News

The weather roller coaster continues for the Central and South Coasts Monday. The Red Flag Warning for parts of the region has been cancelled, with the wind easing. But, there is still an elevated brush fire danger for the region, with breezy conditions and higher than normal temperatures.

The Central and South Coasts are going to see a weather roller coaster for the next few days, starting with an increased brush fire danger, and then by the middle of next week turning into a chance of rain.

A new report by Santa Barbara County prosecutors says police officers were justified in fatally shooting a man armed with two knives. It happened in January of 2018, at an apartment complex on Mill Street in Santa Maria. Santa Maria Police received a 911 call from a woman, but then her son grabbed the phone and said he had knives, and threatened his family.

A South Coast zoo has raised more than a half million dollars to build a new, larger home for its lion. America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College has a five year old African Lion. More than 100 donors contributed money to the effort, with Moorpark College adding $200,000. The new enclosure is being named after the lion, and will be called Ira’s Kingdom.

Final results from a November South Coast city council election are in, with one of the seats being decided by a handful of votes. Alejandra Gutierrez was elected to the Santa Barbara City Council, representing District 1. The final numbers show that she squeaked by incumbent Jason Dominguez by eight votes.

Southern California Edison has reached a $360 million dollar settlement to compensate government agencies like Ventura County for costs, and losses associated with two major wildfires. The deal includes 23 public agencies in the region, and includes compensation for Edison’s role in the Thomas and Woolsey Fires, as well as the Montecito debris flow.

A South Coast police department used a drone for the first time to help safely catch a man wanted for brandishing a weapon. Oxnard Police were called to the 1900 block of North Ventura Road just before midnight Tuesday by reports of a man with a gun.

A congressional subcommittee is holding a hearing in Washington, D.C. Thursday on the Labor Day excursion boat accident in the Channel Islands which killed 34 people. The House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation is looking at the fire on board the Conception.

The House of Representatives passed a bill by a Ventura County legislator which bundles a number of measures intended to help female military veterans. HR 3224 includes steps such as improving accountability by the VA for its services for women, and retrofitting facilities so they can fully accommodate the needs of female veterans.