Category: keyt-local-news

Mike Klan

FULLERTON, Calif. (KEYT) – Sophomore guard Peter Bandelj finished with a career high 37 points – including breaking the Cal Poly men’s basketball program single-game record with nine three-pointers – as the Mustangs sank 18 total three-pointers to open Big West play with a 94-91 victory at Cal State Fullerton.

Sophomore guard Hamad Mousa added 27 points for Cal Poly (5-5, 1-0), which trailed Cal State Fullerton, 52-49, with 18 minutes to play before Bandelj hit three-pointers of successive possessions to place the Mustangs in front. Mousa followed with a layup before Bandelj nailed his seventh three-pointer of the night to hand the Mustangs their first double-digit lead.

A Mousa three-pointer – one of four drained against the Titans – stretched Cal Poly’s advantage as far as 79-61 with seven-and-a-half minutes to play.

The Titans, however, kept Cal Poly scoreless the next three minutes to close their deficit to single digits. Cal State Fullerton eventually cut the gap to 83-79 with 99 seconds left after guard Kiwane Garris, Jr. converted a three-point play before a three-pointer by guard Jaden Henderson with 37 seconds to go trimmed the deficit to two.

Cal State Fullerton twice came within a point of Cal Poly’s lead in the final minute but, with the Titans forced to foul to regain possession, Bandelj and junior guard Jake Davis each knocked down a pair of free throws to keep the Mustangs in front.

During a game that featured 10 lead changes (with the Mustangs trailing for just two combined minutes), Cal Poly shot 49.1 (27-for-55) percent from the floor and 48.6 (18-for-37) percent from three-point range.

Guard Guzman Vasilic matched a season high with 15 points for Cal Poly while fellow sophomore Cayden Ward finished with 11. Mousa led Cal Poly with seven rebounds while senior Luka Tarlac produced a career high six assists.

Up Next: Cal Poly continues Big West play and closes Bold Week when hosting UC Riverside on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. inside Mott Athletics Center. Cal Poly seeks its first back-to-back wins to open Big West play since starting the 2013-14 season 3-0.The Thursday victory marked Cal Poly’s first win in a Big West opener since defeating CSUN, 67-57, on Dec. 29, 2022.Cal Poly’s 18 total three-pointers tied for the fourth highest single game figure in program history. The Mustangs twice hit 18 three-pointers last season while the program record remains 21.Scoring in double digits in all nine appearances, Hamad Mousa remained second among Big West players at 19.3 points per game.Enjoying his seventh double-digit scoring game of the year, Bandelj now sits third among Big West scorers with 17.9 points per game.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly)

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Mike Klan

LONG BEACH STATE, Calif. (KEYT) – UCSB was on target to begin Big West play.

The visiting Gauchos made 14 three-pointers to run their win streak to six games, beating Long Beach State 67-52.

UCSB is 7-1 on the season.

Jessica Grant made five three-pointers and finished with a team-high 15 points.

Zoe Borter drilled 3 three-pointers and had 14 points while Zoe Shaw scored all 12 of her points with 4 made three-pointers.

FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ”We executed offensively with great shooting and 19 assists on 23 field goals. But we’ve got to improve our rebounding and learn how to close out games if we want to reach our potential,” Jimenez said. “Defensively, there were stretches where we lost focus, and those moments add up in tight games. The encouraging part is that everything we need to fix is within our control. If we stay committed to the little things like finishing possessions, communicating, and staying poised late, we’ll put ourselves in position to continue to win consistently.”

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe first quarter was even throughout and ended in a 20-20 tie. The teams went tit-for-tat across the court, taking turns putting the ball in the basket. It was here that Jessica Grant began her three-pointer campaign, making two to keep the Gauchos on pace with the Beach.

In the second, the Gauchos moved quickly. After a short-lived tie at 25-25, they embarked on a 12-0 run that featured two threes from Grant and no points from the Beach.

The third quarter saw a 20 point lead by Santa Barbara at 53-33 and a final score of 60-43. Zoe Shaw nabbed six points while Grant made her final three of the game. Both teams went on seven-point runs during the fourth, but there were little additional points. In the end, the Gauchos took it 67-52 for their third consecutive win over Long Beach State.

Grant led the Gauchos in points for the first time this season, depositing 15 from five three-pointers. Zoe Borter logged 13 and also had an impressive three-point shot showing, as the forward made three out of five attempts. Shaw went 80% from long-range, sinking four of five attempts.

Olivia Bradley had a game-high eight rebounds, while Maddie Naro had a game-high eight assists. As a team, Santa Barbara drilled 14 of 28 three-point attempts to shoot 50% from the arc and four Gauchos scored double digits.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos will take on Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2:00 p.m. for their second road conference game.

(UCSB Athletics contributed to this article)

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Mike Klan

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KEYT) – Big West champion Cal Poly upended the No. 5 seed BYU Cougars in a five-set thriller in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship on Thursday at the Galen Center on the campus of Southern California.

Cal Poly (26-7) registered 64 kills with a hitting percentage of .313, while also recording 72 digs while outblocking their opponents from Provo 12-5. The Mustangs maintained a 7-4 edge at the service line including the night’s final point to claim the win, taking sets 1, 4 and 5 to advance. This marks the Mustangs fourth Power 4 win of the season, twice taking down ranked foes from the Big 12.

By defeating fifth-seeded and 22nd-ranked BYU in the Kentucky quadrant, the Mustangs advance to play host and No. 4 seed USC on Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. Cal Poly has now won their first round game in consecutive NCAA appearances, taking the win over Georgia in 2019.

Cal Poly secured the first set with a decisive 25-19 win. The Mustangs were led by sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear, who contributed two critical blocks that stifled BYU’s momentum, and Big West Championship MVP Chloe Leluge, who delivered key kills, including one that tied the score at 10-10. Redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis facilitated the offense with multiple assists, setting up Charlotte Kelly and Emma Fredrick for pivotal points. Cal Poly’s efficiency was further highlighted by their ability to convert on BYU’s service errors, which aided in maintaining their lead.

In the second set, BYU evened the score with strong offensive play to secure a 25-17 set win. Brielle Kemavor and Big 12 Freshman of the Year Suli Davis led a decisive stretch of points for the Cougars, each contributing multiple kills with Kemavor’s final point ending the frame. Cal Poly fought hard in the third set but was unable to overcome BYU, falling 25-20. Kelly and Beshear led the attack with crucial kills, helping the Mustangs stay within reach, with a two-point game seen after key points for Beshear to make it 17-15 and 19-17, but the Cougars were able to close strong to take the lead in the match.

Cal Poly secured a decisive fourth set victory, 25-20, to force a fifth set. Bullis orchestrated the Mustangs’ attack with numerous assists, including pivotal kills by Annabelle Thalken and Leluge, who each contributed multiple points with the Cal Poly defense getting critical blocks from Kelly and Beshear. Cal Poly closed with the final four points in the fourth to gain the momentum heading into the deciding set.

The battle in the fifth opened with teams trading the point and the lead in the early-goings of the match. After a successful BYU challenge set the score at 3-3, the Mustangs rallied to take the next point off a strike from Beshear and never looked back. The match was ended on an ace for junior Emma Fredrick to send the team stampeding into the second round.

Bullis directed the Mustangs’ offense with 52 assists with Beshear emerging as the offensive cog, recording 20 kills on .383 hitting with with 12 digs, four total blocks – including two solo stuffs – and a pair of aces. Fredrick added 15 kills and 10 digs for the double-double with Elif Hurriyet anchoring the defense while popping up 16 digs. Kelly and Leluge were both in on five blocks as six players on the Cal Poly roster were able to notch multiple denials in the strong play at the net.

Davis paced the Cougars’ offensive efforts in the loss with 18 kills, while Kemavor added 15 kills and three blocks. BYU caps their season at 22-9 overall.

(Article courtesy of Big West)

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Singer-songwriters Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw are bringing their “Christmas Tour 2025” to the Santa Ynez Valley.

The two are going on tour and will be spreading Christmas cheer and perform their newest holiday song together “Let it snow”.

Colbie Cailllat sat down with your Morning News to talk about the upcoming show.

The two will perform at Chumash Casino resort on Friday, December 12, at 8 p.m. Tickets are still available.

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Beth Farnsworth

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – As Barry De Vorzon’s iconic holiday song goes, “It’s Christmas once again in Santa Barbara.”

Lucky for the community, local celebrities Kenny Loggins, Brady Paisley and Duane Henry will be back on the holiday stage for this year’s Unity Telethon.

Your News Channel team will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s pre-production performances at the Kenny Loggins Event Center stage at the Unity Shoppe’s Sola Street location.

“I’m going to adopt the accent before this is over,” Paisley joked with Henry, an English actor.

“That should be interesting,” Loggins said, laughing.

Lots of fun banter and laughter as the trio rehearsed lines and songs for the upcoming telethon. It is the Unity Shoppe’s largest fundraiser each year.

Singer and songwriter legend Kenny Loggins is a pioneer behind the cause. He helped the late founder, Barbara Tellefson, push the concept of “unity” among local nonprofits from the get-go in the late 1970s.

“I love it,” said Loggins. “The Unity Shoppe does so much good in the community and it’s been so connecting for everyone. I’m very proud of what has happened with the Unity Shoppe.”

Paisley talked about his family’s full support behind the local food distribution site which serves tens of thousands of people each year.

“We live in Tennessee part of the time and we started a thing, The Store, which is really based on this (Unity Shoppe) mission which is there’s dignity in choice. It’s not a hand-out, it’s a hand-up,” said Paisley.

Paisley and his wife, Kim, a well-known actress, taught their two sons about the gift of giving under this roof, years ago.

Henry said some of his favorite moments during the Unity Telethon happen off stage.

“I like watching people on the phones and the interaction with the people on the other side of the camera. Being a child on the receiving end of this and what this organization does, it comforts me,” said Henry.

Over the years, mega star power for the annual telethon event has included singer-songwriter, Michael McDonald and actor Jeff Bridges, among a host of others. This year, singer-songwriter, Lois Mahalia, will add her soulful sound to the festive event.

“You can’t explain Unity Shoppe in words. It’s a feeling and something you see and experience,” said Angela Miller-Bevan, Unity Shoppe’s Executive Director and CEO.

Tune in tonight at 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM for more behind-the scenes.

The Unity Telethon takes place Friday, December 12 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Sola Street location. Viewers can livestream the event at keyt.com.

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Alissa Orozco

PASO ROBLES, Calif. (KEYT) – A Bakersfield man has been arrested following an early morning traffic collision that killed one man.

A press release from the City of Paso Robles says around 5:30am on Dec. 4th, police and emergency responders were called out to reports of a collision at the intersection of Golden Hill Road and State Route 46.

There, the driver of a white four-door Lexus was stopped at a red light heading westbound on SR-46 at Golden Hill Road when he was hit from behind by a 2017 green and white Freightliner box truck.

The truck driver, 25-year-old Gean Marco HuamanCastro of Bakersfield, was also heading westbound and failed to stop at the red light.

The 63-year-old Paso Robles man driving the Lexus was killed on impact.

HuamanCastro was arrested for vehicular manslaughter and later booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail.

The city says drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors at this time.

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.

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Alissa Orozco

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) – A reported gas leak at Arroyo Grande High School sent multiple students and staff members to the nurse’s office this morning.

Lucia Mar Unified School District tells your News Channel the gas leak was discovered in an isolated area of campus in Building 900. The call came in at 10:16am, prompting students and staff to evacuate from several classrooms.

The incident was short-lived and resulted in minor injuries. Students and staff were evaluated by emergency responders – seven students and staff members were showing signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. A precaution, four students and two staff members were transported for further evaluation. 

The Arroyo Grande Fire Department and Five Cities Fire Authority identified the source of the leak as a furnace. The departments and Gas Company worked together to repair the leak by 11:58am.

The district says the area will not be used for the remainder of the day, and students will be in alternative classrooms.

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.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara–based Direct Relief has received a perfect 100 percent rating from Charity Navigator for 2025, marking its 15th consecutive Four-Star designation.

Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading independent nonprofit evaluator, cited the organization’s strong financial accountability, transparency, and impact.

Direct Relief is one of only four organizations nationwide to earn a spot on Charity Navigator’s list of Highly Rated Charities.

The non-profit was also recognized as one of Charity Navigator’s Best Humanitarian Relief Charities for 2025, highlighting its response to domestic disasters and international humanitarian crises.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – After nearly 47 years working for the City of Santa Maria, longtime Recreation and Parks Director Alex Posada is retiring this week.

Posada, who started working for Santa Maria in 1979, is the longest serving employee in the 120-year history of the city.

This Friday will mark the end of a remarkable and impactful tenure that started when the city had just over 40,000 people and has grown over the nearly five decades since to a place that now has a population of over 100,000.

“I’ve been gearing up for it,” said Posada. “We’re trying to get all my ducks in a row here at the office, handing off projects. That tarted that a couple of months back with the leadership team here at the department, and family wise, same thing, trying to get things done so that when tomorrow does come, I’m ready. I think it’s been a great career here and I’ve enjoyed every single day coming to work. I can’t think of a day that I didn’t enjoy coming to work.”

Posada actually started working for the city briefly as a Recreation Activity Specialist in 1977.

After leaving that position, he returned two years later in May 1979 as full-time as a Recreation Activity Specialist in May 1979 and has been with Santa Maria ever since.

“I remember the day that I walked into the Minami Community Center before our grand opening,” said Posada. “That was my first charge was to organize the grand opening for the Minami Center. It was just a great facility to kind of kick off the future of Santa Maria, and I kind of look at that as is it was the first major facility that the city built, and now you look around the city and we have a facility in almost every section of town which helps meet the needs of the community.”

He was moved up to Recreation Supervisor in April 1981 and later promoted to Recreation and Parks Director in 1993, a position he has held for 32 years.

“We’ve been able to ask the community what it is they want to see in recreation and then with the assistance of the council and the community, we have been able to deliver on those things,” said Posada. “It’s really listening to what the community is telling us that they want. I think that’s what I’m most proud of, that we’ve been able to do that and we’ve gotten the support to do it. I’m happy and proud of the partnerships that we have with the community.”

In late 2023, he was appointed as interim city manager, a position he held for one year until current city manager David Rowlands was hired in late 2024.

“Filling in for the city manager was something that I didn’t expect to do before I retired,” said Posada. “I believe in the letter that I wrote to the council, I said that it would be a huge culmination to a career of over 40 years, and when I look at it, getting to work with not just the people in my department, but getting to work with the people across the city and getting to understand what each of their needs were, that was enlightening for me.”

Through the years, Posada has left an enduring imprint on city, helping build many of the popular recreational facilities that residents and visitors now enjoy on a daily basis.

According to the city, since he started in 1979, the number of parks has grown from nine to 33 and the number of recreation facilities has grown from two to ten.

Some of the facilities he has helped create are the Atkinson Community Center, and Simas Park Building to 10 including Grogan Community Center, Maramonte Community Center, Veterans’ Memorial Center, Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, Edwards Community Center, Elwin Mussell Senior Center, Hagerman Softball Complex, Minami Community Center, soon the Japanese Community Center and Smith-Enos House.

Other notable achievements include helping create People for Leisure and Youth (PLAY) in 1997, a non-profit organization has raised more than $5 million to aid in funding innovative recreation and parks services and programs offered in the Santa Maria Valley.

“That was a group that was created out of necessity, back when the city was going through some budget struggles,” said Posada. “It was their role to go out and solicit that community support. Over the years, that the the board has worked hard and has been a really successful securing grants that maybe wouldn’t normally come to a city, but they were able to help be the fiduciary for those kind of grants coming to the city programs, free swim days at Paul Nelson in the summertime sponsored by PLAY, leadership training for our staff sponsored by PLAY, our Christmas events. Those kinds of things have all been underwritten by PLAY.”

He also played an instrumental role in helping Santa Maria earn the prestigious “All-America City” designation that was granted by the National Civic League in Mobile, Alabama in 1998.

“We had a mayor at the time named Abel Maldonado and Abel was a catalyst for many, many things to happen in the community back in that time frame in 1998,” said Posada. “One of the things that he felt was Santa Maria deserved recognition for the community that it was, so the decision was made that we would apply for the All-America City Award. I was not necessarily in charge of it, but our department certainly keyed it up. I would say that it was Teresa Rayburn and a group of individuals from City Hall that actually did the work. We were able to take on a national basis go to Mobile, Alabama, and tell the people what Santa Maria had accomplished over the years, and becoming an engaging and inclusive and respectful community. It’s not typical for a city to win on its first time, but we did.”

Posada has also been a key advocate for the Special Olympics, not only in Santa Maria, but also Santa Barbara County and beyond.

“When I became engaged in Special Olympics, it was pretty much a one-day event that happened at Hancock College,” said Posada. “We maybe had 90 to 100 individuals with intellectual disabilities come out and participate. As the time went on, I said this could be a lot more. The Special Olympics organization at that time wanted to grow and we ended up being more engaged in the program. We had a year round program. We had a program that allowed youth and adults with disabilities a venue to participate in sports, just like anybody else, and not just participate in the sports, but also participate in the training component of that getting better wellness and better health and fitness. We’re in the rebuilding process right now (after Covid). I continue to serve on the Board of Directors for, Special Olympics Southern California and that’s one of our major goals, is to get our athletes re-engaged in the community.”

Other accomplishments included assisting the city purchase 1,778 acres of land near the top of the Solomon Grade that has since become the home to Los Flores Ranch Park, leading the transfer of the historic Smith-Enos House that was gifted to Santa Maria by the Enos Ranch developer around 2016 that will become part of a new park with the future Japanese Community Center, leading the creation of Machado Plaza near Chapel Street that opened in 2022, and spearheading the drive towards the construction of the future Santa Maria Sports Complex that will open in fall/winter 2026.

In addition to his duties with the city, Posada has also given his time, energy and devotion to several local clubs, charities and non-profit organizations.

“He leads with a service heart and has created so much that this city is all the better for his service,” said Santa Maria Recreation Services Manager Dennis Smitherman, who has just been named interim Recreation and Parks Director. “What he has been able to accomplish has changed the footprint and culture of Santa Maria and it has just made it a better place to live. Alex has one of the biggest hearts for our community. He really supports everybody and wants everyone to participate, and get outside and enjoy the services that the department offers, and really just be healthy and respect each other in the community.”

On Tuesday, the Santa Maria City Council officially recognized Posada with a resolution that honored his “outstanding leadership, dedication, and contributions to the community, and congratulating him on his well-deserved retirement.”

A longtime Santa Maria resident, Posada, along with his wife Julie, has no intentions of leaving the city as he enters retirement and said he will remain active in the community.

“We’re staying put,” said Posada. “I’m going to continue to be engaged in my Kiwanis group and with Special Olympics, and I’ll continue on the board for PLAY. We’ll be here. We’ll be traveling a little bit here and there, but for the most part, we’ll be around.” 

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