Author: KEYT

Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – San Luis Obispo Police arrested a 20-year-old on Thursday after 9:30 p.m. for a felony hit and run at the 100 block of Crandall Way.

The driver didn’t stop after hitting two 20-year-old women who crossed the street, leaving both with major, but non-life-threatening injuries, according to the SLOPD.

Both women received medical care at a local hospital and SLOPD investigators later closed the road for further details into the crash.

Eyewitnesses described the suspect car as a dark gray Tesla Model 3 and SLOPD found the vehicle at the 3000 block of McCollum.

SLOPD officers then arrested the 20-year-old driver on two counts of felony hit and run and booked him into the SLO County Jail.

The crash remains under investigation, and those with more information are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at the following number.

Click here to follow the original article.

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Former Vice President Kamala Harris made an unexpected appearance in Santa Barbara to help mark a historic milestone for California politics.

State Senator Monique Limón was sworn in as Senate President pro Tempore during a district ceremony at the Marjorie Luke Theatre—becoming the first mother and the first Latina to lead the California State Senate.

The ceremony drew a packed crowd, along with local leaders and performers celebrating Limón’s achievement. But the room erupted when Harris took the stage as a surprise guest, praising Limón’s leadership and calling her rise a defining moment for the state.

Limón, who represents Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, said her new role is focused on lifting up working families and expanding opportunity across California.

Elected by her colleagues last month, Limón now steps into one of the most powerful positions in state government.

Click here to follow the original article.

Dave Alley

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) – A pair of Highway 101 ramps in Arroyo Grande will close this weekend due to a construction project that will last one week.

The Grande Avenue onramp and Fair Oaks Avenue off-ramp will shutdown to all traffic beginning on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.

The two ramps are heavily used each day, especially due to their close proximity to the city’s historic Village and Arroyo Grande High School.

The closure is expected to create a significant traffic impact in the vicinity of the project and through the surrounding area.

Those who are driving into the area are asked to plan alternate routes and allow extra travel time.

Caltrans is suggesting travelers needing to access the areas near the ramps while traveling southbound on Highway 101 should use either the Halcyon Road or Grand Avenue exits to reach Fair Oaks Avenue.

The ramp closures are part of a $32 million in infrastructure improvement project on Highway 101 through the Pismo Beach-Nipomo corridor.

According to Caltrans, work is being done to rehabilitate pavement and drainage systems, designate bikeways with pavement delineation, and enhance highway worker safety.

The two ramps are scheduled to reopen to the public on Monday, Jan. 19 at 6 a.m.

Click here to follow the original article.

John Palminteri

MONTECITO, Calif. (KEYT) – Eight years after the deadly Montecito debris flow residents are remembering that shocking morning but also the community’s ability to come back.

23 lives were lost in the tragedy.

Many others were injured by the violence of the cascading waters full of boulders, tree and, everything else that had broken away from the nearby foothills to the ocean.

The debris flow was preceded by the Thomas Fire which wiped out vegetation on the hills for miles.

Then, the pounding and intense rains produced erosion that send destruction down several creeks.

Residents in the area recall either being caught up in the tragedy or knowing someone who died.

As part of a ceremonial remembrance, candles will be brought out, one for each victim, and their names will be read and a bell will be rung.

A searchlight will illuminated the sky with a blue beam in their remembrance.

The Raise our Light ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. at Montecito Union School. It is open to the public.

It will also be streaming on KEYT.com.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Applications are being accepted for the spring course of Santa Maria’s Community Police Academy.

This is a class for civilians.

It’s been running for three decades now, and it’s open to all community members.

Every Thursday evening at 6:30 for 8 weeks starting February 19th, Santa Maria police officers engage with community members at the station on Betteravia, giving them an inside perspective on their job.

“It’s a non formal interaction that we get to just kind of be ourselves, talk,” says Sgt. Oscar Corral of Santa Maria Police Department. “That’s what makes it really rewarding is we get to hear their perspective, and teach them what we do, and hear from them. Concerns, questions or just, you know, something they’ve learned throughout the academy.”

Active duty instructors say a wide range of subjects is covered in the class, including law enforcement philosophy, various methods and procedures, as well as how the department is structured.

“What we’ve done in the past, and that’s also received good feedback is we’ll do scenarios,” says Sgt. Corral. “So we’ll have actors act out what a typical like crime would be here in the city and we have our participants basically be in the shoes of the officers and go through the steps that need to be done after learning what an officer does.”

The academy scenarios provide insight into criminal law, traffic, patrol routines, investigation protocols, in addition to the nuances of narcotic and gang enforcement.

“It has made me more aware of my surroundings,” says Connie Kruse, who lives in Santa Maria and has taken the course. “My eyes have been opened to when you’re out and about and things that are happening, I can look back and think, I think I know what they’re doing now.”

Community members who have taken the course say

that, even if there was a sign-up fee, it would be worth paying for.

“I think one of my favorite ones was standing right out here and using the radar gun, able to see how fast people were flying by,” says Kruse. “Also, you were able to see what a person who’s intoxicated—they’d have you walk on the line and you would wear the goggles, which showed just how you know how bad it can be.”

The course is free, and you can sign up for the class by scanning the QR code you see on their flyers and social media pages.

Graduates of the class say they gained a greater understanding of police work, and better relationships with the men and women in uniform.

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With The Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.

Click here to follow the original article.

News Channel 3-12

MONTECITO, Calif. (KEYT) – On Friday evening, the community is invited to “raise their light” as we recognize eight years since the January 9th Debris Flow to took the lives of 23 people in 2018.

The commemorative event will take place on Friday at 6:00pm at Montecito Union School. The event will consist of speakers, reading of the names of the 23 people lost, and a bell ringing.

A searchlight will be illuminated as a beacon of community support and solidarity from Montecito Union School.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

High School Boys Soccer:

San Marcos 2, Dos Pueblos 0

(Luis Campos scores on PK in 16th minute. Entenza Design). Yael Solano also scored in the first half for San Marcos who lead the Channel League at 4-1-1.

Ventura 2, Santa Barbara 1

Oxnard 1, Rio Mesa 0

High School Girls Soccer:

Dos Pueblos 2, San Marcos 0

Paige Ferro and Taylor Offner scored as the Chargers improve to 5-1 in the Channel League.

Ventura 1, Santa Barbara 0

Coast Union 3, Bishop Diego 0

Click here to follow the original article.

Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Miro Little is back but UCSB did not return to the win column.

The slumping Gauchos lost at home to UC Davis 93-86 as their Big West losing streak reaches three games.

UCSB is 2-3 in league and just 9-7 overall after losing for the fifth time in the past six games.

Starting point guard Miro Little returned after missing six games due to a foot injury. He scored a game-high 20 points but offense is not the problem with UCSB.

“We have an issue with defense and a bunch of guys that just like to think about offense,” said Gauchos head coach Joe Pasternack. “When you give up 93 points, you won’t beat anyone. We are going through a rough stretch and battling some adversity. During this time, you really figure out who is in your corner.”

UCSB jumped out to a 25-7 lead on the strength of sizzling three-point shooting.

The Gauchos made 9 first half three-pointers on 14 attempts but led just 47-43.

UCSB cooled off in the second half making just 3 of their 10 attempts from beyond the arc.

UC Davis shot 51.7% from the floor and outrebounded the Gauchos 33-26.

The Aggies (2-2 in the Big West) had six players score in double-figures led by Nils Cooper who had 19 points.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – It was a classic crosstown rivalry game.

Lily Ruvalcaba snapped a tie game with putback bucket with just over one minute to play and teammate Janelle Capuno forced Carly Letendre into an off-balance heave in the final seconds as San Marcos held off Dos Pueblos.

The thrilling 55-53 win was the Royals first over their rival since the 2022-’23 season.

Both teams are now 3-2 in the Channel League.

Jada Ahmad led the Royals with 20 points hitting four 3-pointers.

(Ahmad scores to put Royals up by 4 with three minutes left. Entenza Design).

San Marcos also controlled the paint with Izzy Schow and Ruvalcaba each recording double-doubles.

Schow had 13 points and 15 rebounds while Ruvalcaba had 13 points with 10 rebounds as the Royals improved to 9-5 overall.

DP trailed 46-38 entering the fourth quarter but Kindah Ahmad-Reda brought the Chargers back with three 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter. She finished with 20 points.

Letendre is DP’s all-time leading scorer but she was in foul trouble and was held to 12 points.

The senior guard did tie the game at 53 with a driving layup with just under 1:30 to play.

But the Royals size made the difference on the game-winning two points. Off a missed three-point attempt, Selena Valencia batted the ball and was grabbed by Ruvalcaba near the hoop and when she scored the students in the crowd erupted.

On the game’s final play Capuno, who is terrific as rushing the quarterback for the Royals flag football team, fought through a pick, even falling down for a brief second, before hopping up to smother Letendre.

The Royals grabbed the rebound and celebrated a hard fought victory.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mike Klan

DAVIS, Calif. (KEYT) – UC Santa Barbara Women’s Basketball took down UC Davis on its home turf tonight and will head back home with a 55-47 conference win under its belt.

The victory is Head Coach Renee Jimenez’ 300th career win and 29th at UC Santa Barbara. With the triumph, the Gauchos overtake UC Davis in the Big West rankings and slide into third place, remaining just behind UC Irvine and UC San Diego.

FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ”Davis is always a tough place to win, they are a good team and well coached, we knew this was going to be a grind it out type game. I’m proud of our guys for how they responded, especially on the glass and on the defensive end,” Jimenez said. “We talked all week about rebounding, finishing possessions and playing with physicality, and the players took that personally. They were communicating and trusting each other. When we defend and rebound like that, it gives us a chance to be really good and win a lot of games. We stayed together, trusted the game plan, and made plays when it mattered.”

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe opponents traded a couple of initial baskets before UC Davis got off to an early 11-5 lead. In response, Zoe Borter got to work and made three layups in a row to bring the Gauchos up to 11 themselves. The first period closed out at 13-13 and left both teams with the opportunity to grab the next lead.

The Gauchos immediately made six consecutive points to start the second, to which the Aggies replied with four of their own. Santa Barbara was already too far ahead, however, and they made ten more points to finish the half 29-24.

The third period saw the lowest scoring counts yet, with the Gauchos only making 11 and the Aggies only 10. Four of the five Gaucho buckets went in as layups while a shining three-pointer by Zoe Shaw served as the fifth. The Blue and Gold went into the final stage of the game ahead at 40-31.

The Gauchos did not falter in the fourth quarter, as they supplemented their score with 15 more points. Already ahead by six at 49-43, Santa Barbara secured six more points in the form of free throws. Davis’ Megan Norris put in two more layups before the game was through, but it was not enough to overcome the Gaucho heading. Santa Barbara clinched the 55-47 point win.

Borter shot 17 points to lead the Gauchos in scoring for the sixth game this season and score double digits for the tenth game in a row. Júlia Puente-Valverde and Olivia Bradley had nearly identical category totals, with both forwards notching ten points and nine rebounds. Puente-Valverde led steals, however, with three while Bradley led assists with three.

Skylar Burke made a pair of driving layups and ran the engine of the Gaucho defense, nabbing eight defensive rebounds to led the squad in the stat.

The Gauchos struggled with three pointers more than usual, only sinking three of their attempts. However, their 10 free throws and superior field goal percentage carried them to the win over the Aggies.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos will be back in action on Jan. 15, when they wil host Cal State Bakersfield at 6:00

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics)

Click here to follow the original article.