Author: KEYT

Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – While hundreds of local agriculture students show off their animal projects at the Santa Barbara County Fair, agriculture mechanics students0 are also putting their talents on display at the industrial arts exhibit.

Located in the Convention Center, this year’s Agricultural Mechanics show and auction features 172 impressive student-made projects.

“These student projects, they take a lot of time,” said Carolina Hileman, Industrial Arts Superintendent. “They take preparation. The creativity of these projects are far beyond what I can expect, and I love to see all the new projects and things that you don’t typically see.”

Just like agriculture students, these industrial arts students must also enrolled in a qualified 4-H, FFA, Grange or Independent program.

“They’re learning hard work, dedication, the trade,” said Hileman. “I feel like this kind of trade is a lost art, and I love to see the kids learning it again.”

Also similar to the livestock show and auction, the industrial arts projects are also judged and later auctioned off to the highest bidder.

“What I really love is the ingenuity of these projects that these kids come up with,” said Hileman. “Some of them are sculptures, some of them are things that you don’t think of, but then you look at it and you’re like, ‘I have to have that.'”

Some of the projects may only take a few days to complete, while others may take much longer, lasting weeks or even months to finish.

“A lot of these projects you have to be very precise and handy with tools because you can miss cut miss measure crack boards when trying to like put them together all that, so it’s very hard,” said Arroyo Grande High School FFA student Brady Robertson. “They can take a lot of time.”

Four of the larger-sized projects will be auctioned off during a live auction on Saturday, while the rest are available for bid through a silent auction that ends on Sunday at 5 p.m.

The Santa Barbara County Fair will run through Sunday, July 12th.

Gates open at noon during the weekends and at 2 p.m. on weekdays and close each night at 10 p.m.

For more information about the Santa Barbara County Fair, click here to visit the official website.

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office regarding a public alert about recent phone scams.

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – The Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a phone scam that has recently resurfaced in our area.

In these scams, callers falsely claim to be from a law enforcement agency and tell victims they have an outstanding arrest warrant. They then demand immediate payment to clear the warrant or avoid arrest. Scammers often ask for payment through apps such as Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, Apple Cash, or other money transfer services.

To make the calls appear legitimate, scammers may “spoof” their phone number so it displays as a law enforcement agency or government office.

Remember: The Sheriff’s Office will never call and demand payment over the phone to resolve a warrant or criminal matter.

If you receive one of these calls:-Hang up immediately.-Do not send money or provide financial or personal information.-Do not trust caller ID alone, it can be spoofed.-If you’re unsure whether a call is legitimate, contact the agency directly using a publicly listed phone number.

If you believe you have been the victim of this scam, report it to your local law enforcement agency.

The Sheriff’s Office encourages residents to share this warning with family, friends, and neighbors to help prevent others from becoming victims.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The first of seven Friday nights of outside movies begins this evening at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens.

It is a summer cinema series through UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures. This year’s theme is ‘Mixtapes and Misfits.’

It will take place July 10th through the end of August except for the week of Fiesta (August 7th).

The screenings begin at 8:30 p.m. with some hours of DJ entertainment prior to the start of the films.

The event is free.

Those attending who want the best viewing areas, come down before noon with their blankets and chairs, but the rules require the movie fans to wait at their spot and not open their blankets until exactly noon. It can be a challenging and involve timing, luck and maybe help from friends.

Mike Rojas with UCSB Arts & Lectures said, “at noon you are welcomed to place your stuff and leave it, before that anything left unattended we put it in what we lovingly call the ‘pile of shame.’ That’s when they gather up items that are either out too early or not allowed and leave them in a designated area.”

Chris Buck is a movie fan who was front and center, arriving in the 9 a.m. hour. “I just came early an hour early and brought my coffee with me and my chair.” He opened his blanket in the center spot right at noon.

Michelle Sotello knows there is a high back chair limit so viewing is not blocked. She has one and sets it against the stone wall to be able to use it and not have it rejected. She also arrived early. “There is a strategy depending on how in to it you want to get but yeah I got here at 9:30, but one year I got here at 8:30 and realized nobody was here!”

To spend her time, “sometimes I would work from home here if I bring an umbrella and my laptop and I am allowed to work remotely so that works.”

Joining her is Amber Rhodes who likes to get the spot set early and then leave, so they can return later with a dinner plan. “Sometimes I like to bring snacks from home, sometimes I’m like ‘let’s go over here buy some food’ and like bring some food for us to all have. “

Some restaurants in the area are offering movie night to-go food deals.

Being up close isn’t exactly right for some people. A whole group that comes to the second level closer to Anapamu street, sets up where they can see the screen perfectly and with a second set of speakers they can hear some clear audio.

Katie Zimmerman said, from her upper spot, “I actually have chosen this area before, this upper area I think it is pretty epic this spot.”

The crowds fill the lawn on the lower area and the upper east side first with the upper center going to the west the last area to fill up due to some blockage from landscaping.

The first movie is just as dusk is arriving and the remaining films will be under darker skies.

Rules and guidelines are posted on the courthouse property and staff is on site along with security personnel to assist the crowd of 2-3000.

There is also a location for memorable photos.

For some movies, the audience members, at times, dress up as characters.

For more information go to UCSB Arts & Lectures Summer Cinema

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Below is a press release from CalTrans regarding a construction project that will cause lane reductions and ramp closures in the city of Santa Maria.

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Construction crews will begin a pavement preservation project along Highway 101 through Santa Maria beginning overnight Sunday, July 12.

Travelers on Highway 101 through Santa Maria will encounter lane reductions and ramp closures heading both northbound and southbound from just north of the Betteravia Road Overcrossing to the Santa Maria River Bridge.

Work will take place overnight Sunday from 9pm to 6am and Monday through Thursday from 7 pm to 6 am in areas near Stowell Road, Main Street, Donovan Road, and the Highway 135/Broadway interchange.

Message and directional signs will alert drivers of any closures. Travelers are advised to plan accordingly and anticipate possible delays of up to 10 minutes.

The purpose of the project is to preserve the existing pavement surface, improve lane delineation/visibility, improve signage, and provide a refreshed roadway surface for the traveling public.

This project is expected to be completed by end of September 2026. The contractor for this approximately $1.6 million project is Intermountain Slurry Seal, Inc. of Watsonville, CA.

Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram/Threads at: @Caltrans_D5.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Students across Santa Barbara are gaining easier access to books, digital resources and academic support through a new library program.

The Santa Barbara Public Library has introduced Student Success Cards, automatically enrolling local students so they can immediately use library services without applying for a traditional card.

The program provides free access to books, eBooks, online learning tools, homework assistance and other educational resources. Library leaders hope removing barriers to enrollment will make it easier for students to keep learning both in the classroom and at home.

The Student Success Cards are designed to help more young people take advantage of the library’s services throughout the school year.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Emergency relief is now reaching communities across Venezuela as recovery efforts continue after last month’s powerful earthquake.

ShelterBox has transitioned from assessing damage to delivering aid, placing response teams on the ground to coordinate emergency assistance in the hardest-hit areas.

Emergency shelter materials and essential supplies are being shipped from pre-positioned warehouses in Panama and Barbados, working alongside local partners to reach families affected by the disaster.

As recovery moves forward, the humanitarian organization is focused on helping thousands of people secure safe shelter and begin rebuilding their lives.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Even as the Santa Barbara County Fair continues on through the weekend, the Santa Maria Fairpark is already strategizing for the future.

Over the past few months, the Fairpark Board of Directors has started the process to create a new community-based partnership that will boost usage at the downtown facility.

“We’re trying to work more closely with both the (Santa Maria Valley) Chamber and the City,” said Todd Ventura, Santa Maria Fairpark Interim CEO. “We’re a major footprint in town here and the city needs more green space. The city needs more parks and recreation areas and all of those kinds of things as our our community continues to grow.”

Santa Maria Assistant City Manager Chuen Wu pointed out the two entities are just now in the preliminary stages of potentially having recreational opportunities and events held in the venue.

“It’s in the works,” said Wu. “We’re having those conversations with conversations about opportunities and possibilities. Certainly they have the space and a venue and so many times it’s finding the right programing that fits our community, that resonates with residents and visitors.”

As the Fairpark looks to add events and other ways to maximize its potential usage, Ventura emphasized what the facility means to the both Santa Maria and the surrounding area.

“It’s important for our entire community,” said Ventura. “It’s a gathering area. It’s an area of focus. I think the success of the Fairpark long term is important, especially as the North County continues to grow and outpace growth in South County.  Let’s face it, population base, tax base, all the other things are very much North County related, and so we need a place up here where people can come and they can congregate and they can gather that safe. It’s consistent, it’s clean, it’s readily available for everybody.”

Within the last few weeks, the Fairparks has held the first ever Santa Maria Comic Con and the annual West Coast Kustoms Cruisin’ Nationals car show.

The two events are exactly the type of gatherings the the Fairpark, City and Chamber are hoping to attract on a regular basis.

“Certainly the city is certainly having more conversations with the Fairpark about tourism, economic development, ways to leverage a partnership to bring more visitors to the Santa Maria area, and whether that’s through events or there’s some long term plans that we’re talking about that would ultimately help Santa Maria be a place for just more more things to do, more activities, so it’s we’re having more conversations for sure.”

As for the present time, the Santa Barbara County Fair continues through Sunday, July 12.

Gates open at 2 p.m. on Friday and noon on the weekend with the fair closing each night at 10 p.m.

For more information about the Santa Barbara County Fair, click here to visit the official website.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – On Thursday night, the weather in Santa Barbara could only be described as picturesque. Sunny 70s and not a cloud in the sky – making it the perfect night for a concert at The Bowl. Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic seemed to think the same during their performance. Saying the views of the Santa Barbara coastline reminded them of home back in Australia.

The pop rock duo from Sydney, Australia sold out the Santa Barbara Bowl with their band, Royel Otis, and performed a roughly hour-long set that had the crowd both jumping and swaying.

But before that, the group made sure to do some sight-seeing at one of the city’s most popular destinations: Dargan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant. The musicians were spotted playing a couple rounds of pool, both with friends and some locals.

Decked out with custom backgrounds, the groups got fans moving with their known hits like “Oysters in the Pocket” and “Sofa King,” along with covers of “Linger” by The Cranberries and “Murder on the Dance Floor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Maria held a big event with lots of  helping hands for seniors.

The support ranged from health care to finance at the second annual Senior Expo.

Today’s attendance was even higher than the first expo last year.

The free event saw between five or six hundred people at the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium at Allan Hancock College.

For the second yearly expo, Community Partners In Caring worked with Allan Hancock College and Dignity Health to provide the event in the gym.

“Last year it happened to pour rain the day of our event, and it was in March,” says Midge Nicosia, Community Outreach and Special Initiatives Manager for the North Santa Barbara County Community Partners In Caring. “So we moved it to July with the help of Hancock and the availability of the gymnasium.”

Admission and parking were free for all attendees.

“We also have Care Connection in the parking lot roaming around to help people that are having a difficulty getting to the front door,” says Nicosia.

101 vendors represented everything from health care to financial planning to ways to support independent living for seniors.

Another category was “assistive technology.”

One example is an electrotherapy device that helps people cope with spine and joint challenges.

“I work for In-Home Support Services,” says Lupe Rosas, I.H.S.S. Social Services Supervisor. “I’m a supervisor overseeing the social workers that do go out to the field and assess our clients and approve them. And then I work closely with the Public Authority. They help hire the providers that can help the client stay safe in their homes.”

This initiative aims to centralize knowledge for those navigating senior care and disability resources.

In addition to plenty of booths, the expo presented a variety of free services and live entertainment.

“In December of this year I’ll be 90,” says Santa Maria resident Beverly Scofield. “And I’ve been accused of wanting to be the center of attention. But my heart is in making everybody laugh. I was here at the first one, and I enjoyed it enough to come back the second time.”

There were free services like haircuts.

We got to meet Finley the therapy dog.

Entertainment came in the from of a magic show courtesy of the Central Coast Conjurers, and serenading by the saxophone of Jose Rendon.

“I really feel that everybody here was here for one thing, to make our lives better,” says Scofield. “And I do appreciate it.”

Organizers are very pleased with the event and are already planning to do this again next year.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –  Lights, camera, action! “Anything Goes” is coming to Santa Barbara City College this weekend! 

“Anything Goes” is one of the most beloved musicals of all time where a love-sick stowaway faces a host of obstacles on the race to romance. A crew of sailors, chorus girls, millionaires, a preacher in tap shoes and public enemy number 13 round out the cast.

The Morning News is joined by actors Austin Escamilla and Atalia Zahrndt who share all the excitement coming up!

Performances begin this weekend and will continue until July 25th at the Garvin Theatre Santa Barbara City College’s West Campus. Tickets are still available.

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