Author: KEYT

Caleb Nguyen

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Fire crews tackled a house fire at the 4600 block of Puente Plaza in Goleta just after 2:30pm Saturday.

A resident of the home found the fire before firefighters saw the garage fully aflame and extended into the inside of the house, according to the SBCFD.

Fire crews kept the flames from spreading further into the house or to other homes and knocked down the flames around 3:10 p.m, according to the SBCFD.

No residents or firefighters required medical treatment, and the SBCFD received assistance from the City Fire Department during the incident.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the SBCFD.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Maria Police officers are investigating a fatal hit-and-run that happened just after midnight Saturday at the 600 block of Black Road after seeing someone in the road.

SMPD officers found a man dead in the northbound lane of Black Road after he got struck by a car upon further evidence.

SMPD investigators located the white sedan involved in the crash that left the scene, and arrested the 32-year-old man responsible for the crash later Saturday morning.

The SMPD described the deceased as a man in his 50s but are still working to confirm his identity pending notification of kin.

Anyone who has more information on the crash are asked to call SMPD dispatch at ext. 2277 or ext. 1233.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

High School Boys Basketball: Santa Barbara Classic Day 1

Santa Barbara 85, Whitney(Rocklin) 61

Westmont (Campbell) 50, San Marcos 44 (Green 16 pts for Royals)

Lowell (San Francisco) 51, Dos Pueblos 49 (Gardiner 22 pts for Chargers)

Holy Martyrs Armenian 61, Ventura 45

Agoura 65, St. Joseph Notre Dame 57 (Franco 22 pts for Chargers)

Dougherty Valley (San Ramon) 86, Righetti 29

Thousand Oaks 68, Davis Sr. (Davis) 61 (McCord 36 pts for Lancers)

Franklin (Elk Grove) 78, Rio Mesa 33

Pinole Valley (Pinole) 77, Oak Park 51 (Prophete 13 pts for Eagles)

Santa Paula 79, Madera 59 (Alvarez 27 pts for Cardinals)

Day 2 Schedule, Saturday, December 27

Santa Barbara High School:

10:30 A.M. Santa Paula vs Franklin

12:00 P.M. San Luis Obispo vs Ventura

1:30 P.M. Agoura vs Westmont

3:00 P.M. Rio Mesa vs St. Joseph Notre Dame

4:30 P.M. Thousand Oaks vs Lowell

6:00 P.M. Davis Sr. v s San Marcos

7:30 P.M. Santa Barbara vs Dougherty Valley

Dos Pueblos High School:

12:00 P.M. Whitney vs Righetti

1:30 P.M. Oak Park vs Madera

3:00 P.M. Torres vs Pleasant Grove

4:30 P.M. Pinole Valley vs San Luis Obispo

6:00 P.M. Dos Pueblos vs Holy Martyrs

7:30 P.M. Pleasant Grove vs St. Genevieve

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Unity Shoppe is closed until January after one of its all time biggest fundraisers, and it’s also getting freshened up.

The building on Sola Street in Santa Barbara, which serves thousands of people, normally closes following Christmas for a break.

It was in need of fumigation and now was the time.

All of the food inside has been moved into a nearby storage and refrigeration area.

A lot of it was purchased in bulk, and it will be ready to go when the shoppe is restocked and open again on January 5th.

Recently at our annual unity telethon, the community’s generosity raised $700 thousand dollars for Unity and its programs to help those in need in Santa Barbara County.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – With the start of his retirement, former Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig says he remains committed to the health of first responders.

Hartwig spoke about this recently when a new emergency communications center opened in Santa Barbara County to improve response times and efficiencies. It was a project he worked on until it was completed and just as he retired.

The ceremony was two days after Hartwig’s retirement officially started.

He said the health and wellness, especially mentally, for firefighters remains in the forefront of the next chapter in his life.

Hartwig said he wanted to make sure there were long term funding plans in place to secure the services needed for those impacted by their job, and not have, “to pass the hat” for donations.

Hartwig served as the fire chief starting in 2019.

He was very involved in the efforts of non-profit ONE805 that supports the health and vital resources needed for first responders.

He retired with 33 years of experience.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Ashlee Buzzard was arraigned at Department 9 of Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria today.

Buzzard was accused of shooting her 9-year-old daughter Melodee and leaving her body in Utah.

In custody but dressed in a blouse, Buzzard had her attorney enter a plea of not guilty, causing a stir among community members in attendance.

Buzzard’s 9-year-old daughter Melodee was reported missing in October after a three-day road trip with her mother, and was found dead in Utah in early December, having been shot in the head.

“I was just angry,” says one of Buzzard’s Vandenberg Village neighbors, Khristiana Valrie. “I mean, I just don’t understand it.”

Buzzard was arrested on Tuesday, and was arraigned in Santa Maria the day after Christmas, where she had her attorney, public defender Adrian Galvan enter a plea of not guilty, and denial of additional allegations.

“Surprised me and the whole people that were there!” said Melodee’s grandmother Lilly Denes.

Galvan also made a motion for a gag order against Santa Barbara County sheriffs, advising them not to release any evidence or materials not in public record. Judge John F McGregor signed the motions and set Ashley’s trial date for January 7th. 

“We have no idea about the services,” says Denes. “They will let me know right away when the body’s going to be at the funeral parlor. Then we go from there and see about services.”

The D.A. office has advised against seeking the death penalty.

“Yeah, maybe that’s better,” says Valrie. “So that she can… She’ll have to think about this every day of her life. Sitting in that cell. I think it’s better. The death penalty is just the easy way out, I believe.”

Melodee’s grandmother Lilly Denes, who works with your News Channel, says she’s most certainly upset, but will patiently await court proceedings to see how the case progresses.

She is also advising the public not to give any money to any GoFundMe’s which are fake, as the Meza family is not asking for financial assistance.

“Please don’t send any money to none of those GoFundMe’s, because, you know, we really don’t need it,” says Denes. “It’s already covered by the state. So whatever is left, if there is any money that they need, I got the money I can pay for it and my family.”

Members of Buzzard’s Vandenberg Village neighborhood say the not guilty plea confuses and upsets them, and some feel Buzzard is receiving special treatment.

“Her not wearing the jumpsuit, the makeup,” says Valrie. “And then she’s just, like, emotionless. I hope she spends the rest of her life in prison, in misery.”

The community is nevertheless breathing a sigh of relief that Buzzard is still being held without bail.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – It was the busiest time and the worst time to have an emergency at the Santa Barbara Airport but heavy rain impacted all flight operations on Christmas and early this morning.

It took hours to resolve the situation.

At 9:20 a.m. the airport reopened after it was shut down off and on since yesterday including all of last night starting at 4 p.m.

Extremely heavy rain cells in the area caused flooding on the runway and issues with a nearby creek.

Emergency crews worked around the clock to control the flooding and clear the runways.

Since last year, the airport has worked on solutions following past rain related closures.

The airport staff says this included: deploying inflatable Tiger Dams, installing k-rails, staging a 16-inch Gator pump, and clearing v-ditches and drainage channels.

Despite these efforts, the volume of rainfall and runoff from the nearby creek proved to be too significant and exceeded capacity. 

A message released from the airport’s staff says, “we appreciate the patience and understanding of our passengers, airline partners, and the community. We expect to be open for normal operations throughout the remainder of the busy holiday travel weekend.”

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Jarrod Zinn

OCEANO, Calif. (KEYT) – Travelers from all over the country are keeping their traditional Central Coast destination, in spite of one of the largest rainstorms the holiday has seen in recent memory.

For anyone who lives in the midwest or mountain regions, the usual warmth of the Central Coast has significant drawing power for the Christmas holiday.

But this year was certainly different.

On Christmas Eve the rain pounded many areas of the coast.

The aftermath is ankle-deep or more in many places across Santa Barbara and SLO counties, and more rain fell on Christmas day.

“This is probably the second wettest that we’ve seen it down here, especially during this week or two time period,” says Chas Stricker, comes here every Christmas from his home in Montana.

Locals are marveling at the rainfall, saying they can’t remember the last time Christmas day saw this kind of weather.

“But this is a gorgeous day,” says area local “Pismo Mike” Bulen. “People complain about the crowds. This is the perfect day to come to the beach. There’s no crowds. It’s empty. Sure you got a bundle up, but it’s the beach. You know, you do what you got to do to keep warm.”

Pismo Beach and the Oceano Dunes remain a traditional holiday destination for many travelers from parts of the country that see snow during the winter.

“It’s been really nice weather,” says Stricker. “I mean, other than a little bit of rain, it’s been nice and toasty. I mean, we’ve seen it down here where it’s close to 32. And this year, I think our lowest was like 51. So we’ve had the windows open and wear as little as I can without getting arrested.”

A portion of Highway 1 just north of Guadalupe has been shut down due to standing water and thick mud.

The closure occurs at the intersection of Oso Flaco Lake Road, and one vehicle appeared to have veered off the road.

Cal Trans officials said it would remain closed overnight, and be re-assessed Friday morning.

Travelers still say the rain doesn’t phase them, and it is still worth the trip from inland portions of the country that are seeing conditions worse than this.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Volunteers who are lending a helping hand and some food to those in need are finding time to help others despite the rain and their personal schedules.

Monday the non-profit Adam’s Angels prepared about 300 special necessity bags in a human conveyor system.Each bag has several items including water, nutrition bars, and food snack packs.The group puts these together every week.Then they are sent out with volunteers to pass out the bags to those on the street who need a boost if they can’t get to a shelter or a food distribution.

Adam McKaig is the founder and he was flanked by a fast moving team that can pack plastic tubs with the to-go bags in about 20 minutes.

“Our volunteers have been so loyal regardless of holidays, regardless of rain. Come rain or shine they help our underserved,” he said.

Wednesday evening at Pershing Park, the volunteers have a dinner for those in need.It’s a weekly part of the outreach.They also gave out tarps and other wet weather protection to help out with the foul conditions.

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