Author: KEYT

Mike Klan

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Analia Lopez made sure Rio Mesa left Goleta with a share of the league crown.

The Cal State Fullerton-commit pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts and at the plate she hit a go-ahead 2-run homer that sparked the Spartans offense in a 10-2 rout of Dos Pueblos.

Both teams end up 10-2 in the Channel League and co-champions.

Keira Barry homered for Rio Mesa in the fifth inning as they scored five times to lead 7-1.

DP also got a home run from Vereniki Maniadi in the seventh inning.

Both teams now get ready for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs next week. The postseason brackets are announced on Monday, May 11th at 9 a.m.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Dos Pueblos High School senior Eli Carnaghe and Carpinteria High School junior Izzy Scott were honored as the Athletes of the Week at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon at Harry’s.

Carnaghe broke a 20-year DP school record with a winning time of 20.61 in the 50 freestyle at the Channel League Final. The blistering time was also a meet record.

The Santa Cruz-commit Carnaghe also won the 100 freestyle and was part of the Chargers winning 200 freestyle relay team.

Izzy Scott pulled double duty in a jaw-dropping one day performance in the water and on the track.

Scott won the Citrus Coast League 50 and 100 freestyle and was part of the Warriors winning 200 medley relay team that set a school record.

After she won those three swimming events at Nordhoff High School in Ojai, her parents drove her back to Carpinteria where Scott hit the track and defended her 300 hurdles league title.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Pascucci, a staple Italian Restaurant in Santa Barbara, will soon have a new name and a new concept.

After 33 years, owner Laura Knight said Pascucci will bid “Ciao” to Santa Barbara.

She says the process of moving her liquor license from the lower State Street location to the new 1230 State Street location near the Granada Theatre is slow going.

The new owner of her old location has new plans for the building.

Now Knight plans to change the name of her business and cater to the Theatre District.

“We are going to be open for another month plus we are in the process of transferring our liquor license to this location, it has been a challenging year and we just made the decision around the holidays to try something new,” said Knight.”

Customers can still count on Pascucci’s on this Mother’s Day.

“We are opening this weekend on Mother’s Day and I’ll be baking homemade cookies and we will have chocolate covered strawberries for all of our guest to celebrate the mom’s that we love”

Then they hope to reopen and serve up items customers may want after going to the theatre.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The collaboration of many volunteers and groups have helped to take out bags of trash and discarded items in the Santa Barbara waterfront.

The annual “Operation Clean Sweep” took place in the Santa Barbara Harbor over the weekend.

Those participating from the waterfront staff, environmental groups and volunteers pulled out many items that were discarded into the ocean and sank to the bottom o the harbor.

The focus was in the Marina 4 area and also near the sport fishing docks.

The area is known for items that have fallen off of boats and also trash that has blown into the harbor and swirls into corners where docks are located.

The Santa Barbara Waterfront Department says Operation Clean Sweep brought in 2,200 pounds of junk.

Partners included – Salty Dog Dive Service, dockside volunteers from SB Channelkeeper, Stanford Club of SB, and the SB Sail and Power Squadron.

There was also a united clean up nearby involving the non-profit Tidy Seas, Mountain Air Sports and Teva shoes made by Deckers.

Volunteers came to the pop-ups at Mountain Air on lower State Street, grabbed gloves and a picker and took a bucket as they went on their search for debris. Teva offered shoes to try out during the project work.

Filled buckets came back in and were dumped in trash bags.

Tidy Seas offered those participating some coffee from Starbucks, burritos from Mony’s and the Solis drink from Sunstone.

The combination effort covered an area from the Funk Zone and Stearns Wharf to the eastern end of the harbor.

The Tidy Seas volunteers have also been along the beaches and in the near shore waters cleaning up leftover lobster tracks.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) An effort to expand Marine Protected Areas has some local sportfishing companies worried about their livelihood.

Stardust Sportfishing and the Santa Barbara Landing are urging people to attend a regional Fish and Game Commission meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 5th at the Hilton Garden Inn in Goleta.

Santa Barbara Landing CEO and Manager Jaime Diamond said that’s when they will talk about fishing off the coast of Carpinteria.

The shop is giving out flyers about the meeting and “Keep Carp Fishy” stickers.

“For our business here Stardust fishing; we take folks to the half day fishing grounds right there off Carpinteria, that is where we take a lot of our first timers, kids groups, Fish For Life, which takes Special Needs kids fishing, that is where we go because it is protected a little more from weather and that is where Carpinterians go because it is our local spot,” said Diamond.

She said the proposed Mishopshno State Marine Conservation Area is the one that includes fishing closest to the Santa Barbara Harbor.

Diamond said environmental groups are proposing blanket MPA expansions that will have unintended consequences.

But the Environmental Defense Center supports expanding protections.

They will have a spokesperson attending the meeting on Tuesday.

The EDC said people could still fish off the shore or further out.

Another meeting follows on Wednesday that focuses on marine protected areas by the Channel Islands.

The EDC said that will help marine life included grasses make a comeback.

People may also join a zoom at https://us02web.zomm.us/j/89046108064

For more information visit https://fca.ca.gov

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Residents of Santa Barbara County will start to receive mail-in ballots this week.

These ballots are for the statewide direct primary election less than a month away.

Californians are voting this year for some key state positions including the governor, and ballots are now on the way to registered voters’ mailboxes.

2026 is Gavin Newsom’s last year as governor, and local positions are also on the ballots, such as Santa Barbara County’s District 5 Supervisor seat, as Steve Lavagnino is retiring in December.

“This is a statewide election, so there are dozens of candidates for some of those state positions like governor,” says Kelsey Gerckens Buttitta, public information officer for the County Of Santa Barbara.

Official ballot drop boxes will be accessible 24 hours a day starting today and will remain open until 8:00 p.m. on election day, June 2nd.

“The post Office now has those ballots, and they’re going to be making their way over to your house if you are a registered voter,” says Buttitta.

Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by June 2nd, and the U.S. Postal Service suggests mailing ballots early to ensure timely delivery to the elections office for proper processing and tabulation.

“The sooner the better, but you can mail it all the way to Election Day,” says Buttitta.

Santa Barbara County offers 18 official ballot drop boxes throughout the county, and a complete list of these locations is provided with each mailed ballot.

“It’s really a good time to look at your mail in ballot, be able to fill it out at home, take your time, do your research on your candidates so that you can fill it out in the comfort of your home and know exactly what you’re voting for,” says Buttitta.

Residents should have already received their county voter information guides, which detail polling place locations and hours, and provide instructions on filling out your ballot properly.

“If you do want to go to the polls to vote, just be prepared,” says Buttitta. “Or expect long lines as there are a lot of questions on this June primary ballot.”

Receiving the Voter Information Guide reminds voters to confirm their registration status, and the deadline for any updates to your registration is May 18th.

“If you’re not a registered voter, you can register by May 18th so that you’re all set up for this June primary election,” says Buttitta.

Results of the primary election in June will determine front-runner candidates for November’s mid-term elections.

Local candidates like those for Santa Barbara County’s District 5 Supervisor seat who receive 50% of the votes plus one in next month’s election will automatically win, and will not need to appear on the November ballot.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – For many working on the South Coast, their morning commute will no longer involve their personal car anymore. A new train service is offering another set of wheels.

The AMTRAK Pacific Surfliner has started a new morning line from Ventura County cities including Simi Valley, Oxnard and Ventura and the goal is to have the train arrive in Santa Barbara just before 8 a.m. and in Goleta shortly after 8 a.m.

It was on time Monday morning.

Passengers who needed a ride to their business or somewhere close by, were offered a free Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) shuttle.

There were stops to help those working at UC Santa Barbara, the Hollister tech-corridor, Cottage hospital and downtown Santa Barbara government offices.

Many of those workers would normally be driving, and in congestion between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. daily and it is not uncommon for the commute to last more than an hour.

Cottage Hospital employee Rachel Gomez said the ride worked for her on many levels. “First of all it is the green initiative so we are saving the planet. Second of all it is great for my pocketbook and third of all everyone I met was fantastic and what a beautiful way to go to work.”

There are individual passes, weekly passes and a monthly pass which brings the cost down significantly to what Gomez said was, “five dollars from Ventura.”

Another passenger, Ashley Lopez works for the City of Santa Barbara. She says, “I can start my workday on the train, open my laptop, start going through emails as soon as I get on the train.”

It was less stress than driving in unpredictable traffic. Lopez said, “this was good for my mental health. I didn’t have to sit in traffic, it made coming to work way more enjoyable. Then I will take the train back home to Ventura.”

The new train service is part of a bigger picture plan to add the train and also finish with the freeway work to add a lane in each direction.

The train and lane concept has been a long-time goal for transportation officials with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG). It has taken a collaboration with AMTRAK, Union Pacific, MTD, Ventura County Transit Commission and Lossan rail corridor agency.

Recently there was a special seminar for employers in Goleta and Santa Barbara to learn about the service, the benefits and to make suggestions that will help encourage ridership.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A University of California, Santa Barbara physicist was awarded one of the most prestigious awards in science, shining a global spotlight on the incredible work happening right here on the Central Coast.

David Gross has been named a recipient of a special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics — often referred to as the “Oscars of Science.” The award recognizes groundbreaking achievements in fields like physics, mathematics, and life sciences.

Gross, who previously won the Nobel Prize in Physics, is being honored for decades of research that helped shape modern understanding of the universe. His work in particle physics and string theory has influenced generations of scientists and continues to guide research today.

The recognition comes with a multi-million-dollar prize and highlights the importance of investing in fundamental science — work that often begins with big questions about how the universe operates.

For students and researchers at UCSB, the moment feels personal. It’s not just a global achievement — it’s happening in their classrooms and labs, offering a close-up look at the kind of curiosity and persistence that drives scientific discovery.

This story will highlight how one physicist’s legacy is inspiring the next generation to keep asking the biggest questions about our universe.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Official tourism data released Monday morning showed a record number of visitors spent time in San Luis Obispo County last year.

According to a Visit California economic impact report, visitation in San Luis Obispo County totaled 7.7 million in 2025, a record-breaking amount with a 3.5% year-over-year (YoY) increase.

“2025 was a breakthrough year for tourism in SLO CAL,” said Cathy Cartier, President and CEO, Visit SLO CAL. “Across the region, our visitors, partners and communities came together to build something stronger than what came before the pandemic. These results speak to the power of consistency, collaboration and shared momentum.”

The information was part of an annual tourism summery released annually each May by Visit SLO CAL, the official destination marketing and management organization for San Luis Obispo County.

Several other tourism related metrics were also part of the report, including:

$2.37 billion in direct travel spending (up 3.8% YoY)

24,580 tourism-supported jobs (up 430 jobs YoY)

$1.01 billion in direct earnings (up 5.3% YoY)

$215.5 million in total state and local tax revenue, including $112.5 million in local taxes

Tourism accounts for 9.7% of countywide GDP

7.7 million visitors (up 3.5% YoY)

As those in the travel industry celebrate the accomplishments of 2025, they are also dealing with economic challenges, such as record high fuel costs, that currently happening now as the peak summer travel season is set to start in only a matter of weeks.

Visit SLO CAL said numbers so far this year are maintaining the strong momentum from 2025 and is expecting demand to continue.

In addition, with the recent reopening of scenic Highway 1 at Regent’s Slide south of Big Sur, already visitation numbers are increasing on the North Coast and throughout the entire county.

“We know there’s economic headwinds underway, but being the proximity and location where we’re at,” said Ashlee Akers, Visit SLO CAL Marketing and Communications Vice President. “We are in a great spot for road trip destinations where you can come and explore really close to home, especially within our California drive markets.”

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) Actor and author Mariel Hemingway led a panel discussion on the final day of the first Santa Barbara Literary Festival.

The panel entitled “Women’s Health, Wealth and Happiness” got personal.

Hemingway’s panel featured ” A Boob’s Life” author Leslie Lehr and “What’s Up with Women and Money” author Alison Kosik.

Hemingway looks forward to its continuing success.

“Just the brilliance of bringing like-minds together, but slightly different and different perspectives on the world, I think it is always going to be a positive and wonderful thing, I think it absolutely has to happen every single year,” said Hemingway.

Other panels on Sunday included the Art of the script at the Karpeles Museum and a CrimeTime panel at the Alhecama Theatre and the Bespoke Print Faire at the Pico Adobe.

Readers had a chance to buy books and get autographs after each discussion.

SBLF founders Leslie Zemeckis and Larissa Rinehart plan to make it an annual event.

For more information visit http://www.santabarbaraliteraryfestival.org

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