Author: KEYT

Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Casey Murray Jr. delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 11th inning as Big West-leading Cal Poly edged UCSB 4-3 to begin this 3-game Blue-Green rivalry series.

Gauchos ace Tyler Bremner struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings of work but the Mustangs managed to scratch out 3 runs off of him despite his dominance.

“(It was a) good college baseball game,” UCSB head coach Andrew Checketts said. Two good teams, and they’re well coached, they’ve got a good team.”

“I thought [Tyler Bremner] was competitive on the day, bullpen was competitive and we had some chances offensively, just couldn’t get some swings going.”

“They’re in first place … they’re pitching well during conference play, and so it’s different pitching. You’ve got to figure out a way to score without hitting homers and we’ve got to keep working on that.”

Bremner was lights-out early, striking out the first seven hitters he faced and going a perfect nine up, nine down his first time through the Cal Poly order. The Mustangs only put one ball in play against Bremner in the first three innings, a one-out pop-up in the third, which Bremner followed up with his eighth strikeout of the day.

By the time the Mustangs were coming up for their second time through the order, Bremner had a 1-0 lead to work with. In the bottom of the second, Jack Holman marked his return to the lineup with a lead-off single back up the middle. Rowan Kelly bunted Holman into scoring position, then Ian Fernandez brought him home with an RBI double down the left field line.

Unfortunately, Fernandez came up limping around first and had to leave the game. With the Gauchos’ other catcher in the lineup, Nate Vargas, occupying the designated hitter role, Santa Barbara had to forfeit their DH to move Vargas behind the dish, meaning Gaucho pitchers would have to either hit or be pinch-hit for. The question of what to do with Bremner came up in the Gaucho half of the fourth, by which time it had become more complicated, as Cal Poly had taken a slim lead. A lead-off walk, fielder’s choice, RBI double from Alejandro Garza, wild pitch and RBI sacrifice fly by Jack Collins put the Mustangs up, 2-1, in the top of the fourth.

However, Bremner had also picked up his ninth strikeout of the night in the top of the fourth and with five innings of baseball left to play, head coach Andrew Checketts kept his ace in, giving Bremner his first collegiate at-bat. He went down looking on three pitches. As if to add insult to injury, the Mustangs scratched across another run in the top of the fifth with a single and a two-out RBI triple by Jake Downing, despite Bremner striking out two more hitters in the frame.

But three runs were not going to be enough to chase Bremner from the game, especially after he struck out another Mustang to strand two runners on in a scoreless sixth. That bounce-back frame made it easier for the Gauchos to keep Bremner on the mound for the top of the seventh; with his spot in the order due up third in the bottom of the seventh, it was a preferable option to keep him out there rather than sending out a reliever who would then be pinch-hit for after just the one inning.

Bremner picked up his career-best 13th K of the day in the top of the seventh, then Reiss Calvin pinch hit for him in the bottom of the inning. Calvin walked and got into scoring position after a wild pitch, but was left stranded.

Donovann Jackson took over and pitched a perfect eighth on the mound, then the offense got the scores level in their half of the inning. LeTrey McCollum’s single up the middle got the rally going, and Cole Kosciusko’s single right after made it a real threat. With two outs, Vargas delivered the clutch swing, driving a ball nearly to the fence in right center, out of reach of the diving center fielder. The deep drive got Vargas all the way to third for his first career triple, scoring both McCollum and Kosciusko to tie the scores at 3-3.

After a lead-off single started the Cal Poly half of the ninth, Cole Tryba relieved Jackson and threw just one pitch, getting an out on a sacrifice bunt. With his assignment completed, it was over to Nathan Aceves, who saw that runner take third on a wild pitch, but then got a huge hand from his defense to escape the jam. On a squeeze bunt attempt, the batter missed the ball and the runner had come crashing home so fast that he was practically in Vargas’ lap, slamming on the brakes and running back towards third. Vargas chased him before tossing to Xavier Esquer to finish the pickoff. A fly out ended the top of the ninth, and a different fly out ended the Gaucho half of the ninth after Santa Barbara put two on with a two-out error and single.

In extra innings, Raymond Olivas pitched a perfect tenth after Liam Barrett had pinch hit for Aceves in the ninth, but the Gauchos also went down in order in their half of the tenth. Olivas nearly got around a lead-off single in the 11th, but a two-out stolen base, then a hit on a full count by Murray Jr. gave Cal Poly the go-ahead run. The Gauchos could not mount a rally in their half of the 11th and fell, 4-3.

BY THE NUMBERSBremner’s 13 strikeouts on Thursday are a career high and bring him within 20 of tying UC Santa Barbara’s all-time career strikeout record of 274, currently held by Dan Yokubaitis. Bremner’s was the first 13-strikeout haul of the season, with the last Gaucho arm to rack up a baker’s dozen of K’s being Ryan Gallagher against Cal State Bakersfield on May 10, 2024.Thursday’s game was the third extra-inning game of the season for Santa Barbara, with all three coming at home. It was the first time that the Gauchos lost an extra-inning game since March 26, 2024 at UCLA. Since then, Santa Barbara had been 3-0 when playing free baseball.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos and Mustangs will be back at it for the second game of the 2025 Blue-Green Rivalry Series on Friday, April 18 from Caesar Uyesaka Stadium and on national television. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. as the showdown between Santa Barbara and Cal Poly will be broadcast on ESPNU. Calvin Proskey is set to take the ball for the Gauchos, opposed by Josh Volmerding for the Mustangs. The first fans in attendance at Saturday’s game will receive a free throwback UC Santa Barbara Baseball hat.

(UCSB Athletics contributed to this article).

Mike Klan

GOLETA, Calif. – Liv Plourde is now the all-time leading goal-scorer for San Marcos High School girls lacrosse.

With four goals in the Royals 18-4 victory at Dos Pueblos, Plourde pushed her total to 107 career goals moving past Mia Martinez-Tomatis who ended up with 105.

Plourde also had 5 assists as San Marcos improved to 16-2 on the year.

“Now every goal Liv scores is a school record total,” said San Marcos head coach Paul Ramsey.  “What’s really nice for us is the way she shared the ball the whole game even though she was closing in on the record.” 

San Marcos led 5-1 after the first quarter and stretched their lead to 12-3 by halftime.

Junior goalie Carly Grant played the whole game for San Marcos and had 7 saves while allowing only 4 goals for 64%.

“Amazing goalie play today and I have to commend Dos Pueblos goalie Stella Lawler,” said Ramsey. “She is one tough athlete.”

Lawler made 12 stops facing the thirty San Marcos shots on the Dos Pueblos goal. Reagan Arnold led the Chargers with 2 goals and an assist.

The Channel League champion Royals are 9-0 in league and will play at Santa Barbara on Tuesday, April 22.

Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Dozens of Santa Maria children received a bundle of Easter gifts during a charitable event held Thursday afternoon.

For three hours, the Knights of Columbus hall was the site of a free gift distribution for kids of Catholic Charities clients.

After registering earlier in the month, parents, along with any children they brought, went through a distribution line and were able to receive a number of free items.

Some of the gifts included candy, art supplies and egg decorating kits, educational materials and supplies, financial preparedness activity books, along with personal necessities, such as hand cream, lip balm and dish soap.   

“The idea behind this is helping the community,” said Ruth Sherrill, Catholic Charities Client Resource Coordinator. “Its about building and strengthening families, building communities and bringing resiliency when times are tough. These types of joyous events can be moments of strength that people can draw on when times are tough, and it has been tough in our community, and we don’t know what the future might hold.”

The clients were able to pick up approximately $100 worth of items at the distribution, with the generous gifts intended to brighten the holiday for their families, especially the children.

“People are just very grateful coming through with all the kids,” said Brother David Hirt, a Capuchin Franciscan with San Lorenzo Seminary. “The kids are always looking for something to do, and just they’re happy to get what they’re getting here, and it’s good to give.” 

Funding for all of the giveaway merchandise and other items were provided through both in-kind and financial to the program. 

“It’s amazing,” said Paolo Oros, Cal Fresh Healthy Living Nutrition Educator. “It’s beautiful to see the community letting volunteers come serve the community and giving them a bit of hope and necessities for them, and also happiness. It’s just really beautiful to see that.”

Ryder Christ

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Universities across the country are grappling with the loss of millions of dollars in research funding due to cuts by the Trump administration.

At UC Santa Barbara, hundreds of students and researchers held a “Kill the Cuts, Save Science” protest on campus earlier this month, rallying against the funding reductions.

An estimated $10 billion to $12 billion in research funding has been slashed across various federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and through direct cuts to institutions such as Harvard University for noncompliance with federal directives.

The cuts have disrupted research in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV, and, locally, mental health care for transgender youth.

Among those affected is Dr. Miya Barnett, associate professor of clinical psychology at UCSB’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. She received a $416,299 grant from the NIH in late 2024 to develop a mental health training program for lay health workers supporting racially diverse transgender youth and their families. The grant was abruptly terminated in March 2025.

“I can’t say I was surprised because we’d seen what was happening,” Barnett said. “I was devastated.”

After nearly two years of preparation, the project was halted just as it was about to launch focus groups and begin collecting data.

“We were doing a lot of work to get the project up and running,” she said. “We were right at the point where we were going to start bringing participants in and conducting focus groups with them.”

Barnett, who has transgender family members, said her motivation was both personal and professional.

“I’ve seen the impact of discrimination and the need for access to mental health services—and really the need to treat the whole family,” she said.

Only $26,629 of the grant had been spent when the NIH withdrew its support.

“So the amount that was spent is just lost to us and to the government,” she said. “It wasn’t very efficient to take the money away.”

Describing the sudden end of her project, Barnett offered a metaphor: “This pizza was prepared. It had all of the employees working on it, and then it was just ripped out of the oven. It can’t be made for delivery.”

NIH grants are highly competitive and subject to a rigorous, peer-reviewed selection process. Although her project was small compared to other NIH-funded research, Barnett said it marked a crucial step toward improving mental health access for a deeply underserved population.

Her project is one of several at UCSB affected by the cuts. Another project, focused on the link between trauma and substance use within LGBTQ communities, particularly among minorities, also lost its $416,567 NIH grant recently.

“People are very worried about what this means for science in general, for research, and for all of the American people who would benefit from health research,” Barnett said.

She emphasized that the impact goes beyond the loss of data. Graduate students who were involved in the project now face a lack of vital training opportunities, and more than two years of work could go to waste.

Despite the setback, Barnett remains committed to her mission.

“Even though we lost this NIH funding, I join researchers across the country who are doubling down in our commitment to making sure that the next generation of scientists is trained and that families are still being served,” she said. “If that means finding foundation grants or figuring out other ways to do it, that’s where we’re at.”

Reaction From Local Politicians

Former state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson criticized the Trump administration’s decision to cut federal research grants, calling the move ‘shortsighted’ and ‘mean-spirited,’ with serious consequences for public health and the local economy.

“There was nothing really obscure about these grants. They all get serious vetting,” Jackson said. “This is so shortsighted. Frankly, I think it’s mean-spirited. UCSB alone is responsible for about $2 billion toward our county’s economy through research, startups and academic programs.”

Sari Dominguez, who ran for State Assembly against Democratic incumbent Gregg Hart, defended the administration’s review of federally funded projects. She cited cost concerns and ideological differences and said President Trump is responding to public calls for greater scrutiny.

“I think this is just a way to really look at things again,” Dominguez said. “They are cutting back, but that doesn’t mean grants won’t be re-reviewed or reissued at a later time.”

Jackson said some of the affected research, including studies on Alzheimer’s disease, artificial pancreas development and climate innovation, are vital to U.S. leadership in science and technology.

“These are the kinds of things that keep America at the cutting edge,” she said. “To take a chainsaw to a hangnail is really going to cost our economy.”

The grant cancellations have also sparked debate over whether the cuts are part of a broader rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion — or DEI — initiatives.

“I think this is an attempt to take over control of our universities,” Jackson said. “Leveling the playing field through DEI isn’t giving people an unfair advantage — it’s making sure everyone can compete.”

Dominguez disagreed, arguing that DEI programs have led to more division than progress.

“I think DEI and all these other terms are causing more divisiveness than they are really leveling the playing field,” she said. “We did vote Trump in, and we knew what this was about.”

While both commentators acknowledged the issue is far from settled, Jackson said she worries about long-term damage to research and education, while Dominguez called the cuts a necessary course correction in federal priorities.

Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Cloud coverage returns for your Friday forecast and will build for northern communities as well. Partly to mostly cloudy skies will remain for Friday morning. Depending on wind speed and direction, it is expected to clear as we head into our Friday afternoon. The foothills may see light drizzle from time to time into Friday, as a low continues to move through, however the Central Coast is looking to remain dry through the weekend.

Temperatures on Friday will be in the 60s through the region with the interior getting up to the low 70s. As we head into the weekend, onshore flow begins to weaken and a weak ridge of high pressure builds in for the Central Coast. The weekend will be warmer with temperatures increasing 3-5 degrees for the beaches and 5-8 degrees for the valleys and interior areas. Although a minor warmup is in the forecast, temperatures will still be below average for this time of year. Easter weekend will be warm and gorgeous outside, so make those outdoor Easter plans! Sunny skies will be consistent, however at the coasts, morning marine layer may linger during the morning hours. Headed into next week, onshore flow increases and cloudy conditions return with temperatures cooling. So enjoy the sunshine for your Saturday and Sunday.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The annual Environmental Stewardship Awards lunch is honoring citizens, as young as eight years old, for their efforts to improve the environment.

This is part of the Earth Month events taking place in many communities.

Explore Ecology says the honorees will be local students, teachers, and community leaders who care for nature and lead impactful changes.

Their actions are both at their schools and in their communities.

Environmental Stewardship honors are being handed out in Santa Barbara

One honoree is a Coastal Cleanup Day Site Captain Bodhi Crawford who is just eight years old, another is a K/1st grade class who turned an empty patch of ground into a native plant sanctuary, and a high schooler who wanted to supply his cafeteria with fresh produce, so he grew some on campus.

Among the speakers will be Dr. Mary Khan, Superintendent of the Goleta Union School District, who will share insights about the importance of environmental education.

Danielle Wiehll from Montecito Union School said, “each year students choose a different topic and they learn about it and then they learn how they can actually make a difference.”

The Sustainable Future Club at San Marcos High school is turning a worn out section of a creek nearby into a much cleaner waterway. A sophomore student, Ava Jane Damery said, “it was kind of lots of concrete slabs of concrete, very dried out, a lot of invasive ice plant, and just really sad. We aim to revegetation the creek that runs through campus and it connects to the freeway. So a lot of pollutants go to the creek. And we want it to be that shaded with native plants to help filter it before it goes off into the ocean and create a flourishing habitat for future species to thrive.”

Many of these programs.  were not known by Explore ecology they found out about them when they made a call out through nominations.

Explore Ecology Executive Director Lindsay Johnson said, “it gives me so much hope and inspiration. I’m just so proud to see that these projects are happening in our community.

She said the role is to inspire the teachers, and “get the kids engaged and out there and then see what they come up on their own. That  is what the environmental stewardship awards do for our community and it is really fun to see it come together.”

Jackson Simmons-Furlati is a student at Dos Pueblos High who is working with tower gardens. “It shows people how to care for the environment  how it’s sustainable. You don’t use any plastic or any stuff that isn’t good for the environment .”

Meet the 2025 Explore Ecology Award Winners:

Bodhi Crawford: An ocean steward who became a Coastal Cleanup Day Site Captain at just 8 years old, helping to organize volunteers and keep Jalama Beach clean.

Liz Loeza: Founder of Plant the Next Tree, Liz has organized tree plantings and led a community cleanup at Santa Barbara Community Academy.

Jackson Simmons-Furlati: Jackson and the Dos Pueblos Environmental Club installed hydroponic towers for fresh cafeteria produce and will present at the UN Ocean Conference 2025.

Rowan Smith: A dedicated advocate for the environment and a key member of the Santa Barbara Middle School Enviro Action Club, inspiring action among her peers.

Nancy Morris: A Monroe Elementary teacher for over 25 years, Nancy is passionate about protecting the environment and educating children about their responsibility and stewardship of our planet.

Kim Berman and Danielle Weill: Montecito Union School teachers whose Climate Change and Student Activism Unit empowers students to take meaningful environmental action.

Marie Chavis: Founder of the El Camino Jr. High Ocean Club, leading students in ocean conservation efforts.

Chris Hamman: A La Colina Junior High science teacher who created an outdoor living laboratory where students conduct hands-on experiments.

Sustainable Future Club: Transformed an abandoned culvert into a lush, restored habitat with over 100 trees, shrubs, and perennials.

Ashley Griffin’s Class: Designed an outdoor learning area with native plants, rain barrels, and natural seating spaces.

Martha Rugg:  A garden educator who started an after-school gardening group, a composting program, and science lessons for young students.

Wendy Kanter: A beloved environmental steward for 32 years, teaching children about birds, plants, and sustainability through nature journaling and gardening.

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A railway corporation has entered into its first partnership with a company that owns the Santa Maria Valley Railroad.

They want to revitalize and expand rail deliveries.

The Santa Maria Valley Railroad (S.M.V.R.R.) has been in operation for well over a century, and is a key component to the functioning of our local economy.

From fertilizers for our farmers to produce, rail transport can be significantly more cost effective than highway transport in diesel-powered trucks.

“We’re able to buy contracts as a savings to us and then as a savings to our, to our customers also,” says David Iliff, with Santa Maria Valley Crop Service.

Two companies, Omni-Trax and Coast Belle Rail Corporation, are now looking to get Santa Maria rail services back on track, with a new partnership.

“This is Omni-Trax’s 29th Railroad, and they own railroads across the country. Of the 29 railroads, we are the first to go in partnership. That’s usually an acquisition. And so this is their very first partnership,” says S.M.V.R.R. president Rob Himoto. 

Coast Belle is the local company, owned by the Himoto family.

Rob Himoto is the president of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad.

They hope to revitalize existing railways, and even reactivate a currently-inactive line.

“Locally owned, you still have the same staff, they won’t bring their staff in. They really like how we run the railroad. So we will continue to run the railroad as is, with just more resources,” says Himoto.

This abides by the wishes of the rail system’s founder, Captain George Allan Hancock, who purchased the railroad out of receivership one hundred years ago, and built industries based upon it.

“Been working with the railroad since the eighties. They’re really good to work with. Tanker cars are pretty expensive just to sit and not be moving. So the supplier, they want them emptied as quickly as possible and then shipped back to them. And Santa Maria Valley Railroad’s been very helpful in that regard,” says Iliff.

As gas prices remain high at this time, Himoto says rail delivery is a viable alternative, as one rail car can handle the equivalent of 3-5 truck loads, removing those trucks from the highways, in effect.

Andrew Gillies

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday, a severe public censure and an irrevocable resignation was issued to Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Michael Carrozzo regarding ten acts of willful misconduct and nine acts of prejudicial misconduct.

Judge Carrozo will take approved leave from the bench beginning June 2, 2025, and formally resign from his position on the Santa Barbara County Superior Court effective Sep. 9, 2025, stated a press release Thursday from the California Commission on Judicial Performance.

According to the six-member Commission, the decision resolves the pending formal proceedings against Judge Carrozzo and includes an agreement that Carrozzo will not serve as a judicial officer anywhere in California after Sep. 9, 2025.

From 2017 to 2018, Judge Carrozzo served as the Assistant Presiding Judge and from 2019 to 2020, he served as the Presiding Judge for the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

Over a two year period, Judge Carrozzo drafted correspondences with letterhead indicating that he was an attorney at law and stating he represented his judicial secretary in a variety of legal contestations including an insurance claim, a housing dispute, and a mattress purchase detailed the Commission.

For example, the Commission on Judicial Performance’s Notice of Formal Proceedings noted that on Aug. 15, 2019, then-Presiding Judge Carrozzo sent an email that had an attached document that was a letter from “attorney” Michael Carrozzo to an insurance company about subrogation of insurance claims and used the letterhead below:

The Commission on Judicial Performance explained that judges are technically not an active licensee of the California State Bar and are not permitted to practice law while serving as a judge.

Judge Carrozzo “misrepresented material and intentionally conveyed the false representation that he was entitled to practice law” stated the Commission’s press release.

Additionally, Judge Carrozzo was found to have made representations to the Commission about the correspondences that, “he knew or should have known were false” added the Commission.

In October of 2018, Judge Carrozzo personally requested and received an unredacted copy of a California Highway Patrol (CHP) collision report for a 2018 traffic accident involving his judicial secretary for her “use and benefit” explained the Commission in its initial report.

The Commission noted that the CHP Officer’s first emailed response to Judge Carrozzo’s request referred to Judge Carrozzo as “your honor”.

“You had no legal authority to obtain or possess the confidential law enforcement report relating to Ms. Eklund’s October 2018 traffic accident,” stated the Commission. “You obtained a copy of the report without completing the required CHP form, signing the required declaration under penalty of perjury, or paying the statutorily mandated fee, as is required of members of the public. Your conduct constituted an abuse of authority and violated canons 2, 2A, 2B(1), and 2B(2) of the Code of Judicial Ethics.”

The Commission shared that in 2020, Judge Carrozzo attempted to secure future admission for the child he had fathered with his judicial secretary at a school thats name was redacted in the Commission’s Notice by sending the following email directly to the school’s Director:

As shown above, Judge Carrozzo sent the email from his official judicial email address and emailed the response from the school’s Director confirming that his unborn child was on the waitlist to Eklund’s court email address added the Commission.

The Commission concluded in its initial report that:

You took such actions when you and Ms. Eklund were “good friends,” when you were in a romantic dating relationship with Ms. Eklund, and when Ms. Eklund was pregnant with your child. As a superior court judge, and particularly while serving as Assistant Presiding Judge and Presiding Judge, you had a supervisory role over Ms. Eklund, and you exercised direction and control over her, while maintaining a close friendship with her and while engaging in an intimate personal relationship with her.

With respect to Ms. Eklund, your conduct in 2018, 2019, and 2020, reflected favoritism or created an appearance thereof. You did not avoid favoritism, or the appearance of favoritism, by initiating a reassignment, relocation, or transfer of yourself or Ms. Eklund. You also failed to take sufficient steps to minimize potential issues with supervision, court morale, and conflict(s) of interest.

Your conduct violated canons 2, 2A, 2B(1), 3C(1), 3C(5), and 4A of the Code of Judicial Ethics.