Category: keyt-local-news

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – For thousands of years, Chinese has endured as the world’s oldest living language.

Now, some of the youngest local voices are carrying it forward into tomorrow.

Inside the library at University of California, Santa Barbara Library, shelves hold texts filled with symbols that have outlasted empires.

Principal Jenny Mazanec of the Santa Barbara Chinese School often points out how those characters connect cultures across Asia.

“These books are not limited to Chinese,” Mazanec noted. “There are also Korean and Japanese texts here.”

Just miles away, those same characters echo in lively classrooms where children practice Mandarin phrases.

Students bring a classic fable to life — the rabbit racing the turtle — told in Chinese.

“In Santa Barbara, we don’t have many people who speak Chinese,” lead instructor Lin Yang explained. “But learning a language is like opening a window to different cultures. It broadens your world and enriches your life.”

Two years ago, the school’s Chinese program had just 17 students.

Today, nearly 70 children are enrolled — a surge that has educators thrilled.

“I’m proud,” instructor Jie Zhang reflected. “I think the most important reason is their curiosity. Being curious is the driving force that motivates them to keep going.”

Yang believes the excitement she sees in her classroom is what matters most.

“I love seeing how excited kids get when they learn something new,” she said. “If students leave my classroom feeling happy and curious about learning a new language, that means everything to me.”

Here, a language rooted in deep history is finding its next generation of voices.

“I see more joy and more people coming together,” Mazanec observed. “People want camaraderie — sharing meals, celebrating, and building community within Santa Barbara County. It’s very touching and eye-opening.”

Every new phrase build a bridge.

Every story opens a door.

“If one day they could write an essay in Chinese,” Yang added with a smile, “that would be my dream.”

An ancient language — finding new life, one voice at a time.In Santa Barbara, children laugh, practice new words, and repeat phrases together while learning one of the world’s oldest living languages.

For thousands of years, the Mandarin language has endured through dynasties and changing eras.

Today, some of the youngest local voices are helping carry that legacy forward.

Symbols preserved for centuries line the pages of historic texts.

Santa Barbara Chinese School Principal and Executive Director Jenny Mazanec often reflects on the meaning behind them — characters that have outlasted empires and generations.

Those symbols now echo in lively classrooms where children from many backgrounds practice Mandarin together.

Lessons often come alive through storytelling. A classic tale of the rabbit racing the turtle becomes a playful way for students to practice pronunciation and rhythm while connecting with centuries-old tradition.

Instructor Lin Yang describes the experience as far more than vocabulary lessons. Families from many cultures enroll their children to open the door to a new language, history, and perspective on the world.

Interest in the program has grown rapidly.

Just two years ago, about 17 students were enrolled in the Chinese classes.

Today, nearly 70 children participate — a surge that educators describe as both exciting and meaningful.

Each new phrase helps students build connections across cultures while discovering a language rooted in thousands of years of history.

An ancient tradition continues — carried forward by the voices of the next generation.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Vandenberg hosted its ‘State Of The Base’ conference today.

It’s a busy time for Vandenberg.

The base celebrated a record number of launches last year, and announced plans to push the envelope even further.

Base commander Colonel Horne and other high ranking officials outlined future plans and innovative goals for leading departments.

“The steps that we’re taking to integrate not only our other mission partners across the services, but also the allies that we have, and integrating them into our missions is really, really starting to take hold,” says Deputy Combined Joint Force Space Component Commander for U.S. Space Forces – Space (S4S) Brig. Gen. Kyle Paul. “And I think over the course of the next year and beyond, we’re really going to see that expand.”

The base hopes to reach one hundred launches from private and commercial vendors this year, with a vision to triple that in the coming years.

“We launched 71 times last year,” says Vandenberg’s Commander Col. James T. Horne III. “We conducted 76 major test range operations. That’s including the 71 launches. And then the other five would be the X-37 landing we did. And then several hypersonic vehicle tests from a company called Stratolaunch.”

They’re also working on ways to increase community engagement, to facilitate the public’s understanding of the crucial role space plays in people’s everyday lives.

“We can’t function in our current society without the effects of space,” says Gen. Paul. “Whether it be our banking, you know, using your GPS in your car, your satellite phones, it really permeates every single facet of life.”

Col. Horne says what he calls the “second space race” looks promising, despite some challenges such as aging infrastructure.

“The investment we’re putting into the infrastructure on the base, the 861 million, a part of that is a project to increase the size of our air tower,” says Col. Horne.

Also, a new presentation series that debuted in Lompoc last month called “Mission Update” will be held soon in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and Ojai.

Base leaders say Vandenberg is striving to balance national security with community stewardship.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Oxnard resident and the Port of Hueneme Commissioner, Jess Ramirez joins your Morning News to share about his children’s book.

The book based on a true story, Little Drops of Water shares the journey of a migrant family from Mexico to the United States. In both Spanish and English, the book shares about the day he was born, love within the family and is dedicated to his sister Toña.

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Mike Klan

HENDERSON, Nevada. (KEYT) – UCSB is considered to be one of the top men’s basketball programs in the Big West.

But over the past three seasons this has not been the case, far from it.

The Gauchos are just average.

Head coach Joe Pasternack and his Gauchos overpacked for their trip to the Big West Championships in Nevada, losing 79-73 to UC Davis in the first round of the conference tournament.

Carl Doughtery Jr. scored a game-high 24 points for the Aggies who built up a ten point lead with 8:15 left in the game and they were in control the rest of the way.

Freshman CJ Shaw scored a team-high 20 points for UCSB.

The Aggies completed a 3-game sweep over UCSB this year and have won 7 straight overall in the series that is ending as UC Davis leaves for the Mountain West Conference.

The Gauchos were just 5-of-26 from three-point distance against Davis, a fitting end to a season that certainly missed the mark. A preseason pick to finish in the top two in the league, the Gauchos were the #7 seed out of 8 teams in this tournament.

Coaches always want to be playing their best ball in March but Joe Pasternack saw his Gauchos lose six of their last seven games to finish this pedestrian season 18-14.

Injuries to Jason Fontenet II and Miro Little certainly affected this season but this not a one year slide back to the middle of the pack in the Big West.

Over the last three seasons in league, UCSB is 31-29 and 2-3 in the conference tournament.

The Gauchos fancy themselves as a top two program in the Big West but the recent league standings suggest otherwise.

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Mike Klan

HENDERSON, Nevada. (KEYT) – UCSB opened up an early nine point lead in the third quarter but they could not hold off UC Riverside and lost 58-53 in the first round of the Big West Championships.

It’s the third straight year that UCSB has failed to win a game in this tournament.

The Gauchos had three turnovers in the final two and a half minutes of this game.

UCSB was led in scoring by Olivia Bradley who had 23 points.

Riverside got a game-high 26 points from Hannah Wickstrom.

The Gauchos end the season 20-10.

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Mike Klan

HENDERSON, Nevada (KEYT) – Cal Poly was just 6-of-32 from three-point distance for only 19 percent in a 72-69 first round loss to UC San Diego at the Big West Championships.

The top scorer in the Big West Hamad Mousa scored a team-high 21 points Cal Poly but he was 0-for-6 from beyond the arc while teammate Peter Bandelj made just 1-for-9 on his three-point attempts.

Cal Poly led the defending Big West Champions 35-26 at the half but the Tritons rallied behind a game-high 23 points from Hudson Mayes and 20 points from Tom Beattie.

The Mustangs finish the season 14-19.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara Auto Night is back.

On Tuesday nights, people are invited to bring out their best rides, builds, classics, motorcycles and more.

The drivers park and chill in the Chase Palm Park lot from 6:00pm until dark.

Santa Barbara Auto Night organizers use drones to take video of all kinds of cars and motorcycles on display.

If you missed the free auto night this week, they hope to fill the lot again on March 17th, 24th and 31st.

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Tracy Lehr

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Semis, work trucks, sprinter vans, along with some cars and SUVs that use diesel are paying the most at the pumps this week.

Diesel drivers filling up at the 76 on Winchester Canyon and other stations are noticing the difference.

She joins us from the 76 stations off Winchester Canyon.

“Honestly, I haven’t fulled up in the last week and it has exploded even in the last week, but we use diesel for machines, our work trucks – so building, how it is going to affect building in the area, everywhere is going to be astounding,” said Justin Resch of Terra Firma Drilling out of Carpinteria and Ventura.

Some trucks are too big to go the front side of the station so they come the diesel pump back.

Some drivers have prepaid cards but they are still noticing diesel is the highest priced fuel.

But for heavy equipment, like farm trucks, it is more fuel efficient.

“Diesel fluctuates as does gas and right now we are little more expensive, diesel also give this truck about 30-40 percent more economy than unleaded will, so a mile per mile,” said Tom Jones of Atascadero. “That is why big trucks still use it a lot more torque and I can pull a lot more so diesel is still a better value if you do heavy things with the truck.”

“Diesel has pretty much doubled its price in the last three weeks,” says delivery driver, Joshua Pinedo.

Nationwide it has jumped 28 percent since the start of the conflict in Iran.

Pinedo said driving is part of his job, so he has been watching the uptick.

AAA is keeping tracks and report the average for a gallon of diesel is $6.15 in California. Most firetrucks and ships use diesel, too.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A new discovery could help take the bite out of mosquito season.

UC Santa Barbara researchers have identified a taste receptor mosquitoes use to detect fatty acids on human skin.

Those fatty acids are naturally found in our skin oils.

Scientists report the receptor helps guide mosquitoes to their next blood meal.

By understanding how the insects “taste” humans, researchers hope to interrupt the process.

The finding could eventually lead to new repellents designed to block bites before they happen.

“We’ve discovered a taste receptor mosquitoes use to detect fatty acids on human skin, and that opens the door to developing compounds that could block that signal,” said Dr. Craig Montell of UC Santa Barbara.

Montell believes the research could help create more effective ways to prevent mosquito bites and the diseases they spread.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – If you are worried about the big jump in your monthly gas bill with the recent war-related spike in prices, there are ways you can avoid paying more than you need to.

Some of the prices in Santa Barbara County quickly joined the pattern nationwide in the last ten days with an increase of about 50 cents a gallon. It varies widely. That’s where consumers can still control the pain at the pumps.

The recent increase is connected to the price per barrel of oil which has gone up to, in some cases $120/a barrel, but also dropping back down to $90/a barrel.

That is still higher than where it was been in recent years, including June of 2025 when a barrel was about $62.

One prediction by Goldman Sachs said oil prices could exceed $100/a barrel if there is an “extended disruption” to the Middle East and that is happening now.

To offset the costs, consumers can pay cash, which lowers the price generally by about 10 cents/a gallon. Credit cards usually have an extra charge and that is why there are two rows of prices at the pumps.

You can also change the station you are most familiar with if you are paying more than you want. Some stations still have top tier quality gas, but do not have a nationwide or more “well known” name.

In some cases within less than a mile in Goleta, prices are about a $1.00 difference.

Ben Lyons was filling up his truck at the Fuel Depot on Storke Rd. for one of the cheaper prices in the area despite the increases. He has been in and out of California recently. “Last time I was in Oregon, we’re looking at 2 to 2.99 per gallon. And we’re looking at $3 more (here).” He also uses his phone to locate the lowest prices. “I got a little app to look for the cheapest gas prices. GasBuddy. “

Declan Connors recently realized the impact of the current price surge. “This is my first time filling up in, I think two weeks.And I looked at the prices today, I was shocked. I mean, it’s up, I think $0.40 my memory serves and yeah, that’s that’s not too fun to me.”

Some drivers said they may not have the same Spring break plan coming up as they once considered because of the cost of fuel.

Alexnder Zbinden is looking at the longer range impacts. “Best case scenario, war ends tomorrow and gas prices will still be inflated for a minimum of six weeks. Best thing you can do, maybe buy a little extra right now before prices really spike.”

Other ways to save at the pumps include an app from the station brand that may come with a discount per gallon. Some grocery stores also offer gas price discounts as part of a savings option.

Airline travelers are also watching prices and the possible change based on aviation fuel costs.

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