Author: KEYT

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). – Bishop Diego High School will face their toughest challenge of the season so far although you wouldn’t know it from the record of Oaks Christian.

The 6-0 Cardinals are on the road at 1-5 Oaks Christian but Bishop knows it will be a rough and tumble Marmonte League game.

The Lions just barely lost to undefeated Pacifica last week 17-13. The 6-0 Tritons were averaging 55 points per game but OC held them in check.

Bishop Diego head coach Tom Crawford is impressed with the Lions defense saying, “They are big and fast and strong, really impressed with them upfront.”

The Cardinals have a great set of skill position players this year led by senior quarterback Tua Rojas who has 16 touchdown passes and just one interception.

Game time is 7 p.m. from Westlake Village and Friday Football Focus will have the highlights starting at 11:10 on NewsChannel 3 and 12.

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Tracy Lehr

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Wild and Free Film Festival served up movie popcorn and played some trailers in preparation for a number of events.

Festival organizers, sponsors and Goleta community leaders posed for a ceremonial ribbon cutting on Wednesday afternoon.

The main festival is on November 14-16 at the Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta, but a kick-off launch party will take place at Elings Park on October 18th with an outdoor screening of “The Goonies.”

Festival founder Gareth Kelly credited his wife for naming the festival.

One of the highlights of the festival will be the premier of a documentary produced by Leonardo Dicaprio.

The film is about saving animals in war-torn Ukraine.

The movie star couldn’t make the ribbon cutting but he was there in spirit.

For more information about the festival visit http://www.wildandfreefilm.org

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara libraries are highlighting the importance of reading freely during Banned Books Awareness Week.

The Santa Barbara Public Library is joining a nationwide effort to call attention to challenges and bans on books.

Library staff have set up displays and events to celebrate diverse voices and stories.

Visitors are invited to join discussions about the value of intellectual freedom.

Organizers hope the week encourages readers to explore books without restrictions.

“It’s about celebrating reading … it’s about celebrating the freedom to read … and the library has participated this year by passing out free copies of Fahrenheit 451 … and working with students to host a book club … and have a discussion about books,” said executive director Lauren Trujillo of the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation.

Events run through the end of the week at Santa Barbara Library locations.

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Dave Alley

PISMO BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – Visitors to one of the most popular and scenic hiking trails on the Central Coast will soon need to pay for parking.

Starting next week, a small fee will be required to park a vehicle at the Pismo Preserve, a 888-acre coastal trail located along Highway 101 in Pismo Beach.

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, which owns the property, said it made the decision to charge for parking to help offset operational costs that rise above $200,000 annually.

The non-profit organization does not receive any tax revenue for either local, state or federal agencies to support the Pismo Preserve and indicated fees would will assist with the ongoing maintenance and operations of the property, as well help conserve additional natural habitat and productive farmlands in San Luis Obispo County.

Paid parking will begin on Thursday, Oct. 16 and will cost daily visitors a fee of $5. An annual pass is also available for $50.

Visitors will be able to purchase parking passes through a mobile app or with cash or credit card at a pay station located by the restrooms and kiosk.

Daily parking fees will fund the ongoing maintenance and operations of this incredible property and fuel our mission to conserve even more natural habitat and productive farmlands in SLO County.

The Pismo Preserve opened to the public in 2020 and provides hikers, mountain bikers and equestrian riders 11 miles of trails that travel through oak woodland and coastal ridgeways which offer some of the most picturesque views in the entire state.

Depending on weather conditions, visitors are able to look out to the Pacific Ocean and view panoramic scenery from the Irish Hills to the north to the Point Sal to the south.

For more information, click here to visit the Pismo Preserve webpage on the official website for The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Amid National Fire Prevention Week, local fire authorities are sounding the alarm about lithium-ion batteries.

The National Fire Protection Association is helping the public “Charge Into Safety.”

Lithium-ion batteries are found in our laptops, smartphones, iPads, electric vehicles, and they store our solar and wind power.

But they come with risks.

“Fires rapidly expand with ion lithium batteries,” says Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Scott Safechuck. “So if you’re charging your, let’s say, an e-bike and it’s a cheap knockoff brand or you’re not using the approved charger, it can cause a short in the electrical system there and cause almost like a rapid explosion of the fire.”

Lithium-ion batteries are a fire hazard, and an increasingly common question is how to properly dispose of them.

As long as the battery is not giving off heat, swollen, or what’s called ‘off-gassing,’ they can be brought to your city’s household hazardous waste facility.

“Any time we want to recycle those batteries, we want to take them to an approved recycling center,” says Safechuck.

For Santa Maria, that’s the landfill out here on East Main Street.

They accept hazardous household waste every Wednesday and Saturday.

“It’s free to do that and you can get the hours on our website,” says Santa Maria’s City Manager Mark van de Kamp.

Until then, always keep them in a bucket, not in your trash.

“If you’d like to get a free bucket just for this purpose, you can come out on Saturday, to Cops and Cars, it’s a car show,” says Van de Kamp. “There will be a booth with the Utilities Department and they’ll be giving away these free buckets.”

If the battery is giving off excess heat or off-gassing, do not dunk it in a bucket of water, but set it outdoors on flat open concrete, and call the fire department for removal.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The status quo or the current norm in downtown Santa Barbara is not working and changes are in the air.

The Santa Barbara City Council is working with staff on short and long term plans that will be presented October 21.

The newly formed and funded Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association (DSBIA) is calling for a “balanced, flexible design for a thriving State Street.”

A TV commercial with business and tourism leaders is airing on Newschannel 3-11-12.

The community has also been asked to sign a petition before the council meeting.   

At issue is a plan to add renewed vitality to the area that has been in a sluggish mode.  

The DSBIA says the decline in visitation directly impacts downtown small businesses, property owners, and employees, it “limits potential investment, and affects the overall vitality of the area.”

The group recently funded cleaning services, which was one of the main start up goals for forming. That means more power washing general cleaning of trash cans, news racks, benches and liter removal.

Looking forward the group wants to see a multi-use plan for the street and the return of popular events.  This will be included in the Master Plan discussion coming up with the city that has been in the works for the past few years.

Suggestions will be made with an urgency to act soon.

A news release says the message will be to adopt a new State Street design configuration that:

Installs retractable bollards so the street can be easily opened or closed to vehicles for farmers’ markets, parades, concerts, and other special events.

Allows for one-way configuration of vehicle traffic and shuttles.

Creates safe, organized, separate spaces for pedestrians and cyclists.

Expands sidewalks to continue supporting outdoor dining.

This area is being referred to as the “Grand Paseo.”

The DSBIA says the plan will:

Increase downtown circulation and accessibility.

Attract more diverse customers.

Improve visibility and opportunities for businesses.

Reinvigorate downtown’s economic vitality.

(More details, video and photos will be added here later today.)

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – E-bikes are surging in popularity among Santa Barbara’s young riders, and police say safety can’t be left in the dust.

Students traded class for a crash-course in e-bike safety at la Colina Junior High School in Santa Barbara.

“In response to just concerns about E bike ridership that police department has started reaching out to schools and doing a brief E bike safety presentation to the kids,” said traffic ergeant Douglas Klug of the Santa Barbara Police Department.

Officers from Police Department led hands-on demonstrations in the school parking lot.

“To teach the kids to ride safely to “behave responsibly and not create problems in traffic,” said Klug.

During the presentation, officers gave demonstrations aimed at preventing injuries.

“I hope that people don’t crash on it and like they could be safe … It’s important because like lots of people get hurt on it and they’re kind of like helping people not getting hurt,” said student Peyton Collins of La Colina Junior High School.

Officers plan to bring similar sessions to other local campuses.

“I hope it is by starting with little kids with young kids we could teach them from the beginning to be more responsible riders as they grow up,” said Klug.

Small lessons, big payoff.

The presentation comes amid growing concern about speeding, helmet use, and risky riding habits among teens.

The department hopes the lessons will not only reduce violations under the city’s new e-bike safety ordinance but also save lives.

Police are urging parents to reinforce the message at home and make sure every rider wears a helmet before taking off.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). –

Girls Volleyball: San Marcos 3, Santa Barbara 0

There was no late drama this time between Channel League rivals Santa Barbara and San Marcos.

The first place Royals made short work of Santa Barbara in a sweep 25-16, 25-11, 25-20 to stay undefeated in league at 12-0.

Earlier in the season the Dons took the Royals to five sets before just falling short.

San Marcos was led by Charlotte Hastings who blasted a match-high 15 kills.

Other results: Ventura 3, Oxnard 0; Dos Pueblos 3, Buena 1; Cate 3, Carpinteria 0; St. Bonaventure 3, Bishop Diego 2; Laguna Blanca 3, Thacher 0

Girls Flag Football: San Marcos 48, Santa Barbara 8; Dos Pueblos 48, Buena 0; Oxnard 28, Ventura 25

Girls Golf: Dos Pueblos 11, San Marcos 7

Boys Water Polo: San Marcos 17, Ventura 6; Santa Barbara 13, Rio Mesa 10; Carpinteria 17, Channel Islands 1

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Caleb Nguyen

VANDENBERG VILLAGE, Calif. – Two people received medical care for their injuries after a car crash near Vandenberg Village just after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

One person received a helicopter airlift for major injuries and another person had minor injuries in the crash. Crews helped both patients to Marian Regional Medical Center, according to the SBCFD.

The SBCFD received help from Lompoc Fire, California Highway Patrol, CalStar, and AMR.

Updates on this emergency will be provided as they become available to Your News Channel.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Central Coast airports are continuing to operate as normal during the ongoing government shutdown despite impacts now beginning to happen at other airports across the country.

On Monday, the Hollywood Burbank Airport operated without air traffic controllers for several hours due to a shortage of workers.

The Southern California airport joins a growing list of U.S. airports that are experiencing a shortage of federal workers.

According to CNN, personnel shortages at other airports such as Chicago, Washington DC, Phoenix, Denver, Newark, New Jersey, Jacksonville, Florida, and Indianapolis have been so short-staffed, it has caused some travel disruptions.

Meanwhile, on the Central Coast, all three commercial airports are reporting their air service has been business as usual.

“As of right now, everything is remaining open,” said Joe Goble, San Luis Obispo County Airport (SBP) Public Information Specialist. “Operations are functioning as normal. TSA is working right now and will remain open and our air traffic control will also remain open as well.”

Management at both Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) and Santa Maria Airport (SMX) said Tuesday they are also continuing to operate as normal and have not experienced any disruptions to air service.

Since Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers are considered essential workers, they are required to work through government shutdown without pay.

ABC News reports an estimated 13,294 controllers will continue to work without pay during the shutdown. 

For Central Coast passengers traveling on Tuesday, they were relieved the three local airports are remaining open and have yet to feel any direct impacts caused by the shutdown.

“100% yes, we appreciate it,” said Jared Tartaglia of Atascadero, who flew into SBP from South Carolina on Tuesday. “It made things so much easier. It is definitely good to travel at the moment.” 

With the shutdown remaining in place with no known end date, SBP is advising air travelers to check with the their airlines for up-to-the-minute flight information.

“SBP is continuing to monitor the situation and transparency is really key for us,” said Goble. “Any updates that we receive or that we know about, we will forward to the public and they will make sure that that’s known about before travel ensues.” 

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