Category: keyt-local-news

Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). -The UC Santa Barbara Women’s Basketball team tipped off 2026 with a home showdown versus Cal State Fullerton today, a contest the Titans won 62-61. The high-intensity game went down to the buzzer and is just the second loss of the Gauchos’s season, who are now 2-1 in conference play and 11-2 overall.

FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ”One thing we’ve learned how to do is execute in close games. And I thought we did a great job executing down the stretch,” Jimenez said. “But your luck’s going to run out. You can put yourselves in positions to win, but we probably had three games where we’ve won on either a buzzer beater or three seconds etc., and at some point, your luck’s going to run out and it’s going to go the other way.”

HOW IT HAPPENEDCal State Fullerton set their tone early on, initiating a hard press defense that would define their style of play for the duration of the game. Though the Gauchos won the tip off, the Titans made the first basket with a layup and started 2-0. Zoe Borter responded for the Gauchos, launching the first of her soon-to-be signature three-pointers.

It was a fast-paced back and forth, with each team scoring clusters of points at a time, but the Gauchos kept the lead they established at 3-2 and stayed several baskets ahead. They exited 22-18 from the first quarter.

The Gauchos’ lead held early in the second after Jessica Grant kicked it off with a signature three-pointer.

Halfway through, Fullerton tied it at 27-27 before putting themselves ahead 29-27. Santa Barbara got its lead back after a layup-free throw combo by Julia Púente-Valverde gave them 30 points. The half closed out at 37-33 Gauchos.

Fullerton tied it 37-37 almost immediately in the third, making two layups in the first minute. Borter sank another three to bring it back to 40-37, but the game was tied again at 42-42.

The Gauchos held it at 48-47 for nearly three minutes before they exited the quarter still ahead 50-48.

The Titans outlasted the Gauchos through the fourth, holding Santa Barbara to just 11 points – its lowest-scoring quarter of the game. After Olivia Bradley opened the period with a layup, the Titans went on a ten-point scoring run that brought them their first tangible lead at 58-52.

By the time the Titans’ streak had ended, the Gauchos had just two minutes to put a stop to the operation. In cinematic fashion, Santa Barbara made seven back-to-back points, overcoming Fullerton’s buffer and coming out ahead 61-60. But then, after collecting 23 offensive rebounds, the Titans’ 24th sealed the game

After missing a layup with just seconds remaining, the Titans stole the final offensive rebound and returned it into the basket. They came away 62-61 to become the first Big West team to defeat the Gauchos this season.

The teams varied greatly in terms of offense, with Santa Barbara shooting 50% and sinking 21 of their 42 total shots. Cal State Fullerton, however, relied on offensive rebounding and made only 26 of 73 shot attempts.

Over 50% of the Gauchos’ points were three-pointers, while Fullerton shot just 10% from beyond the arc, going 2 for 19. The Gauchos hold the second best three-point defense in the nation, a point heavily aided by their performance versus the Titans. Fullerton was a spirited opponent, forcing 13 turnovers and making 16 second chance points.

Jessica Grant shot 57% from the three and currently resides as one of the nation’s top 10 best three point shooters. She led the Gauchos in points against the Titans with 12. Skylar Burke headed the rebounding effort, grabbing eight, while Maddie Naro threw a game-leading six assists.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos continue their home stay with a game against CSUN on Saturday, Jan. at 2:00 p.m. in the Thunderdome.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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Mike Klan

FULLERTON, Calif. (KEYT). -The UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team dropped its first conference game of the season to Cal State Fullerton Thursday night. Despite winning the rebounding battle and making nine more 3-pointers than the Titans, the Gauchos’ 24 turnovers led to 42 points for Fullerton.

HOW IT HAPPENEDAn opening three kicked off the scoring for the Titans and the Gauchos responded with a Hosana Kitenge layup to get on the board. Following the basket, the Titans went on 13-0 run. Six turnovers by the Gauchos propelled the run. After taking a timeout, UC Santa Barbara started to get to the rim and hit open shots in a back-and-forth stretch.

During the middle part of the half, Cal State Fullerton went on another big 14-0 run as the Gauchos trailed 32-13 at the nine-minute mark. At that point, Mahaney and Kitenge were the only two players to make shots for the Gauchos before CJ Shaw hit a three shortly after.

The Shaw three was part of a short spurt of the Gauchos’ 9-2 run to cut the lead to 13. In the final minutes of the half, the teams went back and forth and UC Santa Barbara went to halftime down 50-36.

To start the second half, both teams traded baskets and chipped away at the Titan lead. Zion Sensley hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 12, and just after, the Gauchos cut the lead to 10 after a Marvin McGhee IV dunk.

Following some back-and-forth, back-to-back threes cut the lead to eight with just under 11 minutes to play, but Fullerton went on a 7-0 run to build their lead back to double digits. It was the closest the Gauchos would get and ultimately fell 95-84.

NOTABLESMahaney’s 23-point outing was his third 20-point game this season.This was the first game this season, and the Gauchos did not record a single block.The Gauchos won the rebounding battle but lost the game for just the second time this season. They are now 7-2 when they outrebound their opponent.The Gauchos made nine more three pointers than the Titans, outshooting them 41.2 percent to 29.4 percent.The Gauchos were perfect from the free-throw line, making all 10 of their shots.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos will stay on the road as they head to CSUN to take on the Matadors on Saturday, Jan. 3. The Gauchos and Matadors will tip off at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Spectrum SportsNet with live stats available.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT). – Sophomore Hamad Mousa finished with a game high 26 points Thursday evening and fellow guard Peter Bandelj produced the go-ahead and eventual game-winning layup (left) with 18 seconds remaining as the Cal Poly men’s basketball program resumed Big West play and opened 2026 with a 67-65 victory against defending conference champion UC San Diego.

Bandelj added 15 points for Cal Poly (6-9, 2-1), which snapped UC San Diego’s 16-game winning streak against Big West opponents dating to Jan. 18, 2025.

Held scoreless for the final four minutes, UC San Diego clung to a 65-64 advantage following a missed three-pointer by guard Alex Chaikin with 38 seconds to play. Mustang junior guard Jake Davis rebounded and, following a Cal Poly timeout, Bandelj drove the left baseline with his layup to place Cal Poly in front.

At the other end of Mott Athletics Center, an attempt at the rim from Tritons guard Leo Beath bounded off the iron with Cal Poly sophomore guard Cayden Ward rebounding. Fouled, Ward converted one free throw attempt before a three-pointer from Beath sailed wide at the buzzer.

Prior to the final minute, Cal Poly’s last lead was an 18-16 advantage seven-and-a-half minutes into action. UC San Diego dissolved that edge with a 13-5 run and led by as much as 40-31 two-and-a-half minutes before the break.

Mousa, however, responded for Cal Poly with back-to-back three-pointers and a layup from Ward with a second to go cut UC San Diego’s lead to 42-39 heading into the locker room.

The Tritons, limited to a 21.2 (7-for-33) percent second-half shooting mark, failed to stretch their lead past six points during the second half.

Cal Poly Noteworthy (versus UC San Diego)

Up Next: Cal Poly returns to the road Saturday, Jan. 3, visiting Long Beach State (4-10, 0-2) at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.A double-digit scorer in all 14 appearances, Hamad Mousa retained the Big West scoring lead, improving his average to 21.0 points per game.Peter Bandelj, meanwhile, moved to fifth among Big West scorers at 16.1 points per game.Cayden Ward led all players Thursday with a season best 11 rebounds.Cal Poly’s Thursday win snapped a five-game series slide versus UC San Diego.The Mustangs, who entered Thursday’s matchup ranked 12th among NCAA Division I programs with 31.7 three-point attempts per game, attempted a season high 42 against UC San Diego.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif, (KEYT) – After ringing in the new year, many Santa Barbara locals are heading out to eat close to home.

Cafés and restaurants across the city are seeing steady New Year’s Day crowds.

At Shoreline Café along the waterfront, tables filled quickly with diners enjoying the holiday.

The restaurant was packed with happy customers starting the year with ocean views and brunch favorites.

“Wanna see me take my first bite? … it’s really good,” said customer Mataya George.

“We saw the sun was out and we said let’s walk shoreline and grab a bite so hear we are,” said customr Alaina Patton.

For Shoreline Café and other local eateries, the strong turnout is helping kick off the new year on a positive note.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Runners are kicking off the new year with a long-standing Santa Barbara tradition along the waterfront.

Hundreds of runners and walkers turned out for the annual Resolution Run on New Year’s Day.

The event features 5K and 10K races along the coastal path, open to all ages and abilities.

Organizers say the run is about starting the year healthy while celebrating community.

“It feels great because I’m with my dad and my dad … we love like running stuff you need to introduce me to like running like,” said runner Nikolas Ray of Santa Maria.

“I guess I might’ve even gotten first in my age group, so I’m really happy. Great way to start the new year,” said runner Kirstin Candy-McFarland of Santa Barbara.

The Resolution Run continues to be a popular New Year’s Day tradition along Santa Barbara’s scenic coastline.

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Jarrod Zinn

BUELLTON, Calif. (KEYT) – With the arrival of 2026, Buellton isn’t hesitating with its sense of forward motion into the year ahead.

The city is announcing a first for this year.

Buellton city officials say 2025 saw some significant legislative changes, and that 2026 will begin to see some tangible results.

“There’s a lot that went on this last year,” says Scott Wolfe, Buellton City Manager. “It was a very busy year. We operated most of the year with only four city council members.”

After a special municipal election in august, Carla Mead filled the previously vacant fifth seat on the council.

“The council’s kind of found a new dynamic and hopefully in 2026 they’ll hit their stride,” says Wolfe.

A friendly competition with neighboring city Solvang has secured funding for an overhaul to the Santa Ynez Valley Aquatics Center, and Buellton’s application for Tree City USA designation is submitted.

“We’re just waiting to hear back to see if we’ve met the requirements for that,” says Wolfe.

Most recently, the city’s Arts and Culture Committee is announcing two new community initiatives to bring their residents creative sides out.

“This city is so good about embracing the arts, which is something you don’t always find,” says Kristin Merz, project coordinator on the Buellton Arts And Culture Committee.

Submissions for next year’s street banners are open until April, with the theme “Into The Forest.”

And at the end of January, auditions for Buellton’s first community theatre production will be held.

“Our second art project that we’re announcing is our community theater production of Annie,” says Merz. “So we are looking for both adult actors, child actors, crew and volunteers to help with that project.”

Auditions will be held January 24th and 25th and the play will be performed at the Solvang Festival Theater in April.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Rainy weather during the New Year’s holiday may provide extra challenges for local law enforcement agencies during what is already one of their busiest times of the year.

“Not only are we dealing with a holiday, but we also have rain in the mix,” said California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Maria Barriga. “We have enough to work with with just the New Year’s celebrations that are going to be going on tonight and with putting rain into the mix of it, it’s not a good combination.”

To help keep roadways as safe as possible, the CHP is beginning its maximum enforcement period early in the evening on New Year’s Eve.

“Maximum enforcement is when we have the most amount of officers working patrol,” said Barriga. “It starts at six tonight and it will end tomorrow at midnight. We will be patrolling up and down the freeways, to make sure that they’re clearing any vehicles that might be disabled or crashes that are on the roadway or blocking the roadway, and also to deter people from speeding and doing things that they’re not supposed to when they’re driving.”

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Jarrod Zinn

SOLVANG, Calif. (KEYT) – The city of Solvang rang in the new year this afternoon with the second annual Copenhagen Countdown.

It’s already 2026 in Denmark, so with its rich Danish heritage as part of Julefest, the city of Solvang rings in the new year on their time, which is 3:00pm here in California.

“The afternoon part of it is because we wanted to have an event that was with our, you know, Denmark, Copenhagen, but also for families,” says Candice Libera, City Of Solvang’s Marketing And Events coordinator. “So they can come out and have this event with their kids, do this, but then still have the night time to go do whatever other event they’d like to do in the valley.”

Locals say the days of Christmas Eve and Christmas saw visitor traffic this year that was still surprisingly high despite the rain.

“This year, because of the weather, I think in the rains it was really, you know, pushed into the weekend specifically,” says Annalan Cucki, co-owner and winemaker at Final Girl Wines.

Business owners say what the storms really did was shift all the visitor traffic to an overwhelming December 27th, when the weather cleared up.

“This is a super small operation and my husband basically runs this place and we have one employee,” says Cucki. “And on Saturday he the one employee had the day off, it was Peter by himself. And that guy happened to walk by and decided he needed to come in and kind of help.”

Organizers say the second annual Copenhagen countdown has had a show-must-go-on approach, whether it’s raining or not. Complete with a live performance from local band sensation the Molly Ringwald Project.

“It seems like the weather’s cleared up just enough for this to happen,” says The Molly Ringwald Project’s Ian Musgrove. “And you know what? It’s probably raining and snowing in Europe right now anyway, so I think the weather is perfect,” says the band’s lead vocalist Roxanne Morgenstern. “Feels very authentic,” says Musgrove.

The traditional closure of Julefest, the annual Christmas Tree Burn, is tentatively scheduled for the evening of January 9th, weather permitting.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A winter storm is not going to drown out New Year’s Even plans on the Central Coast, but there may be some adjustments.

Several locations have put in weeks of planning, creative sessions, special orders for food, drinks and decorations and the shows will go on.

That includes live music, DJ sets and festivities at both 9 p.m. for the East Coast-style celebrations in California and midnight for the West Coast celebrations in real time.

At the Harbor Restaurant on Stearns Wharf they are planning a multi-tiered evening with different pricing for those who want to enjoy dinner and the full celebration and those who want to just come together for beverages and the grand finale.

There, they plan to have a special “ball drop” to be a smaller scale version of what is famous in Times Square in New York.

Activities will be inside and out on the seating area with sweeping views of the harbor and waterfront.

Harbor Restaurant Owner John Thyne said, “The Harbor restaurant is one of the most iconic places in Santa Barbara. We’ve had people coming through these doors since 1941, for special occasions. So tonight should be no different. “

“We’ve hired Spark Creative to build a big rig and a big ball filled with lights, and it’s gonna come down at midnight, and everybody will do the countdown and welcome 2026.”

There are different pricing options for those who want dinner and the ball drop or just the upstairs festivities and the front row look at the ball. “Yeah, we have lots of options. We have a seven course dinner that we’re serving. Or you can just show up at 9 p.m.. pay $50. and come in for the big party with the deejay.” Also hats, horns and noise makers.

Forecasters have advised those who are out to be ready for a steady rain all evening, in the overnight and through tomorrow afternoon.

The Santa Barbara Public Market is planning “Ball Drop” festivities and a Trivia Night game session. Everything will be indoors. They will focus on a 9 p.m. event in line with the East Coast showing of Times Square and the ball drop there. “We’ll have the ball drop on the big (100-inch) TV. Just something early for people who don’t necessarily want to stay out in the rain till midnight,” said Manager Natalie Ramos. “We just feel so grateful that they’re happy to come with their friends or family, their kids, their dogs.”

She said the restaurants plan to be open and that will offer a variety of choices.

“We just want this to be the place where everyone is invited,” said Ramos.

For those looking to laugh the year away, two shows may help you chuckle the year away.

Luis Moro is hosting a Comedy Speakeasy event at 409 State Street featuring Craig Shoemaker, who has many TV appearances with his humor.

The SB Comedy Hideaway hosts Andrey Belikov and Maximilian Robert Lockwood have booked the New Vic Theatre for two shows featuring Darren Carter “the Party Starter” as part of a lineup of five comedians in the 300 seat theatre.

Several downtown locations will be celebrating with various events, including a balloon drop at the Red Piano piano bar and nearby on State Street with a live band, Tequila Mockingbird, at M-Special brewing with no cover charge.

The Santa Barbara Symphony has an annual show that is expected to draw a full house at the Granada Theatre. This year the music will be Broadway and Hollywood themes. It begins at 8:30 p.m.

SOHO has the Doublewide Kings with a Psychedelic Bash that comes with dinner at 7:45 p.m. or just the show at 9 p.m.

The Palace Restaurant went with its popular Cajun-Mardi Gras theme and featured a duo of Michael Gutin on the accordion and Barry Birmingham on the drums with sing-a-long songs. Customers can also join in with some hand instruments and play the washboard.

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Patricia Martellotti

MONTECITO, Calif. (KEYT) – With more rain in the forecast, attention is turning once again to Jameson Lane in Montecito, an area with a history of storm-related impacts.

The latest system follows rainfall during Christmas week, raising questions about how repeated storms could affect the corridor.

Officials and residents will be watching closely as conditions evolve during the next round of rain.

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