Author: KEYT

Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – First baseman Zach Daudet, whose walk-off 11th-inning home run against Utah Valley sent Cal Poly to the NCAA Eugene Regional championship finals last month, became the Mustangs’ 50th selection in the first 10 rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft on Monday.

The Houston Astros chose Daudet as the 306th overall pick, a spot with an approximate value of $188.900.

The two-day 20-round draft ended Monday in Atlanta with one more Mustang selected, redshirt junior left-hander Luke Kovach, in the 19th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cal Poly has had at least one player drafted in all but one of its 31 NCAA Division I seasons. No Mustang was selected in 1998. Current Mustang head coach Larry Lee has mentored 40 of the 50 former Cal Poly draftees in the top 10 rounds over 23 seasons.

Daudet, who was hitting as high as .418 in mid-April, closed out his 2025 campaign with a .360 average, 15 doubles, nine home runs, and 26 RBIs in 53 games (52 starts). He committed just three errors in 397 fielding chances at first base.

His season included a midseason stretch of 15 games in which he went 27-for-45 (.600) with seven doubles, three home runs, and 13 RBIs. He also had another stretch in which Daudet hit .500 (13-for-26) in five games near the end of the regular season.

Daudet, who never redshirted, produced 18 multiple-hit games, including a pair of four-hit contests.

In 37 games as a junior, Daudet hit .202 with four doubles, four home runs, and 21 RBIs. Before the 2024 season, Daudet transferred to Cal Poly from Regis University in Denver, Colo., where he hit .345 as a sophomore and .322 in his freshman campaign.

Daudet is a 2021 graduate of Clairemont High School in San Diego.

Kovach, who missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in December 2023, pitched in five games, all Mustang victories, in 2025. He earned the victory against UC Riverside on May 17, allowing a run on two hits with a season-high six strikeouts.

Kovach also struck out five over 2 1/3 frames in the aforementioned win over Utah Valley on June 1.

He pitched two seasons at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, compiling a 3-2 record and 3.87 ERA with 111 strikeouts over 74 1/3 innings in his freshman and sophomore campaigns combined. Kovach is a 2021 graduate of Cabrillo High School in Vandenberg Village outside of Lompoc.

Jack Collins plans to sign with the Texas Rangers as an undrafted free agent. A 2021 graduate of Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Collins clawed his way to success through persistence and reinvention. After redshirting at CSUN to focus on academics, he reignited his career at Saddleback College in 2023, batting a scorching .376 and leading the Bobcats to an Orange Empire Conference championship.

Long Beach State gave him a brief Division I look in 2024, but his big break came with one final transfer, this time to Cal Poly, where he faced the task of replacing 2024 MLB Draft pick Ryan Stafford behind the plate.

Collins didn’t just fill the void – he dominated. Bursting onto the scene in 2025, he opened his Mustangs career with a 14-game hitting streak (.404, 3 HR, 19 RBI), launched walk-off homers in upsets over powerhouse programs Texas A&M and Oregon State, and finished as Cal Poly’s home run leader (13). His breakout season earned him recognition as a Buster Posey Award semifinalist and All-Big West Second Team selection.

Head Coach Larry Lee didn’t hold back when talking about these three players: “I’m very happy for Zach, Luke, and Jack. We were fortunate to have them in our program. Now they get a chance to realize their dreams of playing professional baseball.”

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).

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Ryder Christ

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A Massachusetts woman is warning others after her 74-year-old mother was conned out of nearly her entire retirement savings in an elaborate year-long romance scam.

Jessica, who asked that her last name not be used to protect her family’s privacy, shared her mother’s story with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office as part of its Scam Squad podcast.

Jessica said she first discovered the scam on Christmas morning when she checked her mother’s phone and saw messages with multiple individuals pretending to be country music star Vince Gill and his daughter.

“The scammer fabricated a story that Vince Gill was divorcing his wife, Amy Grant, after being falsely accused of rape and needed money to pay off the accuser,” Jessica said. “Her response to the rape was that you’re a good man, and I know you wouldn’t do that.”

Despite warnings from banks, elder services, law enforcement and family members, Jessica’s mother still believes the online relationship is real.

“She sent wire transfers, cashier’s checks, and even cash in the mail,” Jessica said. “That was pretty much all of her retirement. It was a 401(k) annuity. She also took out personal loans and cash advances on credit cards.”

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Chief Investigator Kristina Perkins said the emotional manipulation in these scams makes them among the most difficult to stop.

“These scammers are skilled manipulators,” said Perkins. “They create an emotional bond that makes it nearly impossible for victims to see the truth. That’s what makes romance scams so dangerous.”

Perkins, who also hosts the Scam Squad podcast, joined Your NewsChannel to explain how scammers operate and how to intervene before it’s too late.

“They usually target older adults, oftentimes widowed or divorced, newly entering the dating scene again and not really having experience with online dating or social media sites,” Perkins said. “We also see professionals or caregivers that don’t have time for traditional dating fall victim. And then the one that’s most concerning to me that we see are adults living alone that don’t have a lot of social interaction. It’s that social isolation—really lonely.”

She said scammers often begin with what’s called “love bombing.”

“Immediately they’ll start what we call love bombing,” said Perkins. “The victims will get affirmations, a lot of compliments… the victims will immediately get ‘I love you’ and just that emotional connection that they’re really looking for.”

Perkins urged friends and relatives to be empathetic and nonjudgmental when they suspect a loved one might be caught in a romance scam.

“My recommendation is just to ask questions—very simple questions like ‘How come you haven’t met them?’ or ‘How do you know their true identity?’… You’re just hoping to raise doubt in their own mind,” she explained. “If that doesn’t work, present similar stories online, and if you’re still concerned, call a professional. You can call our hotline.”

She added, “It’s OK. Don’t be embarrassed. That’s something that we see quite often as people are afraid to report it or talk to their friends or family about it. So don’t feel embarrassed—it’s natural to want a relationship.”

Perkins said most scams begin online and stay there, but in rare cases, they may involve video chats. She also warned that a key red flag is when a romantic interest asks for money—especially if you haven’t met them in person.

“If you have not met the person face-to-face and all of a sudden there’s some sort of emergency and they’re asking you for money—talk to your friends or family about that,” Perkins said. “Give our hotline a call, and we’ll walk through that with you.”

She noted that most scammers operate from outside the U.S., although some have been traced to other states. Recovering lost funds is rare, but not impossible.

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office encourages anyone with concerns about potential scams to call its fraud hotline at (805) 568-2442.

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Andrew Gillies

CENTRAL COAST REGION, Calif. – Federal authorities now say at least 361 people and 14 children were taken into custody during last week’s large-scale immigration enforcement operation at Glass House Farms locations in Carpinteria and Camarillo—an increase from earlier estimates and now described by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as one of the largest operations since President Trump took office.

The enforcement action, carried out Thursday, July 10, involved multiple agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Federal officials say the raids uncovered potential cases of child labor, human trafficking, and illegal hiring, as well as criminal activity among some of those detained.

In a statement released, Glass House Brands confirmed that it received valid immigration and naturalization warrants on July 10 and complied with federal authorities. The company stated:

“As per the law, we verified that the warrants were valid and we complied. Workers were detained and we are assisting to provide them legal representation. Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors. We do not expect this to affect operations moving forward. We will provide additional details when applicable.”

The Sunday press release from DHS revised earlier figures, which initially stated approximately 200 people and 10 children had been taken into custody.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California declined to confirm whether Glass House Farms is under active investigation for child labor violations, citing office policy not to comment on ongoing investigations.

Thursday’s enforcement operation led to multiple injuries and one fatality. Jaime Garcia, a worker at the Camarillo location, died from head and neck trauma days after allegedly falling 30 feet during the raid. His family claims he was chased by agents.

“My uncle Jaime was just a hard-working, innocent farmer. He has his wife and daughter waiting for him. He was chased by ICE agents, and we were told he fell 30ft,” wrote his family in a GoFundMe post. “He was his family’s only provider. They took one of our family members. We need justice.”

George Retes, a 25-year-old disabled veteran and U.S. citizen working as a security guard at the farm, was also detained during the operation. He was held for three days and released without charges on Sunday.

Jonathan Anthony Caravello, a 37-year-old math professor at California State University Channel Islands, was arrested while protesting the raid near the Camarillo site. According to a federal complaint, he allegedly threw a tear gas canister back at agents and resisted arrest. He was released on $15,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 1 for a charge of assault on a federal officer.

“At this time, it is our understanding that Professor Caravello was peacefully participating in a protest—an act protected under the First Amendment and a right guaranteed to all Americans,” said the university in a statement.

Court documents show that agents executed a dual-location search warrant signed by Chief Magistrate Judge Karen Stevenson. Homeland Security Investigations labeled the operation high-risk due to the size of the cultivation sites and the presence of farming equipment.

An estimated 500 people gathered at the sites during the raids. DHS reports that four U.S. citizens are facing federal charges for interfering with law enforcement efforts.

“Federal agents are executing a search warrant at this marijuana farm,” posted U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli on X (formerly Twitter). “Agents have already arrested multiple individuals for impeding this operation and will continue to make arrests. Don’t interfere. You will be arrested and charged with a federal offense.”

DHS also reported that an unidentified individual allegedly opened fire at federal agents. As of Sunday, the FBI is still offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to that suspect’s arrest.

Image that appears to show a person firing a pistol during Thursday’s federal law enforcement operation in Camarillo. Image courtesy of ABC7 in Los Angeles.

“ICE and CBP law enforcement rescued at least 14 migrant children from what looks like exploitation, forced child labor, and potentially human trafficking or smuggling—while facing assault and even gunfire,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Our brave agents also arrested at least 361 illegal aliens—including criminals with convictions for rape, serial burglary, hit and run and DUIs.”

“As Secretary [of Homeland Security] Noem stated, this is quickly becoming one of the largest operations since President Trump took office.”

Minors detained following federal law enforcement operations in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties on July 10, 2025. Image courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security.

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Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office found Navada Austin on July 21 and returned her to her family after she went missing on July 10.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is asking for public aid in finding 16-year-old Navada Austin, last seen in Nipomo on July 10.

Austin is a white female and stands five feet, nine inches with green eyes, brown hair, and weighs 135 pounds, according to the SLOCSO.

Austin was last seen at 11:15 a.m. on July 10, leaving the Nipomo area, wearing a black jacket, black pants, a black backpack, and a nose ring, as detailed by SLOCSO.

Austin could possibly be with a white male teenager and was potentially seen in both San Miguel and Santa Maria, attempting to leave out of state to Washington, according to the SLOCSO.

Those with any information on Austin’s location are asked to contact the SLOCSO Detective Division immediately.

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from the California State Parks Foundation regarding their Photo Contest

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – California State Parks Foundation is inviting park visitors and photography enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels to capture the natural beauty, recreational activities, and unique landscapes of California’s state parks. The California State Parks Foundation Photo Contest is now open for submissions and runs through September 30, 2025.

“We’re excited to open submissions to the California State Parks Foundation Photo Contest,” said Rachel Norton, Executive Director of California State Parks Foundation. “This is a fun opportunity for Californians to highlight and raise awareness for the parks they love. With hundreds of state parks around the state, we expect to see a diversity of photos that include beaches, mountains, urban parks, rivers, people enjoying nature, and more.” 

The California state park system includes 280 state park units, over 340 miles of coastline, 970 miles of lake and river frontage, 15,000 campsites, 5,200 miles of trails, 3,195 historic buildings, and more than 11,000 known prehistoric and historic archaeological sites. Earlier this year, California State Parks Foundation highlighted some of these beloved places with their first-ever “Best of California’s State Parks” – a poll that asked their members and followers to vote on their favorite places for camping, hiking, picnicking, and more.

Participants can enter up to three photos in the photo contest in the following categories: 

Scenic Landscapes — Natural beauty across all seasons

Wildlife & Nature — Flora, fauna, and ecosystems

Recreation & Activities — Hiking, surfing, camping, and more

People in Parks — Enjoying parks responsibly and sustainably

California History — Cultural and historic sites in parks

There is no entry fee to participate in the contest. Category winners will win a California Explorer Vehicle Day Use Annual Pass ($195 value, vehicle entrance to 134 state parks) and be featured in California State Parks Foundation’s 2026 calendar. Honorable mentions will be showcased in an online gallery and on social media. All winners will also receive a 2026 calendar. 

Submissions will be judged on creativity and originality, technical quality, relevance to the category, emotional impact and storytelling, and aesthetic appeal. For more information and the official contest rules and photo guidelines, visit calparks.org/photocontest. 

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Caleb Nguyen

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is asking for community aid in finding an at-risk missing adult last seen in Isla Vista.

Sonia Lang Crestfield, 85, was last seen at Friendship Manor on July 11 at 11:30 a.m., and suffers from dementia that could lead to confusion or disorientation, according to the SBCSO.

Crestfield is a white woman with gray hair, brown eyes and stands five feet, eight inches tall, weighing 128 pounds, detailed the SBCSO.

She was last seen wearing a black sweater, dark blue jeans, black tennis shoes, white gloves, and carrying a blue walker, according to the SBCSO.

Those with more information on Crestfield’s location are asked to call the Sheriff’s Office dispatch number.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Fair wrapped up Sunday night ending its five-day run at the Santa Maria Fairpark.

According to Santa Maria Fairpark Board of Directors President Kevin Merrill, the fair was an overall success, but ended up finishing with lower attendance numbers compared to previous years.

“We really enjoyed some great days,” said Merrill. “Our numbers were down a little bit, but I think the folks that came out had a really good time.”

Merrill felt that outside circumstances related to current immigration enforcement was a primary reason numbers were lower this year.

“I think we had a lot of challenges here with attendance,” said Merrill. “There was a lot of stuff going. One of the big things we’re hearing about fairs all up and down the state is the ICE raids that are going on and people are a little bit afraid to come out and that did affect us.”

Official attendance numbers won’t be known for at least a few days, so Merrill was unable to provide detailed information on how just how much the attendance dropped this year.

“I think given the demographic we have here in Santa Maria, the ICE rates are a real concern of those folks, and they get scared about coming out here. They see the potential for something going bad and so they didn’t come out. Our numbers will come out later, but we know we are down this year, but I think it was good news for the folks that were here. They had a good time. They didn’t have long lines and the weather was perfect.”

While fair attendance was down, the Junior Livestock Show and Auction ended up with solid numbers compared to past few years.

“We had a great sale on Friday and Saturday,” said Hailey Rose Switzer. “We had a small animal sale Friday morning, a heifer sale Friday evening, and our large livestock sale on Saturday all day. Our sale ended up at 9:00 on Saturday night. We broke over $2 million on the sales altogether. It’s a great number. I know last year was similar. We still have “add-ons” open, so there’s still money coming in for all the kids.”

The overall amount brought in during the two-day auction was $2.3 million. The number of animals sold was just under 1,000, a bump up from the 2024 total.

Our livestock number here is very large compared to most county fairs,” said Switzer. “We put about 1,000 lots across the block. Most county fairs are a lot smaller than that, so we’re very lucky here in Santa Barbara County. We had some great local support here over the two days of sales that we had.”

With this year’s fair now over, planning already starts for the 2026 edition, which will be held during a still-to-be-determined five-day run next July.

“A lot of the staff is already working on that,” said Merrill. “They look at the things that work really well and how we can build on those, and they are going to look at the things that didn’t work quite so well, such as which vendors helped, which didn’t. There’s a lot of challenges and a lot of moving pieces here to a fair.”

Merrill added one of the biggest challenges to this year’s fair was a lack of a chief executive officer, which the Fairpark has been without the past few months.

Since previous CEO Caitlin Miller left in March, the Fairpark held its two biggest events, the Santa Maria Valley Strawberry Festival in April and the Santa Barbara County Fair, without a top executive.

In the interim, temporary leadership from neighboring fairs in Antelope Valley and Kern County were brought in to help assist with operations.

Now, with the fair over, the Fairpark Board’s top priority will be to find a new CEO as soon as possible.

“The Board will start working on that here shortly,” said Merrill. “We will be working with the State up in Sacramento and we’ll get somebody in here who has some experience and can guide us in the right way and get us back on track. We need somebody who really knows that industry and we’re be looking out for them.”

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Directors of the nonprofit AHA! received a powerful response from California’s First Lady who surprised the AHA! teens at the Connected Voices Conference.

She shared a heartfelt video of support.

Her words uplifted their spirits, as well as their voices and honored their leadership, commending them for advocating on behalf of their communities.

She also praised them for raising awareness among their peers about mental health and the importance of access to support during these challenging times facing Californians.

As part of their commitment to change, the teens have written powerful letters to Governor Gavin Newsom, calling for expanded mental health resources, stronger protections for immigrant communities, and increased funding for schools and programs that offer mental wellness support.

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Tracy Lehr

OXNARD, Calif. – West Coast artists showcased their work today at the 2025 Channel Islands Harbor Fine Arts Festival, a free, two-day event held Saturday and Sunday at Harbor Landing, 2810 Harbor Blvd.

The festival filled part of a parking lot near Channel Islands and Harbor boulevards, drawing approximately 45 featured artists presenting coast-inspired paintings, carvings, sculptures, glasswork, and jewelry.

Artists displayed a wide variety of mediums—clay, metalwork, photography—and engaged directly with collectors on site. Some, including JD Shultz, have had their pieces installed in celebrity homes; Shultz’s work is in the collections of Steve Young, Ryan Seacrest, Alanis Morissette, and others.

The festival is organized by West Coast Artists and hosted by Channel Islands Harbor. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers visitors the opportunity to meet artists, learn about techniques, and purchase original works.

The show remains a favorite among California art collectors, celebrating coastal culture in a casual, outdoor atmosphere.

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Patricia Martellotti

CARPINTERIA, Calif. – It’s lunch hour at the Carpinteria Children’s Project.

Ivon Huerta checks in on her children at the center, a place she says they wouldn’t be without financial support.

“It would be incredibly difficult. I don’t think they would have an opportunity to get the early education that they need to better their future,” said Huerta.

The center, which has long served low-income and immigrant families, was already set to receive a $100,000 grant from the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara.

But in the wake of last week’s ICE raids that shook many immigrant families in Carpinteria, the timing is especially meaningful.

“We work with the kids, but we know that some of the parents do work at some of those farms. We do have immigrant parents and a lot of staff here are immigrants as well so it really hits close to home,” said director of development Arianna Rodriguez of the Carpinteria Children’s Project.

The funding will strengthen services that support early education, emotional well-being, and stability, all crucial for families navigating fear and uncertainty.

“The demand is very high. All our classrooms have a robust waitlist. We’re very fortunate that this year we were able to support five families with 100% scholarships,” said director of early learning Guadalupe Perez of the Carpinteria Children’s Project.

Managers at the center say the grant will help ease the burden for more families in need of care and connection.

“It provides such a financial relief that allows me to focus on being able to provide a stable home for them without having to worry,” said Huerta.

The move comes as the City of Carpinteria voted to allocate $5,000 in emergency funding for nonprofit organizations impacted by recent immigration enforcement actions.

The organization’s dual language immersion preschool program is receiving the grant for the 2024–25 school year.

The funds will provide scholarships to support children from low-income families, helping ensure greater access to high-quality early education in a bilingual learning environment.

The initiative aims to promote school readiness and language development through the center’s dual language curriculum.

With this funding, CCP will be able to provide scholarships that partially cover enrollment costs for 20 to 40 new students from low-income families.

The center anticipates at least 70 percent of limited-English-proficient children will be rated “Ready to Go” or “Almost Ready” as determined by the Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile when they enter kindergarten.

The U.S. Census QuickFacts data from 2019 to 2023 estimates about 35.9 percent of Carpinteria residents aged 5 and older speak a language other than English at home.

For more information, visit the Carpinteria Children’s Project website

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