Month: August 2025

Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. – A new hub for tribal governance and high quality education cut the ribbon this afternoon at Jalama Ranch in Lompoc.

And a surprise announcement was made there.

The Lompoc Chamber of Commerce announced the grand opening for the TEK-MAR school and the Gloria Liggett tribal office on Friday.

TEK-MAR stands for “Traditional Ecological Knowledge Mitigation and Remediation.”

“This is our first and permanent tribal office,” says Violet Sage Walker, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council’s chairwoman. “It’s our new location for our headquarters for ocean conservation and land conservation and our consultation that we do.”

The event ushered in the new facility with demonstrations, tours of the ranch, live music, and a full barbecue dinner.

“We also have horses,” says Walker. “We also have marine sanctuaries to take care of. We also have land acquisitions that we’re working on. So it took us a whole year to be able to open the office.”

The facility will be open to the public to take any of the offered courses in land management, ocean stewardship, and more.

“Northern Chumash Tribal Council has this curriculum that we’ve all co-created, and it’s really focused on all the information passed on from generation to generation through Chumash stories, that tell us so much about our local central coast, the resources here,” says Dawn Murray, marine biologist & Antioch University professor.

A big surprise announcement was made at the ribbon cutting, that the Northern Chumash Tribal Council has entered escrow on land they haven’t had access to in 200 years.

“The Chumash community are going to be gathering tomorrow at Dos Pueblos Ranch and we’re going to be getting back onto land that has been essentially private for about 200 years,” says Walker. “We opened escrow on Thursday and we’re actively seeking partners.”

Programs and classes will make use of ArcGIS, a prominent mapping software, to help students and researchers on their journey to learning more about environmental stewardship in the region.

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John Palminteri

Santa Barbara, Calif. – After years of holding on to the same fare structure, the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) has bumped up the cost of a bus ride across the board for riders from Carpinteria to Goleta.

The new fare structure is for both cash and passes.

New passes went on sale August 4.

The MTD fares have not changed in 16 years. There are several factors that led to the change in fare structure. The change has come after community meetings for feedback.

Monday, the MTD will be adjusting the base fare from the current $1.75 to $2.50, consistent with the increased expense of operating services.

The MTD says the operating costs have increased by more than 10 percent since 2019. The average fare revenue collected per passenger has dropped slightly.  

Fare revenue only accounts for 20 percent of MTD’s annual operating budget. 

The major revenue sources for the District operations are fares, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) operating assistance, and sales tax. 

With a population growth, the MTD no longer gets about $3-million in assistance for small cities.

Adding it all up, the District said in a statement:”Revenue shortfalls and increasing operating expenditures in the areas of wages and benefits, fuel, insurance, and utilities are expected, continuing to increase the deficit. Without a fare adjustment, the District may be forced to reduce service.”

(More details, video and photos will be added later today.)

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Ivania Montes

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Aly Corvin is on a mission.

As Miss Wheelchair California 2025, she’s not just representing her state—she’s redefining what it means to live fully as a person with a disability.

She is now going for the title of Ms. Wheelchair America, a pageant held in Grand Rapids, Michigan from August 18th through the 24th.

“I compete with a platform called Access to Adventure,” Aly explains. “I help people find adaptive equipment, experiences, nonprofits, programs—so they can get out into their community and try new things.”

Her advocacy is personal. After years of misdiagnoses, Aly was finally diagnosed with multiple genetic conditions between 2020 and 2022. For a time, she regained enough strength to only use a wheelchair in emergencies. But a traumatic brain injury in 2024 meant full-time wheelchair use outside her home.

Aly shares with us that the Miss Wheelchair program isn’t a pageant—it’s a competition based on advocacy. “The best part about this program is it’s comprised of different nonprofits. It’s about the work you do, the advocacy you pursue, and making a difference for others in the community,” she says.

Aly’s journey as a professional dancer, aerialist, and adaptive athlete exemplifies her goal: disability is not a limitation—it’s an invitation to innovate. She’s tried adaptive surfing, baseball, rugby, shooting, cycling, and skiing, often testing new experiences so others can eventually access them safely.

“Human connection is the only way we’re going to progress as a society,” she says. “When people step into our shoes—or wheels—they understand what it’s like to navigate life with a disability. That’s how we improve accessibility everywhere.”

As she prepares to compete for Miss Wheelchair America, Aly says her focus is on community, connection, and raising awareness. “I don’t care if I win. The community I’ve found and the opportunities to share these platforms—that’s what matters most.”

She’s also embracing life beyond advocacy, exploring Santa Barbara and dreaming of adventures like skydiving and hiking. “I love letting people experience what it’s like to navigate life in a wheelchair. It changes perspectives—and that’s how we build a more inclusive world.”

On Friday, Aug. 15, at 7 p.m. PT, former Ms. Wheelchair California Jennifer Kumiyama will host a virtual send-off rally for Aly as she prepares to compete in the Ms. Wheelchair America pageant.

Link to RSVP is found here.

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Ryder Christ

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday described their high-stakes summit in Alaska as productive, signaling potential progress toward a Ukraine cease-fire but offering no concrete details and breaking with diplomatic tradition by declining to take questions from reporters afterward.

The closed-door talks, the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House, lasted several hours and focused heavily on the war in Ukraine, NATO and U.S.-Russia relations. Few details were made public, but both leaders cast the discussions in positive terms.

Putin opened the joint briefing by acknowledging strained U.S.-Russia ties, a departure from protocol in which the American president typically speaks first when hosting a foreign counterpart. “Our negotiations have been held in a mutually respectful atmosphere,” he said, adding that the two nations “are close neighbors” across the Bering Strait and should work to “turn the page” in their relationship.

On Ukraine, Putin said ending the war requires eliminating “the primary cause of that conflict” and that any deal must “consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world on the whole.” He also warned Ukrainian and European leaders not to derail “emerging progress” and said “the security of Ukraine should be ensured.” At one point, Putin said the war “would not have happened” had Trump been president in 2022.

Trump called the meeting “extremely productive” and said “many points were agreed to,” but cautioned, “There is no deal until there is a deal. We did not get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.” He said he and Putin “made some headway” and “great progress” in their bilateral meeting, and that he would brief NATO leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “other appropriate officials” in the coming days.

Neither leader disclosed the specifics of any agreements, and no enforcement mechanisms, timelines or cease-fire terms were announced. Putin reiterated that Ukraine’s security must be ensured but did not appear to back down from Russia’s core demands.

The meeting in Alaska carried symbolic weight, with both men invoking historical cooperation between their nations, including joint efforts during World War II. Trump also highlighted the potential to “stop thousands of people a week from being killed” in Ukraine, though he did not provide a source for the figure.

Looking ahead, Putin said he and Trump have developed “businesslike and trustworthy contact.” As the briefing concluded, the Russian leader extended an invitation: “Next time in Moscow,” to which Trump replied, “I could see it possibly happening.”

For now, the path to peace remains uncertain, but both leaders signaled they want to keep talking.

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Christer Schmidt

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Screen addiction is making it harder for people to relax — even on vacation — according to Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Brianna Paruolo, who says constant digital connection can fuel burnout.

Paruolo, who operates a private psychotherapy practice, said she’s seeing “an overwhelming trend around the belief of self-worth being tied to how online you are, particularly being available.” She noted that work emails, texts and the temptation to scroll can create “an intense pressure of being on, even when you do have scheduled time off.”

Certain personality traits can make it harder to unplug, she added, especially for those in roles where others depend on them — whether in the workplace, within a family, or in the community. “If I can’t do it, who else will? So it’s a very hard and tricky balance,” she said.

Paruolo cautioned that without regular breaks from screens, “you’re gonna burn out,” urging people to “give that energy to yourself and start small to try to decompress.” She compared the pull of phone notifications to gambling’s use of intermittent reinforcement. “You don’t know necessarily when that text or email or job offer is going to come through, but when it does, you want to chase that good feeling again,” she said.

Rather than quitting cold turkey, Paruolo recommends starting with “micro changes.” She advises people to first observe what they’re searching for online and then add small hurdles to break habits — such as using a non-dominant hand to pick up the phone.

She also encourages reflecting on personal values and relationships outside of technology. “Is my importance solely tied to my phone? What meaning and value am I doing outside in those relationships? Can I nurture them more as well as nurturing myself?” she said.

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