Category: keyt-local-news

Joey Vergilis

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Luc Strong Foundation Director and former UCSB Gaucho basketball player, JD Slajchert, stopped by the Morning news to discuss his new partnership with NMDP (formerly Be The Match), the global non-profit leader in cell therapy working to cure blood cancers and disorders.

For Slajchert, the partnership is deeply personal. His best friend Luc, the inspiration behind his novel Moonflower, received a life-saving bone marrow transplant through the NMDP registry. Now, Slajchert is using his platform to pay that gift forward.

Before diving into the partnership, Slajchert shared his excitement regarding his recent TED Talk.

The non-profit leader described the experience as a “dream come true,” reflecting on the years of preparation and the emotional release of finally sharing his message on such a prestigious stage.

“I mean, just an experience unlike anything I’ve ever thought about, dealt with, gone through. Really a huge wave of emotions, I think, Joey, like walking off of that stage and like you feel a sort of kind of just release of having gone through such a huge moment and how many years you prepare to give something like that.”

However, his focus remains steadfast on the children currently fighting for their lives, particularly those within the sickle cell community.

As part of his new role with NMDP, Slajchert is highlighting the stories of individuals in urgent need of a donor. This December, the spotlight is on Tegan, a 16-year-old described as a “light for so many” and a hero to his younger brother.

Tegan’s journey has been grueling – at age 3, he underwent an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant to treat his sickle cell disease.

Now Tegan is searching for a new donor for a second, life-saving transplant.

“I’m sharing his story to hopefully get some people out there to join the registry,” Slajchert said. “You could potentially be the life-saving match for Tegan.”

Joining the registry is a simple, free process that can be done from the comfort of your home. NMDP is specifically looking for donors between the ages of 18 and 35, as research shows younger donors lead to better outcomes for patients.

To get started:

Text the word MOONFLOWER to 61474.

Receive a cheek-swab kit in the mail.

Spend 30 seconds swabbing your cheek and mail it back.

Once you are in the registry, you may receive a call if you are a match for Tegan or someone else in need. If you are outside the age range for donation, you can still support the mission through financial contributions to NMDP and the Luc Strong Foundation, which provides grants to families of children (ages 1–17) diagnosed with sickle cell disease.

“It’s really simple and free,” Slajchert emphasized. “You’ll receive your kit to potentially save someone’s life.”

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Mike Klan

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) – The Central Coast is keeping star football player Caleb Clark as the Arroyo Grande High school senior signed his National Letter of Intent to play at Cal Poly.

Clark along with teammate Dustin Reed took part in a signing celebration at Arroyo Grande High School.

The punter/kicker Reed signed with McPherson College, an NAIA school in Kansas.

(Signature moment for both Reed and Clark. Courtesy photo).

Clark led the Eagles to a CIF-Central Section Division 2 championship with his game-breaking ability from the wide receiver and running back position.

He was at the Cal Poly press conference last week when the Mustangs introduced Tim Skipper as their new head football coach.

Reed kicked the winning field goal in overtime to lift AG to the championship at Bakersfield.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Ralph Molina announced at tonight’s end of the year team banquet that he is not returning as head football coach at San Marcos.

Molina coached the Royals the past five seasons and finishes with a 22-29-1 record.

After KEYT NewsChannel Sports broke the story San Marcos High School put out a press release.

“I am very appreciative of Coach Molina’s time and efforts. He came in and brought us out of the Covid era and to our first playoff appearance in many years,” said Athletic Director Aaron Solis.

“I am grateful for the time, energy, and effort Coach Molina has put into the San Marcos program the past five years,” said Principal Dare Holdren, “We will begin an immediate and extensive search for a dynamic and experienced new head coach, who will take our program to the next level of success.“

With Molina in charge San Marcos snapped a 19-year playoff drought by making the CIF-Southern Section postseason in 2024.

The Royals also made the playoffs this year as well.

In both playoff appearances they lost first round games.

Molina did a good job of getting other athletes in different sports to play football to help revive a struggling program.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) People of all ages got a kick out of a free line dancing pop up on Wednesday night.

The SB Public Market hosted the line dancing at its event center next door.

Instructor Tin Lee of Santa Barbara Event Horizon taught the newcomers how to do it.

They plan to host more line dancing pop ups in the New Year.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara City Councilmembers approved the purchase of an emergency shelter at 816 Cacique St.

The city bought the property from People Assisting the Homeless know as PATH for $3.75 million.

They will spend another $25,000 making improvements, using funding from Measure C.

“Owning this facility gives us the flexibility to innovate and respond more effectively to the challenges of homelessness and to shape a more sustainable and comprehensive shelter system that meets the evolving needs of our residents,” said City Administrator Kelly McAdoo.

The space is large enough to serves about 100 people.

Clients are offered shelter, meals, case management and more.

Mercy House Living Centers, who have a housing-first philosophy, will serve as interim service provider.

For more information, visit Homelessness Initiatives (SantaBarbaraCA.gov/homelessness).

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Gauchos were down 13-4 less than four minutes into the game and they never could catch up in a 67-64 loss at Green Bay(6-7).

UCSB trailed 42-30 at halftime and was able to cut the deficit to 63-62 when freshman CJ Shaw made a three-pointer with :52 seconds left.

Marcus Hall had a game-high 25 points for the Phoenix and his layup with :29 seconds to play pushed the lead to 65-62.

Aidan Mahaney, who led UCSB with 18 points, made a layup with ten seconds to make it 65-64.

But Green Bay’s Preston Ruedinger converted both free throws with :07 seconds to go and UCSB never got a final shot up as they fall to 8-4 on the year.

It was the Gauchos second straight loss as they scored just 15 first half points last weekend in a double-digit loss to future Big West opponent Utah Valley in Salt Lake City.

UCSB has played it’s last three games without starting point guard Miro Little who is sidelined with a foot injury and there is no updated timetable on his return.

The Gauchos host Portland on Monday, December 22nd at 2 p.m.-

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News Channel 3-12

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KEYT) – President Donald Trump delivered a live address to the Nation Wednesday evening from the White House.

The President touched on topics such as the economy, military, border control, and previewed plans for the remainder of his second term.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County Fire department’s newest chief, Garrett Huff, was sworn in Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors meeting.

Afterwards, he called his wife and son up to the podium to be part of the important task to pin his new badge as chief on his uniform. The room was full of family members, including his parents and sister, along with friends and fellow fire personnel.

Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Garrett Huff said, “it takes a village to raise a fire chief, and I couldn’t have done this journey without anyone in this room, so thank you very much for giving me this opportunity.”

Huff has already had some duties in the spotlight. He was part of the ribbon cutting ceremonies for the new joint communications center near the fire headquarters on Cathedral Oaks Road. The department has 16 stations and a staff of about 245.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Someone in Santa Maria is due for a lump of coal in their stocking this Christmas.

Toys were stolen and a building was vandalized.

Catholic Charities of Santa Maria has been holding its annual Toys For Tots drive at the Knights Of Columbus Hall on McClelland, next to the old DMV.

Late Tuesday morning, a volunteer named Paola Oros arrived to find damage to the Knights Of Columbus Hall building, bags of toys ripped open with items missing, bikes knocked over or missing, and more.

“I come in and I see that it’s kind of messy and there’s like some bag, like I didn’t even notice. Like my survival skills were not great,” says Paola Oros, Catholic Charities Nutrition Educator. “I was like, okay, my goal right now is to count the bikes. Some of the bikes were missing. The refrigerator door was opened, the doors to the office were open. So I was like, okay, that’s kind of strange.”

She heard a noise and called police, thinking the thief might still be nearby.

“Just coming in and then feeling that feeling of, okay, something’s off, but I have to get this done,” says Oros. “And then hearing the sound, that’s when I was just like, Okay, that’s it. I’m. Yeah. So I left.”

A drone search was initiated when officers arrived, but nobody was found.

“Every bag had a number on it, and that number represented a family,” says Ruth Sherrill, Catholic Charities Of Santa Maria. “It could be like one child, it could be seven children. It would be horrible if we give a bag and three of the five children got gifts and then two don’t.”

Catholic Charities volunteers say the Knights of Columbus Hall Building had been locked Friday afternoon and that the crime could have been committed any time between then and Tuesday morning.

“A lot of volunteers and community members have donated,” says Sherrill. “They put a lot of thought and heart into fulfilling the wishes for these children. And just to see to see that torn apart is…”

Catholic Charities’ distribution takes place on Thursday, but organizers say they’re thinking of holding another one between now and Christmas day.

They are open for material or cash donations during normal working hours at the Knights Of Columbus Hall.

Police are still looking for the thieves.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Long lines and crowded parking lots used to be an indicator of a busy holiday shopping season, but on the Central Coast without seeing that it is hard to tell where the buying power is these days.

It may be in front of a computer. It may also be cooling off.

A new poll released on ABC news shows more than 40 percent of the shoppers will be spending less this year than last year.

Santa Barbara’s Paseo Nuevo Mall had that rarely seen vibrant look from the past the day after Thanksgiving but since then it has been a leisurely stroll for shoppers without that sense of the scramble for deals.

At the Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta, at 10 a.m. you could get a parking spot in the first half of the parking lot. That’s a good tip for mid week early shoppers. It will likely have a different look this weekend.

On line shopping is still taking the foot traffic away for many stores. Those who are looking for boutique items or something made locally, they are out in person to touch and feel the products. Some are also very committed to helping the local retailers, an essential piece to the local economy.

George Castillo was shopping downtown and said the economic challenges has led to changes. “Kind of, getting tough, recently. In the past have been having a budget around, maybe like $300 for a family of five. And so I try to drop down to like $150,  half of what it used to be.”

A different approach comes from  Emma Millar who says “my family started doing a “Secret Santa” instead of everybody gets a gift, so we only have to buy a gift for one other person in our family. So I guess that means that we’re all actually spending less. “

Eeven though shoppers are seeing some very good deals right now, some are telling us they’re going to wait until just before Christmas, when prices might go down a little bit more. Then there are those who are holding back some money to take advantage of some of the sales after Christmas just for themselves.”

Retailers are doing all they can to catch the eye of shoppers in person,  but some shoppers say they are clicking through on their computers too for places where they may be some savings.   But only if it is the right fit.

Caitlyn Perry is one of them.   “I tend to not shop online as much just because I get overwhelmed. I don’t know if it’s gonna fit. Like I add too much to my cart and then just never, never look at the cart again.”

 In person shopping in the last days before Christmas can also give you an  advantage with the right size  and feel of a product even if you have to do some driving to get to the right spot.

Millar says, “I actually I love the outlets, (in) Camarillo. That’s what I’ve been doing because I like the the in-store feel, but then everything is marked down, so it’s  very nice if I can find stuff online that’s not like clothing, then I will because it is cheaper. But the clothing I will go to the Camarillo  outlets. “

For those supporting local boutiques they say a unique find is common.  Castillo said,   “Oh, yeah. No, those, those kind of special items kind of stick out more to people. I think that’s what makes a great gift, too.”

One shopper knows what ever gift is given to a special friend there will be no complaints.   “I’m lucky enough to only have one dependent. And she is a dog and she doesn’t really care what I got for her. But, yeah, I mean, I’m a student, so I have a limited budget,” said Millar.

The weather may also be a factor to speed things up with rain in the forecast in the days before Christmas.

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