Semi-truck and Amtrak train with about 260 passengers onboard collide
The driver of the semi-truck was transported to the hospital with serious injuries along with three Amtrak passengers with minor injuries, according to local authorities
The Best Chili Cheese Fries In California Are Hiding Inside This Unassuming Restaurant
In a state obsessed with health foods and culinary innovation, there exists a humble haven where comfort food reigns supreme and calories are blissfully ignored. The Spot in Carpinteria might look like just another roadside burger stand, but locals know it harbors what might be California’s greatest hidden treasure:...
County Program Paying Bonus Bucks to Permanently Park Polluting Vehicles
The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District is now accepting vehicles from 2002 or older for its Old Car Buyback Program. Participants can now get $2,200 for their old cars. The district previously only accepted vehicles from 1997 or older for $1,000. Air Pollution Control District Executive Director...
School District Settles Decades-Old Abuse Claims for $7.5 Million
Another school district has been plunged into financial hardship by allegations of sexual abuse dating back decades. On Sunday, the Montecito Union School District (MUSD) in Santa Barbara County reached a $7.5 million settlement with two men who say they were abused by a former principal in the 1970s. That amount is...
Company suggests using ships to transport oil from Santa Barbara County if it can’t...
An oil company engaged in a battle to restart the oil pipeline, which ruptured on the Gaviota Coast in 2015 and caused a significant spill, has a new proposal to circumvent the controversy. Sable Offshore Corporation suggests it could use ships to transport oil from three idle offshore oil platforms...
VHS lunch lines are getting out of hand
Long lines begin to start a problem at Ventura High School. Lunch time is meant to be a time to unwind and relax and part of that is getting yourself a nice meal to eat, but at VHS this has been no easy task as of lately, due to the frustratingly long lines to get food. Many students are unhappy with the long,...
Goleta Man Suspected of Killing Mother Was Released Early from Jail This Spring
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...
Ventura Man Arrested for Murdering Relative Outside Apartment Complex
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 Deliver Closing Arguments in Trial of Man Accused of Killing Toddler
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...
Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara Receives Multiple NAHRO Awards of Merit...
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...
