Author: KEYT

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Ridley-Tree Cancer Center just launched its new High-Risk Breast Clinic in Santa Barbara.

The focus of the new clinic is to monitor women at elevated risk for breast cancer.

Treatment to includes comprehensive assessments, individualized risk profiles, and personalized recommendations for prevention.

Anyone may qualify for an appointment with the clinic if they have a referral from their primary care clinician.

The High-Risk Breast Clinic will create a breast screening schedule for patients designed for their level of risk.

The High-Risk Breast Clinic team hopes to help women better understand their risk level so they can make the most informed decisions about their health.

From Sutter Health:

June 18, 2025 (Santa Barbara, CA) Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, now part of Sutter Health, is proud to announce the launch of its High-Risk Breast Clinic – dedicated to monitoring women at elevated risk for breast cancer and offering comprehensive assessments, individualized risk profiles, and personalized recommendations for prevention and early detection. 

“We are proud to be a community leader in breast cancer prevention, care and treatment and this High-Risk Breast Clinic is an extension of that,” commented Dr. Kurt Ransohoff, President, Sutter Health, Greater Central Coast.  “Our goal is to empower patients with knowledge, prevention strategies and access to cutting-edge care. We are hopeful that this collaboration and innovation will result in better outcomes for our patients, a reduction in their cancer risk and compassionate, and seamless, patient-centered care for those who need it.”

Members of the High-Risk Breast Clinic include:

• High-Risk Breast Clinic Director and Ridley-Tree Cancer Center breast surgeon Dr. Rosa Choi• Physician assistant Sirena Sechslingloff• Ridley-Tree Cancer Center breast surgeon Dr. Katrina Mitchell• Sansum Clinic breast radiologist Dr. Winifred Leung

The High-Risk Breast Clinic team will collaborate with breast surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, OB/Gyns, primary care clinicians, genetic counselors, researchers and patient navigators across Sutter Health’s Central Coast footprint to offer patients integrated, coordinated care.

How the Clinic Works

Anyone in the community may qualify for an appointment with the High-Risk Breast Clinic if they have a referral from their primary care clinician, and they meet the eligibility criteria. Eligible patients can schedule an appointment withSirena Sechslingloff to learn more about their individual risk factors and explore strategies to reduce that risk.

Eligibility criteria include individuals who:

• Had a breast biopsy with pathology that shows atypical cells or lobular carcinoma in situ.• Note: Patients diagnosed with new high-risk lesions following a breast biopsy through Sansum Clinic, now part of Sutter Health, are already triaged directly to a surgeon from radiology.• Have a history of radiation to the chest wall between the ages of 10-30 years • Have a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) under the age of 50 with a breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer diagnosis• Have a male family member with breast cancer    • Have multiple family members with breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer  • Are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent with a family history of breast cancer• Have a known genetic mutation predisposing them to breast cancer development

These factors do not automatically place women into a high-risk category, but they may indicate when a formal breast cancer assessment is needed. Those with a history of breast cancer in their immediate family are at higher risk for developing the disease themselves. Patients who meet the criteria and wish to schedule an appointment should ask their primary care clinician for a referral.

Physician Assistant Sechslingloff, who is breast oncology certified by the American Society of Breast Surgeons, will perform a risk assessment for each patient, and will offer tailored recommendations for breast screening, genetic testing, lifestyle changes and medicines which can lower breast cancer risk. Should immediate medical attention be required, she can also connect patients to breast cancer specialists at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center.

“Women of average risk have a 13% chance of getting diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Women are considered at high risk if they have a 20% or higher lifetime risk of developing the disease,” said Sechslingloff. “I look forward to welcoming women to our Clinic, and helping them better understand their risk level so they can make the most informed decisions about their health,”“We can effectively cure 98% of breast cancer found in its beginning stages, so the sooner we can find it, the better,” confirmed Dr. Choi.

Breast Imaging at Sansum Clinic, now part of Sutter Health

The High-Risk Breast Clinic will create a breast screening schedule for patients designed for their level of risk.

 “Women who are identified as high risk may need to go from receiving an annual mammogram, which we recommend for women starting at age 40, to needing a breast ultrasound, or an alternating schedule of mammograms and breast MRIs,” noted Leung. “This Clinic will set the stage for these important conversations with patients about screening, so we can get ahead of breast cancer.”Patients will have access to Sansum Clinic’s Breast Imaging Center of Excellence which offers 3D mammography (Tomosynthesis), diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), whole breast ultrasound and breast ultrasound. 

Elevating Cancer Care for Patients

Ridley-Tree Cancer Center delivers exceptional, patient-centered cancer care—now strengthened through our partnership with Sutter Health. With more clinicians and a broader network of expertise, we’re building a strong foundation to deliver even more connected care across specialties and locations throughout the Central Coast.

Patients benefit from:

• Access to 25 oncology specialists across medical, surgical, and radiation oncology.• A broader network of 170 Sutter Health oncology specialists for complex or highly specialized care needs.• 150+ clinical trials offering access to the latest therapies and treatment innovations, 29 which are local.• Comprehensive support services including navigation, genetic counseling, nutrition, and social work and wellness, which is generously funded by the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara

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Andrew Gillies

GOLETA, Calif. — A stretch of Hollister Avenue was shut down Monday morning after reports of a suspicious package near the Goleta City Hall, a private office building and across the street from the far end of the open space at the Santa Barbara Airport. It prompted a bomb squad response.

“It was a drab green color backpack kind of tactically looking and just kind of abandoned in the parking lot here,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Raquel Zick.

At 12:13 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office said the package — pictured below — was determined to be a bag filled with personal items. All previously closed roadways have since reopened.

Courtesy of SB Sheriff

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office closed Hollister Avenue from Los Carneros Road to Aero Camino around 9:30 a.m. Deputies cordoned off the area and brought in a robot from the department’s bomb squad to investigate the package.

Officials did not say exactly where the package was found but confirmed it was located somewhere between Los Carneros and Aero Camino. Later in the day it was learned the backpack was in front of an office building. A skateboard was nearby.

The robot was used to safely examine the item, sending back video and images to investigators. The robot later opened it to reveal the contents that were not a risk to the public. Zick said, ” it looked like a bag that was either accidentally or intentionally ditched.”

Workers at a state office at the site could not comment except to say they were released and left for the day.

The city’s new temporary library site is also at this location and has not opened yet.

A nearby worker Matthew Devlin, who went off site to use his laptop said, “there was a green backpack at the front of the building and they quickly had a bunch of police cars there and we went in the opposite direction. I wasn’t too concerned but I wasn’t going to stick around to find out.”

Operations at the Santa Barbara Airport, located just south of Hollister Avenue, had not been impacted, according to the airport’s security office. An Alaska Airlines flight was observed taking off without delay during Your News Channel’s live coverage.

Businesses in the immediate area, including an auto shop and the Clean Air Express bus lot, continued to operate.

Another worker Ernesto Siles came back from relocating and said, “I am glad that the police officers have those resources and security because you never know you can’t take it for granted  but what happened if it is not? “

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – With the 4th of July approaching, the City of Santa Maria is once again rolling out a three-pronged approach regarding fireworks this year, which includes education, enforcement and entertainment.

To help inform the public about important information dealing with fireworks both legal and illegal, a bilingual educational campaign is now underway.

As in previous years, information is being disseminated to the public through television and radio public service announcements (PSAs), social media posts, flyers, posters and other forms of communication.

“We want to get the message out to the community that illegal fireworks are dangerous,” said Mark van de Kamp, Santa Maria PublicInformation Manager. “Not only are they dangerous with the loud noises that they make, there’s a lot of people in our community who just don’t deal very well with that. They may be veterans. We have a lot of veterans in Santa Maria, people with autism and with PTSD. It’s the worst day of the year for animals. We are very well aware of the magnitude of the problem. Over the years, people have come to the City Council. I’ve had phone calls with people who are almost in tears because very upset about the use of illegal fireworks, so the City Council has requested and directed the staff to do something about it.”

The Santa Maria Police Department recently started its Fireworks Enforcement Operation, with officers monitoring social media for fireworks sales and actively patrolling neighborhoods for fireworks usage.

“The Santa Maria Police Department is currently teamed up with fire prevention and code enforcement, and we’ve started our enforcement period for fire fireworks enforcement,” said Santa Maria Police Department Lt. Danny Rios. “We are going to start with areas that are known to have a history of illegal firework activity. We’re going to look at those areas first and then branch out from there. This week we have started issuing our admin citations that carry a maximum penalty of $1,000. We are going to continue working with fire and code enforcement to proactively seek out those that are engaging in the use of illegal fireworks. In addition to some targeted proactive enforcement, we’re also going to be monitoring social media accounts for those that are selling illegal fireworks and look to target those, through investigative resources. We also ask that the public report illegal firework activity.”

In addition, the city will hold a new community event on Independence Day called “Red, White and PLAY: A Hometown Celebration.”

The free event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at Elks Field, which is located the Abel Maldonado Youth Center at 600 South McClelland Street.

The city describes the event as an “afternoon of entertainment, engaging activities and patriotic fun for all ages.”

“It’s very family friendly,” said van de Kamp. “We’re going to have a band that’s a tribute band to Santana called Savor and they’ll be playing for a couple of hours. Bring some lawn chairs. Enjoy it. We’ll have food for sale. The pool will be open. The youth center will be open. There’ll be lots of games, painting contests and a watermelon eating contest, so really good stuff. It should be a real draw for for people of all ages.” 

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Ryder Christ

SANTA YNEZ, Calif. – Cowboys, live music and stick horse races drew thousands to the Santa Ynez Valley this weekend as the 6th Annual Old Santa Ynez Days Rodeo wrapped up Sunday.

The two-day event, held at the arena near the Chumash Casino Resort, was a PRCA-qualifying rodeo that attracted top-ranked competitors and rising stars from across the country. Events included bull riding, saddle bronc, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, and women’s breakaway roping. Junior competitions featured crowd favorites such as mutton bustin’, junior barrel racing, and stick horse races.

“Rodeo is an old, old sport,” said Ralph Lausten, stock contractor for Empire Rodeo. “It’s a traditional sport for this area here, and it’s kind of been missing for a few years. We tried to bring it back.”

Presented by the Santa Ynez Valley Western Heritage Foundation, the event has seen explosive growth since its inception.

“First year we had it, we had maybe 800 people, and yesterday we were sold out,” said Lausten. “We had 4,000 people. The community has really gotten behind it and been really supportive.”

Production Manager Chris Weber credits a recent surge in public interest to pop culture.

“Thanks to TV shows, it’s cool to be a cowboy again,” said Weber. “There’s definitely added interest in rodeo these days. And just being able to showcase the sport and what is so integral in the Santa Ynez Valley is really exciting.”

In addition to honoring Western heritage, the event also raises money for several local and charitable causes. Proceeds benefit the Golden Circle of Champions—a youth cancer foundation founded in Santa Maria—as well as Santa Ynez Valley High School’s FFA and District 7 High School Rodeo programs.

“We are very proud to be a part of this,” said Kevin Murphy, president of the Santa Ynez Valley Western Heritage Foundation. “This rodeo gives back to our youth and to meaningful causes in our region.”

The rodeo was held on land owned by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, across from the airport off Highway 246. It coincided with the broader Old Santa Ynez Days celebration, including a Saturday morning parade through the historic township.

Organizers say they hope to continue expanding the event in the years to come, keeping the Western spirit alive in Santa Barbara County.

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Jarrod Zinn

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Local veterans held a “Hands Off” protest this morning.

They’re questioning President Trump’s sweeping cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Trump administration released an internal memo in march announcing a drastic reorganization of the VA, according to the Associated Press.

Trump officials say up to 15% of the workforce could be cut, eliminating approximately 72,000 positions.

“The congressman opposes it emphatically,” says Greg Haas, district representative for Salud Carbajal. “He’s a veteran himself, but really, this is about all the veterans. This is one of the things he writes letters about or talks about to the secretaries and directors of we need more staff, We need you hiring more staff.”

It would return the department to 2019 staffing levels, and require staff to work from their offices full-time, eliminating remote and tele-work staff.

“Our veterans need more, not less,” says Haas. “Because they’ve done a great service for us. And we need to recognize that and honor that.”

An assembly of nearly a hundred veterans gathered for a peaceful “Hands Off” protest at the Veterans’ Memorial Building in San Luis Obispo Monday morning, receiving supportive honks from passersby.

“I just think all of these budget cuts are awful,” says Carolyn Biedinger, wife of a Vietnam veteran. “Asking people to go to war and to kill other people and then come home and fit in is very difficult. And so the vets need mental health programs as well as medical care.”

The protesters criticized secretary of defense Pete Hegseth’s treatment of women soldiers, stood in honor of their loved ones who served and died, and expressed hope that the VA will not be gutted.

“I think there’s an encouragement of male dominance and misogyny and that women aren’t equal,” says U.S. Navy veteran Tina Miller. “That’s somewhat antiquated, isn’t it?”

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said in late March that the cuts to the VA were about efficiency, not slashing benefits or health care.

“Now there’s one thing that’s going on around everywhere I go. And I’m just going to address it upfront,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “No disability benefits are being cut and no benefits of anything are being cut. And no health care budgets are being cut. Those are things that we do inherently.”

All branches of the military were represented by the attendees of Monday’s demonstration, and veterans were present from as far back as World War II.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Local dentist and humanitarian Dr. James Rolfe is known for his community work and his 24-hour clinic in Santa Barbara. For decades, Rolfe has provided dental care to people in need both locally and abroad, including in Afghanistan and, more recently, the West Bank, Palestine.

“There was no dental care at all in this whole province [of Afghanistan], and people had to go to a barber to have their teeth extracted without anesthetic,” said Dr. Rolfe. “That was the only care they could get. I had the same kind of feeling about Palestine, so I decided to go there and see for myself.”

Rolfe says that when he arrived in Palestine to work with United Nations hospitals, he found people deeply depressed, lacking hope, and unable to care for themselves—many having “basically given up.”

The humanitarian crisis in Palestine has reached catastrophic levels, with recent reports from Gaza’s Health Ministry indicating more than 5,300 Palestinians killed and nearly 18,000 injured since March. Israeli airstrikes and ground operations continue to devastate civilian areas, while access to food and medical aid remains severely restricted. According to the World Food Programme and UNICEF, over 66,000 children in Gaza are suffering from severe malnutrition, with rates of acute hunger tripling since March 2025. Food prices have surged up to 1,400% following Israel’s blockade and destruction of agricultural infrastructure. International efforts to deliver aid and promote peace have been repeatedly hindered, and diplomatic calls for a ceasefire continue amid growing global concern over the escalating violence and humanitarian collapse.

“I knew things were really bad, but I found out they were even worse,” Rolfe said, reflecting on his visit to the West Bank in May.

“We really don’t see how this is affecting the people. I saw them as the nicest, kindest, most considerate people I’ve ever met. I didn’t have any conflict or disagreement with anyone.”

The 85-year-old dentist says his work is challenging but rewarding. He funds the missions himself, which allows him to remain independent.

After returning from Palestine, Rolfe wrote a personal statement to reflect on and process his experience.

“What I felt was that we really need to support the Palestinian people, because this is about freedom,” he wrote. “I think it basically depends on the United States. Israel would not be doing these things if it weren’t for U.S. support. This is something we have to deal with internally. We even see people who stand up for Palestinians being deported just for voicing their opinions under the First Amendment. Palestinians are not allowed to be free, and they are not allowed to be free because of U.S. policy.”

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Christer Schmidt

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – Two power outages left more than 3,500 PG&E customers without electricity on Sunday.

One was a planned shutoff near Lake Nacimiento that, according to PG&E, affected 2,067 customers.

PG&E says power was shut off around 2 pm on Saturday due to risky wildfire conditions.

The second was reported at 10:39 AM near Arroyo Grande and affected 1,505 customers.

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Caleb Nguyen

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — A Falcon 9 rocket soared into the skies over California’s Central Coast Monday afternoon as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-14 mission — a major rideshare launch that delivered 70 diverse payloads into low Earth orbit, including research satellites, orbital transfer vehicles, and a unique memorial spaceflight capsule.

According to SpaceX, Transporter-14 is part of its dedicated smallsat rideshare program, offering cost-effective access to space for a wide range of customers. Monday’s launch included CubeSats, microsats, reentry capsules, orbital transfer vehicles, and scientific experiments from around the globe.

Among the 70 payloads was a special Celestis Memorial Spaceflight known as the Perseverance Flight, which carried more than 150 capsules containing cremated remains and DNA samples of loved ones, pets, and public figures from across the world.

One of those honored on this flight was the late Wesley Melvin Dreyer, a longtime aerospace engineer from San Diego. Over his 42-year career, Dreyer played a key role in advancing U.S. aviation and defense technology — including serving on the investigation team for the Challenger disaster, and contributing to major programs such as the Tomahawk missile and the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft.

His daughter Kelly shared that her father became an aerospace engineer “because he couldn’t be an astronaut.”

The Perseverance Flight is designed to orbit Earth two to three times at speeds reaching 17,000 miles per hour before reentering the atmosphere. The memorial capsules are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean, where they will be recovered and returned to families as keepsakes .

The Celestis payload flew aboard Nyx, a reusable orbital capsule developed by European startup The Exploration Company. The capsule’s prototype version, called “Mission Possible,” served as the delivery vehicle for the memorial capsules during Monday’s launch.

As its name suggests, Transporter-14 is the 14th mission in SpaceX’s rideshare series. The program began with Transporter-1 in January 2021, which set a record for the most satellites launched on a single rocket, sending 143 payloads into orbit on one flight.

Following stage separation, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster completed its 26th flight, landing successfully on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

The booster has previously flown on missions including NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, Transporter-8, Transporter-9, NROL-146, Bandwagon-2, NROL-153, NROL-192, and 15 Starlink.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Smiles and cheers of joy spread up and down the streets on Santa Barbara and Ortega streets.

Thousands gathered for the 51st annual Summer Solstice Parade which began at 12 p.m. on Saturday. The theme for this year’s festival is “Wild World” and many eye catching floats and costumes were brought to the festivities like mushrooms, lions and big colorful floats.

 “This parade today, to me it really embraces everything, like all colors, all genders, all political affiliations, everybody, kids, grandparents, adults,” said parade goer, Lisa Urwick. “You can come in a suit and tie. you can come wearing rainbow and butterfly wings, like nobody cares. It’s just whatever you want. It’s really a fabulous celebration of just life.” 

“I really love the parade, it’s very fun and watching all the floats and the dancers is very fun,” said Carsyn Rose who was attending with her dog. “They’re always very like happy and excited, it’s very interactive which I really liked.”

For some parade goers, attending the parade has been a tradition for many years.

“I went to college here at UCSB and so I definitely came during all that time, but my parents brought me, cause they’re very artsy and my aunt is very artsy,” said Urwick.

The parade included creativity colors and unique creations for everyone to enjoy.

The Summer Solstice Festival officially wrapped up on Sunday.

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Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – CAL FIRE SLO crews issued an evacuation warning for the Sandy Point Campground after a 2-acre fire broke out at Lake Nacimiento just before 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Forward progress of the fire stopped at 7:06 p.m., according to CAL FIRE SLO.

CAL FIRE SLO crews continued to work on hot spots and fully contained the fire at 9:31 p.m. Saturday.

Campgoers are asked to avoid the area until emergency responders have cleared the scene, according to CAL FIRE SLO.

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