Santa Barbara County News and Events

Grandmother of Georgia school shooter testifies in Colin Gray’s murder trial

Kraig Pakulski 0 29 Article rating: No rating

By Eric Levenson, CNN

(CNN) — Deborah Polhamus, the grandmother of teenage school shooter Colt Gray, took the stand to testify Friday in the murder trial of his father Colin Gray.

Polhamus is expected to tell the jury she had concerns about Colt Gray’s mental health prior to the school shooting and relayed those concerns to the teen’s father, according to the prosecution’s opening statements.

Colin Gray has pleaded not guilty to nearly 30 charges, including two counts each of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, in connection with the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, in September 2024 that left four people dead and nine wounded.

Prosecutors allege Colin Gray bought his son the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting despite previous warnings that his son was a danger to others, actions that constitute criminally reckless conduct.

Colin Gray’s defense attorney said in opening statements that he was unaware his son was planning the shooting and had taken steps to try to get him help.

The trial began Monday with opening statements and has featured emotional testimony from surviving students, teachers and the officers who responded to the attack.

On Thursday, prosecutors presented testimony showing what Colin Gray knew about his son and what he did about it.

School officials laid out Colt Gray’s history of school misbehavior and spotty attendance record. He raised alarms at multiple middle schools, including when he searched “how to kill your dad” on a school computer in August 2021, and when he was suspended in spring 2022 for drawing swastikas and writing “Hitler” on his calculator, school officials said.

The teen did not appear to attend any school, online or otherwise, for his eighth grade year in 2023-2024, when he was under his father’s care. He attended only a few days of high school before he carried out the attack on September 4, 2024.

Prosecutors also showed the jury Colin Gray’s statements to police on body-camera footage immediately following the school shooting. Law enforcement officers went to his home and told him he couldn’t leave.

“God. I knew it,” Gray said, according to the footage. “My little girl just texted me, she’s in middle school, she said ‘We’re in lockdown.’ I’m like, ‘God almighty, please tell me your brother didn’t do something.’”

It’s not clear what the officers said to him prior to this comment. Prosecutors said in opening statements Colin Gray “blurt(ed)” it out.

Colin Gray’s trial is part of a broader push to hold more people accountable for a school shooting, including the shooter’s parents and responding law enforcement officers. This case bears close similarities to the trials of James and Jennifer Crumbley, whose then-15-year-old son killed four students in 2021 at his high school in Oxford, Michigan.

Colt Gray, then 14, ultimately surrendered to police and has admitted to the shooting, according to authorities. Now 16, he has pleaded not guilty to 55 felony counts, including four counts of malice murder. A trial date

One dead after shooting in Bohnett Park in Santa Barbara

Kraig Pakulski 0 29 Article rating: No rating

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - One person is dead after a shooting at Bohnett Park in Santa Barbara near the Boys and Girls Club.

The incident happened around 1:30 a.m. Friday morning. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man suffering from a gunshot would and another uninjured victim.

Officers began administering aid to the injured man, but he passed away at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

An early investigation shows that the suspect or suspects may have fled the area in an unknown vehicle.

It is believed to be an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.

The name of the deceased is being withheld.

This is a developing story, and You Newschannel will provide updates as it comes into the newsroom.

The post One dead after shooting in Bohnett Park in Santa Barbara appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Santa Maria Police Arrest Three Suspects in Separate Incidents for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

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On 02/14/2026 at 9 PM, officers responded to a hit-and-run collision in the 1700 block of South Broadway. The suspect fled the scene but was identified and detained by witnesses. […]

The post Santa Maria Police Arrest Three Suspects in Separate Incidents for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol appeared first on edhat.

Venezuela, ¿bajo tutela de EE.UU.? Cada vez más venezolanos creen que es una buena opción

Kraig Pakulski 0 21 Article rating: No rating

Por CNN Español

La bandera de Estados Unidos ondeó este 11 de febrero junto a la de Venezuela en el Palacio de Miraflores, tras 27 años de discurso antiimperialista de la llamada revolución bolivariana, primero con Hugo Chávez y después con Nicolás Maduro. Esto ocurrió ante la llegada de Christopher Wright, secretario de Energía de esa nación norteamericana, a poco más de 40 días de la acción militar ordenada por el presidente Donald Trump en Caracas, que cumplió el objetivo de detener a Nicolás Maduro y a su esposa, la diputada Cilia Flores.

El cimbronazo al chavismo en Venezuela mantiene a los ciudadanos entre la esperanza y la incertidumbre. Las calles de Caracas reflejan una mezcla de alivio, expectativas y confusión tras la acción militar estadounidense y los cambios posteriores.

Para un número significativo de venezolanos, el país respira otro aire y es necesario el apoyo externo. Los expertos en encuestas registran ese fenómeno, aunque aún no han hecho públicas las cifras, según pudo conocer CNN. En tanto, otros intentan asimilar lo que consideran como una figura de tutelaje bajo la potencia norteamericana, mientras hay quienes siguen creyendo que la única transición posible es hacia el socialismo.

Sorteando el tráfico en Caracas, un taxista que prefirió mantener su nombre en reserva por temor a represalias contó a CNN que el 3 de enero tenía media hora de haber salido de Fuerte Tiuna cuando se inició el bombardeo que terminó con la captura de Maduro. Considera que fue una situación muy desagradable, pero en su opinión era “la única manera de lograr un cambio”. Asegura que, si Maduro hubiera aceptado su derrota en las elecciones presidenciales del 28 de julio de 2024 o negociado su salida cuando estaba a tiempo, no se hubiera llegado al extremo.

Este hombre siente una mezcla de emociones: “Me invadiste, me bombardeaste, pero no había otra solución. Si se hubiera permitido una salida democrática, él (Maduro) se iba el 28 de julio y no pasaba nada”.

“Créame que yo, que hablo con mucha gente, siento que la gente está más tranquila… Que las cosas mejoren es la meta”, afirma.

En cuanto a los escenarios posibles a futuro, este conductor reflexiona: “No me gustaría que seamos una colonia ni el estado 51, pero sí podríamos ser un estado asociado, algo como Puerto Rico. No es una mala idea, pero habría que madurarla”, dice. En su opinión, la prioridad es restablecer las relaciones comerciales con Estados Unidos y garantizar que los recursos naturales beneficien realmente al país. “¿Dónde está la inversión del petróleo?”, se pregunta, al tiempo que señala que no se ve ni en los hospitales ni en los servicios básicos. “Aquí uno tiene que cazar cuándo llega el agua y rezar para que no se vaya la luz”, lamenta.

Aunque enfatiza que están los mismos en el poder, menos Maduro y su esposa, considera que esa continuidad es temporal y que será, a su juicio, “un mal necesario para tener una transición pacífica”. Según su opinión, la mano de Estados Unidos garantiza que “las cosas mantengan su curso” y que el país regrese a la estabilidad, incluso si eso implica mantener lo que describe como cierto tutelaje extranjero.

La presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez, juramentada el 5 de enero, recibió a Wright y habló de avanzar en la diplomacia de la paz y de la energía, en el marco de lo que describe como un nuevo momento político para el país. Destacó que incluye también una nueva etapa en las relaciones entre Washington y Caracas, algo que genera opiniones encontradas.

Ese no fue el único acercamiento entre el Gobierno de Rodríguez y EE.UU. La presidenta encargada también se reunió con el director de la CIA, John Ratcliffe. Además, el 31 de enero llegó a Caracas la embajadora Laura Dogu como encargada de negocios, rompiendo con siete años sin representación diplomática entre ambos países. La funcionaria dejó en claro que viene a impulsar el plan anunci

MLS Commissioner Don Garber ‘would love’ to see Vinícius Jr. and Kylian Mbappé join the league

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Don Garber hopes to attract the likes of Real Madrid stars Vinícius Jr. and Kylian Mbappé to MLS.

By Don Riddell, Glen Levy, CNN

(CNN) — On the eve of the new Major League Soccer (MLS) season, MLS Commissioner Don Garber has expressed his interest in Real Madrid superstars Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé eventually becoming part of the league and playing their club soccer in North America.

The 31st season of MLS kicks off on Saturday, with a veritable blockbuster on tap between reigning MLS Cup champion Inter Miami and LAFC.

An expected crowd of over 70,000 at the LA Coliseum should see soccer superstar Lionel Messi and Miami go up against LAFC and Son Heung-min, with the South Korean icon about to play in his first full season in the league after leaving Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur last summer.

Garber, who has been commissioner since 1999 and overseen the growth of the league from 10 to 30 clubs, was bullish about the prospects of more A-list players taking their talents to MLS when speaking to CNN Sports on Thursday.

“Would I love to see Vini here?” Garber asked. “Would I love to see Mbappé here? I think that some of the great players in the world want to play in the US, and that’s the game changer.”

While MLS has seen a succession of top-tier international stars play in the league – arguably kick-started by David Beckham in 2007, who left Los Blancos for the LA Galaxy – it was the stunning signing of Messi, perhaps the greatest footballer of all time, in the summer of 2023 to Inter Miami that turned heads like never before.

“I don’t think anybody thought we’d ever sign Leo,” acknowledged Garber about Messi’s move. “I don’t think Miami thought they could sign him, I don’t think Beckham (who is now co-owner of Miami) thought that they could sign him.

“They were optimistic and super, super passionate about the idea, but here he is: scoring goals, leading Argentina in World Cup qualifying, playing in the Club World Cup in front of an audience.

“(He’s) a good, humble guy, loves his kids, enjoys Miami, you know, he’s the right kind of guy to show the rest of the world what Major League Soccer is.”

Garber pointed out that “the days of ‘Is soccer going to make it in America”’ are over,” explaining that, while it used to be the case that the league needed to appeal to star players – “here’s what we’re doing in Major League Soccer, come help us build it” – things are different in 2026.

Noting the “energy and momentum going into the season” in a World Cup year – Garber expects around 50 MLS players to represent their countries at the tournament – the MLS commissioner says that his league is here to stay: “We’re a player in the world stage, we’re a player amongst the major leagues here in North America.”

But the 68-year-old’s sights are now set on whether MLS “can compete at some point with the Premier League, with Serie A … the Bundesliga” and is confident that a marquee signing will choose to form part of MLS in th

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