Author: KEYT

Alissa Orozco

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – Yet another bear has been spotted Thursday morning in the Goleta/Isla Vista area. Your News Channel received reports of a small bear around walking paths of Isla Vista Elementary, and later near the Devereux Slough.

Employees of Isla Vista Elementary School were notified of a bear walking around behind the school, and were encouraged to take alternative walking paths.

“An email was sent by a neighbor that they got a message from the IV school saying that a bear had been sighted by the red barn and you probably don’t want to walk your kids to school through the path that cuts from our housing complex to the school,” said Isla Vista resident Janet Head.

It was seen a little while later about a mile away at the Devereux Slough.

This comes weeks after a series of bear sightings beginning in Goleta were reported. The county was on “bear watch” as the bear seemed to be traveling south through residential Goleta neighborhoods, Santa Barbara beaches, and UC Santa Barbara apartments and campus.

The body of a bear was found on Highway 101 southbound of Padaro Lane in Summerland in April. It was unknown if the body found was the same bear spotted throughout the county.

Your Newschannel was also sent video on April 29th of a bear near Highway 154.

A video shows the bear walking around nearby horse stables in a popular jogging area of UC Santa Barbara’s West Campus on Thursday.

In a statement released to parents, Isla Vista Elementary says animal control and police were notified, and will implement precautionary measures during today’s dismissal.

We’re also told police stood by the school to monitor the area as school got out on Thursday.

Anyone who sees the bear is urged to call law enforcement and report it to the Department of Fish and Wildlife under their online Wildlife Incident Reporting System.

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Dave Alley

LOMPOC, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Fire Department is holding a series of live fire drills this week during the final few days of a training program for a group of firefighter recruits.

On Thursday, recruits are completing a two-day training session at the Public Safety Training Complex on the Allan Hancock College Lompoc Valley Center.

The drills in Lompoc follows a one-day training session on Monday at the nearby Burton Mesa Training Center.

All of the training is part of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s Firefighter Recruit Academy, a rigorous 20-week course that teaches recruits required firefighting and life-saving skills.

The Firefighter Recruit Academy currently has 17 recruits, which are firefighters who have been hired by department, but must complete a required training program in order to officially begin work with the department.

Graduation for the recruits will take place later this month.

Following graduation ceremonies, the recruits will begin their new positions on probation status at various stations within the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

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KION546

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) — Salinas Police say Natividad Road is back open after a crash on Wednesday that left thousands without power.

As of Thursday morning, PG&E is reporting around 500 people are still without power along the edge of Natividad Road.

The road closure initially stretched from Saratoga to Boronda Road.

PG&E says power is expected to be restored around 9 am.

Highway 101 back open, thousands still without power in Monterey County

Power has been restored for thousands as of Wednesday night, but there are still just over 2,700 homes without power late on Wednesday, power restoration currently set for just past midnight.

Neighbors say that Natividad road is a dangerous one, with this far from the first time powerlines have been brought down by a bad driver. One local living in the home underneath the fallen pole says that before she bought the home, a powerline had fallen into the home’s backyard. Many now wondering what it will take for the city to take action to improve traffic safety on Natividad Road.

Highway 101 has reopened in both directions at North Main Street in Salinas.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Numerous power outages throughout Monterey County have left thousands without power after a car impacted transmission lines near Highway 101.

According to PG&E, a car driving near North Main Street and Highway 101 hit transmission lines, causing a small fire nearby. That fire has since been put out.

PG&E is on scene assessing the damage wth Highway 101 shut down in both directions.

Transmission lines are larger lines that connect and power other communities, such as Carmel Valley. Power lines only affect portions of cities and towns near those power poles.

According to PG&E’s outage map, more than 17,000 people are without power in Monterey as of 3:10 p.m.

Parts along the coast from Andrew Molera State Park down to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park are without power, along with Carmel Valley and near Fort Ord National Monument.

There is no estimated time of restoration.

Another part of Salinas is also without power near Creekbridge and Natividad Road. The estimated restoration time of that area is expected to be 5:45 p.m.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Benicio Duarte had 11 kills and Luke Zuffelato added 10 kills as Santa Barbara swept Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks 3-0 in a CIF-SS Division 4 quarterfinal match.

The visiting Knights led 14-8 in the first set but the Dons ran off 9 straight points with Jack Goligoski at the service line.

Santa Barbara won the first set 25-19 and cruised from there winning the second set 25-13 and closing it out in three 25-21.

The Dons play at Santiago of Corona on Saturday in the semifinals.

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Mike Klan

GOLETA, Calif. – A balanced attack, strong goalie play and playoff experience helped Dos Pueblos hang on to beat Huntington Beach 11-8 in a CIF-Southern Section Division 2 home quarterfinal game.

DP will host Oaks Christian in a semifinal on Saturday in a time yet to be announced.

The Chargers led 10-5 early in the fourth quarter on a goal by Orion Prewarski.

But the visiting Oilers scored three quick goals to pull within 10-8 with more than seven minutes left in the game.

But Chargers goalie Danny Perez made a couple of his 11 saves in the game to keep it a two-goal lead.

DP added a big goal with under 2:30 left as Parker Bentley raced by his defender and scored from point-blank range for the final score of the game.

Jack Finneran scored all of his team-leading 3 goals in the first half as the Chargers built up a 6-2 lead at the break.

Dan Finneran, Gus Miller, Bentley and Prewarski all added two goals for a Chargers team that improved to 20-0 on the season.

The Chargers lost in last year’s semifinal and this year’s group led by 17 seniors are determine to finish the job in 2025.

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Mike Klan

FULLERTON, Calif. – After dropping their first game of The Big West Championships the UC Santa Barbara Softball team (29-24, 17-10 Big West) bounced back in a big way. The Gauchos plated eight runs on a season-high 15 hits to advance in the elimination bracket of the championships.

GAME ONE: GAUCHOS 4, TRITONS 6Both teams worked a clean first inning to start the game, and Malaya Johnson stranded a leadoff double in the top of the second. After a great diving catch from UC San Diego’s center fielder, the Gauchos then left the bases loaded, keeping the game scoreless through two.

In the third, three singles gave UC San Diego a 1-0 lead. With two outs and nobody on in the fourth, an unsuccessfully-challenged hit by pitch and walk extended the inning for an RBI single that doubled the Tritons’ lead.

The Tritons continued to add to their lead in the fifth. A leadoff double, sacrifice bunt, and sacrifice fly pushed across their third run. Johnson then earned a strikeout, but the inning continued due to a wild pitch dropped third strike. Another double, followed by a single, added two more runs, and suddenly it was 5-0 San Diego.

The game was not over, though. The Gauchos took advantage of a leadoff walk and error in the bottom of the sixth, when Alexa Sams’ RBI single ended the shutout. After the second out, Delaina Ma’ae drilled a clutch three-run homer to left center, making it a 5-4 game.

To begin the seventh, the Tritons tacked on an insurance run via a single, walk, and run-scoring error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. However, despite there being runners on second and third and nobody out, Sam Stoll got out of the inning without any further damage, and the Gauchos were chasing two—down 6-4—into their final frame. Unfortunately for Santa Barbara, they went three up, three down to end the game.

GAME TWO: GAUCHOS 8, BEACH 0 (6 INN.)UC Santa Barbara took an early lead against the Beach, opening the first inning with two runs. Jazzy Santos singled and was eventually driven in by Bella Fuentes’s double, while Alexa Sams’ single brought Fuentes home, putting UC Santa Barbara ahead 2–0 after the first inning.

In the second inning, UC Santa Barbara extended their advantage with another two runs. Elicia Acosta tripled and, after a double play, Mendoza singled and was brought home by Santos’ two-run homer. This gave UC Santa Barbara a 4–0 lead.

The fourth inning saw UC Santa Barbara adding two more runs to their tally. Delaina Ma’ae’s double followed by Santos’ RBI single brought in one run, and Tehya Banks’s single drove in another, increasing the lead to 6–0.

UC Santa Barbara continued their scoring in the sixth inning with two additional runs. Santos and Giselle Mejia both got hits to start the inning, and after a couple of outs, Sams singled to bring home both runners, solidifying an 8–0 lead and ending the game via run-rule.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos will play in another elimination game tomorrow at 7 p.m. and await the loser of game one on the day between the No. 1 seed Cal State Fullerton and No. 5 seed Hawai’i.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –

CIF-SS Boys Lacrosse Quarterfinal:

Division 2:

Dos Pueblos 11, Huntington Beach 8

Oaks Christian 11, Village Christian 9

(OC at DP on Saturday TBA in semifinal)

CIF-SS Boys Volleyball Quarterfinal:

Division 4:

Santa Barbara 3, Notre Dame/SO

Santiago Corona 3, Westlake 2

(SB at Corona Santiago on Saturday in semifinal)

Crean Lutheran 3, Dos Pueblos 1

Division 6:

Laguna Blanca 3, Pacifica Christian/OC 1 (LB at El Toro on Saturday in semifinal)

Division 8:

Desert Christian/L 3, Carpinteria 1

Wildwood 3, Channel Islands 1

CIF-SS Boys Tennis First Round:

Division 2:

Palm Desert 10, Santa Barbara 8

Crean Lutheran 13, Camarillo 5

Oaks Christian 10, Walnut 8

Division 3:

Cate 12, Burroughs/B 6

Agoura 13, La Serna 5

La Canada 11, Newbury Park 7

San Marcos 18, Fairmont Prep 0 (forfeit)

Division 4:

Dos Pueblos 12, Golden Valley 6

Oakwood 9, Simi Valley 9 (Oakwood advances on games)

Foothill Tech 12, Quartz Hill 6

Division 5:

Thacher 16, Kaiser 2

Laguna Blanca 9, Liberty 9 (Laguna advances on games)

Division 6:

Carpinteria 11, Jarupa Valley 7

Ventura 12, Indio 6

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – La Casa de la Raza is facing at least seven noise complaints dating back to October.

Located on Santa Barbara’s Eastside, across from the East Beach Collection at Calle Cesar Chavez and Montecito streets, La Casa de la Raza has drawn criticism from neighbors over loud events.

A majority of the complaints come from one condo owner and resident who prefers to remain anonymous. He said neighbors have documented 70 incidents of excessive noise since 2022. He also shared video recordings capturing the timing and sound levels from his unit.

According to the city’s municipal code, noise is limited to 60 decibels (dB) at the property line.

Longtime La Casa de la Raza volunteer manager Jacqui Inda said she and several colleagues are scheduled to appear in court in July to respond to misdemeanor complaints.

“We’ve had numerous complaints related to weddings and baptisms. People are in the middle of services or dinner at 5 p.m., and we have police officers show up due to the activity inside the building,” said Inda. “We also have Zumba classes interrupted almost weekly. We feel the pressure of protecting our community, and this is a safe space for people that is now being harassed.”

La Casa de la Raza is known for hosting fundraising concerts, including performances by high-profile artists. The Red Hot Chili Peppers played on its indoor stage in 1984, and The Temptations performed there in December.

Concerts are a key source of funding for the nonprofit, which has struggled financially. Leaders hope to secure an angel donor to help purchase the building and preserve its role as a community center.

The neighbor insists his complaints are not politically motivated, but some La Casa de la Raza donors and volunteers are skeptical. They’ve noted a political parody sticker on his vehicle and believe some condo buyers may have received a discount for living near the community center.

Inda and other volunteers plan to bring their concerns before the City Council during public comment on Tuesday. They have also contacted their district representative, Councilmember Wendy Santamaria.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A renovation plan is beginning next week to transform the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Film Center into a state-at-the art theatre.

SBIFF acquired the lease of the former Fiesta Five theatre back in October, and its temporary operations are coming to an end this weekend.

SBIFF Executive Director, Roger Durling, spoke with your News Channel for a detailed look at the renovation plans for the Film Center. He says the project is in the funding process, but the work will begin to meet deadline by this year’s holiday movie season.

In his personal tour, Durling gave a guide through images of both the entrance and lobby.

“The marquee will have the DNA that it has there, but we’re going to spruce it up and make it far more exciting,” said Durling. “If you recall the movie palaces, they create this excitement with, you know, the light bulbs up above the grand marquee and a tremendous entrance that was very inviting and adding to the excitement of going to the movies.”

“It’s going to look very, thrilling to arrive to the space. And we’re going to have this tiles on the floor that are going to have, a recall, like a red carpet.”

Structural plans include a wheelchair ramp – making it accessible to the entire community.

It will also be the prime location for the Film Festival taking place in February 2026 with the best equipment and seats. As well as plans to host educational programs and art exhibitions.

“We’re not trying to compete with the Granada and or the Arlington, the Lobero. This will be solely dedicated to movies, but it would I want it, we want it to be the premier movie going experience.”

“I feel that people are clamoring to go to the movies. I do feel strongly that you got to make the experience very exciting. You have to provide state of the art, and, the quality and, comfortable and exciting programing.”

Renderings for the film center have been released and are going through the review of the Historic Landmarks Commission.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – May 7 is the official date Real ID’s are required.

“In California as of may 1st, over 19 million Californians had upgraded to a real ID. That’s about 58%.” said Eva Spiegel, Deputy Director in Public Affairs at DMV.

The date has been extended several times due to COVID-19 and logistics issues, but moving forward a real ID or a passport as well as enhanced ID cards will be acceptable.

At the Santa Barbara airport Wednesday, it was smooth sailing as the requirement for real ID’s went into effect.

“Here at the Santa Barbara airport, we’ve been seeing great compliance,” said Angi Daus, Santa Barbara airport Marketing Supervisor. “We’ve had very few individuals who had come to the check point and did not have a real ID and TSA has worked with them seamlessly and easily to make sure that they have the proper security compliance to be able to fly.”

The real ID is federally mandated to create security consistency through out the United States.

“The process was very easy,” said Robert Scott Jr., who was traveling to Louisiana. “I went in and had all of my paper work and I was able to get it very quickly and I’ve been traveling with it ever since.”

The TSA says that prior to Wednesday’s deadline, about 81% of all passengers already used a real ID or another acceptable form of identification.

“There has been a rush, we’ve been extra busy, but people are getting processed and they’re getting their real id applications through,” said Spiegel.

To apply for a real ID visit their website.

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