Author: KEYT

Alissa Orozco

AVILA BEACH, Calif. – Starting Monday, the US 101 interchange at Avila Beach Dr. will be closed for forty days as part of San Luis Obispo County’s plan to reconfigure the US 101 and Avila Beach Dr. interchange with a roundabout.

A new roundabout will be constructed at the intersection of Avila Beach Dr. and Shell Beach. The $13.8 million project will add features such as sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks, bike lanes, and a shared use path, ultimately easing weekend congestion.

A brand new park and ride facility will installed, along with 43 new paid parking spaces. Plus, a brand new RTA bus stop and a new bus stop for the Avila-Pismo trolley.

The upcoming detour and construction of the roundabout will be stage four of the project, and is expected to conclude September 26th.

Aaron Yonker, a public works supervising engineer with the county, joined your News Channel to detail the changes coming in the next couple days in Avila Beach.

A temporary bike and pedestrian path will be in place during construction, which can be accessed from Avila Beach Drive (via Ontario Road) and Shell Beach Road. Drivers will be detoured to use the San Luis Bay Dr. interchange to the north.

Yonker says traffic control and flagging personal will be on-site during construction to assist with traffic congestion during peak hours.

“Drivers should anticipate to see an ample amount of construction advisory signs informing them of this closure along the 101 and on the local roads advising them where to go,” Yonker says.

The county says surrounding businesses will not be impacted by the 40-day construction. Yonker says feedback from the community and business owners prevented the project from beginning earlier in the season.

Businesses will remain open during the project.

“We’re encouraging the community to get out there and and visit the community, continue to visit the businesses, but they should expect that there will be signs in place and some traffic control measures to kind of help them along their way.”

Construction closures will begin August 18th until September 26th.

The county has set up a community hotline where questions, comments, and concerns can be sent in via phone at 805-788-3423. For more information visit the project website.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A former Santa Barbara High School graduate and Marine is missing and presumed dead after a training accident on a Montana lake—just months before he was set to begin an ambitious, record-setting ocean row to raise money for veterans. Now, his twin brother is leading a private search and recovery effort, hoping to bring him home.

James “Dingo” Dominguez, 58, was training with the OARward Bound team to row 16,000 miles across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans in a multi-year journey from Morocco to Tanzania. The mission aimed to raise awareness and funds for nonprofits including the Wounded Warrior Project.

But on July 15, during a training session on Flathead Lake in western Montana, a powerful wave storm capsized the boat he was aboard. Two people were rescued, but Dominguez was swept away. His brothers, Jerry and Armando, are now searching for his remains after officials called off the official rescue.

“That wind was pushing the rowboat, and I don’t think he could keep up,” said Armando Dominguez. “So the challenge that we are having right now is the resources to go back and look for him.”

Jerry Dominguez said the crew took every precaution. “It wasn’t like they willy-nillied the whole thing. I have every confidence in the captain, the lead person on the boat. They did their due diligence with weather checks—everything they had to do before they got on the water for training.”

Dominguez, a 1985 graduate of Santa Barbara High School, was recently married and living in Wyoming. His wife’s life is now in limbo, awaiting confirmation of her husband’s death.

“I understood that he had to do so many hours of training—it was probably about 200-plus hours that he needed to get in to participate,” Jerry said. “The boat had just gotten wrapped, meaning they put the logos and sponsor names and so forth.”

Jerry has since created a GoFundMe page to raise money for a private search and recovery effort. The family plans to rent a boat and deploy a waterproof drone to resume the search.

This tragedy is the latest to strike the family. Loved ones say they are also related to the man who was fatally stabbed on State Street during this year’s Fiesta celebration.

Dominguez’s family is now taking search efforts into their own hands. The GoFundMe page reads:

“Our efforts were temporarily postponed due to limited equipment and resources, but the search will soon be back on — and I plan to be back out on the lake to assist personally.”

For more information about Dominguez and OARward Bound visit, https://oarwardbound.com

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Scott Hennessee

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A new art gallery is opening soon in Santa Barbara that will feature works from neurodivergent artists.

“We’re calling all neurodiverse and special needs artists to submit an entry,” Art Labbé Santa Barbara Executive Director, Nathaniel Grotenhuis said. “This year’s theme is called, ‘This is Me.’ It’s a self-reflection, a self-portrait or a poem that speaks about who you are. All of those works will be displayed here in our gallery.”

The call for entries is open until August 22nd. 

Art Labbé Santa Barbara is set to open on September 18th at 111 Santa Barbara Street in the Funk Zone, joining their existing galleries in Santiago, Chile and Coral Gables, Florida.

The Art Labbe Foundation currently provides free weekly art and music sessions to people with special needs. They plan to expand opportunities for people with special needs to create art in and around the new gallery space.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. – Incentive programs and revitalization efforts are in progress in Lompoc.

Residents and city leaders are excited about these developments.

Many long-time residents remember Lompoc being much more of a vibrant community than it’s been in the last decade, but they’re anticipating  a healthy comeback in the next few years.

The city of Lompoc is making several efforts to incentivize new arrivals, both domestic and business related.

“We have a chance for ourselves for 2400 housing units,” says James Mosby, mayor of Lompoc. “The state is kind of requiring us to build through our arena plan and we have River Terrace that’s pushing through. And I know a lot of the vacant property, people are now approaching, especially with the economic incentives that we’re putting forward.”

In response to Governor Newsom’s order last year, the Lompoc riverbed has been largely cleared of the presence of homeless encampments, and law enforcement is urging those who stay there to get the help they need.

“They’re doing a good job out there working on it,” says mayor Mosby. “Cleaning up the Lompoc Fire has been involved, local police departments involved, the sheriff’s involved.”

By reducing impact fees, city officials seek to reduce the cost on developers, incentivizing new affordable housing developments.

“Hopefully they bring their businesses back here or the people working at the base can find Lompoc again,” says mayor Mosby.

And one project many locals are looking forward to is the restoration of the Lompoc Theatre, which is moving along on schedule.

“It’s coming back,” says David Ramsey, Lompoc Theatre’s general contractor. “You can see it everywhere, all over the city. You can see that things are coming back and this building is going to make it really, really wonderful.”

Another way the city is trying to make things more affordable is by issuing credits to residents on recent electricity bills in the range of $200 per meter, a stimulus that comes just in time for school to start.

The Lompoc Theatre is expected to open its blackbox theatre early next year, and city officials look forward to more progress for other businesses.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – With the Gifford Fire burning just a few miles away east of Santa Maria, the Santa Maria Air Tanker Base is providing valuable support in the ongoing firefighting effort.

Since the fire broke out along Highway 166 on Friday afternoon, the base has been a whirlwind of activity with several air tankers and helicopters flying in and out on a repeated basis.

“We do have a lot of activity here,” said air tanker captain Dawn Blumberg. “It seems kind of chaos, but it’s more like orchestrated music.”

With the Gifford Fire burning in some of the most rugged and remote wilderness landscape on the Central Coast, having firefighting support from the sky is a crucial element in the difficult battle to put out the flames.

“The fire is burning in areas where it’s incredibly steep and difficult terrain to access for firefighters on the ground, so the importance of the tanker base here and the proximity to the fire line is enormous,” said Andrew Madsen, Los Padres National Forest Public Information Officer. “The retardant being dropped is in areas that are inaccessible to crews on the ground, so it’s very important that we can help to try to slow the advance of the front.”

The Santa Maria Air Tanker Base is located on southern edge of the Santa Maria Airport, housed within the Central Coast Jet Center.

The base serves as an important station for firefighting aerial operations for incidents that take place not just on the Central Coast or the around California, but throughout the Western United States.

What makes the Gifford Fire unusual, as was the same for the recent Madre Fire that also burned around the Highway 166 area, is the close proximity of the fire lines to the base.

“With the Gifford Fire being so close to the air tanker base, we’re actually able to see the fire from the air tanker base, which is kind of rare,” Santa Maria Air Tanker Base Manager Miguel Quiz. “It makes turnaround times for the aircraft faster than usual. The tempo here has picked up pretty quick, but it also allows us to get more retardant to the fire and get it there faster. As the tempo picks up, we pick up and and we’re able to deliver a good product.”

Only a handful of miles separates the base from the fire, allowing planes and helicopters to make quick trips back and forth.

“We’re able to turn around in about 10 minutes time to get them reloaded, refueled and back into the air and then onto the drop site,” said Madsen. “The quick turnaround time from the airport here is critical at the current time to help hold the spread of the fire on the flanks where we’re seeing more aggressive fire behavior.”

With the aircraft able to load up and provide drops on the fire and able to return the the base and repeat the pattern within just a matter of minutes, it has provided aerial operations with the ability to drop more retardant than would be allowed if the fire were happening at a more distance location.

“From day one, we’ve been supporting up from about eight to 10 aircraft each day,” said Quiz. “We’ve pumped about 900,000 gallons of retardant so far on this fire, so each day we’re putting out about 150,000 to 200,000 gallons of retardant a day. We’ve gotten in a pretty good tempo and a pretty good flow of moving aircraft around and getting them to the fire in a good, timely manner.”

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival regarding the announcement of the 2026 dates.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF) is pleased to announce the dates for the 32nd edition of the festival. The festival will run from April 23 through April 28, 2026.  The Opening Night Reception at the historic Fremont Theater will kick off the Festival on Thursday, April 23. It presents an opportunity to meet special guests, filmmakers, and major contributors.

Alongside its signature categories and competitions, the festival is launching two additions this year – an Episodic category and a special award recognizing the Best Genre/Horror Film.  Submissions are currently open in all categories including narrative features, short films, documentary features, and doc shorts, as well as episodic and horror.  SLOIFF is an Academy Award® Qualifying Festival for Documentary Shorts.

“We’re really excited to introduce our new Episodic program to the festival.  Over the last 10 years, the way we tell stories has changed, and we believe that in addition to traditional film formats, episodics have a place in our festival too. Adding this category creates a new opportunity for indie storytellers to showcase their work,” said San Luis Obispo International Film Festival Executive Director Skye McLennan. “We are also adding an award for ‘Best Genre/Horror.’ We have been testing the appetite for this category with our Red Eye Cinema programming over the last five years, and each year the demand for and the quality of the films has increased. We believe this is a trailblazing space in independent film – we want to encourage it and bring new works to our audiences.”

Highlights of the festival are the much-anticipated Surf Nite, as well as the Music Video Showcase.  Central Coast Filmmaker Showcase, Cal Poly Short Cuts, and Filmmakers of Tomorrow put a spotlight on local talent from California’s Central Coast and emerging youth filmmakers from around the world. Submissions are open through the end of November, please visit https://filmfreeway.com/slofilmfest for more details.  More information on the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival can be found at https://slofilmfest.org.

Editor’s Note:  For the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, an Episodic Series is defined as a fiction or non-fiction work designed for serialized, online, or broadcast storytelling. Creators may submit multiple episodes, provided the total runtime does not exceed 40 minutes, or a single episode up to 30 minutes in length. Both web-based series and traditional television episodes are eligible. Selected works will be featured as part of an episodic showcase, with final selections and episode choices determined by the festival’s programming team. Episodic submissions must be subtitled in English. 

ABOUT SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Celebrating its 32nd edition in 2026, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is a six-day annual event.  It showcases creative, diverse, and impactful works from around the world in a wide variety of venues, from the city’s classic art deco Fremont Theater to the SLO Film Center at the Palm Theatre.  Named to MovieMaker Magazine’s “25 Coolest Film Festivals” list, and USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers Choice Awards, the 2026 festival runs from April 23-28.  SLOIFF is an Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Qualifying Festival in the category of “Best Documentary Short”.

Ideally situated halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, with its laid-back vibe and serene natural beauty, is a picture-perfect setting for this highly regarded Central Coast film celebration. Filmmakers rave about the warmth and engagement that is so much a part of the SLO Int’l Film Festival experience, as do the industry pros and film critics who are fast discovering the fest’s thoughtful audiences and unique programming sensibility.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Scientists at UC Santa Barbara are using light in a new way to fight viruses.

Through a method known as optogenetics, researchers are able to activate the body’s natural stress response without damaging healthy cells.

In their lab, the team discovered dozens of new compounds that successfully blocked viruses such as Zika, RSV, and herpes. They believe these light-activated molecules could eventually lead to powerful, broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.

“My hope is to provide better medicines and cures for things like the next pandemic viruses, for which we don’t have treatments, and even things like age-related diseases and cancer,” said UCSB synthetic biologist Max Wilson.

The research is part of a larger effort to boost pandemic preparedness. While more testing is still needed, scientists say the early results are a hopeful step toward future treatments.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – About 250,000 acres in public lands could be preserved under a bill  proposed  by U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24).

Carbajal says he plans the reintroduction of his Central Coast Heritage Protection Act.  He claims it is in response to “recent attacks on federal environmental protections” from the Trump administration.

 The bill  designate approximately 250,000 acres of public land in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument as wilderness, the highest form of federal protection available.

Carbajal said it is, “the highest form of federal protection available. It also lays the foundation to create a 400-mile long Condor National Recreation Trail, stretching from Los Angeles to Monterey County.”

He said he was “angry and upset” at the thought of the area falling into the hands of excessive forest clearing or oil exploration drilling.

Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps said she enjoyed playing in the wilderness as a child, and still hikes regularly. “It’s where wildlife thrives. It’s where our water sources begin. And the Carrizo Plain, the largest remaining native grassland in California and one of the state’s most intact ecosystems. (It’s) home to 13 endangered species. “

What has elevated the concern is action coming from the Trump Admiinistration to open up areas for example, to clear forest land for fire prevention.    Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in June the administration is rescinding what is called  the 2001 Roadless Rule to open the lands up for the thinning of the forests and the overall health of the forests.”

Linda Castro with CalWild said, “one of the the biggest values that I see in this bill is protecting this for all of us to be able to access these places. They won’t be sold off, to be mined or logged.”

She also said, the Carrizo Plain could be at risk even though it is protected now.

.Protecting wilderness areas has had bipartisan support in this area dating back decades.

Bryant Baker with Forestwatch said, “the California Wilderness Bill, which was one of the largest wilderness bills in our state’s history, that was signed into law by Ronald Reagan when he was president in the 80s. So, wilderness protections have actually been bipartisan historically. ” He also went back to local Republican Congressman Robert Lagomarsino who supported wilderness protections about 40 years ago when he was in office.”

There’s  also an economic component to the bill as it relates to outdoor recreation.

 Linda Paladino is a director with Toad and Co. a sustainable outdoor clothing manufacturer based in Santa Barbara said, “as an outdoor industry business, we know firsthand that expanding public lands and wilderness designations is the foundation for a thriving outdoor, recreation based economy.” She said the outdoor and adventure lifestyle is ever growing and the public is buying clothing and supplies year-round. “We use our business voice for good by giving back to nonprofit organizations, being active members of our community, and advocating for expanded access and conservation to public lands.”

The bill would expand access to public spaces and Paladino said it “stimulates a vibrant local economy that benefits businesses like ours, as well as families throughout the Central Coast.”

Public lands are “the backbone of a $1.2 -trillion outdoor recreation industry, and in California, outdoor industry accounts for 2.1% of the overall GDP. That’s more than double that of agriculture,” she said.

There was also a reference the rich history of the forest land. Carbajal said, “this would protect not only, our species, it would protect the ecosystem as a whole, but also cultural resources.”

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara City Council received an update on the Paseo Nuevo redevelopment project Tuesday.

The proposal would add housing to the shopping area.

After a lengthy discussion and public comments council members voted unanimously in favor of staff recommendations to amend the project description in the agreement between the city and Paseo Propco LLC.

The council also voted in favor of a resolution declaring a city-owned parcel exempt surplus land allowing negotiations to create affordable housing.

The land is currently parking lot 2.

“We are excited that the council authorized us to move forward in the negotiation on this really transformative project for downtown Santa Barbara,” said City Administrator Kelly McAdoo, “We are excited for the initial concept, there’s obviously a lot of details to be worked out.”

The parties involved include investment firm Alliance Bernstein (AB) that own the mall’s ground leases.

Rather than demolish the current Paseo Nuevo, this plan includes more than 230 apartments in a 7-story building between State and Ortega and Chapala.

Council members shared concerns about the height before the vote.

It would also include 80 affordable apartments on the parking lot near Chapala Street and Canon Perdido.

Mayor Randy Rowse called that a miracle and said AB has the money to make it happen.

“The rising tide will lift all boats and that is exactly what will happen for all those businesses surrounding the downtown,” said Rowse. “So, we are excited about we are excited about the revitalization of State Street.”

Residents and visitors would also be able to shop at a new grocery store and fitness center in the plan.

The city is also considering tax related incentives.

The old Nordstrom, now owned by Shopoff, is not part of this project, but councilmembers would like AB to engage with the Shoppoff since the large building is a part of Paseo Nuevo.

“The momentum this project could offer downtown is really significant,” said Downtown Santa Barbara Executive Director Robin Elander.

Tours and public hearings will follow before any final votes are made.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Firefighters battling the Gifford Fire in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties are facing difficult weather conditions while out on the fire lines.

“Temperatures are very warm out there, 80s to mid 90s,” said Rich Thompson, National Weather Service Incident Meteorologist. “It’s very dry out there. Humidity is down to like, 15-to-20%, and they’re getting their usual canyon winds. They are out there in the terrain and getting those up canyon winds in the afternoon.”

Thompson, a 30-year veteran weather forecaster who is currently working at the Incident Command Post at the Santa Maria Elks Event Center, added conditions across the Gifford Fire location, which includes the two counties on both sides of Highway 166, are normal for this time of year.

“Really nothing out of the ordinary, just very typical early August conditions,” said Thompson. “Just very typical mid-to-early August conditions here for this part of  Southern California.”

While temperatures are high and humidities are low, the good news for now, according to Thompson has been the absence of high winds.

“There are really no significant winds,” said Thompson. “There are just those typical diurnal winds, so that’s one thing that’s in the favor, is that no extreme or out of the ordinary wind event. That being said, there still be some pretty gusty spots out there. Gusts like around 20, maybe even 25 miles per hour that can cause the fire to spread very quickly if it gets aligned with the wind and the topography.”

Looking ahead, Thompson is predicting an temperatures to rise over the next few days.

“We’re looking for a warming trend the next couple days,” said Thompson. “It looks like Thursday will be the warmest day of the next several. By Thursday, we will see temperatures widespread across the fire in the 90s, maybe even some low 100s in some lower elevation spots. With those warmer temperatures, Wednesday and Thursday is going to be drier, probably humidities at 10-to-15%.”  

As of Tuesday night, the Gifford Fire has grown to 83,933 acres, making it the largest fire in California this year, surpassing the nearby Madre Fire, which burned 80,779 acres along Highway 166 in July.

Containment on the fire rose on Tuesday to 9% and firefighters slowed its southern movement and made progress in constructing fire lines to the west.

There are nearly 2,300 personnel battling the Gifford Fire, which fire broke last Friday near the Gifford Trailhead.

The fire is burning about 15 miles northeast of Santa Maria and there are just under 900 structures that are listed as threatened.

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