike by proposing minimal raises, pennies into the pension, higher out-of-pocket healthcare costs, and takeaway after takeaway,” he said. “That includes taking away time-and-a-half pay for working on scheduled days off. Seventy percent of employees can’t afford to live in Santa Barbara, so they commute. That extra pay helps cover gas to get to work.”

Union representatives negotiated the extension with MTD and a state-appointed mediator around dinnertime on Monday. Talks are scheduled to resume Tuesday morning.

An MTD spokesperson declined an on-camera interview but noted that the starting wage for bus operators is $26.83 an hour—more than $55,000 annually for full-time employees.

Some riders expressed support for the drivers.

“I work downtown and make about $24 an hour part-time. That’s already tight. I can’t imagine trying to make it work on a bus driver’s salary,” said rider Akase Enun.

Ajani Tyehimba added, “I would still support a strike, even if it means I can’t take the bus for a day.”

Before the extension was finalized, Garcia posted on social media, saying the union had been bargaining in good faith “with nothing to show for it.” He said a potential work stoppage would affect 160 employees and bus routes throughout Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria.

“You’ve been playing games,” Garcia said of MTD. “Now in the 12th hour, you want to bargain in good faith and ask for an extension?”

Riders are worried about the potential impact.

“It really helps when you need to get from point A to point B, and it would kind of suck if they went on strike,” said rider Chase Carson.

Both sides hope to reach a compromise before the July Fourth holiday.

MTD has warned that the agency is facing a “financial cliff” due to expiring COVID relief funding. It’s unclear whether the Teamsters union is accepting that explanation.

Meanwhile, students visiting from Switzerland say they rely on the bus system to explore the city over the summer.

“Santa Barbara is almost as big as Switzerland, and it’s hard without the bus,” said Fionn Zuend.

Ramon Knechtle added, “I like giving the ticket to the driver at the front. I think the buses are pretty clean inside.”

Governor Gavin Newsom is aware of the situation and has sent a letter requesting intervention to avoid a strike.

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Eldon man arrested after Miller County standoff

KMIZ on July 1, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 44-year-old Eldon man remained in jail Tuesday afternoon following his arrest after a standoff at a Miller County home.

Lawrance J. Giddens, 44, was charged on Tuesday with four counts of illegal gun possession, one count of illegally possessing an illegal weapon and a count of resisting arrest.

Giddens held deputies and state troopers in a standoff Monday in Miller County and was “believed to be armed” with a gun, the Miller County Sheriff’s Office says.

The standoff happened in the 100 block of Witt Road, south of Eldon.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw over a dozen law enforcement vehicles, most of which were of the Miller County Sheriff’s Office – surrounding a home.

The probable cause statement says that law enforcement was at the residence serving a failure-to-appear warrant. He was charged in Morgan County with failing to register as a sex offender and two infractions of driving without a license and not having plates. A $50,000 bond was set in that case.

The statement says that law enforcement was contacted by someone claiming that Giddens was armed with multiple guns and willing to shoot officers.

The reporter saw law enforcement use an armored vehicle to send a gas canister into the home around 7:45 p.m. There appeared to be someone in custody shortly after. The scene cleared out around 8 p.m.

Giddens refused to come out of a home when troopers and deputies ordered him to, a sheriff’s office release says.

Kyle Green, of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, told ABC 17 News that the patrol’s SWAT team was at the residence.

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Deliberations begin in trial of man accused of raping women, assaulting girl

KESQ on July 1, 2025

City News Service

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury deliberations got underway today in the trial of a 43-year-old Banning man accused of raping two women on separate occasions while they were intoxicated, as well as molesting a 12-year-old girl.

Steven Roy McElroy was arrested in 2022 following a Banning Police Department investigation that relied on statements from alleged victims going back a decade. McElroy is charged with two counts each of forcible rape and aggravated assault, as well as one count of lewd acts on a minor.

The prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments at the Banning Justice Center Monday morning, after which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton sent jurors behind closed doors to begin weighing evidence from the two-week trial.

McElroy is free on a $1 million bond.

The defendant was charged for the alleged assault on the 12-year-old girl, identified in court documents in March 2022. Detectives received information afterward concerning two women who alleged they had been sexually assaulted by him on different occasions in 2015 and 2016.

According to Detective Jack Loera, the two women heard about the child molestation charge and decided to speak to police.     

McElroy has a felony conviction in another jurisdiction that wasn’t listed in court records.

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National Weather Service: An Inside Look part 2 –

KESQ on July 1, 2025

Spencer Blum

Last week, we learned about the National Weather Service and how the meteorologists there work day and night to keep Americans safe across every inch of the country.

First Alert Meteorologist Spencer Blum is taking an in-depth look at how recent government staffing cuts and proposed budget cuts could impact the agency monitoring the land, the seas, and the skies.

Watch part 2 of the special report.

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Pocatello 13-year-old wins award at national invention competition

KIFI on July 1, 2025

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Porter Meyers, a 13-year-old from Pocatello, recently won third place in the seventh grade category at the RTX Invention Convention US Nationals in Michigan for his design of a ‘sound energy harvester’ device for cars.

Meyers’ design for his sound energy harvester, which uses the vibrations from car motor noise to produce electricity using magnets and copper coils, got him second place at the regional Invention Convention, first place in state finals, and now third in the national platform.

“Everybody is very blessed with their ability to create something,” said Meyers. “With that blessing, you’ve got to use it wisely and not necessarily like, ‘oh, today I’m just going to go out and change the world’, but instead of having that mindset like, ‘oh, today I’m going to go help someone out and make their life better than it already is.'”

Meyers said he was inspired to design his sound energy harvester when he saw a lack of electric car charging stations in the Pocatello area and wanted to create a device which could charge electric and hybrid cars on the go.

With help from parents, neighbors, friends, and teachers, Meyers drafted plans and 3D printed a prototype which he took to the Invention Convention events; for his work, he was awarded a ‘patent search’ document to look for patents similar to his design with the potential to patent his sound harvester device if no similar models exist.

Meyers said in the future he hopes to work with rockets and potentially become an aerospace engineer. He also hopes to inspire other young inventors to follow their dreams of creating something to help the world.

“Don’t be afraid to do it just because you think it isn’t a good idea,” said Meyers. “Just do it because it might change someone’s life for the better.”

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People invited to review/comment on Pocatello’s 6-Year transportation plan

KIFI on July 1, 2025

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Bannock Transportation Planning Organization is inviting people to review and comment on their most recent draft of the ‘Transportation Improvement Program’ (TIP) plan, which details all major transportation projects in the Pocatello area.

TIP highlights all federally funded improvement projects for roads, pedestrian walkways, and bike lanes, and public transportation initiatives over the next six years; the plan also explains how funds were secured to pay for projects.

“It’s just a way to make sure that we’re spending federal monies to make sure we meet certain performance measures so we’re not just wasting taxpayer money,” said Devin Hillam, executive director of the Bannock Transportation Planning Organization. “We want to make sure that we’re accomplishing what we said we’re going to accomplish, what the state wants us to accomplish, what the federal government wants us to accomplish, to make sure that we can move forward and grow the system as a whole.”

The Bannock Transportation Planning Organization will collect public feedback on the draft of TIP until July 31.

To view the draft plan and leave a comment, you can visit the Bannock Transportation Planning Organization website.

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Historic WWII bomber plane arrives in Pocatello for stop on nationwide tour

KIFI on July 1, 2025

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The historic World War II B-25 Mitchell ‘Maid in the Shade’ landed at the Pocatello Regional Airport on Monday for an interactive exhibition as part of its ‘Flying Legends of Victory Tour’ across the US.

Maid in the Shade was built in 1944 and flew 15 missions in Europe during World War II. The aircraft is one of only 34 B-25Js still flying and one of the only surviving planes of its kind to see combat.

“It’s a living history experience,” said Col. Chris Ostler of the Commemorative Air Force. “We’re honoring the men and women who served during the war and just trying to keep history alive, and I can’t think of a better way to keep history alive than the 81-year-old airplane that’s still flying.”

Maid in the Shade is owned and operated by the Commemorative Air Force, an organization that preserves historic military aircraft out of its base in Arizona.

During the plane’s stop in Pocatello, people can tour Maid in the Shade and take rides on the craft during select times.

For more information, you can visit the Commemorative Air Force website.

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Attacks on firefighters on the rise?

KIFI on July 1, 2025

Noah Farley

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Studies show attacks on firefighters might be on the rise.

“We’re seeing it more and more. You know, I don’t know what the correlation would be between why it’s happening, but they are happening more and more, or possibly just being reported more,” said A.L.I.V.E.Chief Operating Officer, Joshua Sullivan.

Sullivan has worked as a firefighter for over 20 years. He says the assaults on firefighters often happen because the attackers are not in a stable mental condition.

Researchers found over 300 media-covered reports of firefighters being assaulted while on duty. The next year, almost 600 reports were found.

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Spike strips used to end chase on Interstate 70

KMIZ on July 1, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Callaway County deputies on Monday used spike strips to stop a truck and trailer that was reported stolen, the sheriff’s office wrote in a Monday evening social media post.

The sheriff’s office wrote that it was notified by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office that deputies were chasing a stolen truck and trailer on eastbound Interstate 70. Callaway County deputies put down spike strips near the Hatton exist, which the truck ran through, the post says.

The driver kept going to the Kingdom City exit and pulled over after seeing more deputies, the post indicates. Boone County deputies took the man into custody.

Brian Leer, of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, told ABC 17 News that Eric Burn, 39, was arrested.

Leer stated in a text message that Burns stole a truck from Green Meadows Carwash after “he was tired of walking.” Deputies tried to do a traffic stop, but he sped away, leading to the chase, Leer said.

Burns was listed on the Boone County Jail online roster on Monday night. Charges have yet to appear on Casenet. Jail records indicate that he was arrested on suspicion of stealing a vehicle, resisting arrest and tampering with a motor vehicle.

Burns also had a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in Howard County court in February. In that case, he was charged with two misdemeanors: Failing to register a vehicle and driving without a license. A $250 bond was set for that warrant.

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Randy Rowse Already Eyeing Reelection as Santa Barbara Mayor

KEYT on July 1, 2025

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Even though another election won’t be held until 2026, Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse is ready to run for the seat and a another term.

Without making a formal announcement, Rowse has been answering questions about his future.

He says there are still many goals he would like to accomplish for the city.

Rowse looks at the Mayor’s job as service over politics.

“There’s a long ways to go. There has been progress but it’s been incremental. I am not as patient as I should be on some things but I think we are moving in the right direction,” said Rowse. He credits some changes in the city’s leadership including Administrator Kelly McAdoo saying it “has really changed the pace of things.”

Rowse previously served as a councilmember.

For more than 30 years, he also ran a popular restaurant and served on many downtown committees.

He is also the chair of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.

No other candidate has announced for the office.

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