Category: keyt-local-news

Tracy Lehr

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) A cannabis trade show called “Hall of Flowers” is underway.

The show is taking place at the Ventura County fairgrounds.

It has a festival vibe.

Industry insiders get a chance to listen to panel discussions.

They are also invited to sample things to eat, drink and smoke.

There are exhibitor booths indoors and outdoors throughout the fairgrounds.

Companies from the Central Coast are taking part, too.

Raw Garden Marketing Vice President Bill Boland grew up when marijuana was illegal.

Now he is helping the industry grow.

“The amazing thing is brand Raw Garden is so driven towards clean cannabis, ” said Boland, ” They are really pushing this clean cannabis movement and providing a clean product for people to enjoy so that is really exciting, I am glad to see that in the Industry.”

Hall of Flowers continues on Thursday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are intended for people who work in the cannabis Industry.

For more information visit https://hallofflowers.com

Click here to follow the original article.

Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Like the rest of the Central Coast and throughout much of California, Santa Maria is in midst of a record-breaking heat wave.

On Tuesday, the city recorded a temperature of 95 degrees, easily eclipsing the previous high for St. Patrick’s Day by 10 degrees.

“Yesterday, it was really warm, especially when that wind was not blowing,” said Santa Maria resident Garret Matsuura. “It was just sweltering out in the heat. It was sweaty, just everything felt hot. Putting on the sunglasses hurt it was so hot!”

One day later, the thermometer reached nearly as high, hitting 93 degrees, more than 20 degrees above average for this time of year.

With the heat showing no signs of letting up, many people in Santa Maria are looking for ways to escape the unseasonably warm, uncomfortable weather conditions.

“In the middle of March, nobody expects this,” said Santa Maria resident Deborah Sanchez. “It does catch everybody off guard. Here we are in this 90 degree weather sweltering. We’re not used to this. It’s just too hot!”

Sanchez, like many others on Wednesday, spent a part of her day at the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center swimming laps in the downtown pool.

“It’s just refreshing,” said Sanchez. “You step in that pool and it like just cools you off immediately and once you get going and it’s like you don’t want to get out.”

Across the street at the Santa Maria Public Library, many took refuge inside the air-conditioned confines of the two-story building.

“We definitely have had a bump up in visitors,” said Santa Maria librarian Joanne Britton-Holland. “I was shocked when I was on desk this morning at 9 a.m. to see people sweating already. This is sort of the unofficial, cooling zone for this week. Our second floor of the library is especially cool. The AC seems to be working overtime.”

On the other side of South McClelland Street, at the Santa Maria Lawn Bowling Club, players braved the elements to take in a friendly game Wednesday morning before the heat of the day kicked in.

“This weather is hot,” said Santa Maria resident Steve Haueter. “We are not used to here on the coast, but we deal with it.”

Haueter, who is originally from the San Fernando Valley and is no stranger to hot weather, said his main advice for people to handle this type of heat is to take precautions beforehand.

“I think it’s it’s preparation,” said Haueter. “The hat, long pants, long sleeves, sunblock is huge, but the main thing for me is to cover up, which means no short pants or short sleeves for me.”

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – American Riviera Bank has opened a new round of down payment assistance with support from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.

The program focuses on middle-income, first-time buyers navigating Santa Barbara’s tight and expensive housing market.

Qualified applicants could receive grants that make homeownership more attainable in an area where median home prices remain well above the state average.

Officials remind buyers that funds are limited and tend to run out quickly once applications open.

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Ashlee Buzzard appeared in court today after she failed to appear at the last two hearings.

Buzzard is charged with murdering her 9-year-old daughter Melodee.

Prosecutors say the Vandenberg Village woman shot her daughter during a road trip in October and left her body in rural Utah.

Buzzard has pleaded not guilty.

Under advisement from Buzzard’s public defender Erica Sutherland, Judge Dunkle began Wednesday’s hearing by admonishing the media.

Dunkle reiterated the press’s restrictions to still photos only, and prohibited any photos of her in handcuffs or appearing to be in custody.

Buzzard and her attorney remained seated on the side of the courtroom, next to the door leading to holding.

Public defender Erica Sutherland made a motion challenging a search warrant related to the case.

Prosecutors want the document to remain sealed to the public while the judge considers the motion.

Judge Dunkle set Buzzard’s next court appearance for April 1st.

A ruling will be made on the motion that day, and they will possibly schedule the preliminary trial hearing.

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – A family-owned Santa Maria business is helping to raise funds for the family of a little girl who lost her life last weekend.

On Friday the 13th just before 3:00 in the afternoon, one-year-old Leilani Diaz Vazquez was being pushed in a stroller by her 20-year-old mother at the intersection of north Broadway and Fesler in Santa Maria.

At the same time, an 18-year-old Santa Maria resident in a car was making a right turn onto Broadway.

Witnesses say the signal turned green for traffic and displayed the “walk” emblem simultaneously, and the mother and daughter were struck by the turning vehicle as they entered the crosswalk.

Management of Family Motors, the business occupying that corner, say police response was immediate.

The mother and daughter were rushed to the hospital, the mother having suffered multiple broken bones.

One-year-old Leilani Diaz Vazquez died at the hospital.

The community is building a memorial display at the intersection, with posters, flowers, candles, stuffed animals, and even food items.

“The little girl’s father was out here on Saturday taking donations from, the community that was pulling up to show their support,” says Alexander Orellana, one of the managers at Family Motors Of Santa Maria. “So what we ended up doing was creating these little boxes, these donation boxes for them so they can more easily accept the donations.”

Donations can be dropped off in person any time during business hours.

A GoFundMe is also active, and can be reached through this link.

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The long awaited Santa Barbara segment of the freeway widening project is on its way.

In the next few week, significant changes will take place. Already there’s been pre-construction work including tree removal.

The project will involve a continuation of the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in both direction similar to what drivers see in the previous sections in Montecito and Carpinteria.

There will also be new ramps, including a southbound on ramp at Cabrillo Boulevard and a new crossing for the train. This will end the prolonged problem of a low sitting bridge at Los Patos Way, which has been hit by high profile vehicles many times.

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) will receive an update Thursday morning at its meeting in Santa Barbara.

The widening project has been years in the planning and construction phases based on funding availability and other factors from sources including the federal government and locally approved taxes specifically for this transportation project.

For more information go to: SBCAG

(More details, video and photos will be added here later today.)

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The 78th annual Santa Barbara Orchid Show kicks off March 20th to the 22nd at the Earl Warrens Showgrounds.

The show has fragrance, color and beauty from the moment you walk into the venue. This year’s theme is “Orchid Escape.” The event invites attendees to immerse themselves in a lush paradise where rare and exotic orchids from around the globe transport you to another world.

Show manager, Olivia Sorgman, joins you Morning News to talk about the upcoming show and what to expect.

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A group of concerned students supporting Blood Cancer United are hosting a community fundraiser all day (Wednesday) at Renaud’s Bakery on Coast Village Road in Santa Barbara (Montecito).

The benefit is part of their effort to raise funds for blood cancer research.

Students Jack Hyatt from Dos Pueblos High School and Sebastian Fabio from Santa Barbara High are leading a seven-member team participating in Blood Cancer United’s Student Visionaries of the Year campaign.

Croissants for a Cure at Renaud’s on Coast Village Road to raises money for those fighting blood cancer.

Their goal is to raise $200,000 for Blood Cancer Research.

Renaud’s Bakery will donate 20% of sales above what the bakery would typically expect for that day, with proceeds supporting Blood Cancer United’s research initiatives.

“We set a goal of $200,000 in seven weeks, and my thinking behind that was, you make a large goal, and if you don’t hit it, you’ll get close. So, we’re doing pretty good,” said student co-leader Jack Hyatt.

He is working with student Sebastian Fabio who says they have learned as they raise money that blood cancer is, “more common than I thought it was. Everyone’s one or two connections away from blood cancer, which is pretty tragic. But it was the reality. “

The statistics being used in their presentations have made and impact. Hyatt says, “every three minutes, somebody is dying of a blood cancer. And I didn’t realize how prominent it was. I’ve really built an understanding about what this campaign is actually going to do and how it benefits people.”

At Renaud’s the owner was impressed with the effort and wanted to help with a portion of the days income. Renaud Gonthier said, “yes I was very impressed with the presentation. I think it takes a lot of courage when he’s that young to go and talk to business owners and kind of introduce yourself and work a pitch.”

Blood Cancer United, formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, is a global leader in funding research for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other blood cancers. Research funded through the organization has helped significantly improve survival rates for patients over the past several decades.

To donate or learn more, visit https://pages.lls.org/svoy/calso/svoygc26/TeamJackandSebastian.

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – It looks like a changing of the guard in the Channel League.

Flynn Chenoweth and Vonn Forrest each scored three goals to lead Santa Barbara past Dos Pueblos 8-5 in an early league showdown.

The back-to-back Channel League champion Chargers saw their 20-game league win streak end that went back to 2023.

Chenoweth scored all three of his goals in the first half as the Dons led 5-2 at the break.

(Parker Mercado helped the Dons to 4 second quarter goals. Entenza Design).

The Dons stretched the lead to 7-3 in the third quarter behind two goals from Forrest to complete his hat-trick as Santa Barbara improved to 5-0 on the year after winning their league opener.

DP is 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in league.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Channel League boys tennis rivalry match was delayed for about an hour due to the heat where temperatures reached 97 degrees.

But once it began the Santa Barbara Dons had too much firepower for San Marcos winning 12-6.

Dons singles players Beckett McManigal and Huxley McGetrick each went 3-0 to lead the way for the victory.

The Royals kept the match behind the doubles team of Jacob Cantrell and Cade Campbell who went 3-0 on the day.

Click here to follow the original article.