Authorities in Santa Barbara County have made multiple arrests as part of an investigation into a brutal murder of an elderly woman during a home invasion in 2022. Officials say the killing was a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by a woman who had previously targeted the victim for financial crimes. Violet Evelyn Alberts was found smothered to death inside her Montecito home on May 27, 2022. Alberts was a widow, did not have any immediate family nearby and was described by Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown as a "vibrant" and "cherished member" of the community known for her warm demeano ..read more

As a storm makes its way to Southern California, many residents are preparing as a major flood watch was issued for multiple counties.  “This rain for us is going to be very beneficial especially because we are going to see multiple days of it,” said KTLA Meteorologist Vera Jimenez.  Scattered showers have already arrived for some areas and more significant rainfall is expected to arrive late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. “Thunderstorms and lightning will be favorable with a remote risk of a small, short-lived tornado,” said the National Weather Service. The counties mo ..read more

Three men were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a SoCal teenager and holding him for ransom on Friday. The suspects were identified as Santa Maria residents: -Fidel Jesús Patino Jaimes, 22 -Jair Tomás Ramos Domínguez, 26 -Ezequiel Felix López, 27 The victim was identified as a 17-year-old boy from San Bernardino County, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. On the morning of Sept. 18, the three suspects allegedly caused a car crash involving the teen boy. As the boy exited his vehicle, the men grabbed him and forced him into their SUV, court documents said. Later that afternoon, the boy’s ..read more

State officials were granted nearly $200 million dollars on Wednesday to move thousands of homeless Californians out of encampments and into housing. The money was allocated through the Encampment Resolution Fund which is administered by the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency and the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. The grants will be disbursed to 23 projects across 22 communities throughout the state. The ERF fund was “designed by Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to provide communities of all sizes with the funding to move people living in encampments into ..read more

With multiple camera shots and slick editing, Trevor Jacob documented the dramatic moments when his small plane crashed into a Santa Barbara County hillside as he parachuted to safety. The 2021 video titled, "I Crashed My Airplane," quickly amassed hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. The only problem: it was all staged. On Wednesday, Jacob, 29, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstructing a federal investigation after admitting to intentionally crashing the plane to get views on his YouTube channel, the United States Department of Justice announced. He faces up to 20 years in federa ..read more

After a break from the last storm system, more rainfall is on the way for Southern California next week. The heaviest rain is expected to arrive early next Tuesday morning and will last through Wednesday. “This will be a soggy first half of the week, with many hours of light to moderate steady rain,” said the National Weather Service. “Expect plenty of water, rocks, mud on roads, and minor urban and creek flooding.” Chances for scattered showers and light drizzle could begin as early as Monday in some areas. In Los Angeles and Ventura counties, rainfall is expected to begin Tuesday morning and ..read more

Another storm system is headed to Southern California this week, with threats of gusty winds, potential flooding and hazardous driving conditions. Showers will arrive beginning Thursday night and will stick around through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. In Los Angeles and Ventura counties, light to moderate rain is expected, with rainfall totals expected to hit between 0.75 to 1.5 inches. Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties will receive moderate to heavy rainfall during the storm with expected totals of 2-4 inches. In Northwest San Luis Obispo County, 5-10 inches ar ..read more

Petroleum sheens on the ocean off a stretch of Southern California coast are consistent with oil from local natural seeps, but abandoned old oil wells could be a factor, authorities said Saturday. The sheens have been observed off Santa Barbara County's Summerland Beach since early this month, and have been investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard and state and local agencies under a unified command. Lab tests from multiple locations offshore and onshore showed that the petroleum is consistent with oil from the area's very active natural seeps, a command statement said. But there are also about 20 ..read more

On Jan. 9, 2018, a series of early morning mudslides brought death and destruction down from the hills above Santa Barbara, taking 23 lives and injuring dozens more. Now, exactly five years later, residents in the same Southern California town are watching anxiously as a powerful winter storm system with comparable rain totals sweeps through the area on a somber anniversary. The 2018 debris flows happened early in the morning hours. The sounds of hills coming loose and rumbling down onto civilization is something that longtime Santa Barbara residents can still conjure in their heads. About hal ..read more

An oil sheen has been spotted off the Santa Barbara County coast. The sheen, between 1 and a half and 2 miles in size, was spotted on Friday about 5 nautical miles off of Summerland Beach, the United States Coast Guard said in a news release. A U.S. Coast Guard provided this photo after a crew flew over an oil sheen off of Summerland Beach in Santa Barbara, California, on Jan. 7, 2023. A U.S. Coast Guard provided this photo after a crew flew over an oil sheen off of Summerland Beach in Santa Barbara, California, on Jan. 7, 2023. A U.S. Coast Guard provided this photo after a crew flew over a ..read more