Author: KEYT

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The way electric vehicle owners are charging their cars is getting more convenient and packed with energy.

This month, 20 more stations came on line in Santa Barbara.  The Electrify America company opened a new large-format electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the corner of Carrillo St. and Chapala St. It expands access to fast, seamless and convenient EV charging in the city’s downtown core.

It is at the site of the former Greyhound Bus depot at 36 West Carrillo Street. The station offers 20 Hyper-Fast chargers. Each charger is capable of speeds up to 350 kilowatts (kW), which can add up to 20 miles of driving range per minute for EVs that accept high-power charging.

One driver from Los Angeles said his quick fill up was just what he needed.

Donald Dorson said, “just like 35 minutes and I’m at 85 percent so it’s twice what I need to get home now. For the most part I don’t like to take super long road trips so it’s not a huge deal and when I do it works great.”

For a driver from the San Fernando Valley, it is a site she will visit often on her three trips to Santa Barbara per week. Marlene McCoy said “once people find out about these chargers they fill up pretty  fast. It’s great they have 20 here so there is always something available. “

She is using the on line app and “it’s faster and because I am a member it is cheaper,  the pricing is very good for me since I am charging all the time.”

Emma Roldan and Thomas Urdinola were in a rental that needed a charge. The site was perfect for their coastal drive. “We are at like 60 percent already and we are going to grab lunch and then get back on the road,” she said.

Urdinola found the site with a phone search. “It’s funny, she used Apple maps and I used an alternative, Google maps and (we got) nearly the same results.”

Roldan said, “I use Apple maps  so i was just looking because it tells to the wattages and this one also had a lot available. The other ones there were only about two and that was it had 12 or 10 which was good.”

The company says, the new station also has a 1.9 megawatt (MW) battery energy storage system (BESS), which is Electrify America’s largest public BESS deployment to date. The BESS stores energy from the electrical grid during low usage periods and when abundant solar energy is available. It then discharges this energy during high demand periods.

Santa Barbara County also says it will be adding new charging stations with four on Santa Claus Lane and three at Rincon Park for a cost of $467,000.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — A sold-out presentation at the Lobero Theatre brought hundreds of people together to hear a conservation message centered on one of nature’s most misunderstood animals.

Award-winning filmmakers and Living with Wolves cofounders Jim and Jamie Dutcher shared lessons from the six years they spent living alongside a wild wolf pack in Idaho. Their experience inspired them to create the nonprofit organization, which focuses on wolf education, research and coexistence.

Despite decades of conservation work, Jim Dutcher said wolves continue to face significant challenges.

“After all this effort and money and success bringing wolves back, they’re still being hunted.”

Jamie Dutcher said living among wolves changed the couple’s perspective and inspired their lifelong mission.

“Wolves affected us so deeply and they were still so misunderstood that we felt… we had the opportunity to really give back to them.”

Today, Living with Wolves promotes non-lethal ranching methods, educational programs and public outreach to encourage coexistence between people and wolves.

“We promote coexistence, non-lethal ranching methods and we do a tremendous amount of educational outreach with school groups,” Jamie Dutcher said.

The conservation presentation came to Santa Barbara through a partnership with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Museum President and CEO Luke Swetland said the Dutchers’ work encourages people to rethink their relationship with wolves.

“What the Dutchers are doing is really an extraordinary exploration of humans’ relationship to wolves… and we’re proud to be part of that exploration because we all need to understand this relationship better.”

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than 6,000 gray wolves now live across the lower 48 states.

Jamie Dutcher said she hopes people leave with a greater appreciation for wolves and the role they play in nature.

“We just want people to better understand how incredibly social these animals are and how they’re a keystone species. They’re so important to a healthy ecosystem.”

The Dutchers hope a better understanding of wolves will inspire greater appreciation for the natural world and the important role wolves play in keeping ecosystems in balance.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – In a tragic turn of events, the Santa Barbara Zoo has bid farewell to its second red panda cub born just earlier this month.

On July 2nd, the Zoo welcomed twin cubs born to first time parents Ruby and Raj. It was a great accomplishment towards conservation efforts of the endangered species, and it was the first time red panda cubs has born at the Zoo since 1993.

The cubs were carefully monitored over the latest couple of weeks, but what started off as a happy milestone, has suddenly turned into tragic loss.

At just two-weeks-old, the Zoo lost one of the cubs on the morning of July 21st, and its sibling was quickly transported to receive specialized care in an incubator.

The Santa Barbara Zoo shared an unfortunate update on the second cub on social media Monday morning:

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news that our second red panda cub, born to Ruby on July 2, passed away over the weekend despite receiving around-the-clock care from our veterinary and animal care teams.”

The zoo says it worked closely with fellow wildlife organizations to give the cub the best fighting chance of survival before it died over the weekend.

The cause of death for both cubs remains under investigation, but the Zoo says a necropsy showed significant fluid around the heart and some congestion of lungs.” Their mother Ruby has been doing well and has been reunited with her partner Raj. As red pandas breed seasonally, the Zoo says they do not expect another breeding opportunity until next year.

“We are deeply grateful for the compassion and support our Zoo community has shown during this difficult time. Red pandas remain endangered, with fewer than 10,000 estimated to remain in the wild, making every opportunity to contribute to the conservation of this remarkable species incredibly important.”

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Tracy Lehr

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) – Preparations are also underway for the Dallas Cowboys 20th training camp’s in Oxnard.

One of the team buses has arrived at Staybridge Suites near the River Ridge Playing Fields.

The city has signs up to welcome fans.

The players seem to enjoy escaping the Texas heat in Oxnard, but this year they may arrive on a warmer than usual week.

The 2026 camp runs from July 29th through Aug. 18th.

For more information visit http://visitoxnard.com

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Tracy Lehr

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Ventura County Fair wants people to bring clear purses and bags this year.

Security guards are preparing for large crowds and they will be checking bags.

The fair’s website states the clear bag policy is an effort to promote safe and efficient entry.

The fair off Harbor Blvd. by the beach in Ventura opens on Wednesday July 29th and runs through Aug. 9.

For more information visit https://venturacountyfair.org

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara Harbor visitors are likely to notice big yellow closing signs on West Marine.

The store, frequented by local boaters and Wet Wednesday racers and others, is one of the California stores set to close.

The company, in the midst of restructuring, plans to close dozens of stores nationwide.

The West Marine in Port Hueneme will remain open.

Customers, including Anthony Fellino, said the one on Harbor Way in Santa Barbara will be missed.

“Well it is really sad to see the place closing, seems like kind of a trend with retail in general and it just makes stuff harder to get, ” said Fellino, “I don’t own a boat but I come in here a lot to find odd stuff that you can use for other things.”

Workers at the store chose not to say when the store is closing.

It appears to have deeper discounts each week.

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Tracy Lehr

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – Some people beat the weekend heat with surf lessons.

Surf instructors had plenty of students over the hot weekend at popular spots including Faria Beach.

The water temperature appears perfect for first timers and avid surfers.

Beaches up and down the coast have helped people stay cool this summer.

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Mike Klan

SYDNEY, Australia. (KEYT) – The USA Women won the gold medal at the 2026 World Aquatics World Cup Final today with a 13-9 victory over Spain. Emily Ausmus was named Player of the Match with six goals scored while goalkeeper Amanda Longan (Oaks Christian High School, Santa Barbara Water Polo Club) was a force in the cage with 13 saves. The win marks a return to the top of the World Cup podium for Team USA after failing to qualify for the Final last year following four consecutive gold medals in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2023.

Three scoreless minutes transpired to begin as Longan made multiple nice saves before Rachel Gazzaniga had the first word for Team USA on a redirect goal. Spain answered on the other end but Rachel Fattal powered home the Americans’ second and Ausmus doubled the lead with a counter attack strike. The Spanish got one back before Ausmus beat the goalkeeper again. Spain scored late to set the score at 4-3 in favor of the United States after one.

The second period started with a fantastic save from Longan but she couldn’t do it again when Spain stepped up for its lone penalty shot. Team USA returned the favor when Ausmus drew a penalty foul and Ryann Neushul (Dos Pueblos High School, Santa Barbara Water Polo Club) converted the attempt. Then, Ausmus got out in front of the defense on a counter attack and registered a first half hat trick with her third goal. Spain pulled back within one with its next goal before Ausmus scored again to give the United States a 7-5 halftime edge.

The Spanish got the first goal of the second half prior to Neushul notching her second score. Spain tied the game with back-to-back goals and then Paige Hauschild (San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara Water Polo Club) sent a perfect lob pass over the defense to Fattal to retake the lead. Ausmus put two more away to continue her big night but Spain scored in the final ten seconds of the quarter for an 11-9 American advantage.

The final frame began with two great saves from Longan and then Jordan Raney sent a beautiful lob shot in for her first. From there, the United States took control of the match with stifling defense and smart ball control. Raney duplicated her deft lob shot late to put the finishing touches on the 13-9 victory.

Team USA went 7/13 on power plays and 1/1 on penalties while Spain went 3/11 on power plays and 1/1 on penalties.

Scoring – StatsUSA 13 (4, 3, 4, 2) E. Ausmus 6, R. Fattal 2, J. Raney 2, J. Flynn 1, R. Gazzaniga 1, R. Neushul 1ESP 9 (3, 2, 4, 0) P. Camus 2, A. Ruiz Barril 2, E. Ruiz Barril 2, A. Munoz 1, C. Penalver 1, N. Perez Vivas 1Saves – USA – A. Longan 13 – ESP – M. Terre 66×5 – USA – 7/13 – ESP – 3/11Penalties – USA – 1/1 – ESP – 1/1

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Mike Klan

WICHITA, Kansas. (KEYT) – For the second consecutive game, the Santa Barbara Foresters mercy-ruled their opponent in pool play at the NBC World Series, taking down the BTL Hornets 13-0. It looked like the ‘Sters would finish this one in just five innings, but the offense slowed just a tad, adding an extra inning of game time. With the win, Santa Barbara has secured a spot in the knockout rounds.

It was an instant onslaught from the Santa Barbara offense in the top of the first. After Donovan Lasalle reached via an error, Sawyer Farr walked (what he does best), and Chris Newstrom singled Lasalle home to open the floodgates. Cole Chamberlain and Kurt Ippolito picked up RBIs on successive at-bats before Ippolito and Brady Janusek came home on consecutive wild pitches. Once Zane Becker drew a walk, BTL was forced to make a pitching change, but it couldn’t stop the ‘Sters.

Coming up for the second time, Lasalle punched a ball into center field to bring home the sixth run of the inning for the Foresters. Santa Barbara had four walks and four steals in the lopsided inning.

Tanner Grove was tasked with the start, looking to cruise behind the big offensive performance. And cruise he did. While he got into a bit of trouble in the first with two runners reaching, that was about all the Hornets could muster, as the next three innings only saw two runners reach. In his four innings of work, Grove struck out nine on his way to holding BTL scoreless.

Santa Barbara casually added two more, one in the second and one in the third, but was unable to get to the required 10 after five to end the game extremely early.

Carter Speights was next out for the Foresters, and he did his job, working through an inning while keeping the shutout intact and helping the ‘Sters get some extra hours of sleep.

Carter Rutenbar pulled his best Becker impression in the fifth, giving Speights a hand when he backpicked a Hornets runner to escape a first-and-third situation.

Rutenbar was involved on the other side, too, adding a two-RBI single to get Santa Barbara into double digits after a lengthy at-bat.

With Grady Westphal taking over and holding the shutout, the mercy rule was kept intact and enacted at the culmination of the sixth.

The Foresters are off until Tuesday, when they will take on the Liberal Bee Jays in the final game of group play at 8:30 pm CST.

(Courtesy of Foresters)

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) Family and friends lined up to see “Matilda.”

Stage Left Productions is presenting to Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” in the Santa Barbara High School Theatre. 

The musical serves as a reminder that somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world. 

There are two casts with two more shows at 2 and 7 p.m. on Sunday. 

Tickets are available at the door.

For more information visit https://www.stageleftsb.com

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