Author: KEYT

Allison Winslow

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Three days of competition at the Kenny Loggins Pickleball in the Danger Zone tournament wrapped up Sunday.

Celebrity competitors included Loggins himself, Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, and actor Duane Henry, among others.

The tournament took place at the Santa Barbara Municipal Tennis and Pickleball Courts, which is a favorite playing spot for Loggins.

The celebrity exhibition was held in conjunction with the American Riviera Classic Tournament and served as a fundraiser for The Unity Shoppe and families displaced by the Los Angeles fires.

Actor Duane Henry downplayed his talent on the court.

“This is a great event because we’re connecting community wealth with a love of pickleball and, most importantly, Unity Shoppe, courtesy of Kenny Loggins,” said Henry. “We’re here to basically celebrate that through pickleball, something we all love to do. It’s a no-brainer, and it’s so much fun. It brings the community out, and you get to see how terrible my shot is.”

Participants received Joola paddles.

For more information visit https://www.unityshoppe.org

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Tracy Lehr

VENTURA, Calif. — Island Packers has reported continued whale sightings this spring.

Whale watching season typically runs from December through mid-April, but this year it appears to be lasting a bit longer.

Although sightings are not guaranteed, the crew is always on the lookout.

Now is a great time to check it out.

Island Packers posts daily sighting updates on Instagram.

Anyone interested in whale watching or island trips can book half-day and full-day excursions at www.islandpackers.com.

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Allison Winslow

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — Drivers can’t miss the La Conchita yard sale sign along U.S. Highway 101.

The community tradition takes place the first weekend in May and is known for its wide selection of surfboards and boogie boards.

This year’s sale also features plants, artwork, clothing, and jewelry. One neighbor even put out a door for free.

Residents also contribute items to a special sale that raises money for the La Conchita organization. In the past, the fundraiser has helped pay for speed bumps not funded by the state or county.

The La Conchita yard sale continues Sunday. Hours vary by seller.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – It was the paw-fect day to cuddle puppies during brunch.

“This is Kobe, he’s twelve weeks old, we think he’s a chi mix, the only thing we know for sure is he’s 100 percent cute,” said Anna Markmann, Volunteer with SPARK Rescue.

Sunday, the wildcat and the glitter brunch hosted Santa Barbara Rescue presents “Pride and paws, an event celebrating love, community and rescue pups.” During the brunch show, the dogs were brought out to be introduced.

“We’re trying to raise enough money to buy a facility so we can rescue more animals,” said SPARK volunteer, Amy Van Hook. “Until we have a facility we can’t rescue some of the animals because we don’t have enough homes to put them in.”

The event gave attendees the chance to meet furry friends ready for adoption and raises funds for animals in need of a home while celebrating love.

“There’s lots of dogs without homes and people you know, think that that’s more important is to like you know like buy pure breds or whatever, but you know  I think that  having adopting dogs is way more important,” said Van hook.

SPARK Santa Barbara Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization and donations are tax-deductible. SPARK is always looking for more volunteers and fosters.

You can learn more about cats and dogs available for adoption or donate at their website.

“You can go to SPARK rescue dot org and they have the application process there it’s pretty intense but it’s because we want to make sure we have the best home for our puppies,” said Markmann.

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Caleb Nguyen

OXNARD, Calif. – Several agencies in Ventura County arrested a 46-year-old man after a long investigation for selling narcotics for cash, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

VCSO agents started an investigation in March and later obtained a search warrant for the 46-year-old’s property, cars and residence.

Detectives later contacted and arrested the Oxnard man on April 29 before authorities searched his residence at the 1400 block of Cedar Street in the city, detailed the VCSO.

Police found eight ounces of cocaine, an ounce of methamphetamine, mushrooms, Adderall pill, other substances, packaging material consistent with narcotic sales and over $74,000 in cash at his home, according to the VCSO.

VCSO agents charged the 46-year-old with the following charges and subsequently booked him into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility:

11351 – Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sales

11378 – Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sales

The Oxnard man awaits trial and VCDA authorities opted for one count of HS 11351 and another count of HS 11378 due to the large drug amounts sold, according to the VCSO.

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Mike Klan

GULF SHORES, Ala. – Cal Poly beach volleyball came up mere points away from advancing to the NCAA National Championship. However, the No. 6 Mustangs fell to No. 2 TCU in the NCAA Championship Semifinals by a score of 3-1.

Three of the five matches went to three sets with several games decided by two points. TCU picked up wins at the No. 1 and No. 4 spots to go up 2-0. The No. 2 Mustang pair of Izzy Martinez and Logan Walter then won their match to make it 2-1.

At that point, the 3’s and the 5’s went to a third set with the Mustangs needing to win both. Both pairs battled back-and-forth. However, TCU’s No. 3 pair won in the third set 15-13 to clinch the dual.

2025 was another historic year for the Mustangs as the team made it to the NCAA Championship Semifinals for the second straight year and won 31 matches on the season.

The Mustangs will lose nine total seniors, four of which were starters and includes players who have been All-Americans and All-Big West honorees.

Beach Volleyball Match ResultsTCU vs Cal Poly May 03, 2025 at Gulf Shores, AL

2 TCU 3, #6 Cal Poly 1

Daniela Alvarez/Tania Moreno (TCU) def. Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep (CP) 27-25, 21-12

Izzy Martinez/Logan Walter (CP) def. Hailey Hamlett/Maria Gonzalez (TCU) 21-15, 17-21, 15-12

Allanis Navas/Sofia Izuzquiza (TCU) def. Quinn Perry/Lindsey Sparks (CP) 21-13, 18-21, 15-13

Ana Vergara/Anhelina Khmil (TCU) def. Ella Connor/Madi Nichols (CP) 25-23, 21-18

Abbey Reinard/Elise Lenahan (CP) vs. Stacy Reeves/Denie Konstantinova (TCU) 14-21, 21-18, 11-13, unfinished

Order of finish: Doubles (1,4,2,3)

Earlier in the day Cal Poly knocked off third-ranked Stanford 3-1

Cal Poly beach volleyball took down the No. 3 seed Stanford 3-1 in the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship Saturday to advance to the Semifinals later on Saturday.

The No. 6 seed Mustangs will take on No. 2 seed TCU in the semifinals at 11:30 a.m. PT. The match will air live on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Against Stanford, Cal Poly got wins from the No. 1 pair of Erin Inskeep and Piper Ferch, the No. 5 pair of Abbey Reinard and Elise Lenahan, and was clinched by the No. 4 pair of Ella Connor and Madi Nichols.

This is the second straight year Cal Poly has advanced to the NCAA Championship Semifinals.

Beach Volleyball Match ResultsStanford vs Cal Poly May 03, 2025 at Gulf Shores, AL

6 Cal Poly 3, #3 Stanford 1

Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep (CP) def. Taylor Wilson/Ruby Sorra (STAN) 21-16, 21-15

Brooke Rockwell/Avery Jackson (STAN) def. Izzy Martinez/Logan Walter (CP) 21-14, 21-15

Quinn Perry/Lindsey Sparks (CP) vs. Charlotta Bell/Kelly Belardi (STAN) 10-21, 24-24, unfinished

Ella Connor/Madi Nichols (CP) def. Chloe Hoffman/Logan Tusher (STAN) 21-19, 21-16

Abbey Reinard/Elise Lenahan (CP) def. Daria Gusarova/Emmy Sharp (STAN) 21-17, 21-13

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,5,4)

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).

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Allison Winslow

MONTECITO, Calif. — Graduation season is underway.

Westmont College held its commencement ceremony Saturday on Thorrington Field in Montecito.

About 340 graduates participated, with nearly half earning honors. Some alumni also joined the procession with the Class of 2025 to celebrate their 50th reunion.

Retiring philosophy professor Jim Taylor served as the commencement speaker, reflecting on decades of teaching and offering guidance to the next generation.

John Davies, owner of Davies Public Affairs, was honored as the 2025 Westmont Medal recipient for his significant contributions to the community and public discourse.

Westmont also livestreamed the ceremony for friends and family unable to attend in person.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025!

For more information visit https://www.westmont.edu

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –

NCAA Championship Beach Volleyball:

Cal Poly 3, Stanford 1 (Quarterfinal)

TCU 3, Cal Poly (Semifinal)

College Baseball:

CS Fullerton 10, UCSB 4

College Softball:

UCSB 4, CS Northridge 0 High School Boys Volleyball CIF-SS Playoffs

Division 4 Round 2:

Dos Pueblos 3, Fontana 1 (DP at Crean Lutheran Quarterfinal Wed, May 7).

Santa Barbara 3, Foothill 2 (Notre Dame/SO at SB Quarterfinal Wed, May 7).

Division 6 Round 2:

Laguna Blanca 3, La Canada 1 (Pacifica Christian/OC at LB Quarterfinal Wed, May 7).

Division 8 Round 2:

Carpinteria 3, Montclair 0 (Carp at Desert Christian/L Quarterfinal Wed, May 7).

Channel Islands 3, Magnolia 2 (CI at Wildwood Quarterfinal Wed, May 7).

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Mike Klan

GOLETA, Calif. – Dos Pueblos High School boys volleyball got defensive in their four set CIF-SS Division 4 second round playoff win over Fontana.

The Chargers had three players with double-digit digs and the team totaled 14 blocks as they won 25-15, 25-15, 23-25, 25-23.

Wyatt Silver had 14 digs and 4 blocks while Kawin Ramko added 12 digs and Nathan Vincent finished with 10 digs.

Noah Grant led the Chargers offensive attack with 19 kills while Ramko added 10 kills.

(Noah Grant added 2 blocks and 5 digs to go along with 19 kills. Entenza Design).

Dos Pueblos plays at Crean Lutheran on Wednesday, May 7 in a quarterfinal match.

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Mike Klan

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas.- No. 32 UC Santa Barbara Women’s Tennis team (17-9) battled in their NCAA Tournament second round matchup against reigning national champion No. 2 Texas A&M (27-3) on Saturday, which ultimately ended as a 4-1 Aggies win. After dropping the doubles point, the Gauchos had an admirable showing in singles but could not pull off the upset. They end the year with 17 wins, including a Big West Championship and NCAA Tournament win, one of the most successful seasons in recent program history.

THE MATCHFinal: No. 2 Texas A&M 4, No. 32 UC Santa Barbara 1Records: UC Santa Barbara (17-9), Texas A&M (27-3)

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe hosts won the doubles point in quick fashion. After a 6-0 victory on court three, another 6-2 win on court two gave the Aggies a 1-0 advantage into singles.

Almost simultaneously, Raphaelle Leroux earned a singles point on court four—6-1, 6-3—as Texas A&M won 6-3, 6-1 on court five. Shortly after, the Aggies would claim their third point with a 6-2, 6-4 victory on court two. Dropping the first sets on court one and three via tiebreak, and on court six 6-3, the Gauchos’ backs were against the wall.

They stayed confident and resilient in the remaining matches, though, despite the toughness of their opponents. Katarina Vayser won court six’s second set 7-5, and Tyra Richardson dominated to a 6-1 second set victory on court three. No. 16 Amelia Honer came back from down 5-2 against the Aggies’ No. 1 Mary Stoiana, winning four in a row to flip the score 6-5 in her favor. Unfortunately for the Gauchos, Texas A&M would take the third set on court six to clinch the match, 4-1.

RESULTSDoubles

Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres (A&M) vs. Amelia Honer/Ali Benedetto (UCSB) 5-2 unfinished

Lexington Reed/Daria Smetannikov (A&M) def. Lucy Lu/Lily Pradkin (UCSB) 6-2

Nicole Khirin/Lucciana Perez (A&M) def. Marie Weissheim/Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) 6-0

Order of finish: 3, 2

Singles

#1 Mary Stoiana (A&M) vs. #16 Amelia Honer (UCSB) 7-6 (7-1), 5-6 unfinished

#13 Nicole Khirin (A&M) def. Marie Weissheim (UCSB) 6-2, 6-4

Tyra Richardson (UCSB) vs. #67 Mia Kupres (A&M) 6-7 (11-9), 6-1, 3-0 unfinished

Raphaelle Leroux (UCSB) def. #51 Lucciana Perez (A&M) 6-1, 6-3

#109 Daria Smetannikov (A&M) def. Emma Tutoveanu (UCSB) 6-3, 6-1

Lexington Reed (A&M) def. Katarina Vayser (UCSB) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1

Order of finish: 5, 4, 2, 6

IN CONCLUSION…In 2025, UC Santa Barbara Women’s Tennis went undefeated (11-0) against conference opponents on the way to their third Big West Championship of the past five years and fifth of the past nine years. With their win over No. 39 Rice on Friday, the Gauchos reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time, also doing so in 2022 and 2016.

Amelia Honer soon will graduate as one of the most, if not the most, decorated Gauchos in program history. With five underclassmen in Santa Barbara’s lineups today, the program looks to be in good hands for the years to come.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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