Secretary of State Bev Clarno announced Friday that Mary Beth Herkert will begin serving as Director of Civics Education starting June 3."After serving as the State Archivist for 14 years, I have asked Mary Beth Herkert to serve in a new role with the Secretary of State," Clarno said. "As... Read more »

The superintendent of Santa Barbara Unified School District has released a statement regarding the director of the district's MAD Academy director.Dan Williams was placed on leave due to an investigation. He returned back to his position on May 2, but is planning to retire in early June.Questions about the nature... Read more »

Thanks to an unusually wet winter, the first river crossing on Paradise Road in the Los Padres National Forest has been closed to cars since December. At 8 a.m. Saturday morning, the road will finally reopen to all vehicles."A lot more people will be able to enjoy the area back... Read more »

Carefully crafting on their hands and knees, artists are making images appear on the asphalt in front of the historic Santa Barbara Mission for the annual I Madonnari Street Painting Festival. Featured Artist Sharyn Chan sat in the... Read more »

The father of an infant who died on Sunday has been arrested for the child's death.The infant was found dead on Sunday and Lompoc police officers began investigating. On Thursday, officers interviewed the infant's father and based on their investigation, he was arrested.Jose Ramirez, 27, of Lompoc was arrested on... Read more »

Following a special meeting Friday morning in which the resignation of embattled Desert Hot Springs Police Chief Dale Mondary was announced, members of the city's community are speaking out with reaction to the news. In April, Mondary was placed on administrative leave while the city investigated "confidential allegations" against him. "I... Read more »

Six endangered African wild dog puppies born last month passed a well-baby exam with flying colors, officials from the Living Desert Zoo announced today.At one month old, we felt confident that the litter had bonded with their mother and were ready for their well-baby exam,'' Associate Veterinarian Dr. Christine... Read more »

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Nine students at Daniel Lewis Middle School in Paso Robles were treated by paramedics Friday morning after inhaling an unknown substance from a vape pen.Police and ambulance responded to the school at 900 Creston Rd. at around 11 a.m.The initial call reported that a student had been exhibiting some medical... Read more »

Two people were killed in a crash Friday afternoon on Highway 33 north of Ojai.According to the California Highway Patrol online incident log, a vehicle went off the northbound side roadway at around 4:50 p.m. in an area between Matilija Lake and the Wheeler Gorge Campground.The vehicle landed on its... Read more »

Two reputed gang members were sentenced to life prison terms today for the 2015 shooting death of a 19-year-old man in Indio. Martin Gutierrez Jr., 24, and Enrique Villa Alvarez, 23, were found guilty of second-degree murder and a gang enhancement in the killing of Indio resident Julio... Read more »

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Authorities in Salem say they've arrested a man on murder and kidnapping charges following the disappearance of a mother and her 3-year-old son. The Salem Police Department said in a statement Friday afternoon that Michael John Wolfe, the child's biological father, was in custody. The statement... Read more »

A scary incident at a valley hospital in March put local physicians on edge, and reminded many that patients may need more education about their options when surgery doesn't go as expected.Tuesday at 6 p.m. on News Channel 3, watch #PostOpProblems.Brooke Beare investigates options for patients when problems arrive after... Read more »

Catalytic converter thefts appear to be on the rise and Toyota Prius owners seem to be the number one target.Toyota of Santa Barbara has sent alerts out to some Prius owners warning about a rise in requests for catalytic converters to replace stolen parts. Representatives from Toyota of Santa Barbara... Read more »

Dozens of people from all over the Borderland, including several fellow law enforcement officers, showed up to donate blood Friday after an El Paso Police officer was critically injured in a wreck Thursday. The El Paso Police Department held a blood drive Friday for officer Daniel Rodriguez, a 13-year-veteran who works... Read more »

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke's campaign, Beto For America, has fully reimbursed the City of El Paso for its March 30th campaign kick-off rally in Downtown. ABC-7 obtained a copy of the check for $21,021.36 which was sent to the City of El Paso Thursday morning. That amount, received Thursday, was... Read more »

Mecca and Thermal were added to a growing list of Coachella Valley cities that netted mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus, vector-control officials announced today.Neighborhoods in Indio, Coachella and Palm Springs all reported the infected bugs within the last month, according to the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District.... Read more »

HUNTINGTON, Ore. (AP) - Authorities say a man has been arrested on investigation of arson after historic buildings in the eastern Oregon town of Huntington were destroyed. KBOI-TV reports the Baker County Sheriff's Office sent deputies to a disturbance at about 10:45 p.m. Thursday after someone told police that 21-year-old... Read more »

The California Highway Patrol launched its annual Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP), as Memorial Day Weekend begins.This year, seat belt usage is the focus of the MEP which runs from 6 p.m. on Friday, May 24 to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 27.CHP officers will saturate highways throughout California looking for... Read more »

Two vans were reported stolen from the Atascadero Unified School District Friday morning.Atascadero police responded to the school district's transportation center at 5355 Portero Road just after 5:30 a.m.School district employees called police after discovering someone had broken into one of the buildings and stole two of the district's vehicles.Atascadero... Read more »

A U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Bliss died at Big Bend National Park on May 18, 2019.The 1st Armored Division confirms the death is currently under investigation.Officials identified the solder as Pfc Mamady Kaba, an automated logistical specialist assigned to Charlie Company, 86th Expeditionary Signal Battalion.Kaba, a native of... Read more »

Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson on Friday offered details of the pursuit he initiated of a reportedly intoxicated and suicidal driver, as District Attorney John Hummel released Oregon State Police dashcam video of the chase, which ended in the suspect crashing into a Bend police K-9 team's patrol car.... Read more »

What appeared at first to be a petty theft shoplifting crime involving laundry detergent turned into a violent assault at a store in Fillmore. Ventura County Sheriff's officials sent out a press release that detailed the arrests of Kayla Gularte, 21, of Santa Barbara and Kathryn Weaver, 22, of Bakersfield.... Read more »

A Desert Hot Springs man was sentenced to 30 years to life today for gunning down a man in what prosecutors called a retaliation killing.Orlando Archuleta was convicted Nov. 29, 2018 of second-degree murder for the March 2017 shooting of 23-year-old Cathedral City resident Jose Gabriel Madrigal Vargas. Archuleta was... Read more »

In the eastern part of the Coachella Valley, there are many disadvantaged communities still living without access to clean or safe drinking water. Representatives from local and state agencies visited some of those problematic areas on Friday, discussing how to collaberate and improve infrastructure. State Water Board Chair E. Joaquin... Read more »