Housing Program Helps Local Couple Build Path to Independence

KEYT on March 31, 2026

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – After years of working toward stability, a Santa Barbara couple is celebrating new independence.

The road hasn’t been easy for the couple.

“It was very frustrating because I have two kids. They go to school, they need things,” said Norma Gonzalez, a Family Self-Sufficiency graduate.

Through the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara’s Family Self-Sufficiency program, the couple learned how to manage money and plan for long-term goals.

“Once I signed up, I was relieved. I come from a Hispanic background, so we’re not taught what to do with our money or how to make it grow,” Gonzalez said.

“We graduated after five years. We love the program,” said Tarince Tyler, also a graduate. “It’s good because it’s very expensive here.”

The program helps families move from public assistance to financial stability.

“The program is very much needed. A lot of individuals want to get on the FSS program,” said Dulce Astorga with the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara.

“Learning how to budget my money more — that has been the biggest outcome for me,” Gonzalez added.

Team leaders hope the program will continue providing support, especially with the high cost of living in Santa Barbara.

“Participants learn about higher education, building credit, and finding stable employment,” said Astorga, the Family Self-Sufficiency coordinator.

By putting what they’ve learned into action, the couple is turning short-term help into the secure future they’ve always wanted.

“One day, maybe not in this state, but we want to buy a house somewhere,” Tyler said.After years of working toward stability, a Santa Barbara couple is celebrating new independence.

Click here to follow the original article.

KEYT on March 31, 2026

Dave Alley

GROVER BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – Grover Beach will hold a special City Council meeting tonight where the discussion will focus specifically on current housing and development issues.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Grover Beach City Hall and will be a joint session that includes members from both the City Council and Planning Commission.

“This meeting came at the request of the City Council,” said Grover Beach City Manager Matt Bronson. “There’s been a significant uptick in development activity over the last several years, particularly on West Grand Avenue, as vacant lots and vacant buildings and other buildings have been converted into mixed-use, multi-story housing developments with ground level retail, so it has meant a lot of community discussions around housing, around the size of buildings around the pace of development.”

Bronson indicated the meeting would focus primarily on three main points, to provide information on state housing laws and how those are dictating what is occurring in local communities, discussing the City’s response over the last several years, and to engage the City Council and Planning Commission in a number of key policy topics that they may wish to discuss further.

“There’s really an informational component to this because state housing law is so voluminous, extensive and complicated,” said Bronson. “This is an opportunity to bring that all together and share with the Council, the Commission and the public what those housing laws are all about.”

With the Grover Beach currently going through a building boom, most notably along the West Grand Avenue cooridor, it has captured a lot attention throughout the community, with some concerned about the size, scope and scale of recent developments.

In particular, two multi-story mixed-use housing developments have risen over the past two years at the busy intersection of West Grand Avenue and 4th Street.

“The feel of Grover Beach has changed,” said resident Loren Westphal. “We understand we need housing, but there’s other options. We don’t have to build up.”

Westphal is part of a recently formed group named “Save Grover Beach,” which is currently gathering signatures on a petition in an effort to reduce the height of developments through a public vote.

“Save Grover Beach is a group of concerned citizens from all over the city and from all walks of life, all making time to get petition signed for our November ballot,” said group member Kelvin Coveduck. “Specifically, what it would do is for commercial buildings. It would limit the height to 40 feet, and for industrial buildings, it would go to 33 feet, and then there’s the caveat of mixed-use. It would require one third commercial.”

Coveduck mentioned the group has about two weeks to gather the necessary number of signatures to quality the initiative on the November ballot and is about at the halfway point of reaching its goal.

While some community members are worried about the size of recent housing developments, others in Grover Beach are in full support of the new buildings.

“I’m fully okay with them,” said Grover Beach resident Krista Jeffries. “I wish they were taller.”

Jeffries pointed out that due to the nature of Grover Beach, the best way to increase housing inventory in the city is to build vertically.

“Grover needs more housing,” said Jeffries. “Everyone in SLO County, everyone in California needs more housing and that’s the way that we’re going to meet the need. Grover is hemmed in by the ocean, and two other cities, and then the unincorporated county that we can’t really go outward. We have people who need to live here who want to live here and going up is really the only practical way to answer that problem.”

In a biennial community survey published last year, Grover Beach reported 50% of those who responded felt there is too much development in the city, while 46% answered development is either just right or too little.

“The survey really reflects a mixed in community sentiment about development.” said Bronson. “I would say that’s consistent with what you see in every city in California, given the development pressures, the housing laws, community sentiments around the community they have today, and how change is viewed in the community. We understand those different perspectives and different voices. We will hear those voices tonight at our meeting and look to the Council to take in that input, take that feedback, and consider what areas of direction they’d like to provide to us to consider making continued progress on housing development issues in Grover Beach.”

Bronson added there will be no action take by either the City Council or Planning Commission, but it could eventually lead to future action on development at a later date.

“Council may wish to provide direction to staff to bring topics back to a later council meeting,” saids Bronson. “While there’s no specific actions being requested of the Council tonight, the Council may choose to direct staff to look into different areas that would come back to the Council for further deliberation, as well as the Planning Commission, given their role in advising the Council.”

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With the Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.

Click here to follow the original article.

“Farmworkers Day” Re-Shifts Focus to Those Bringing in the Crops

KEYT on March 31, 2026

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Words of appreciation are coming out throughout the Central Coast and across the state as the former “Cesar Chavez Day” has been renamed to “Farmworkers Day.”

These workers are a key part of the local economy and can often be seen in the soil harvesting crops year round in areas, including Oxnard, Goleta, the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria.

The number one Central Coast crop is strawberries, which are harvested by hand and involves bending over countless times during the day to fill baskets and boxes. Often the workers are hustling back and forth to trucks with the crops and get paid by how much they pick.

The pay depends in part by the market rate and the consumer demand.

In California, growers often receive payments based on the flats or boxes of berries brought in and that is around $2.50 per flat.

At the Santa Barbara Farmers Market, Kimmy Iniguez, with Shepherd’s Farm, says the life of a farmworker is very hard. “The weather is a gamble and you don’t know if it is going to be super hot. It is very rewarding in the end,” she said while selling heads of cabbage, lettuce and many other row crops. She says, it is “a lot of back pain, but you just got to keep going.”

At Tutti Fruiti Farms, Joseph Schiebel said the work takes place no matter what the conditions are. “It could be 85 degrees. It could be 45 degrees and no matter what they are out there working. They deserve the appreciation they get. It’s a tough job.”

The weather has been a factor lately with extreme heat waves off and on since November followed by a period of rain that can sometimes stop the harvest.

Some of the farmer workers are very mobile and will go from picking one crop to another depending on the harvest months. That means a grape picker could also be a strawberry picker.

Many people said the special day is long overdue. Schiebel said, “I’m glad they are getting recognized especially in the state of California where we are raising so much of the country’s produce.”

Santa Barbara County recognizes its farm laborers with special groups annually holding a day of family activities, health check ups and outreach services they need.

With the changing of the holiday by Governor Gavin Newsom, among those to lead the effort has been State Senator Monique Limon from Santa Barbara, who is the State Senate Pro Tem and spoke out in front of the leadership on behalf of changing the holiday name to honor these workers.

The Governor’s proclamation can be found here.

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With the Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.

Click here to follow the original article.

Locals attend first day of 74th Annual Yuma County Fair

KYMA on March 31, 2026

Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma County Fair returns for its 74th year, and it will run from Tuesday through Sunday.

The fair is taking place at the Yuma County Fairgrounds, and this year’s theme is “America the Beautiful: Celebrating 250 years.”

During the fair, there will be rides, games, live music, a demolition derby and other fun activities for families to enjoy.

The gates open at 3 p.m. The cost of admission is $9 for ages 13 and up, $7 for ages six through 12, and free for ages five and under.

To purchase tickets, for a list of events, and for more information about the fair, click here.

Click here to follow the original article.

St. Charles Foundation invests $1.5M in cardiac care facilities upgrade

KTVZ on March 31, 2026

Matthew Draxton

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — St. Charles Foundation has invested $1.5 million to upgrade cardiac care facilities at St. Charles Bend, including the opening of new electrophysiology and cardiac catheterization labs. The investment allows physicians to perform advanced procedures and has resulted in a 27% increase in electrophysiology treatments over the past year.

The upgrades focus on improving care for patients with irregular heart rhythms by providing state-of-the-art technology close to home. Since the opening of the new labs, more than 285 patients have received Pulse Field Ablation, a procedure that previously required residents to travel outside of Central Oregon.

Lesley Jones Larson, cardiac service line administrator at St. Charles, said the updates expand the hospital’s capacity for specialized care. “Thanks to these updates, we can treat more patients and offer more state-of-the art services, allowing more cardiac patients to keep their care close to home,” Larson said.

One of the primary advancements in the new labs is the introduction of Pulse Field Ablation, or PFA. This minimally invasive treatment is designed for patients experiencing atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib. Dr. Chris Lewis, a cardiac electrophysiologist at St. Charles, explained that the procedure uses non-thermal electric pulses to selectively destroy heart tissue.

Lewis noted that PFA offers safety benefits compared to older thermal ablation methods. “This is a significant advantage over older thermal ablation energies, as there is improved recovery and significantly lower risk to injuring structures surrounding the heart,” Lewis said. “Ultimately, this allows us to perform safer procedures and offer atrial fibrillation ablation treatments to a larger group of patients.”

The project represents one of the largest funding efforts by the St. Charles Foundation in 2025. Jenny O’Bryan, executive director of the St. Charles Foundation, said the investment was a priority for the organization’s supporters. “This effort means a great deal to our donors, as it allows St. Charles to be an early adopter of technology that is helping transform cardiac care for Central Oregonians,” O’Bryan said.

St. Charles Health System is a private, nonprofit corporation headquartered in Bend. It is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 5,000 caregivers and a medical staff of more than 400 active members. The system operates hospitals in Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond, along with clinics in La Pine and Sisters.

Click here to follow the original article.

Camdenton Schools targeted in second school threat this week

KMIZ on March 31, 2026

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

For the second time this week, Camdenton Schools was at the center of a school threat.

Camdenton Police said in a news release that three students reported receiving a bomb threat over the phone. The caller said he was “going to bomb the school and no one would escape,” according to police.

With assistance from the Missouri Information Analysis Center, officers learned the phone number belonged to a person in Napa Valley, California.

The Napa Police Department was contacted and identified an 11-year-old boy making the threats. The boy allegedly admitted to making the calls to Camdenton students, according to the release.

Camdenton Police followed up with the boy’s father and confirmed his son had no connections in Camdenton, no plan to travel or intent to follow through with the threats.

On Monday, two 13-year-old boys were accused of making threats against the Camdenton Middle School.

Camdenton School District shared messages shared with parents through its communication app.

“The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority,” the superintendent said in a message to families. “We want to be very clear; any threat will be taken seriously, investigated fully, and will not be tolerated. We ask that you take a moment to talk with your student about the importance of speaking up if they see or hear something concerning.”

An increased law enforcement presence was at the school both Monday and Tuesday, according to the district.

Click here to follow the original article.

49th Sunriver Music Festival announces 2026 dates and American Composers Program

KTVZ on March 31, 2026

Matthew Draxton

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The 49th annual Sunriver Music Festival is scheduled to take place Aug. 10-20, 2026, in Bend and Sunriver. Artistic Director and Conductor Brett Mitchell curated the upcoming summer season to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The 2026 programming features works by American composers alongside classical favorites. The repertoire includes music by Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, William Grant Still, Joan Tower, Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer and John Williams, as well as compositions by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Schumann and Mendelssohn.

The summer festival is scheduled to open Aug. 10 at the historic Great Hall at Sunriver Resort. The Ten-day event will conclude Aug. 20 at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend. The program includes four classical concerts, a pops concert and a family concert.

Several featured artists will perform during the season, including pianist Michelle Cann and violinists William Hagen and Tessa Lark. Other scheduled performers include bass-baritone Timothy Jones and the Central Oregon Mastersingers.

Before the summer festival, Artistic Director and Conductor Mitchell will perform a solo piano recital on April 11 in Sunriver. Mitchell, a Steinway Artist, maintains a YouTube channel where he shares original solo piano videos of film history cues and classical works. The recital will feature his original arrangements of iconic movie music.

Tickets for the April 11 recital are priced at $50 for adults and $25 for those 25 and under. A special VIP experience is available for $90, which includes the concert and an intimate post-performance reception with Mitchell. The reception will offer wine and light fare and only 40 VIP tickets are available for the event.

A broadcast of the 2025 Opening Night Classical Concert, titled “A French Soirée,” will air on KWAX on April 2.

Click here to follow the original article.

Oregon Department of Human Services offers free tax filing assistance for youth

KTVZ on March 31, 2026

Matthew Draxton

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Human Services is providing free tax filing assistance to young people and low-income residents through its Tax Infrastructure Grant Program. The initiative funds IRS-certified community organizations, Tribal governments and educators to help workers secure potential refunds.

The program specifically addresses the needs of young people in their first jobs or those working part-time who may be owed refunds for withheld taxes. Even if a young person is claimed as a dependent on a parent or guardian’s return, they must still file their own tax return to report their income. This filing does not interfere with exemptions claimed by parents or guardians.

Teachers at McKay High School in Salem trained approximately 12 students this school year to assist their peers with tax preparation. The student-led clinics used IRS-approved software to help participants prepare their own returns. The program utilized incentives, such as coffee gift cards, to encourage student participation. Marcia Latta, a teacher at McKay High School who facilitates the clinics, said one student received a $269 refund while a recent college graduates received nearly $1,200. “Most get money back. They’re so pleased,” Latta said. “I love that we provide this extra opportunity to our students to develop these skills and it’s great to see them get this money back.”

Oregon State University has also expanded its tax assistance reach through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Shelly Krehbiel, the program manager for extension and partner operations for OSU’s VITA program, said the student-led team trained about 90 university students this year. These students manage site operations, marketing and training for outreach teams in Corvallis, Bend and Eugene. Krehbiel said the program also partners with the South Eugene High School Finance Club to train 10 students as facilitators. “From the people they’ve helped there is such surprise. They say, “Oh, that was so easy.” When people walk into our locations, they look scared and anxious. They walk out smiling and relieved. It’s great to see,” Krehbiel said.

The current initiatives follow a 2023 ODHS pilot project that operated in nine high schools across Oregon. Students who participated in that pilot received state and federal tax refunds ranging from $95 to $1,246. The grant program continues to fund projects through both community organizations and educators to reach young people who may be earning income for the first time.

Free tax assistance is available in both English and Spanish. Individuals can access help online through GetYourRefund/OR, where they can choose to have a return prepared for them or file it themselves using free software. In-person assistance is available at sponsored sites in cities including Portland, Beaverton, Gresham, Bend, Redmond, Corvallis, Eugene, Coos Bay, Roseburg, Medford, Monmouth, Independence, Ontario and Woodburn.

In-person tax return preparation will be available at ODHS-sponsored sites through Oct. 15. More information about the program can be found on the Oregon Department of Human Services website.

Click here to follow the original article.

Annual math contest at Central Oregon Community College to draw 150 students

KTVZ on March 31, 2026

Matthew Draxton

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon Community College will host its annual High School Math Contest on Thursday, April 16, at the Bend campus. This year’s event, themed “Math to the Future,” will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The competition was first held in 1978 and attracts more than 150 students from 13 schools across the region. Participants will travel from communities including Paisley, Mitchell and Sisters to compete in various challenges across the campus.

The theme pays homage to the 1985 film “Back to the Future” and its time-travel calculations. Math professors will dress in costume as characters like “Doc” Brown and Marty McFly and an original gull-wing DeLorean will be parked on campus for team photo opportunities.

The long-running competition includes various activities such as a relay race, a scavenger hunt and a game styled after “Name That Tune.” Students will compete for awards and prizes throughout the afternoon.

Jacquie Coe, department chair and associate math professor, said the event is designed to be engaging for students. “It’s a day of nonstop fun and games, with a celebration of math at the core,” Coe said. “Our department loves to share how wonderful math can be, helping inspire high schoolers for future math exploration.”

The event is sponsored by Lonza Pharma and Biotech. While the competition is open to students across the region, all participants must be preregistered to attend. Interested parties can contact Cinda DeVoe at 541-383-7289 or cdevoe4@cocc.edu for more information.

Central Oregon Community College provides resources for attendees with disabilities. Those requiring transportation or accommodations for physical or mobility disabilities can reach campus services at 541-383-7775. Individuals needing assistance for hearing impairments or other disabilities may contact student accessibility services at 541-383-7583 or sas@cocc.edu.

Click here to follow the original article.

Youth Art Takeover brings student creativity to Downtown Bend’s First Friday

KTVZ on March 31, 2026

Matthew Draxton

(UPDATE: Adding video and quotes from business owners)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Downtown Bend is bursting with creativity tonight as local students showcase their work during the Youth Art Takeover, part of April’s monthly First Friday Art Walk tradition. The event featured student-led art displays, live music, and performances throughout the downtown area.

The takeover gives Central Oregon’s next generation of creators a platform to share their talents while continuing Bend’s long-standing community art celebration.

Local Businesses Join the Showcase

Participating shops are marked by colorful balloons outside their entrances, guiding visitors to the student exhibits and professional art displays within. Many local businesses are combining the youth artwork with their own First Friday features and special activations.

Sarah Swartz, owner of Wildflowers of Oregon, said the event’s focus on student creativity resonates deeply with her.

“It’s fantastic. As artists here in our own shop, we both came up being artists and finding our way through, elementary, middle, and high school,” Swartz said. “It’s really great to support the early stages of artistry.”

Suzy Reininger of Leapin’ Lizards Toy Company shared that visitors have been eager to engage with the student creations.

“I’ve gone out and had conversations with people that are looking at it saying “how do I buy it’,” Reininger said. “I would love to give the feedback to the artists that they are really impressed with the work they’ve done.”

Music, Sunshine, and Celebration

The warmer weather is drawing big crowds to enjoy live performances, including sets from student bands, a rock group, and an 11-piece orchestra.

An awards ceremony recognizing standout student artists wrapping up an evening dedicated to celebrating young talent across Bend.

Click here to follow the original article.