Category: keyt-local-news

Caleb Nguyen

NIPOMO, Calif. – Two people died in a three-car crash just before 6:30 p.m. Monday at Orchard and Cherry Blossom in Nipomo, according to CAL Fire SLO.

The San Luis Obispo CHP confirmed Tuesday afternoon that 70-year-old Fernando Contreras of Santa Maria and 49-year-old Darlene Leticia Scruggs of Nipomo died in the accident.

Contreras, for an unknown reason, drove his Chevy directly into the path of Scruggs’ RAV 4 traveling northbound on Orchard Road with another 63-year-old Nipomo man in a BMW behind Scruggs, according to the SLO CHP.

Contreras rolled over in his Chevy and crashed into the BMW as it rolled, before the car rolled over on its side near a dirt area east of the roadway, according to the SLO CHP.

Scruggs’ car got pushed off the road onto a dirt path west of the roadway and the 63-year-old’s BMW came to rest in the northbound lane of Orchard Road following impact, detailed the SLO CHP.

Contreras is believed to have traveled the wrong way at an unknown high speed before the crash due to the severe damage on all three cars, according to the SLO CHP.

Both Contreras and Scruggs were pronounced dead at the scene due to their injuries and it is unknown if drugs or alcohol are factors in the crash, detailed the SLO CHP.

Both lanes were closed on Orchard Road due to the accident, according to CAL Fire SLO.

The crash remains under investigation and those with information are asked to contact the SLO CHP.

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Jarrod Zinn

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – An infusion of grant money is bolstering Cuesta College’s well-regarded nursing program.

The program is among 55 institutions across the state to receive the “Rebuilding Nursing Infrastructure” grant.

“We’re working hard here to to create and help new nurses out in the field. And that’s going to, in turn, help our hospital partners as well,” says Rick Staley, full-time faculty at the Cuesta College R.N. program.

The Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office made the selections based on results from the National Certification and Licensure Exam, or “NCLEX.”

“I’m really looking forward to having a simulation technician as part of the grant. Simulation takes a lot of preparation and a lot of setup, and our current faculty really haven’t had the time to do that with all of our other responsibilities,” says Staley.

The grant is worth $623,000.

“Here in the simulation lab, our teachers like to get a little creative, so they tend to give us a little harder time than we actually see in the hospital. They do tend to get us out of our comfort zone and this is a safe place for us. So, you know, we get to ask questions, we get to clarify things. We do tend to gain more confidence here,” says Valerie Farias, a first-year R.N. student at Cuesta.

This money will support the program’s R.N. accreditation, bolstering of L.V.N. to R.N. pathways, digital & multilingual textbooks, and expansion of current programs to assist in retention and completion.

“They really do make this a really successful program for all students,” says Farias.

Cuesta College’s NCLEX pass rate is reported by the Board of Registered Nursing at 100%, surpassing both state and national averages.

“In the area of equity, especially this is going to offer them iPads and access to things that maybe they haven’t had before. So I’m excited for that for students,” says Staley.

The college will be leveraging this grant with other private and public donations and investments.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – SLO Food Bank is preparing to handle significant reductions in state and federal funding just as the need for its services is reaching unprecedented levels.

“At the same time we’re facing historically high food prices, a historically high number of people are coming to the SLO Food Bank in need of nutritious support,” said SLO Food Bank CEO Molly Kern. “We’re experiencing cuts from our partners at the federal and state government for funding and food that we used to get to distribute.”

SLO Food Bank reports since fall 2024, it is serving on average 45,000 people monthly, which is a higher average than it experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re seeing need increase every month,” said Savannah Colevans, SLO Food Bank Communications Senior Manager. “More and more people are needing our services. Food is expensive, living is expensive, and so people more and more are turning to the Food Bank to create a little bit of extra room in their budget. It is really dire right now.”

Now, as the need for its services grows, SLO Food Bank is facing cuts and reductions to its government funding sources that it says will reach above seven figures.

“Historically, food banks have had a great partner in the federal government,” said Kern. “It’s been bipartisan, supported programs that have allowed us to make sure that American grown, raised and made food gets to our neighbors who are most in need, but that has been changing, and so as we look to the coming year, we are preparing to serve more people at a time when food is even more expensive, with less support from our federal partners.”

According to the SLO Food Bank, it is looking at an annual loss of $600,000 from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA).

“The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program has really been a game changer,” said Kern. “It allows us to get beautiful locally grown fresh produce from some small farmers in the area, which is something that we’re not always able to do because usually we’re ordering on such a large scale in order to be able to get great prices. We’re just not able to purchase from small farms in smaller quantities, but this program has allowed us to do that, and it has been met with such incredible enthusiasm from the people we serve, but also from the farmers who are partnering with who are so proud to be able to be part of feeding their neighbors while also investing in their businesses, growing their economic impact for their local community at the same time.”

SLO Food Bank is also facing a $400,000 cut from CalFood Funding.

“CalFood is a program through the State of California that really does a similar thing to LFPA,” said Kern. “CalFood helps us buy California grown, raised, and produced products. It was one of our largest grants to be able to buy California made food. We often times used it to buy more locally or regionally sourced food. We get amazing tortillas from Santa Maria. We work with regional partners to get beautiful produce. It is the grant that allowed us for much of this year to be able to have things like milk and eggs, even when eggs were expensive. It allows us to get beautiful fresh produce, things like onions, chilies, potatoes, lettuce, lots of different kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables that each of us need to have a healthy, nourished life. We’re supported by this program, and the $400,000 a year cut is definitely going to be felt by our community in San Luis Obispo.”

Another financial hurdle to clear for SLO Food Bank is a potential 20% reduction in financial support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).

“All of the food that you see behind me right now is sourced through the USDA, through a program called the Emergency Food Assistance Program,” said Kern, while speaking inside the SLO Food Bank warehouse. “It is a phenomenal program that connects food producers with food banks throughout the country, and also provides us with additional funding to make sure that we’re reaching our most rural neighbors, and so in San Luis Obispo County, that is really to the east of our county that’s so important., and also north and south, where our drive time, and sometimes even the time away from any grocery store is more than 60 minutes. This program has really enabled us to make sure that we are serving the most vulnerable and most isolated community members.”

Despite the looming cuts, SLO Food Bank leadership is expressing confidence it can weather the financial storm due in large part to the fact that less than half of its operational budget, just 30 percent comes comes from the government.

“At the SLO Food Bank, we can turn every dollar into four nutritious meals for our neighbors facing hunger,” said Kern. “We can do that through a number of different ways and we do it because more than 70% of our operating budget comes from local people and businesses who want to be part of our mission, and that makes us incredibly resilient to changes in government leadership and different priorities. While we have so valued and would love to continue these partnerships, we have an amazing community that has already stepped up to make sure that we can continue to do the work we do, regardless of what happens.”

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. –  A draft strategic plan to reduce fuels in the Los Padres National Forest and help firefighting efforts has been prepared. The public can review it and comment starting later this week.

It is called the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project (WRRP). It covers a wide area including the Monterey, Mt. Pinos, Santa Lucia, and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts. That includes Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties.

The draft evaluates the environmental effects of this proposed fuels reduction and forest health project.

It proposes vegetation treatments on approximately 90,796 acres of National Forest Service lands administered by Los Padres National Forest (LPNF). The LPNF says that includes mechanical thinning, hand thinning, chipping and grinding, piling and burning, mastication, mowing and weed-whipping, prescribed fire, targeted grazing, and planting and seeding which may limit public access while work is being done. 

Up to 10,000 acres of treatments on average would be implemented annually over multiple years. The plan is to give firefighters fuelbreaks and defense zones while improving conditions for vegetation resilience.

“We’re trying to be prepared so that when a fire happens in an area we can give firefighters and communities a change to be effective and be able to quickly and effectively put out the fire and reduce the risk of catastrophic effects,” said the Deputy Director of the Los Padres National Forest Jeanne Dawson.

Forest officials say it will also  and protect the health of forest.

The Los Padres Forestwatch Group has been studying the plan and will have a detailed comment. Monday Benjamin Pitterle with the organization said, “reducing wildfire risk is a laudable goal, but this proposal puts roadless areas, endangered species habitat, and sacred tribal sites at risk. It distracts from real solutions by relying on outdated strategies that are ineffective at protecting forests and communities when it matters most—during wind-driven wildfires.” The group wants more funding and attention towards home hardening, fire prevention efforts and fire education for the public.

There have been informational meetings and the comment period is taking place between May 2th – June 2th.”We’ve taken a lot of the best available science out there and taken a lot of stakeholder input  and pulled it together  to have a pretty comprehensive project and we just want to get input from the public,” said Dawson.    

More information can be found at the project website:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/lpnf/landmanagement/projects.

A press statement from the National Forest Service reads:

Los Padres National Forest releases draft WildfireRisk Reduction Project Environmental Assessment

SOLVANG, Calif., April 17, 2025 — Los Padres National Forest officials released the draft EnvironmentalAssessment (EA) for the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project (WRRP) on the Forest’s Monterey, Mt. Pinos, SantaLucia and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts. The draft EA evaluates the environmental effects of this proposedfuels reduction and forest health project.The Forest is proposing a series of vegetation treatments on approximately 90,796 acres of National ForestService lands administered by the LPNF within Kern, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and VenturaCounties. Treatments will include mechanical thinning, hand thinning, chipping and grinding, piling andburning, mastication, mowing and weed-whipping, prescribed fire, targeted grazing, and planting and seedingwhich may limit public access while work is being done. The LPNF anticipates up to 10,000 acres of treatmentson average would be implemented annually over multiple years.The purpose for the WRRP is to increase community protection and enhance wildfire suppression opportunitiesby establishing fuelbreaks and defense zones while improving conditions for vegetation resilience andprotecting the health of forested areas from environmental stressors.The draft EA, supporting analysis, and other information is available for review online at the project website:https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/lpnf/landmanagement/projects. The LPNF will host four informationalmeetings prior to the 30-day public comment period. The meetings will be held in Santa Maria (April 21), BigSur (April 23) and Frazier Park (April 24). In addition, a virtual meeting will occur April 22.The Forest Service will accept comments on this proposal prior to the 30-day public comment period (projectedMay 2 to June 2) following publication of the legal notice in the Santa Barbara Independent. Comments will beaccepted electronically through the project website and can also be mailed to the LPNF Supervisor’s Office,Attention Kyle Kinports, 1980 Old Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93464, or hand delivered to that address.For questions concerning this proposal, please contact Mr. Kinports at (805) 961-5710.

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Mina Wahab

VENTURA, Calif.—Fred Gray says he was heartbroken to see a baby whale wash ashore during his visit to Morro Bay last year. “I was hoping, you know, that the baby whale had a good life, you know, and it didn’t suffer,” said the Ventura native. This year many visitors to California beaches are having similar experiences. Sky5 footage from KTLA shows a dead humpback whale on a Ventura County beach Friday. Dead whales were also spotted in LA and Orange counties., and even as far north as San Francisco. Marine mammal rescue groups and scientists say that high levels of Domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin produce by algae blooms are causing the deaths. “The fish eat the red algae and then the birds, the seals, dolphins, things like that. They eat the fish and it has a neurotoxin that causes them to become disoriented. And then they have seizures,” said Steven Dishman, who lives in Oxnard.

And it’s not just whales. The surfers we spoke to have seen dolphins, seal lions, and even pelicans getting sick. “I was just walking to go surfing and somebody comes up to and he’s like, my friend got bit by a seal. He’s like, Be careful, there’s one out there…What really surprised me is at Rincon Point, I saw a couple of dead dolphins and I was really surprised. That’s rare,” said Ventura surfer Bart Williams.

Researchers at Scripps Oceanography say this is the fourth year in a row we’ve seen a toxic algae bloom off California’s coast. This year’s might be the worst one yet. “This is the worst overcast bloom we have ever seen in Southern California. The amount of animals suffering and strandings that we’re seeing related to this bloom is absolutely heartbreaking,” said Pacific Marine Mammal Center Veterinarian Dr. Alissa Deming.

Now that the cause of these deaths is known, locals are hopeful that organizations will be able to step in and help reverse this new trend.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Community Environmental Council’s Earth Day Festival wrapped up Sunday after showcasing a popular electric vehicle display around Alameda Park.

The streets surrounding the park were lined with electric cars during the festival’s opening day. Visitors had the opportunity to sit behind the wheel, explore the features, and even sign up for test drives. Electric bikes were also on display, offering another clean transportation option.

Sponsors of the electric vehicle show included Chevrolet, Crown Dodge, and Gold Coast Toyota. Several booths shared information about rebates and incentives available for electric vehicle purchases.

The car show was one of the festival’s highlights and continued through Sunday.

For more information visit https://sbearthday.org

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Hospice of Santa Barbara’s Children and Family Services program is seeing a rise in anxiety and depression among elementary school students in Santa Barbara County.

“And now we are seeing more and more service request that are coming from elementary schools. Kids are facing something and it’s really creating a whole sort of different challenges,” said director of strategic advancement Charles Caldwell of Hospice of Santa Barbara.

The organization’s Children and Family Services program is currently active at local campuses.

The on-campus counseling service provides a vital space for open communication, support and the development of coping skills.

“We know in today’s world, there are significant stressors for our youth … we have social media … increased screen time … more isolation,” said superintendent Diana Rigby of the Carpinteria Unified School District.

For children and teens, grief from the loss of a loved one is closely linked to depression, PTSD and anxiety.

“We’re seeing … that the mental health challenges that kids face continue to grow … and what we’re trying to be able to do is find ways to support them … if you add a death that the child is struggling with a dear loved one, the challenge the child faces are almost insurmountable,” said Caldwell.

So the program is providing professional weekly support groups from elementary to college age students.

“For our most vulnerable students … they are connecting with their professional grief counselors, and they realize that there’s some hope working through that process,” said Rigby.

“Hospice of Santa Barbara also provides services in the event of a crisis at a local school.

“Because a child who died, it might be a child who committed suicide … it might be because of a beloved teacher has passed away,” said Caldwell.

Due to the growing need, Hospice of Santa Barbara is ready to respond to calls across 65 schools from Carpinteria to Goleta, in case a traumatic death occurs within the campus.

“My hope is we will always have access to the professional grief counselors with their compassionate care,” said Rigby.

Learn more about the growing needs and services from Diana Rigby Superintendent of Carpinteria Unified School District and Charles Caldwell director of strategic advancement at Hospice of Santa Barbara.

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