Santa Barbara CA

Last year, Santa Barbara Unified’s “Off and Away” meant phones parked in classroom “cell hotels” during lessons and set free at lunch. This year at Goleta Valley and La Colina junior high schools, it means no phones, period. From first bell to 2:53 p.m., students’ cells are sealed in signal-blocking pouches that stay...

Santa Barbara, CA – Boaters along California’s Central Coast are being urged to exercise caution today as hazardous marine conditions intensify near the Santa Barbara Channel and offshore waters. Mariners face strong winds and high seas that could threaten both small and large vessels. Gale and Small Craft...

On Thursday, September 18th, local father and volunteer Sebastian Villanueva was honored with a life-changing gift: a donated vehicle from Concours Motors, a Ventura auto shop known for its annual Wheels to Shine initiative. Each year, the program awards one vehicle to a local community member who exemplifies...

Sign Up to get Nick Welsh’s award-winning column, The Angry Poodle delivered straight to your inbox on Saturday mornings. EARLY BIRD BLUES: As I looked out at the ocean, the stars sparkled overhead; dawn had not yet cracked. Day had not broken. And the waves were trying to calm me.

GOLETA, CA — September 25, 2025 — What began with 911 call in the predawn hours of Sept. 22 ended with a Goleta man in. custody and an arsenal of firearms seized from his home. According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Raquel. Zick,...

Singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey popped on stage for a quick song at Institution Ale while walking on State Street in Santa Barbara. On Saturday, September 27, local band “The Fastest Kids in School, were performing a cover of Del Rey’s 2014 hit “West Coast” when she happened to be nearby. She then approached the band...

The International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) Santa Barbara will host Hollister Rand, an internationally renowned medium, in a talk called Everything You Wanted to Know About the Afterlife, but Were Afraid to Ask, 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Unity of Santa Barbara, 227 E. Arrellaga St. Rand will...

We’re standing on a hill overlooking the ocean near the Santa Barbara County-San Luis Obispo County line. It’s a gorgeous view of the coastline. You wouldn’t know it now, but this was once a massive oil field, with hundreds of wells. "Right now, we're standing on a...

“The story is not just what you remember but how it comes to mind,” wrote Max Schott in 2014. He was in the midst of trying to recall and imagine his adolescence and his hero of that time, the cowboy and horse trainer Ralph Camarillo. Schott is a writer,...

Here are the stories we are following on Daybreak: Train crashes with fuel truck in Guadalupe: A scary scene in Guadalupe after an Amtrak train full of...