Author: KEYT

Jarrod Zinn

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – A senior project expo at Cal Poly on Friday unveiled a number of innovations including a portable carbon monoxide sensor.

This was a little more than your ordinary senior project.

A legacy foundation was established after the passing of a Cal Poly graduate and his girlfriend.

The foundation funded a senior design project in their honor.

Cal Poly computer science graduate Johnny Heathco and his girlfriend Abby Lutz were vacationing at a 5-star resort in Mexico during the summer of 2023 and passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Courtesy: John Wesley Heathco Legacy Foundation

“My son and his girlfriend had a suite,” says Chuck Heathco, JWH Legacy Foundation’s co-founder. “They had carbon monoxide alarms, but they turned them off because they were beeping and they were annoying the guests.”

After establishing the John Wesley Heathco Legacy Foundation, Johnny’s parents approached the university, and adjunct Cal Poly professor Dennis Mikel in turn approached his students, adding the request to the roster of possible senior projects.

“We selected our team,” says Zeke Bukovansky, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student at Cal Poly. “We gathered and then chose our project based on what the team was interested in.”

Four students who now call themselves the Carbon Canaries stepped up, and they formally unveiled their new portable carbon monoxide detector here at the expo.

“That originally was derived from canaries that they would send in to the coal mine to make sure there was no carbon monoxide,” says Bukanovsky. “You know, if the canary didn’t come back here, then the mine was was dangerous and they would stop mining operations.”

The device is designed to attach to travel beverage tumblers, and emit an alarm when unhealthy co levels are detected.

“There are probably millions of people walking around right now being slowly poisoned that may be working in an office 8 hours a day that has a very low leak, no alarm,” says Heathco. “They have no idea other than maybe going home with a headache.”

Johnny’s father and co-creator of the legacy foundation says the device is currently in the midst of a patent process, but the prototype was displayed at the campus expo on Friday.

The foundation also supports the “Safe Stay Act” congressional legislation.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Thanksgiving week has come a week early for many people.

The United Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara County served about 1000 meals at its clubs with the final dinner Friday night in Goleta.

The meals are prepared at the Westside Club kitchen and delivered. This week meals have also been served already in Carpinteria, Lompoc, Westside Santa Barbara.

Each one is a hot turkey dinner with thick cuts of turkey, along with corn, stuffing, salad, dessert and a beverage.

Staff members, volunteers, members of the Rotary have all been involved in the set up, serving and clean up.

This is an annual tradition for the clubs and they do it prior to Thanksgiving week when many of the families are out of the area or have other plans.

“We look forward to this event every year to be able to celebrate our kids and our families, and to really to let them know that we are grateful for them,” said interim United Boys & Girls Club Director  Christie Rojo.

The need has been growing in all areas. “We’re super grateful to all of our donors who have donated to our Zero Hunger Program. We have an amazing food program team that works hard every day to really comfort food insecurity in our community. Now more than ever, we need to gather together around our families, around our children to make sure that they have nutritious meals every day,” she said.

Many of the kids in the program are also on the food programs at their schools that enable them to have nutritious food while on campus. This dinner extends that food security to them, their families and their neighbors thanks to support from financial donors small and large. “Unfortunately, we’re living in times where, we have people that are still, going to bed hungry every night. We really take that seriously. And it is our call to action to be able to feed our kids every day in our club.”

Also in the spirit of the season, Girls Incorporated of Greater Santa Barbara has had a food drive with non perishables. Flyers have been up and a video is on social media. The public has responded with many items in a large collection bin at the doorway.

Tiana Garcia is a Program Facilitator with Girls Inc. and says, ” they’ve really felt very passionate about helping the unhoused community. So we organized this food drive. They made fliers. They’ve been putting the fliers up around the community. “

Emme  Lelevier -Joseph said, “we were going to help, save the planet or help the homeless shelter. And we all agreed on helping the homeless shelter, because a bunch of us feel bad that the holidays coming up and nobody has any food to eat. So we decided to donate canned food to help them.”

.   Two of the organizers said they had a marketing plan too and it worked.

Emma Moseley  said when the posters were done, “we gave some to our classes at school.”

Garcia said, “we’re going to take it to the, women’s portion of the Santa Barbara Rescue mission. And we’re going to drop it off right before the holidays so that they can, you know, get a little nice meal for Thanksgiving. “

The drop off for the Rescue Mission will be Monday and the collection continues all weekend at the door of Girls Inc. where they may get a second box.

It will also include one other item.

Garcia said, “I definitely want to have the girls write a letter to them so they can see, like, where this all came from and how much they really care about the the whole community.”

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT)- The News Channel 12 Turkey Drive concluded on Thursday with generous outpouring of community support throughout the Central Coast.

The annual fundraiser supports clients at Good Samaritan Shelter and SLO Food Bank. Beginning on Oct. 20, 2025 and concluding on Nov. 20, its traditional grand finale featured generous support at in-person drop-off locations.

Beginning at 6:00 a.m. and running through 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, donations rolled during the 13-hour time period.

There were three collection sites this year, including the News Channel 3-12 Santa Maria office, Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in Lompoc and the SLO Food Bank headquarters San Luis Obispo.

Preliminary numbers show more than 400 turkeys were donated on the final day and approximately $35,000 was raised through financial contributions.

A final dollar amount raised won’t be known until early December when SLO Food Bank receives the total amount of Turkey Bucks sold at several participating local grocery stores.

Turkey Bucks will continue to be sold through month of November at California Fresh Market in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo and Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo and Los Osos.

While the drive may have officially ended, there is actually still time to donate. 

Click here to visit the official News Channel 12 Turkey Drive webpage.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A Grinch-themed scavenger hunt kicks off in Santa Barbara.

The Granada Theatre hid free Grinch movie tickets inside six local businesses.

Theater representatives — along with the Grinch — are sharing clues to help families and shoppers track down the vouchers throughout the weekend.

The event aims to bring playful holiday spirit to the community ahead of December’s screening of The Grinch.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Some of the world’s top Paralympians are heading to UC Santa Barbara.

Paralympics Great Britain has chosen the campus for summer training ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“It’s a hugely important partnership for us,” said director of sports Penny Briscoe of the British Paralympic Association.

Athletes will live on campus, train in UCSB’s world-class facilities, and connect with the Santa Barbara community.

“It’s fabulous campus great facilities. It’s accessible and accommodation and dining opportunities,” said Briscoe.

“They want to be part of our campus community so when people see them working out, they’re going to be working out with our general student community when they’re in our facilities in our fitness centers they’re going to be at the students when they’re in our pools in our fields they’re gonna be with our students,” said executive director Stephen Byrd of the UCSB Department of Recreation.

“I think it’s really cool. I think the Paralympics are really cool because it allows for you know anyone from all walks of life to compete and be able to witness and experience their dream,” said student Quinn Ziegert of UCSB.

In just a few years, the athletes you’ll see going for gold in Los Angeles will be training on campus.

A wonderful showcase for Santa Barbara, our community and our commitment to disabled access,” said congressman Gregg Hart.

“I’m really excited to see the Olympians come I can’t wait to see them in person,” said student Ryan Valenzuela of UCSB.

From 2028’s future medalists to the Gauchos cheering them on—UCSB is now part of Paralympic history.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). –

High School Girls Basketball:

San Marcos 57, Righetti 52 (Schow 13 pts, Ahmad 12 pts)

Dos Pueblos 75, Moorpark 25 (Letendre: 30 pts, 8 stls, 7 ast)

Laguna Blanca 25, Dunn 23

Santa Ynez 47, Nipomo 32

Ventura 63, Saugus 43 (Brinley Anderson: 21 pts, 10 reb)

Trinity Classical Academy 55, Buena 28

Bird Cage Classic Day 2:

Bishop Diego 46, Lompoc 43 (Jaymi Coronado: 25 pts)

Santa Barbara 47, Valley Christian 42 (Amelia Lopez 19 pts, 8 ast, 6 reb)

Carpinteria 61, East Bakersfield 49 (Charlotte Cooney 23 pts, Jamaica Cook 16 reb)

Girls Water Polo:

San Marcos 13, Rio Mesa 5

Girls Soccer:

Ventura 8, Thacher 1

Boys Soccer:

San Marcos 2, Pioneer Valley 0

Laguna Blanca 5, Lompoc 0

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Mike Klan

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, (KEYT) – Sophomore guards Cayden Ward (28 points) and Hamad Mousa (26) each enjoyed new career scoring highs Thursday evening as the Cal Poly men’s basketball program sank 14 three-pointers to fuel a 92-85 victory at Utah.

Fellow sophomore Guzman Vasilic added a season best 13 points for Cal Poly (3-3), which took the lead Thursday after four minutes and failed to relinquish it after shooting a season best 50.0 (30-for-60) percent from the floor and 56.0 (14-for-25) percent from three-point range.

Guard Pewter Bandelj finished with 11 points for Cal Poly, which secured its first and only win against a current Big 12 program since defeating Arizona State on Dec. 2, 1949.

Ward (above) also led the Mustangs with eight rebounds Thursday as Cal Poly dealt Utah (5-1) its first defeat of the year.

A Mousa tip-in handed Cal Poly the 7-5 lead four minutes into action before three-pointers from Bandelj and Vasilic stretched the early advantage. Two Ward free throws midway through the half handed Cal Poly its first double-digit lead at 22-12.

A transition three-pointer by Vasilic furthered Cal Poly’s lead to 30-19 with eight minutes remaining in the opening half. The Mustangs, who led by as much as 15 points, shot 54.8 (17-for-31) percent from the floor and knocked down nine first-half three-pointers to lead at the break, 50-39.

Individually, Ward and Mousa were a combined 12-for-13 from the floor during the first half with 18 points apiece.

An early second-half three-pointer from Vasilic pushed Cal Poly’s advantage to 55-41 before Utah countered with a 7-0 run. The Mustangs, however, required just two minutes to regain the double-digit lead with a Bandelj three-pointer placing Cal Poly up 60-50 with 16 minutes to play.

Cal Poly still led 73-62 with 10 minutes to go before Utah produced a 12-3 run to cut its gap to 76-74 with six minutes remaining. A Bandelj free throw and two more from Davis kept Cal Poly in front before a reverse Davis layup made it a three-possession game with four-and-a-half to go.

A Bandelj layup reaffirmed the double-digit lead with three minutes to go as Cal Poly led by as much as 12 down the stretch.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).

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Andie Lopez Bornet

The fourth and final system on the Central Coast has moved past north county this afternoon. As we head into Friday, the system spins back toward Ventura and partially Santa Barbara county, resulting in 30%-50% chance of rain.

There’s a chance for thunderstorm development on Friday for localized mountains and beaches. Heavy rain and hail can quickly happen and end as well as gusty winds from the east. National Weather Service warns of a chance of small tornados forming in LA County through Friday, so if you’re headed in that direction, be sure to be safe and stay cautious. LA county will see the bulk of the lingering storm on Friday.

Temperatures on Friday will still be brisk and remain in the 60s. As we head into the weekend, high pressure begins to form and temperatures will slowly get to near normal for this time of year. Warming is in the forecast and Thanksgiving is looking to be dry and warm.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The cast of Jagged Little Pill is ready to take the stage for a second weekend of performances inspired by Alanis Morissette’s award-winning album.

For it’s 15th anniversary season, Out of the Box Theatre Company is putting on a production of Jagged Little Pill, “an original story about pain, healing, and empowerment.” Centered around normal-looking All-American family who struggles with communication – the musical teaches audiences about perseverance, and the love that keeps families together.

Director Samantha Eve and cast member Will Muse previewed the show on Your Morning News ahead of this weekend’s performances.

For the first time in the Santa Barbara area, Jagged Little Pill was brought to life at Center Stage Theater at Paseo Nuevo.

“The cast has about 18 people, I believe, which is a pretty big cast. It’s a lot of different talented people to work with,” said Muse. “It honestly feels like even more than that because we have so many other people even off the stage helping us out like our choreographer, our intimacy coordinator, our ASL interpreter, so it’s been a lot of different people involved in putting this whole thing together. And it’s been a really amazing time so far.” 

Jagged Little Pill was Alanis Morissette’s third studio album, but the first to be released worldwide. The album confronts truth about addiction, identity, trauma, and pain – topics many unfortunately relate to.

“I found Alanis Morissette probably at about 14, which I think is a really good time for an angsty teenage girl to find Alanis Morissette. Nobody gets that music like a middle schooler,” said Eve.

You can purchase your ticket to Jagged Little Pill here, with performances happening all weekend starting at 8:00pm.

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Alissa Orozco

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Today, a Lompoc judge dismissed a felony case against Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard, one day after she appeared in court on her felony charge of false imprisonment.

Buzzard was charged with false imprisonment after reports that she refused to let a man named Tyler Brewer leave her Vandenberg Village home. In a conversation with your News Channel, Brewer claimed she became agitated when he mentioned a location along a three-day drive Ashlee took with Melodee across several states, and refused to let him leave.

A recording presented in court today proves this was not true.

A judge dropped the charges after a recording taken by Ashlee did not reflect Brewer’s side of the story that same day. An audio recording showed no locations were mentioned, there was no change in demeanor, even Ashlee opening the door for Brewer to leave her home.

While the judge acknowledged not wanting to make light of anxiety disorders, which Brewer does have, his story is not an accurate depiction of what happened that day as shown in the recording.

Ashlee was cleared of all charges and is no longer required to wear an ankle monitor as previously mandated.

Buzzard has been under intense scrutiny for being uncooperative in the search to find her daughter Melodee, who has not been seen since Oct. 9th near the Colorado-Utah border.

Detectives confirmed Ashlee left California with Melodee on Oct. 7 in a white 2024 Chevy Malibu bearing a California license plate, and traveled as far as the state of Nebraska. Surveillance images from the Lompoc rental car dealership on Oct. 7 shows the last known pictures of the little girl, with both Ashlee and Melodee wearing wigs. Ashlee returned without Melodee.

Melodee is described as a 9-year-old girl, standing four feet, six inches tall, 60 pounds with brown curly hair and brown eyes.

Detectives are asking anyone who has seen Melodee or has information about her whereabouts to contact the Sheriff’s Office through one of the following methods:

· Detectives Line: (805) 681-4150

· Anonymous Tip Line: (805) 681-4171 · Online Tips: SBSheriff.org

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