Santa Barbara CA

The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office says deputies discovered the body of 72-year-old woman Lynn Areno inside her Goleta apartment Sunday evening and arrested her son, 32-year-old Christopher Vanvlack, on suspicion of homicide in connection with her death. Court records show Vanvlack has a checkered past with law...

On September 29, 2025, at approximately 4:40 p.m., the Ventura Police Department Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call reporting a physical altercation between two male subjects in the public area of the apartment complex on Del Norte St. Patrol officers responded and located the victim unconscious and began...

Attorneys in the murder trial of Elvis Alberto Lopez of Santa Barbara, who is accused of killing 3-year-old Mila Solis, made their closing arguments on Tuesday, laying out their cases portraying her death either as a tragic accident or as a murder stemming from months of abuse. Six days into...

Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service. (LOMPOC, Calif.) – The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara (HASBARCO) is proud to announce that it has been recognized with multiple Awards of Merit from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) for...

Look for a live music, a guacamole contest, and 15 food vendors. THE GREENEST MONTH? It may just be April or May, if we're talking about sprouting leaves and the world awakening around us. December, too, can take on an emerald hue due to Christmas decorations and all of those fanciful fir trees. But if you're in...

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Outdoor speakers on UC Santa Barbara's campus sent a false bomb threat alert during maintenance on Tuesday. According to an emergency notification from the campus alert system, the message was sent out accidentally during maintenance on the alert system and all campus activities have...

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office filed murder charges against Christopher Van Vlack, a 32-year-old Santa Barbara man who killed his mother. Van Vlack, who killed 72-year-old Lynn Areno, is charged with first-degree murder, according to the SBCDAO's Office. Van Vlack...

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) — On Sunday evening, a rollover crash off Highway 101 in Los Alamos injured a woman and a 4-year-old child. The child was restrained by a seat belt, but not an age-appropriate car seat or booster seat. “Even though they were restrained by a lap belt and a shoulder belt The post...

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Luxury grocery store Erewhon could soon set up more shop on the Central Coast. Erewhon's Instagram page posted a series of maps in various major cities, including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara. The brand's Chief Growth Officer, Kabir Jain said its store could...

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Carpinteria leaders are warning that the city’s budget is under increasing pressure, with law enforcement costs consuming a large share of local resources. At Monday night’s State of the City address, City Manager Michael Ramirez said the city’s contract with the Santa Barbara County...