Author: KEYT

Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Maria Valley Chamber, along with the Santa Barbara County Education Office, will hold the region’s annual “State of Education” event at Allan Hancock College on Tuesday afternoon.

Scheduled to take place from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the yearly gathering will bring educators from around Northern Santa Barbara County to discuss a number of academic-related topics, issues and updates.

The program will feature remarks from Hancock College Superintendent/President Kevin Walthers, as well as a moderated panel that includes superintendents from all of the schools districts in Santa Maria Valley.

During the panel discussions, school leaders will explore student success, workforce readiness, technology, mental health, and cross-sector collaboration efforts across the Santa Maria Valley.

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Mina Wahab

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Yolanda Yturralde is excited for students to get the help they need.

“This is an opportunity for older adults to finally receive services and not have to worry about insurance,” said Yturralde, who is the Mental Health Cancer at Santa Barbara City College’s Wake Center.

On both the Schott and Wake campuses students will be able to access free one-on-one sessions.

“The students who have come to see me, are just in shock that it’s free. They’re grateful and some have said that they’ve done some deep work that they hadn’t done in 25 years,” said Yturralde.

“If students don’t have insurance, particularly, an hour of, your counseling session could cost more than $100. And that is out of reach for many of our students,” saidthe School of Extended Learning’s Vice President and Assistant Superintendent Carola Smith.

Smith says the new services will help students identify roadblocks toward academic, career, relationship, and personal success.

“Oftentimes we see that our adult learners are kind of juggling many different responsibilities. They may have family responsibilities. They may oftentimes have different more than one job. so it’s really important to create a welcoming and nurturing environment so that they can succeed,” said Smith.

The services help with stress management skills, emotional support, and general life management skills.

“Therapy is for everyone. And I always tell people if they come in because of specific trauma and they resolve that, they usually go on to start to dream about how they want to make their life better. And we end up doing a few sessions just to expand on what’s already good. And sometimes people end up going in a totally different direction with their work or recreational or social and emotional issues,” said Yturralde.

Students can make an appointment by calling the school of extended learning mental health counseling.

“It’s just a way to expand your life and have more of what you want,” said Yturralde.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) Santa Barbara Police temporarily closed off De La Guerra St. between Vine and Laguna St to investigate after an SUV struck a female pedestrian and a few parked cars

It happened around 10:30 p.m. on Monday near Nona’s SB Italian Deli and apartments.

A young man, who said he was trying to stretch along the curb, was taken into custody, but it is not clear if he was involved in the crash.

Officers found the SUV on another nearby street near Canon Perdido St. and questioned witnesses nearby.

The pedestrian was taken to the hospital, but her condition has no been released.

Check back for more information as soon as it becomes available.

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Cal Poly could not hang onto a 4-3 lead and they dropped the series finale with Washington State 5-4. The two teams split the 4-game series.

The Cougars (3-4) tied the game at 4 in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI double by Luke Thiele and scored what proved to be the game-winner on an RBI ground out by Max Hartman in the 9th inning.

The Mustangs (4-3) erased a 3-1 deficit in the middle innings by getting a solo home run by freshman Gavin Spiridonoff which was his collegiate homer. They tied game in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Vinnie VanderVel and tookj the lead in the seventh inning when Dante Vachini raced home on a wild pitch.

Cal Poly stays at home and begins a 4-game home stand with USC starting Thursday night with first pitch at 6 p.m.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Double Athlete of the Week honors were handed out as there was no luncheon last week because of the Presidents’ Day.

Girls Athlete of the Week: Jules Horton, Santa Barbara High School water polo: She scored 9 goals and drew 10 exclusions leading the Dons to playoff victories over Edison and Temple City. She scored the winning goal in overtime at Edison.

Girls Athlete of the Week: Eden Wynne, Bishop Diego High School basketball: She totaled 29 points in two playoff wins to lead the Cardinals into Saturday’s CIF-Southern Section Division 5 championship game against Burroughs of Burbank.

Boys Athlete of the Week: Ethan Ono, Dos Pueblos High School wrestling: He went 5-0 to qualify fo the elite Master’s meet.

Boys Athlete of the Week: Luis Campos, San Marcos High School soccer: He scored 5 goals in three playoff games including a highlight-reel bicycle kick for a golden goal in overtime to beat Mountain View in the quarterfinals.

The Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award: Hazel Dugre, Carpinteria High School water polo and swimming: She has a 4.8 GPA and was complimented several times by her coaches for showing great character to her teammates and her opponents.

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Caleb Nguyen

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) – Fire crews rescued a boy from a house fire at the 100 block of Santa Paula Ave. in Oxnard just after 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

The VCFD and Oxnard fire crews helped the boy from the third story of the house and got him down from a ladder on the second story.

Paramedics evaluated the boy on scene and took him to the hospital out of caution for further treatment, according to the VCFD.

Both fire crews combined to knock the flames down just after 6:00 p.m. and no other person was hurt in the incident, according to the VCFD.

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Beth Farnsworth

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Downtown Santa Barbara will soon be home to one of the larger Electrify America DC Fast Charging hubs.

“20 charging stations are going in,” said Adam Prado, the project’s electrical foreman. “This is one of the bigger sites, it’s a great growing community. Great to see these going in all across California.”

The new stations are going in at the corner of Chapala and Carrillo Streets, at the site of the former Greyhound bus station, and will provide the fastest method of charging for electric vehicles (EV).

Work crew have spent the past four months on this Electrify America project. A pergola covered waiting area and landscaping are among final installations going in.

 Once complete, drivers will be able to enter and exit the property from both sides.

“Everyone’s excited. People walking by they say, ‘Wow!’ They’ve see this lot empty for so long and to see what they have become now, they’re really excited for it.”

Prado said ADA accessible parking will also be included.  

He was not able to give an exact opening date but said “soon.”

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Red lanterns and bright displays are welcoming visitors as Santa Barbara celebrates the Lunar New Year with culture, color and community connection.

At the Santa Barbara Public Library, a new exhibit is drawing families, students and longtime patrons alike.

The showcase features Chinese-language books alongside traditional decorations and cultural items that help explain the meaning behind the holiday — from symbols of luck and prosperity to the importance of gathering with loved ones.

For some visitors, it’s a chance to see their heritage reflected on the shelves.

For others, it’s an opportunity to better understand the traditions of neighbors and friends.

This year’s celebration also honors the Year of the Horse, a zodiac symbol associated with energy, strength and determination. Organizers say those themes resonate with a community that continues to grow more diverse and connected.

Beyond the exhibit, local festivities include cultural activities and family-friendly events designed to bring people together. Whether stopping by the library or attending a community gathering, residents are finding small but meaningful ways to ring in the new year.

As the celebrations continue, the message is clear: Lunar New Year is not just about turning the calendar — it’s about honoring heritage, sharing stories and welcoming a fresh start together.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Vandenberg held its first Mission Update last Friday evening.

The presentation contained a lot of information for the public.

Col. James Horne III says the physics of launches are literally being written during every mission.

He announced that launches will not be slowing down.

“You are witnessing the new space race,” the colonel said in his presentation.

But the impacts are being thoroughly studied.

For example, Brigham Young University physics professor Kent Gee heads the “ECOBOOM” research. 

He says 18 months of study have revealed a better understanding of sound and its effects on the environment.

“By collecting data on as many different types of rockets, by as many providers as possible, we’re learning,” says Gee. “We’re talking I’m making measurements of Vulcan, a New Glenn, of Falcon Nine, Falcon Heavy, of SLS, of Starship. All of these different rockets to try to piece together what might be going on.”

The area impacted by the heaviest and most audible vibrations from a sonic boom is referred to as the ‘footprint’ or ‘carpet.’

“Everyone from the Space Force to what’s known as the Defense Noise Working Group knew that noise from launches was going to be more of a concern,” says Gee.

Gee says sonic booms are similar to a boat’s wake in water, and they’re steered by weather conditions, particularly wind, making the determination of a carpet’s location unpredictable. 

“That focus that I talked about can move all the way from Santa Barbara, all the way to Oxnard, right?” says Gee. “That’s a huge, huge distance for the same trajectory. It’s the same launch, and it just the weather pushes it all over the place.”

During the Q & A, a community member asked about reimbursement for property damages due to launches, and Col. Horne’s assistant said people can file a claim.

Whoever files a claim would have to provide proof the particular vendor’s launch caused the damage, and the same technology used for this study could help make that determination.

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John Palminteri

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – The City of Goleta is reaching out to the public for solutions to homelessness, specifically concerning those living in their cars. They also have new outreach plans to help those in vehicles get into housing or safe parking areas.

A public meeting was held Monday on “People Living in Vehicles.”

Representatives with the City of Goleta and SB Act discussed the current status and heard public comments.

Landon Ranck with SB Act, an organization that coordinates homeless solutions, went through some of the outreach efforts on an ongoing basis and solutions coming in from a broad range of efforts.

This includes contact on the streets, reaching out to those in camps, cars and Rv’s.

Ranck says input from the public is very important. “It helps us to know where to direct the services so that we can make sure that we’re serving  the community or cleaning up where we need to.”

One new solution is a 24 unit project on Patterson and Highway 101 that is government assisted. It is called Patterson Point.

One unit is for a manager and the prequalifying for the other 23 is already underway for occupancy possibly at the end of March.

“Anytime a permanent housing opportunity like this opens  it means that more people are able to get out of the shelters and into permanent housing and them more people are able to get off  the streets as well and into shelters and  it is all about  creating that flow,” said Ranck.

The focus now is also  on camping in a vehicle in an unpermitted area.   It’s against the law in Goleta.

Goleta Homeless Coordinator Chuck Flacks said, “200 people at night are parking on the streets of Goleta. Of that only about 50 have agreed to homeless services.”

Efforts are underway to find out who is sleeping in their car, where and how often.

Flacks says, “it could be that they are working at local stores  or local businesses and they need somewhere to spend the night  because their family is in Santa Maria or their family is in Ventura so the county is conducting a study.”

The city already had signs that ban oversized vehicles in certain areas. They will add signs that indicate camping in cars is also not allowed.

Citations are being prepared and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department will be enforcing the new rules.

There is a permitted program through New Beginnings that has been successful. More approved areas for overnight car camping is being discussed.

The City of Goleta also has information on their website that can be found here.

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