Education
Santa Barbara City College to Use $4.2M State Grant to Build New Microgrid
The project will install 1.6 megawatts of solar arrays and two Tesla Megapack battery storage systems on campus.
Education
Black Students Say That Racial Slurs Still Used in Santa Barbara Unified
Community members say there has been an increase in racial harassment on high school campuses.
Wildfire
Island of Ash: A Trip to Santa Rosa Island After the Fire
Damage assessment and recovery efforts begin following largest fire in Channel Islands history.
Education
Santa Barbara School Board Approves Lease to Developer for Teacher Housing Development
The Tatum property near San Marcos High School will include 106 units of income-restricted housing.
Environment
Conservationists Hold Town Hall in Santa Barbara on Protecting Roadless Forests
Los Padres ForestWatch hosts gathering to discuss Trump administration’s efforts to roll back the Roadless Rule.
Education
Santa Barbara Unified Bans YouTube at Junior Highs, High Schools
The app and other non-educational Google platforms are now blocked on school-issued devices following a parental push.
Environment
Roundup Use in Santa Barbara Raises Eyebrows
The weedkiller, which is at the center of thousands of lawsuits alleging it causes cancer, is being used at public parks and along Tunnel Trail.
Animals
The Trash Pandas Are Running the Neighborhood
A pet door meant for my cat became an open invitation for Santa Barbara’s boldest raccoons.
Energy
White House Officials Defend Offshore Oil’s Restart
Energy and Interior secretaries visit Sable's Santa Barbara plant.
Radicalizing People Through Plants
Robin Greenfield stops in Santa Barbara to spread the gospel of foraging food.
Wildfire
Santa Rosa Island Fire Reaches Full Containment
The National Park will remain closed to visitors until at least June 30 as a post-fire damage assessment gets underway.
Education
UC Santa Barbara’s New Chancellor, Dennis Assanis, Inaugurated at Lobero Theatre
The ceremony included a string of laurels from local and state dignitaries, university staff, students, and colleagues and friends from Assanis’s long career in education.
Community
Parading with Pride Around Santa Barbara County
Celebrations, drag history, and long-lost bars.
Animals
Santa Barbara Foil Surfer Who Filmed Shark Chase Has Run-In with Whales
A breaching mother gray whale and her calf bump surfer Tavis Boise off his board near Montecito.
Education
La Cumbre Junior High and Santa Barbara Community Academy to Share One Principal
The move is one of several staffing changes meant to address declining enrollment amid a tightening budget, Santa Barbara Unified School District says.
Education
Philanthropist Donates $1M for San Marcos High School’s Elings Wells Family Wellness Center
Betty Elings Wells’s gift to the Royal Pride Foundation will help build a new wellness center on campus for students and families.
Education
‘Pencils, Not Pixels’: Parents Push for Stricter Tech Policies, Pause on AI in Santa Barbara Unified Schools
The district says some safeguards already exist and more are in the works, but some parents worry it’s too little, too slow.
Wildfire
Santa Rosa Island Fire Nears Full Containment
No further fire growth is expected after the largest wildfire in the Channel Islands’ recorded history burns 18,379 acres.
Wildfire
Santa Rosa Island Fire Enters ‘Mop-Up’ Phase on Day Eight
An aerial assessment confirms that the historic South Point Light Station and much of the rare Torrey pine grove have survived the wildfire, which was more than halfway contained as of Friday.
Education
Westmont, Santa Barbara Unified Partner on New Residency Program for Future Teachers
Each student in the year-long program will get $33,000 for tuition and living expenses.
Courts & Crime
Lawsuit Filed by Mother of Special Needs Student Alleges Son Was Sexually Abused at Dos Pueblos High
The civil complaint alleges that three special education employees — including two still employed at the high school — abused the student while he was in their care. The school district says that “the lawsuit against the district and its employees appears to be entirely meritless.”
Wildfire
Santa Rosa Island Fire, Largest Ever Recorded on Channel Islands, Nears 50 Percent Containment
A video from the stranded sailor shows the sailboat burning on the shoreline before the island became engulfed in flames.
Environment
Oil Blankets Beach Near UC Santa Barbara
The massive sheet of black tar on Sands Beach and Coal Oil Point was sucked back into the ocean before its “oil fingerprint” could be traced, said Heal the Ocean’s Harry Rabin.
Education
Santa Barbara County Schools Race to Cool Down Hot Classrooms Before State Grant Program Sunsets
A coalition is pushing state lawmakers to extend CalSHAPE, reopen applications, and ensure funds for HVAC upgrades reach the schools they were intended for.
Wildfire
Fire Engulfs Nearly One-Third of Santa Rosa Island
The “human-caused” fire destroys and threatens historic buildings and endangered plant species found nowhere else in the world.
Wildfire
Santa Rosa Island Fire Burns Through Rare Torrey Pine Grove
A large effort is underway to save the island’s historic structures, housing, campgrounds, and pier as the “human-caused” fire scorches more than 16,000 acres.
Community
Literacy, Dignity, and a Garage Full of Scrap
Kenneth Kolberg is giving back to the imperiled Santa Barbara library program that changed his life.
Wildfire
Santa Rosa Island Fire Explodes to More than 10,000 Acres over Weekend
Two historic structures were destroyed and 11 park employees were evacuated over the weekend as firefighters work to protect the island’s threatened species and historic ranch house and infrastructure.
Environment
Carpinteria Launches Beach Cleanup Stations
Several stations equipped with reusable baskets make it easy to collect garbage on the beach.
Wildfire
Vegetation Fire Breaks Out on Santa Rosa Island
A Coast Guard helicopter rescued a shipwrecked sailor from the burning Channel Island south of Santa Barbara County on Friday.
Education
Santa Barbara Schools Back Online After Cyberattack
Learning platform Canvas is safe and operational following an agreement between the parent company Instructure and hackers, says the company’s CEO.
Education
Santa Barbara County Principals Discuss Benefits of Outdoor Learning
First 5 holds Nature and Learning Research Forum highlighting the impact of nature-based learning on early childhood development.
Education
Major Open-Ended Strike Averted at UC Campuses, Hospitals as Tentative Deal Reached
Around 42,000 service and patient care workers, including hundreds at UC Santa Barbara, were scheduled to go on strike Thursday before Wednesday’s late-night agreement.
Environment
Opposition Heard About New Protected Marine Area Near Carpinteria
Central Coast residents speak out on MPAs.
Energy
As Lawsuits Pile Up, California Legislators and Environmental Groups Vow to Keep Fighting Sable Offshore
Senator Adam Schiff joins local leaders at a press conference in Santa Barbara to oppose Houston oil company’s restart of oil production, which has sparked an intense battle over state and federal powers.
Education
Canvas Cyberattack Impacts Santa Barbara Schools
Students and teachers personal data jeopardized by hackers on Thursday.
Education
Repairs Underway on Sunken Track at Santa Barbara High's Peabody Stadium
A cracked drain pipe running beneath the multimillion-dollar track is causing a cavernous disruption for the school’s track team, which has been unable to host any meets this year.
Community
How Angels Foster Care Helps Children in Dark Times
The agency celebrated 21 years and more than 330 successful placements at its annual luncheon.
Courts & Crime
California Attorney General Files Motion to Halt the Flow of Sable Oil in Santa Barbara County
Rob Bonta’s motion for a preliminary injunction is part of his second lawsuit against the Trump administration over what he calls the illegal restart of the pipelines, which started moving oil in March.