Author: KEYT

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Ashlee Buzzard, mother of missing 9-year-old Vandenberg Village girl Melodee Buzzard, was arraigned at the Santa Maria courthouse on Wednesday morning on a charge unrelated to her missing daughter.

“If I were to see her in the street, to be honest with you, I would never recognize her,” says Lilly Denes, a sales executive for KEYT and Telemundo–and Melodee’s paternal grandmother. “She looked so different. Lost a lot of weight and no hair.”

The felony charge of false imprisonment involved Tyler Brewer, a legal document assistant and owner of Family Paralegal Associates, after Ashlee used a box cutter to prevent him from leaving her home on November 6.

On Wednesday morning, the judge released Ashlee on GPS supervision with pre-trial later this week and a hearing for Wednesday November 19th in Lompoc.

Brewer shared the following statements with Your News Channel regarding what happened between him and Ashlee Buzzard:

When Melodee was reported missing, I contacted Ashlee Buzzard solely to offer assistance in locating a missing child. I am a legal document assistant, process server, mandated reporter, and perceived officer of the court. In that capacity, I immediately reported all concerning communication and inconsistencies directly to law enforcement.

On November 6th, during an interaction at her residence, the situation escalated. Ms. Buzzard became visibly distressed after sharing information she appeared to regret disclosing. A box cutter was produced, and despite multiple requests to be allowed to exit the home, I was not immediately permitted to leave. The door was secured by several locks, which delayed my ability to exit. This incident was reported to law enforcement.

I am also in communication with Melodee’s father’s family, who share the same objective — locating her and ensuring her safety.

I will not provide further details at this time, as this remains an active investigation and search effort.

My position has never changed:

Find Melodee. Protect the investigation. Bring her home safely.

Brewer also provided this follow-up email when reached for further comment from Your News Channel about reporting in other outlets:

I have no further comment regarding Ashlee Buzzard’s arrest.

I made one brief statement that has since been misrepresented, taken out of context, and used as fuel for speculation. I am the victim in this matter, and I am entitled to privacy. I was assured my name would remain confidential. The district attorney chose otherwise.

What’s circulating now—particularly on Facebook and TikTok—is not facts. It is fiction, assumptions, AI-generated content, and manufactured narratives from people who do not know me and have no actual information.

I have fully cooperated with law enforcement, including providing all information I had. My only hope is that the FBI and police are able to use it to help bring Melodee home.

This has never been about me. It will never be about me.

The only priority that matters is Melodee.

She deserves attention, urgency, and focus.

“Where’s my granddaughter? I don’t care what she’s here for,” says Denes. “You know, I’m sorry that she did that to this gentleman that I never heard his name before. But I’m here for my granddaughter. What’s going to happen?”

Santa Barbara county sheriff’s investigators and the FBI are asking for the public’s help in locating Melodee.

The Santa Barbara county D.A.’s office is also assisting in the investigation.

If you have seen Melodee or have any information, you can call the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division (805) 681-4150.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can provide information through the tip line at (805) 681-4171 or online at https://www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – A major infrastructure project is in the works to build a new interchange at the busy intersection of Highway 101 and Broadway (Highway 135) in Santa Maria.

The planned project would replace the current two-lane bridge and also create an entirely new design for the on and off ramps to the freeway.

“What the city is looking at is building a new interchange over Highway 101, at Broadway and Highway 135,” said Brett Fulgoni, Santa Maria Public Works Director. “It’ll connect the two sides of the city, and we’ll connect all the way over to Seaward Drive on the on the eastside of Santa Maria, along the levee.”

The main goals for the project will be to enhance traffic flow throughout the area, as well as improve safety and accessibility.

“There’s tens of thousands of cars that use this intersection,” said Fulgoni. “As the city grows, that will continue to grow, and so this is long term planning that’s coming to actual construction. The other part of this project is we do plan to do a, a transit park and ride there. And so as, as transit grows, this will be become a transit hub as well forthe region.”

While the project is still many years away from start of construction, the City of Santa Maria, along with Caltrans, and Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) are currently working on the advancement of the environmental review, as well as preliminary engineering.

Along with the stakeholders, the public will also be allowed to participate in the design process over the next several months.

Tonight, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, the City of Santa Maria will hold a public workshop where the people will have the opportunity to view project exhibits and conceptual layouts, ask questions and share feedback directly with representatives from the Santa Maria Public Works Department, Caltrans, and members of the design team.

“There’s going to be there will be many, many public meetings on this project,” said Fulgoni. “Today’s the first one. We want to make sure that what we build, Santa Maria actually wants and that it’s going to solve a problem that we need to solve. When engineers design a project, we all have blind spots, and we rely on the public to make sure that we’re meeting their needs. That’s the really important part of the public engagement piece is making sure that we’re seeing things from all angles. There could be things that we haven’t considered and that’s exactly what we’re looking for today.”

The cost for the project is currently estimated to be $70 million, with the funding to come from several different sources, including from Measure A, the transportation-focused sales tax increase Santa Barbara County voters passed in 2008.

“We have about $10 to $20 million between the Measure A and the regional gas tax funding,” said Sarkes Khachek, SBCAG Programming Director. “The other funding that we’re going to need, the $40 to $50 million, we’re going to be pursuing outside funding. There are federal and state competitive programs that we will look to start applying for in the next year or so as we get through project development and the project gets ready for construction. We want to be at a point where we’re going to leverage that funding with measure and regional funding to get the outside grant to fully fund the project.”

With the project just now beginning to ramp up, there are many more hurdles to clear before the public will see any kind of construction taking place at the intersection.

“We’re at the early stage,” said Khachek. “We’re in 2025 with the environmental document. We look forward to designing the project in a couple of years and then the project will be construction ready in 2029. Once construction starts, we’re looking at a two to three year construction period from there, so we’re hoping to have it all done by 2032 or 2033.”

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Now is the best time to pick up a bottle of wine to bring home for the holiday season. If you’re having trouble figuring out the best choice for the occasion, wine connoisseur Jamie Knee has got you covered!

Central Coast is home to some of the best holiday wines – from sparkling to white to merlot to Grüner Veltliner – Jamie joined your Morning News to show what will pair best with your favorite holiday dish.

“Santa Barbara, just the Central Coast, is known for its cool climate. It’s known for its wonderful sunshine, so it really gives us wines that speak to the Thanksgiving table. They’re crisp, they’re vibrant, and they go with all those delicious meals that we’re going to have this holiday season,” Knee says.

Jamie Knee is a globally recognized wine writer, wine media personality, and curator of bespoke wine journeys around the world. She is the founder of The Petite Wine Traveler, and was named one of the top 50 most influential women in wine hospitality and top wine travel media.

Her suggestions? Pair your white meat turkey with a nice Grüner Veltliner. Green bean casserole goes great with a nice white wine, and you can never go wrong with a good sparkling wine.

If you want to see more from Jamie, you can visit Petite Wine Traveler.

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John Palminteri

MONTECITO, Calif. (KEYT) – A check for $750,000 written last September for a major historic restoration project in Montecito was able to clear looming government funding concerns recently and get right to work at Casa Del Herrero. It was combined with a local matching fundraising drive to total $1.5 million.

Because of the timely action, crews are on site now working on multiple projects.

The property in Montecito, a National Historic Landmark, received federal funding through a Save America’s Treasures grant. Funds came through the National Park Service at the U.S. Interior Department. It will be administered through the California Missions Foundation, which serves to preserve 21 Missions and related historical sites.

Funds were under the Capital Campaign “Preserving Our Past, Protecting Our Future”. 

The location is the 11-acre private estate where industrialist George Fox Steedman lived on East Valley Road. The home was designed by leading Spanish revival architect George Washington Smith in 1925.  Additional work was done in many areas by Lutah Maria Riggs who was a pioneering American architect, and considered Santa Barbara’s first female licensed architect for decades.

Age and weather have been causing deterioration in many areas. There’s also been water intrusion from the heavy rains in recent years.  Casa’s historic Glass House, Lath House, and Tool Shed are also on the list for repairs.

While walking down one of the new trails, Case del Herrero Executive Director  and Head of Curation Natalie Sanderson said, “Casa del Herrero is an amazing treasure trove of antiquities and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.”

The California Missions Foundation Executive Director David Bolton says with this work the local “treasure will be preserved and conserved for future generations.”

He said work to get the funding in place came down to the wire right before the recent government shut down. “Our representative actually showed up to work the next day, even though the government was shut down. She came in, processed everything, and we got the green light. The next day the government was shut down, but they said, go ahead and move forward with the project,” said Bolton.

The work was already done to get the grant and start the project and that put it at the top of the list. Sanderson said, “the first, materials and methods report that we submitted to National Park Services was 612 pages long.” It also reviewed the history of the location “and making sure that there’s no negative effect on a site that potentially could have been or is very sacred to the native community.”

Among the projects will be a repair of the faded, cracked and broken tiles around ten fountains – some tiles date back to the 17th and 18th century. One piece goes back to the 13th century.

New paths and historic water lines are now all being aligned to open the area up for public visits and learning.

Fountain tiles are old and worn out in many places.  They need a special touch, and cleaning products, applied by hand. Susie Anders with Anders Art Conservation was on her knees working through some of the surface damage on one fountain at the far end of the property. Anders said, “we’re accepting a level of damage and, you know, some they’re supposed to look old. We’re not trying to make them look fancy and new and shiny. We are trying to make them look the best as they can be for their age.”

Some science and chemistry is also involved in the way products are used on the aging surfaces. “Conservation is usually thought of as a triangle of art history, fine art and science. It helps to understand what you’re trying to remove. And the substrate that you’re dealing with. Obviously the first goal is not to cause any damage, but also wanting to effectively remove the mineral deposits and grime that have accumulated, over time,” said Anders.

Looking over the fountain with seating areas on either side, Sanderson said, “it’s a really special place to bring community together. We’re really thrilled, as this space was inaccessible because it had an overgrown historic path which we are restoring.”

In addition to the restoration of what is on site, there will be some enhancements. Juan Lopez with Santa Barbara Quality Masonry said, “we will have natural stone boulder walls, pretty much the same that we have on top. And also we will have a plantings around.  So basically is going to be something super nice for the people.”

The grounds also have many other community benefits outside of these repairs. Citrus trees are harvested in part for local programs including for the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County.

The home has a preserved dining area that is set up as it would have been in the 20s and 30s for dinner.  There is also a large workshop where Steedman did many of his metal designs alongside of his wife Carrie Howard Steedman who was an award-winning floral designer. The Steedmans came to Montecito from St. Louis and moved into the property at the time of the damaging June 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake. The home was not damaged.

Bolton says, “The arches, the style of the building, the tile work, the fountains, the water moving water through in order to survive, all of that led to the Spanish colonial architecture and there is a not a finer example here than Casa del Herrero.”

Not only is this property an example of art and architectural history, it will also be used for students in the future for their classroom curriculums.

Sanderson says, “it’s great to see the casa as a living space, a site of research. And we love welcoming students here. ”

Some UC Santa Barbara students have already been on site for research.

“We’ve had a community day, which we’ll do again. We’ve welcomed the Girls Inc group here and had a special tile making activity where they did a tour,” said Sanderson. “They looked at the tiles and then they created their own. And we really would love to do more of these educational, types of opportunities.”

She described the site as an interdisciplinary living museum. “The founder of this museum, George Fox Steedman himself, and was quite a Renaissance man. He was an engineer, a scientist as well as an artist, and his wife also very talented. And there’s so many different disciplines and interests that intersect here at Casa del Herrera.”

The California Missions Foundation also includes education as a top priority. “School programs, visitors, tourists, community members all look at Casa del Herrero, always a big part of their community, and they will all be the ones that benefit from this great Save America Treasures federal grant,” said Bolton.

The $750,000 is the largest grant received for Casa del Herrero.

Sanderson said, “We want people to come here, and feel that it’s a place of, that they can relax. It’s a space of inspiration and a space of beauty, “

The California Missions Foundation said the grant indicates the importance of the property and restoration. 

Regionally these grants in recent years have also helped to restore Mission Santa Barbara and Mission Santa Ines.

The project will be a three-tiered collaboration of national, state and local funding and community support.

Bolton said the grants have totaled $25.7 million in 2024 went to 59 projects in 26 states and the District of Columbia. The funding for Casa del Herrero was the only preservation grant awarded in California.

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Mike Klan

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KEYT) – Miro Little, Aidan Mahaney and Colin Smith each scored 17 points as UCSB held off Sacramento State 92-87.

Little stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals with just one turnover.

The Utah-transfer Little went 10-for-10 from the free throw line as UCSB won in their first road game on the season to improve to 3-0 overall.

Jason Fontenet II added 14 points while freshman CJ Shaw tallied 9 points off the bench.

The Gauchos made 13-of-27 shots from three-point distance with Smith leading the way drilling 5-of-7 of his attempts behind the arc.

Mikey Williams led all scorers with 30 points for Sacramento State who lost for the first time in three games this year.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

Division 1:

Harvard-Westlake 3, San Marcos 0

Long Beach Poly 3, San Luis Obispo 0

Division 2:

Arroyo Grande 3, Flintridge Prep 2

Ventura 3, Foothill 2

Liberty 3, Oak Park 1

Division 3:

Ontario Christian 3, Santa Barbara 0

Division 4:

Granada Hills Charter 3, Cate 0

Division 5:

Morro Bay 3, Anaheim 0

South El Monte 3, Foothill Tech 2

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Tracy Lehr

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) People of all ages took part in the annual Veterans Day Ceremony that the Oxnard Plaza Park Veterans Memorial.

The Channel Islands High School Raiders Band, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, and Boy Scout Troop 231 took part.

Speakers included Vietnam Veterans who joked about fitting in their uniforms.

Jess Herrera fit into his and wore it.

He shared comments that fit the Honoring All Who Served theme.

“Veterans have to have a seat at the table, Veterans have to be there to encourage our Congress to go to peace not to war,” said Herrera.

U.S. Marine Corp Veteran and Oxnard Police Commander Miguel Serrato joked that he wore his law enforcement uniform instead because it fit.

Serrato shared a story about seeing the men he served with for the first time in 25 years.

He said they came from all over the United States.

The ceremony also paid tribute to Disabled American Veterans. (https://dav.gov)

Sponsors included The Port of Hueneme, Pizza an Dan’s and th Knights of Columbus Oxnard Council 750.

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Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – One person needed medical treatment for smoke inhalation after a bus caught fire at the 3000 block of Cuesta Springs Road at 6:16 p.m. Tuesday, according to CAL FIRE SLO.

CAL FIRE SLO reported no other injuries or damage after stopping the fire from spreading further into the vegetation.

CAL FIRE SLO crews contained the fire just before 7:00 p.m. Tuesday and remained on scene to clear any hot spots until 9:00 p.m.

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Mina Wahab

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — Tess Howe has been collecting military memorabilia since she was in high school.

She has collected and researched all kinds of items. Some make her feel closer to her brother.

“The jeep was developed for World War Two, but they were still driving basically that kind of jeep into Vietnam. And my brother loved them. He came home from the army and he went out looking to buy a Jeep. So, you know, I sent him one and I kept one for myself,” said Tess Howe.

From military medals to women’s uniforms, each item is a portal through time.

“Any kind of decoration is a testament to the serviceman and what he did. So if you look at a man in uniform, if he has everything on it, it’ll tell you virtually his entire career in the Army,” said Howe.

For Suzanne Hendrick the military medals bring her closer to her father.

“It brings tears to my eyes to see some of the medals that my dad was awarded. He never, ever, ever talked about his combat dates, ever. I only knew about them from newspaper clippings. I found in way later in my adult years,” said Suzanne Hendrick, who lives in Santa Barbara.

The exhibit drew attention to the Vietnam War era, as this year marks 50 years since the end of the war.

Mary Christiansen showed us photos from the day that her husband helped evacuate Vietnamese civilians from Saigon.

“It lasted 32 hours, nonstop. The helicopters kept coming and kept coming and bringing the refugees… They came on board with scooters and sewing machines and jewels sewn into the hands of their dresses because they didn’t know what life would be,” said Mary Christiansen, who lives in Santa Barbara.

Visitors to the exhibit say the collectibles help capture a history that should never be forgotten.

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