Category: keyt-local-news

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The traditional downtown mercado in De la Guerra Plaza will grow for this week’s Fiesta.

The change for the 2026 event will expand the mercado out to State Street.

Old Spanish Days says beyond De la Guerra Plaza and De la Guerra Street, the mercado footprint will go up and down State Street for two blocks, bordered by Ortega St. and Canon Perdido Street.

It runs from Wednesday, August 5 through Saturday August 8, 2026. There is no charge for the plaza entertainment.

The mercado area will have a main stage in the plaza on the back side surrounded by food, a beer garden, and vendors coming out towards De la Guerra Street and City Hall.

Some of the vendors began setting up on Sunday. They continue construction all day on Monday.

Sean Malis is on the Old Spanish Days staff in charge of the downtown mercado. He said, “we have dancing during the day,  we have bands performing until 10 o’clock at night. We do that  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. ” 

All permits for health and construction will be verified before the operators can serve guests.

“We have sold all the food booths that we can and even  have sold a couple of extras,” said Malis.

Thousands will be expected to visit the area during Old Spanish Days, with many local residents planning to go on the first day before the flow of tourists pour into the city.

The new beer garden area in the plaza will be run by the Sportsman Lounge. Owner Phillip Writght said, “just being in the business for 30 years, we can control the number of people we want. A  nice flow of crowd.  “

This location will bring the entertainment, food and beverages into one place with a high top table.

Wright said, “enjoy their food, bring it right here they don’t have to go back and forth what I do want to point out this year,  we are taking no cover charge at the beer garden.”

This will be the only mercado operated by Old Spanish Days.

“This is really not just the heart of the Fiesta, it is our heritage, it is our community heritage going back to the 1930’s,” said Malis.

There will not be a mercado at MacKenzie Park or at the waterfront as the city has seen in the past.  There will be no Old Spanish Days carnival.

There will be a carnival or mini fair on the field at The Club on Canon Perdido Street with rides, food and dancing.

The Club will also have a free pancake breakfast Saturday morning from 7 – 9 a.m.

Another location for Fiesta performances this year will be at the entrance to the Paseo Nuevo Mall.

Chairs and an elevated stage have been set up there near the Balboa Building.

This stage comes alive Tuesday one day before the official start of Fiesta.

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Patricia Martellotti

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Local barbers are stepping up in a big way to help Santa Barbara families start the school year off right.

Through a back-to-school haircut program for members of the United Boys & Girls Clubs, kids are getting a fresh look, and a confidence boost, before heading back into the classroom.

For many families, the start of the school year can be exciting, but it can also bring extra expenses.

Haircuts, school supplies, clothes and other essentials can add up quickly.

That’s why this community effort is making such a difference, offering a simple but meaningful way to ease some of that pressure while helping students feel prepared for day one.

The free haircut event is about more than just appearance.

Organizers believe the response has been a reminder of how strong Santa Barbara’s sense of community really is.

By donating their time and talents, local barbers are not only helping families save money, but also showing kids that their community is rooting for them.

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Jarrod Zinn

GUADALUPE, Calif. (KEYT) – City officials in Guadalupe ordered an abrupt halt to the restoration project at the Royal Theatre.

Some of the work needs to wrap up at the historic site before the operation is fully shut down.

People in Guadalupe had high hopes just last December when groundbreaking started at the site of the historic Royal Theatre.

In February, the sounds of tractors and construction machinery echoed through downtown Guadalupe.

It all went quiet last Tuesday when the city council brought this project to a full stop.

“Having to cancel a project of this scope that had the potential to bring more hope to this community is disheartening,” says Guadalupes’ city administrator David Trujillo.

As the work progressed, crews were encountering more and more issues that required additional expense to fix.

“Once construction started, then it’s like they were able to actually look at the meat of the building,” says Trujillo. “Way back when there was a fire over here in this area with the electrical panel, a lot of water damage on this front wall, specifically a lot of mold and stuff that they were starting to find within when they started ripping out drywall . The foundation itself wasn’t very structurally sound.”

As those stumbling blocks built up, so did projected financial red flags.

“It’s the city’s cash flow that was threatened with the construction cost,” says Trujillo.

City administrator David Trujillo says it makes more sense for the city to halt the project now and retain some funding, rather than find itself in debt in the near future trying to keep it going.

“Erring in caution, it kind of made more sense to stop everything,” says Trujillo.

City leaders say there will still be crews out here for a time, as the site must be made safe and preserved as is before a full shut-down can occur.

“Right now it’s all just locked up,” says Trujillo. “We’re having a meeting tomorrow. We’re going to start going over close out. Whether it’s reinstalling the glass doors that were here before, you know, just various things like that. We want to talk to them about finishing the roof so we can at least have that secured. The back wall isn’t there.”

Trujillo says closing down the project means there’s no estimate on how long it could be before work starts up again.

In the meantime, Guadalupe will be meeting other fiscal obligations.

Trujillo says the future of the site here is uncertain, but that the property was originally moved to city ownership with stipulations it be developed as a performing arts venue of some kind.

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Tracy Lehr

SOLVANG, Calif. (KEYT) – Legendary horse trainer Monty Roberts has died.

The creator of Join-Up International nonprofit wrote a bestseller entitled “The Man Who Listens to Horses.”

Roberts ran a world-renown equestrian academy with family in Solvang.

He was a longtime friend and mentor to actor James Dean.

His friendship with the Queen of England led to a documentary about their relationship entitled “The Cowboy and the Queen.”

Roberts didn’t consider himself a horse whisperer, although many stories are written about his way with horses and other animals. Those who knew him said deer would often appear to greet him in his front yard.

There are t-shirts with the Robert’s quote; “Leaving the world a better place for horses and people.”

Marvin Earl “Monty” Roberts was born in Salinas and died on July 31, 2026 at the age of 91.

For more information visit https://join-up.org

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A man died as a pedestrian in a train crash near Por La Mar Circle around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.

First responders arrived at the scene and noticed the man who had been hit by the train, according to the SBPD.

After trying life-saving measures on the man, SBPD officers alongside first responders declared the man dead at the scene.

As of 11:00 p.m. Sunday, the train still remains stopped and delayed, according to the SBPD.

The man’s identity is being withheld pending next of kin notification and the crash remains under investigation.

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Caleb Nguyen

TEMPLETON, Calif. (KEYT) – The Templeton CHP is investigating a suspicious death after finding a dead body just after 11:00 a.m. Friday near Vineyard Road on the west shoulder of Highway 101.

The SLO Communications Center got a call from CalTrans about the dead body and later passed the investigation on to the Templeton CHP.

Templeton CHP officers alongside fire crews found a man lying face down in the dirt without personal identification.

CHP personnel are now investigating the death as a suspicious one for an unknown person.

Those with more information on the investigation are asked to contact the CHP.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Fill the Closet back to school clothing and supply drive is back in Santa Maria.

The goal is to fill 300 bags by August 15th, to make sure children ages 4 to 18 start the school year with clean well fitting clothes and shoes.

Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara has drop off locations at 2861 Airport Dr. in Santa Maria and the Discovery Museum at 705 South McClelland St. in Santa Maria.

The drops off open Monday through Friday from 8-to-5.

“Every child deserves to begin the school year feeling confident and prepared,” said Cuevas,” A simple donation of clothing can make a meaningful difference for. local child and help relieve financial stress fo families during one of the most expensive times of the year.”

For more information contact (805) 925-6701.

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Mike Klan

WICHITA, Kansas. (KEYT) – For a record 11th time and first since 2022 the Santa Barbara Foresters are National Baseball Congress World Series champions.

The Foresters erupted for 6 runs over the final two innings to beat the Alaska Goldpanners 7-2 to claim the title.

Santa Barbara went 6-0 in the tournament and outscored their opponents 49-4 to win the 92nd edition of the NBC World Series.

Foresters starting pitcher Zane Burns (Oklahoma State) threw four innings of 2-hit shutout ball, striking out five batters.

The game was scoreless until both teams scored runs in the sixth inning.

The Foresters grabbed a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly from Easton Moomau (Texas Rio Grande Valley) to score Chris Newstrom (UCSB).

The Goldpanners grabbed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth with a bases-loaded walk and an infield single.

Santa Barbara took the lead back for good in the top of the eighth inning scoring the tying run on an errant throw to first by the pitcher on a sacrifice bunt and they went up 3-2 on a balk.

In the top of the ninth the Foresters put the game away with 4 runs. Newstrom’s line drive was misplayed into a triple by the Goldpanners centerfielder which allowed Donovan LaSalle (University of Louisiana) to score from first.

Ippolito, Sawyer Farr (Oklahoma), and Joseph Sandusky (Texas A&M) added RBI singles to make it 7-2.

Reliever Luke Cornelison (Arkansas) pitched a 1,2,3 ninth inning to set off a wild celebration.

Cornelison worked 3 1/3 innings for the win.

The Foresters have won World Series titles in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2026.

Bill Pintard has been the head coach and executive director for all of those championships.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) Up and coming rodeo riders stole the show at the sold out Santa Barbara Rodeo on Saturday night.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association at the Earl Warren Showgrounds featured young bull riders wearing protective gear.

Some parents got to see their kids Mutton Bustin’ for the first time.

“I think this is one of the most incredivble events i absolutely love coming to the Santa Barbara Rodeo i don’t know anything about any other rodeos anywhere in the world but i think this is the best hands down,” said Forrest Galante.

Galante and his friends and family held signs cheering on his son Rhodes Summerfield.

Summerfield said it was all about hanging on.

He would like to do it again.

The Rodeo also included adult saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, tie down roping, bull riding and barrel racing .

The Rodeo continues on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The main rodeo performance starts at 1 p.m.

For more information visit https://earlwarren.com

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) The heat is on, but it depends on where people are located.

It is much hotter inland.

That’s why people are flocking to beaches.

People at Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara brought their kids and dogs.

Many brought cool treats.

They seemed to enjoy the weather better thanks to the ocean breeze.

Eileen Orfalea treated herself to an ice cream cone at the Shoreline Cafe.

“I think it is great, I am from the East Coast and I don’t think it is much of a heat wave, I think it is great, I am enjoying every moment of it,” said Orfalea.

Others beat the heat by ordering cool drinks while sitting on the cafe patio. 

The heat is expected to last a little longer.

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