Author: KEYT

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The fall semester for 2025 has started at Allan Hancock College.

Officials say enrollment is up a little from last year.

At the previous class’s commencement a couple months ago, president Walthers commented about having “too many graduates,” and it looks like this year will be following the same pattern.

With very warm, sunny weather on the Central Coast, the first day of the fall semester for 2025 officially began at Allan Hancock College on Monday.

“You can see there’s a lot of stuff going on on campus today,” says Allan Hancock College president Kevin Walthers. “Students are back for the first time, parking lots are full.”

About 10,000 students are enrolled between the Santa Maria and Lompoc campuses this year, which is up a little from last year, according to president Walthers.

“At any given time we have somewhere around 600 faculty members teaching classes,” says Walthers.

College officials say that while there are online options, the bulk of the classes are held in-person, because they learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that students strongly prefer in-person learning.

“Our STEM classes are all full,” says Walthers. “So all of our chemistry and math classes and our engineering classes are all just packed.”

Students arriving on campus are getting plenty of support.

“Today we have the informational booth,” says student ambassador Maria Martinez. “A lot of students don’t know where their classes are. So we’re guiding them to their classes. If not we’re trying to explain to them, like they have also questions, where there’s parking, financial aid.”

“We have a food pantry and we have a clothes closet and we have emergency grants and loans for students,” says Walthers. “We put a lot of things in place to help those students get through their program in a timely manner.”

Students are excited about collaborations between other campuses including Cuesta’s cybersecurity cohort, Santa Barbara City College’s radiology program, and upcoming programs with Cal Poly including sociology and business.

According to president Walthers, about 1,100 students are Hancock Promise students, having just graduated from local high schools and on course for 2 years of tuition-free classes.

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Tracy Lehr

CAMARILLO, Calif.-Wings Over Camarillo is celebrating it’s 44th air show.

Skydivers, pilots and car enthusiasts are all taking part.

Although there are VIP seats near the runway, there isn’t a bad seat at the Camarillo Airport.

Spectators can just look up.

There is plenty to do on the ground as well.

People of all ages can check out private hangers and talk to pilots and car owners.

Chad Grenier is one of them.

Grenier has a turquoise Cirrus SR22T G6 and a matching Lamborghini Huracan in a hanger with a view of show.

“I grew up going to all the different airshows, sitting  in all the airplanes and always wanting to fly, did a lot of flight stim [ulation]  and at some point started flying for real and never looked back,” said Grenier, ” and now I fly the Sirrus, I  fly acrobatics and other airplanes, so I just love all of it.”

The Ninety-Nines, established in 1929, and named for the 99 charter members, that included Amelia Earhart also has a booth with a silent auction.

” I found the Ninety-Nines which supported me to get into and just make it happen,” said Luz Schaible.

People can step on board aircraft at the Commemorative Air Force Wing hangar and visit the museum.

Gates open at 9 a.m. on Sunday with air demonstrations starting at noon.

For more information visit https://wingsovercamarillo.com

You will find a link to more information  our mobile app and website.

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Caleb Nguyen

NIPOMO, Calif. – A house fire closed down Orchard Road in Nipomo which first broke out just after 1:30 p.m., according to CAL FIRE SLO.

The fire was contained to a single unit at 174 Orchard Road before it could spread to other homes, according to CAL FIRE SLO.

No injuries were reported from the fire that still remains active as of 4:30 p.m. Saturday, detailed CAL FIRE SLO.

More information on this fire will be provided as it becomes available to Your News Channel.

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Caleb Nguyen

ORCUTT, Calif. – A three-car crash left a motorcyclist with major injuries on Orcutt Road and Shirley Lane just before 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

The motorcyclist required CPR before being taken to Marian Regional Medical Center via ground ambulance, according to the SBCFD.

No other injuries were reported in this accident between the motorcyclist, a sedan and a utility pick-up truck, detailed the SBCFD.

The SBCFD received help from Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office personnel, AMR and SMR at the crash scene.

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – One of the best players to ever call the Thunderdome home is back getting his shots up at UC Santa Barbara.

“It’s home for me so I am happy to be back for a couple of weeks,” said Ajay Mitchell after completing a workout upstairs in the TDome. “A lot of memories, it’s always a great time being here, reminds me of back in the day and it’s only been a year.”

The second round selection in the 2024 NBA Draft helped the Oklahoma City Thunder win the NBA Finals just two months ago.

“Couldn’t have dreamed of something better,” smiled the 23-year guard. “It was a dream to be in the NBA, bigger dream to win an NBA Championship.”

A toe injury that required surgery cost Mitchell about three months of his rookie season.

But he played well before and after the injury for the Thunder as he scored 6.5 ppg and averaged about 16.5 minutes a game.

He shot 49.5 percent from the floor including over 38 percent from three-point distance.

“In the NBA you have to be able to shoot and shoot at a high percentage so that is all I keep working on and keep getting better at that,” said Mitchell.

Just weeks after celebrating the title, Mitchell signed a three-year contract with OKC worth almost 9 million dollars.

In early July he was an absolute star in the 2025 NBA Summer League where in six games he averaged almost 20 points per game along with 5.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds.

“He dominated summer league and we are only going to see great things to come,” proudly stated UCSB head coach Joe Pasternack. “Ajay could move anywhere in the world in the summertime and this is home, this is where feels most comfortable.”

Mitchell was a three-time All-Big West selection in all three seasons at UCSB including two First Team honors. He was the league Player of the Year and Championship MVP in the 2022-’23 season leading the Gauchos to the NCAA Tournament.

Mitchell is the second player from UCSB to be an NBA Champion as guard Brian Shaw was on the Los Angeles Lakers when they pulled off a three-peat from 2000-2002.

When asked about the NBA title, a new contract and tearing up the summer league, Ajay simply stated “It’s been a fun year.”

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Greek Festival in Santa Barbara has a new location but the same cultural celebration of the Mediterranean.

The Santa Barbara Greek Orthodox Church moved its long-time celebration from Oak Park to the waterfront, but still offered authentic Greek food, live music, traditional dancing and a new backdrop for the festival.

Crowds are enjoying performances by local Greek dance groups — with plenty of opportunities to join in and learn the steps — along with the sounds of “The 4 Greeks.”

Food booths are serving gyros, hummus and pita, loukoumades, spanakopita, Greek salad, baklava, souvlaki, saganaki and pastitsio.

Drinks include local draft beers, imported Greek beers, Greek wine tastings and Loux imported Greek sodas.

The festival continues through Saturday and you can find more information at the Fesitval’s website.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. – With containment numbers of the Gifford Fire rising on a daily basis, demobilization of the Incident Command Post in Santa Margarita is now underway.

“We’re in the demobiliozation phase for a lot of the engines,” said Gifford Fire information officer Rich Eagan. “Now, you’ll probably see close to 800 to 1,000 per day for the next, I would say 96 hours or so.”

At one point the base camp at the Santa Margarita Ranch number nearly 5,000 personnel.

However, with the containment of the fire at 61% as of Friday afternoon, personnel at the camp can begin to reduce after firefighters made significant strides in putting out the blaze over the few days.

“I’ve been doing this job for 35 years now, and I’ve never seen a fire effectively manage so quickly in my career,” said Eagan, who works with the Chula Vista Fire Department. “We basically, contained 130,000 plus acres in about two weeks time, so that’s very impressive to me.”

Eagan credits two main factors that helped crews get a handle on the fire, especially on the northern flank in the hillsides east of Santa Margarita, near Pozo.

“The major components were that backfiring and the cooling of temperatures and the increase in humidity,” said Eagan. “The weather has been very favorable. Guys are going to get this thing buttoned up soon.”

On Friday, the hillsides near Pozo looked nothing like they did just 48 hours earlier when flames, both from the main fire, combined with those that were intentionally set during the burning operation, scorched the landscape, producing a huge plume of smoke that could seen across the Central Coast.

“(You can see) the success,” said Jonathan Harris, San Diego City Fire Department Captain. “There’s no smoke in the sky, no plume. There’s probably little hotspots there, but as it was the day before, there was large fire behavior, but now there’s nothing that’s going on and it shows your success and how hard we worked out.”

Even as containment numbers continue to climb, firefighters point out it’s still not fully extinguished and their efforts are still needed for the next several days at least.

“There’s still work to be done,” said Darrell Roberts, Chula Vista Fire Department Strike Team Leader. “We’re not dropping our guard on the fire. A lot of the resources worked really, really hard yesterday in the firing operation to make sure that we can turn the corner on this fire and hopefully put to bed in the next series of days here.”

While there was no major plume of smoke on Friday, firefighters were still very much in action in the hillsides, especially near Pozo along Hi Mountain Road where flames burned just hours earlier.

“We don’t have it fully suppressed, but we’re getting closer,” said Eagan. “Now, we’re just basically in what we refer to as the mop up phase. Hitting the lines and using hand tools, that kind of thing to suppress this fire. We’re almost there, but not yet.”

Still, with the situation vastly improved, some of the crews members packed up Friday and headed out, leaving the Santa Margarita camp they’ve called home the past several days.

“It’s a great feeling to know you’re heading home with your loved ones,” said Harris. “They haven’t seen us in a while, so it’s good to give them a phone call and let them know you’re coming home. The excitement that your loved ones hear that you’re coming home is pretty good.”

As the crews head in all directions to their homes across California, those on the Central Coast should expect to see fire engines filled with happy firefighters on local roadways over the next several days.

“Our folks are going to go home,” said Roberts. “They’re going to say hello to their families. They’re going to decompress for a day and most of our folks will jump on a fire engine in their hometown and they’ll continue to serve in a neighborhood where they’ve been serving for decades, some of them, and we’ll prepare all our gear to come right back out, and most likely, the chances are that we will.”  

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Andrew Gillies

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – On Tuesday, the Isla Vista Community Services District unanimously approved its $1.95 million budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

This was the first use of a Zero-Based Budgeting process where each department’s budget is built from the ground up in order to align with community goals shared the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) in a press release Friday.

“This budget invests strategically in programs that improve the quality of life for everyone in Isla Vista while maintaining a strong financial position for the future,” said Spencer Brandt, IVCSD Board President. “By listening to residents and applying a disciplined budgeting process, we are delivering services that meet today’s needs. As residents express increasing expectations for enhanced transportation, infrastructure, and safety services, we will need to explore additional revenue sources to ensure we can sustainably meet these emerging priorities.”

According to the IVCSD, revenues are projected to total $1,946,650 with the Utility User’s Tax expected to generate $1.53 million of that total.

That is an increase of 7.14 percent compared to last budget and serves as the primary funding source for the community services district and was passed in 2018.

In fact, Isla Vista is the only community services district in the state allowed to levy a Utility User’s Tax and the special conditions of its existence, including a two-year-term for board members and tenant mediation powers, required the passage of Assembly Bill 3 in 2015, which became California Government Code Section 61250 upon passage explained IVCSD General Manager Jonathan Abboud.

Additional funding sources include: $200,000 from a renewed seven-year agreement with UC Santa Barbara for public safety programs, $30,000 from community space rentals, $10,000 from sponsorships and sales, and $130,550 is strategic draws from fund balances to maintain operations detailed the IVCSD.

Expenditures are budgeted at $1,945,650 across the following budget destinations:

Operations including administration, support staff, and governance take up 34 percent of the budget

Community Programs and Engagement take up 33 percent of the budget expenditures and include the Isla Vista Community Center, community festivals, gardens, and outreach

Public Works and Sustainability including Isla Vista Beautiful, composting, infrastructure, and graffiti abatement are 26.5 percent of expenditures for the 2025-2026 fiscal cycle

Public Safety occupies 5.5 percent of spending primarily for Safety Stations staffed by unarmed UCPD community service officers

Housing comes in just under one percent of expenditures with growing use of the Rental Housing Mediation Program

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. – A new hub for tribal governance and high quality education cut the ribbon this afternoon at Jalama Ranch in Lompoc.

And a surprise announcement was made there.

The Lompoc Chamber of Commerce announced the grand opening for the TEK-MAR school and the Gloria Liggett tribal office on Friday.

TEK-MAR stands for “Traditional Ecological Knowledge Mitigation and Remediation.”

“This is our first and permanent tribal office,” says Violet Sage Walker, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council’s chairwoman. “It’s our new location for our headquarters for ocean conservation and land conservation and our consultation that we do.”

The event ushered in the new facility with demonstrations, tours of the ranch, live music, and a full barbecue dinner.

“We also have horses,” says Walker. “We also have marine sanctuaries to take care of. We also have land acquisitions that we’re working on. So it took us a whole year to be able to open the office.”

The facility will be open to the public to take any of the offered courses in land management, ocean stewardship, and more.

“Northern Chumash Tribal Council has this curriculum that we’ve all co-created, and it’s really focused on all the information passed on from generation to generation through Chumash stories, that tell us so much about our local central coast, the resources here,” says Dawn Murray, marine biologist & Antioch University professor.

A big surprise announcement was made at the ribbon cutting, that the Northern Chumash Tribal Council has entered escrow on land they haven’t had access to in 200 years.

“The Chumash community are going to be gathering tomorrow at Dos Pueblos Ranch and we’re going to be getting back onto land that has been essentially private for about 200 years,” says Walker. “We opened escrow on Thursday and we’re actively seeking partners.”

Programs and classes will make use of ArcGIS, a prominent mapping software, to help students and researchers on their journey to learning more about environmental stewardship in the region.

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John Palminteri

Santa Barbara, Calif. – After years of holding on to the same fare structure, the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) has bumped up the cost of a bus ride across the board for riders from Carpinteria to Goleta.

The new fare structure is for both cash and passes.

New passes went on sale August 4.

The MTD fares have not changed in 16 years. There are several factors that led to the change in fare structure. The change has come after community meetings for feedback.

Monday, the MTD will be adjusting the base fare from the current $1.75 to $2.50, consistent with the increased expense of operating services.

The MTD says the operating costs have increased by more than 10 percent since 2019. The average fare revenue collected per passenger has dropped slightly.  

Fare revenue only accounts for 20 percent of MTD’s annual operating budget. 

The major revenue sources for the District operations are fares, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) operating assistance, and sales tax. 

With a population growth, the MTD no longer gets about $3-million in assistance for small cities.

Adding it all up, the District said in a statement:”Revenue shortfalls and increasing operating expenditures in the areas of wages and benefits, fuel, insurance, and utilities are expected, continuing to increase the deficit. Without a fare adjustment, the District may be forced to reduce service.”

(More details, video and photos will be added later today.)

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