Author: KEYT

Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara Airport held a launch party on Monday to welcome passengers on a new nonstop service to Chicago.

In the past it was offered seasonally.

“United Airlines welcomed back their non-stop service to Chicago O’Hare today from Santa Barbara Airport, so they are offering the service daily for our community,” said SBA Marketing Supervisor, Lauren Gonzales. “Everyone is so excited, it has been one of the most requested routes from our community over the last few years since they previously offered it seasonally, so bringing it back is a huge hit for our community.”

Passengers, pleasantly surprised by the decorations, received some free swag including airplane-shaped cookies made by Three Cubs Cookies.

Airport staff, and community leaders and partners took part in the celebration.

Gonzales said locals and tourists will be able to enjoy the route at a competitive price, too.

Some Spring Break travelers said they saved time and money by flying out of SBA instead of LAX during the recent spike in fuel prices impacting transportation costs.

Noel Cohen of Santa Barbara considered Chicago a travel hub.

“We have friends and family who live there. It is a much easier hub to get to the whole East Coast and it really makes a lot of sense,” said Cohen, “and we are happy that Santa Barbara has a lot more direct flights, it makes it more convenient to travel out of here.”

“It is not uncommon for tickets out of Santa Barbara to be very comparable to LAX or other airports down south, so we really recommend people checking out the prices here, so if you throw in the cost of gas, parking a vehicle down there, sometimes it is actually less expensive to fly out of Santa Barbara.”

Another celebration is the works for another returning route.

“On April 22, Alaska Airlines is bringing back San Diego’s service, twice a day, from the Santa Barbara Airport,” said Gonzales, “It can be a 6 hour drive to San Diego, depending on the traffic, you can hop on a quick one hour flight from Santa Barbara, prices have been pretty reasonable for those flights as well.”

So far it appears the ongoing government shutdown impacting Transportation Security Information workers has not hindered local operations.

“Our TSA officers were impacted just like any other airport, but we didn’t see any change in operation because they were still showing up to work it is a really great group,” said Gonzales.

For more information visit https://flysba.santabarbaraca.gov

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A Monday morning groundbreaking event kicked off the transformation of Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) with the start of a new four-story Physical Education building.

It will replace the 1960s-era P.E. building that was recently demolished next to the football stadium.

The project is a 77,000-square-foot facility with an estimated cost of $105 million.

It will be completed with $71- million from the voter-approved Measure P bond and $34 million in state grants. It went through the review and backing of the Community College District. There will be a community oversight committee to review how the funding is spent.

At a groundbreaking ceremony, SBCC Board of Trustees President Jonathan Abboud said, in addition to uses for the college it will be “a convention center that Santa Barbara has never really had. That means commencements, community events, conferences and economic development that strengthens our entire district that Santa Barbara City College can be the home of. “

The uses will be far reaching according to Santa Barbara City College President Erika Endrijonas, “we have a whole bunch of PE and athletics classes open to the community and the community is going to be able to come here and they are already coming here they are just going to get more of an opportunity to be in a beautiful building.”

The campus says the building will have these benefits:

Sustainability Focus: Targeting net-zero energy usage, aligning with SBCC’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

Flexible Use: Will serve Physical Education, Kinesiology, Athletics, and Health Education programs, in addition to all campus programs, with adaptable instructional spaces.

Equity & Access: Offers improved accessibility and inclusive design to better support all students, including those in SBCC’s growing allied health and athletics pathways.

Student Support Spaces: Includes areas for academic counseling, wellness services, and community events.

Outdoor Integration: Seamlessly connects with SBCC’s athletic fields, track, and ocean views—enhancing the student experience both inside and out.

“It is a teaching a facility. It is an athletics facility. It is so many things and it is really beautiful. We are really lucky,” said Endrijonas.

Completion is expected in late Spring of 2028.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The athletic department at Allan Hancock College hosted the fifth “Final Fore” golf tournament at the Santa Maria Country Club.

This yearly fundraiser benefits more than 300 Hancock College athletes.

This year’s title sponsor is Pismo Beach’s highly rated charter bus company American Star Tours.

Teams of four tee off promptly at noon for a rapid version of scramble-style gameplay, each team sponsored by community business partners.

“It’s a little breezy, but it’s still a beautiful day,” says Jason Buchanan, insurance advisor for Hub International of Santa Maria. “You know, typical Santa Maria day. You know, 70 degrees and a little windy, but no complaints. You know, it’s Monday and we’re playing golf.”

Pacing is kept by using a “best ball” scoring system, where every player’s next shot starts where the longest ball landed from the previous round.

“The golfers are all of our community partners,” says Kim Ensing, Allan Hancock College’s Athletic Director. “So Arrow Plumbing, they have sponsored our team every year since its inception. We have friends from Taft College who are here golfing, a lot of local sponsors, Toyota, Kia. And it’s going to be—I’m going to be remiss because I’m going to forget somebody.”

After the tournament, participants gather here at the Country Club for a viewing party of the NCAA National Championship “Final Four” basketball game.

“We always host this tournament in conjunction with the men’s basketball division one championship game,” says Ensing. “Always.”

Opportunities abound during gameplay to be entered in a raffle with a variety of prizes, one of which is a fan experience package to next year’s Final Four basketball championship.

“It’s always good, you run into everybody you know,” says Buchanan. “You know, it’s Santa Maria. I am a former Bulldog athlete myself. So I’ve seen a couple of, you know, my former teammates out here as well. And just everybody behind the same cause is always good to see.”

Allan Hancock College’s president Kevin Walthers stayed at hole 13 for one of the tournament’s featured game-day packages, “Beat The President.”

Organizers say the yearly event is a growing tradition bringing the community together for a “hole-in-one” experience that benefits local college athletes.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Construction is underway on one of Santa Barbara’s newest workforce housing developments, bringing new momentum to the city’s effort to support middle-income residents.

Jacaranda Court is taking shape near Carrillo and Castillo Streets, just west of downtown.

Crews are building what will become a new residential community.

The site, once used as a commuter parking lot, is now being transformed into housing designed for local workers who have long struggled to live near their jobs.

Project leaders believe the development will provide relief for middle-income families, many of whom currently commute from cities like Oxnard and beyond.

Long travel times have become a daily reality for workers who keep Santa Barbara running but cannot afford to live there.

The project will include more than sixty units, offering a meaningful addition to the area’s limited workforce housing supply.

Housing Authority representatives emphasize that the goal is not just to build homes, but to create opportunity and stability for the local workforce.

Construction is expected to be completed next year, opening the door for dozens of families to live closer to where they work.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Onshore flow and low level clouds along with patchy fog near the coast return Monday. Temperatures are expected to cool 3-6 degrees for the coasts and valleys and close to 10 degrees for the beaches.

Although patchy clouds return Monday, temperatures will still be on the warmer side for the next couple of days and will be in the 70s and 80s Monday.

Monday and Tuesday will feel slightly cooler from the weekend, but Wednesday will be the warmest day of the work week, before a rapid cooling trend on Thursday.

Monday evening wind speeds will pick up through Wednesday with the chance of wind advisories being issued, however there are no weather alerts currently.

By Thursday, the big cooling trend begins, with some micro climates seeing a 10 degree drop from Wednesdays heat. Rain is in the forecast for Friday and Saturday. Right now chances are looking to be 40-80% depending on micro climates. It’s not a big system and may result in breaking apart before reaching the Central Coast. I do feel the region will experience at least drizzle and sprinkles, but as of now, models are not showing a big impact. Regardless, the cooling trend is expected to stay put through much of next.

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Mike Klan

PHOENIX, Arizona. (KEYT) – UCLA finally has a national title in women’s basketball in the NCAA era and two strong 805 connections played a major part in the historic victory.

UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51 in the championship game.

Former UCSB player and associate head coach Cori Close guides the Bruins to the championship in her 15th season as head coach of the Bruins.

“This is immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine and so I am just really grateful,” said Close who patiently built this program into a national power.

Close has had UCLA knocking on the door for the past several seasons with four straight trips to the Sweet 16 and a Final Four appearance last year.

But this Bruins team gets it done with a talented group of seniors including Camarillo High School alum Gabriela Jaquez.

Her dream was to always play and win a title at UCLA and it becomes a reality.

Jaquez had a game-high 21 points along with 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the championship game for an outstanding finish to her great career in Westwood.

The 2022 Camarillo High School graduate was the Bruins 3rd leading scorer this year.

“This season when we decided we wanted to do something we did it and I am just so proud,” stated Jaquez.

Cori Close played at UCSB from 1989-1993 and later was an assistant and then associate head coach of the Gauchos from 1995-2004. Close helped the Gauchos become a west coast women’s basketball powerhouse and they even reached the Sweet 16 in 2004.

The Bruins finish this season 37-1 and national champions.

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Tracy Lehr

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) A new nonprofit theatre company put on a show entitled “The Starving Artist.”

Twin Flame Creative Collective created the show that includes a mix of Broadway songs.

The first performance sold out at the Poinsettia Pavilion in Ventura.

The collective’s founder Jade Knowles said she welcomes others to share their talent.

“If you are an artist or a family member of an artist this show is made for you. It is celebrating all the highs and lows and we are a new theater company building ourselves from the ground up, so we would like nothing more than to see our community come and support us and hopefully learn if they want to be in future productions,” said Knowles.

They are already planning the next show.

For more information subscribe to https://www.twinflamecreative.com

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Tracy Lehr

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) BMW’s wrapped in camouflage are cruising the coast.

Their black and white graphic wrap makes it difficult to see model names.

The cars and SUVs come from a BMW Engineering and Emission Test Center in Oxnard.

Drivers have been spotted them along the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Barbara and Malibu.

It is not clear when the BMWs will be revealed

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Tracy Lehr

ISLA VISTA, Calif. (KEYT)– It’s a tradition at University of California, Santa Barbara for students to celebrate the first Saturday following their first week back from Spring Break.

What started as the unsanctioned ‘Floatopia’ decades ago turned into unsanctioned ‘Deltopia.’

But a crackdown on loud music, public intoxication and parking has led to other celebrations.

That latest is called ‘Soltopia.’

Students and the Isla Vista Community Services District worked on making Soltipia a fun alternative along The Loop.

Students graduating this year said they enjoyed the free music festival.

“At first a lot of people felt disappointed, but I feel like they really did a good job creating something that people are really excited about,” said Eliza Bulanti.

“I do want to give props to the school, though, for actually creating an alternative event, because the first it was like, ‘oh, if we just cancel it, okay, we’re not going to do anything’ and that was kind of a bummer because we’re seniors,” said Anna Chmeh.

Thousands of students and residents registered for Soltopia wristbands that came with perks.

The weather turned out to be picture-perfect for people to enjoy the sunny Saturday.

Some students plan to continue their version of Deltopia on Sunday along Del Playa where beach access is closed this weekend.

There are unconfirmed reports that a deputy was injured in the area.

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – UCSB scored 12 runs on 14 hits as they finished off a 3-game sweep over rival Cal Poly to jump right back in the Big West race.

Xavier Esquer and freshman Ryan Severns each knocked in three runs in a 12-4 win as the Gauchos are now ahead of Cal Poly in the loss column in league. UCSB is 8-4 in the Big West while the Mustangs are 10-5.

Esquer homered in the second inning and added a 2-run triple in the 9th inning.

Severns had an RBI double in the second inning, a run-scoring single in the sixth inning and an RBI double in the 9th.

The Gauchos led 6-0 after six innings before the Mustangs scored a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

Dos Pueblos High School alum Kellan Montgomery improved to 5-2 on the year after allowing just one run in six innings of work.

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