Santa Barbara County News and Events

Want to be happier and healthier? Switch up your day with movement breaks

Kraig Pakulski 0 8 Article rating: No rating

By Kara Alaimo, CNN

(CNN) — Manoush Zomorodi has some good and bad news for you.

The bad news? All that sitting you do — whether you’re working at a desk or scrolling — is way worse for your health than you probably realized, the New York City-based NPR journalist warned in her new book, “Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being.”

The good news? There’s a simple, free way to eliminate a lot of the negative effects of being sedentary.

I spoke to Zomorodi about how building five-minute movement breaks every 30 minutes into our daily routines can leave us healthier, happier and more productive.

This conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

CNN: You warn that sitting all day is killing people. Why is it so bad for us?

Manoush Zomorodi: There are three reasons it’s so physically detrimental. One is that your leg muscles need stimulation, so being at a standing desk doesn’t make a difference. They need stimulation in order to suck the glucose and the lipids out of your bloodstream and push the oxygen up to your brain.

The other thing is that when we sit, we’re constricting our diaphragm, which doesn’t let us take in deep breaths. The third thing is interoception, which is the body telling the brain what it needs. When we’re staring at a screen, we’re in thrall with what is happening externally, and we ignore the signals that are coming from our bodies. So, your body could be begging for a break, and you don’t even hear it.

CNN: How do you suggest adding movement to our lives? What happened when you and your listeners tried it?

Zomorodi: NPR combined forces with Keith Diaz, a physiologist at Columbia University Medical Center. Based on the findings of his previous research, we asked people to move for five minutes every half hour, five minutes every hour or five minutes every two hours for two weeks.

They could do anything. They could march while they were on a phone call. They could walk around the house collecting all the dirty dishes to put them in the dishwasher. They could take the dog out for a walk. It could be an imaginary dog. If walking was not an option, arm movements really do count.

We had to close it after 23,000 people signed up, so clearly people need this.

By the end, 80% of the people who committed to taking the breaks stuck with them, and 82% actually enjoyed taking the breaks. We saw up to a 28% reduction in fatigue levels.

We heard from people who found their attention spans again. They were able to focus and lost that brain fog so many of us have these days. They also got back more energy and a little taste of positivity. The main thing is that their moods stabilized.

CNN: While you say we shouldn’t stop other forms of exercise, we can’t counteract the negative effects of sitting all day by going to the gym in the morning first. Why not?

Z

Mild Monday, tracking drizzle & cool temps Tuesday

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Happy Monday! We start the morning with gray clouds and cool temperatures. Many areas will see faster clearing today compared to the weekend. Highs rise close to average, most areas rise to 60s and 70s. Winds may be breezy at times, but should be a great afternoon for a hike or a round of pickleball.

Winds and waves will be the main topic of discussion Tuesday. A Wind Advisory goes into effect 11am Tuesday through midnight for the south facing beaches. Winds will prevail around 25-35mph and gusts nearing 50mph. Around 5pm Tuesday a High Surf Advisory goes into effect for areas north of Gaviota.

Coolest temperatures arrive Wednesday and Thursday. A cold low pressure system will hover over southern California and may bring rain chances. Many areas will see clouds all day and temperatures fall below average. We hold with 60s and 70s into Friday before a small weekend warm up. Enjoy!

The post Mild Monday, tracking drizzle & cool temps Tuesday appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Flight diverted because of power bank charging device in hold luggage

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An EasyJet flight was forced to divert to Rome after crew found out a passenger had left a power bank charging a device in their hold luggage.

By Sam Peters, CNN

(CNN) — An EasyJet flight bound for London was forced to divert to Rome after a passenger told crew they had left a device charging from a power bank in their hold luggage, the airline told CNN.

Flight EZY2618 departed from Hurghada, a popular Egyptian tourist destination on the Red Sea, on Tuesday.

FlightAware data shows the plane cruising at 10,980 meters (around 36,000 feet) until three and a half hours into the flight, when the plane diverts to the Italian capital, landing at Rome Fiumicino at 11:33 p.m.

After crew were made aware of the power bank charging another device in the passenger’s luggage, “the Captain then took the decision to divert as a precaution in line with safety regulations,” EasyJet said in a statement to CNN.

“The safety of its customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines,” the statement said. “We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by the diversion and subsequent delay.”

Passengers were given hotels and meals for the evening, before finishing their journey to London Luton Airport on Wednesday morning, EasyJet said.

The International Civil Aviation Organization imposed new restrictions on power banks in March. Under the new rules, each passenger is restricted to two power banks and they are not allowed to recharge them during flights.

Individual airlines have previously curbed power bank usage on flights. Singapore Airlines banned passengers from using power banks to charge their devices at all during flights.

Southwest Airlines told CNN in May 2025 that passengers using power banks would have to have them visible.

South Korea banned passengers from putting power banks and e-cigarettes in overhead storage on all of the country’s airlines. The ban came after a fire on an Air Busan plane that left three people injured in January 2025.

South Korea’s transport ministry said in a press release that a portable power bank was a possible source of the fire.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in common consumer electronics like phones and laptops. However, the chemicals in the battery are flammable.

If a battery is overcharged, gets too hot or has been damaged it can cause a chain reaction called a thermal runaway.

There has been 563 incidents involving smoke, fire or extreme heat related to lithium-ion batteries on flights between March 2006 and February 2026, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, with battery packs accounting for 230 of those.

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The post Flight diverted because of power bank charging device in hold luggage appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Mullin’s first two months at DHS: deportations, threats against sanctuary cities — and a lower profile

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By Michael Williams, CNN

(CNN) — Two months into his new role, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin finds himself trying to solve a puzzle: How does he deliver on the deportation mandate expected of him by President Donald Trump, while avoiding some of the same pitfalls that led to the ouster of his predecessor?

The controversial roving immigration patrols targeting blue states and cities have scaled back. But Mullin still lambasts the elected officials leading these areas and their progressive immigration policies, while the White House’s border czar recently vowed “to flood the zone” in such places with immigration agents.

Mullin lent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports suffering staffing shortages during the Department od Homeland Security shutdown, while also threatening to cut funding for some of those same airports in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

He is hyping his agency’s involvement in securing dozens of upcoming World Cup matches, but has left open the possibility that some of the officers assigned to secure those matches may arrest immigrants — exacerbating a concern of fans who say they will skip or boycott the events.

He paused efforts to install sprawling migrant detention warehouses early in his tenure, but some of those plans are now reportedly moving forward again in the face of pending litigation.

All told, Mullin’s actions over his first 60 days as a Cabinet secretary show he is trying to straddle the line between the conciliatory and drama-free approach to immigration enforcement he promised lawmakers during his March confirmation hearing and the desire from MAGA hardliners, and the president himself, to deliver on one of the signature issues that propelled Trump back to the White House.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement that, under Mullin’s leadership, the agency is “laser focused on its mission of making America safe again.”

“DHS continues to arrest the worst of the worst, deliver the most secure border in American history, and stop drugs from pouring into our communities,” the spokesperson said.

Administration officials, meanwhile, have taken steps to emphasize their continued vision for mass deportations, especially in front of conservative audiences who have criticized the administration for not delivering on those promises.

“We’re not giving up,” White House border czar Tom Homan told a group of DHS officials and industry personnel during a conference earlier this month. “President Trump was put into office for one big reason — lot of reasons — but the main reason? Immigration enforcement.”

Mullin has sought to rehabilitate the image of immigration officers under his command who, under the previous secretary, Kristi Noem, faced an onslaught of near-daily negative news about their aggressive immigration pushes in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. (Trump, for his part, even floated changing ICE’s name to “NICE” — adding National to the start — but faced pushback from Homan and rank-and-file officers.)

During the DHS shutdown that stretched for 76 days and consumed the first month of Mullin’s tenure, ICE officers were d

This drive-thru coffee chain is pushing into undercaffeinated parts of America

Kraig Pakulski 0 15 Article rating: No rating
Utah-based influencer Mayra Okechukwu posts drink reviews of 7 Brew orders

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN

(CNN) — A new coffee chain may be headed to a town near you, and it’s not Starbucks or Dunkin’.

Many Americans likely haven’t heard of 7 Brew, which has only been around since 2017 when it opened its first location in Rogers, Arkansas. The chain has since grown to over 700 locations in 38 states, with about 340 more on the way, but can’t be found in airports, indoor shopping malls or busy street corners in major US cities. Instead, it operates through drive-thrus and walk-up windows in parts of the country with little-to-no coffee competition.

The growth of 7 Brew and other rapidly expanding beverage chains, including competitors like Dutch Bros and soda-focused Swig, shows that Americans are perhaps unwilling to give up quick treats during hard times.

Budget-conscious Americans have balked at rising fast food prices in recent years, leading to pullback at businesses like McDonald’s and Burger King. Meanwhile, 7 Brew has performed well in this economy: Sales jumped from $502 million in 2024 to nearly $1.2 billion last year.

“Coffee is perfectly an affordable luxury, because it offers that daily indulgence,” said Sharaya Jones, a marketing professor at George Mason University. “Some coffee shops are expensive, but usually it’s under $10 to have this really special moment.”

Pricing and menu variety

7 Brew’s small non-dining spaces help limit operating costs, making up for smaller profit margins on drinks compared to chains like Starbucks.

Jones notes that coffee, particularly for younger consumers, is “a category where consumers are increasingly price-sensitive… being perceived as more affordable than Starbucks, or other local coffee shops, can help drive repeat visits and build loyalty quickly.”

As 7 Brew expanded, it has also broadened its customizable drinks — it started out with seven drinks, hence the name 7 Brew. It now has more than 20,000 drink combinations. And 7 Brew doesn’t charge for most customizations, such as extra flavors, milk alternatives, whipped cream and drizzles.

When Charlese Mitchell ordered a blondie drink with caramel and funnel cake and her friend Sydney Richardson bought a coconut, strawberry and cupcake-flavored soda at a 7 Brew in Abingdon, Maryland, in April, the pair were taken aback. They paid $5 for each of their drinks — half what they expected.

“Five dollars is crazy,” said Richardson.

7 Brew’s loyalty program may also be appealing due to how straightforward it is to earn a free drink, according to Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer research at food industry research firm Technomic. That’s great for Americans, who Byrne says want to spend at restaurants whenever they have extra cash.

“We need those treats, those little miniature food service serotonin hits,” he said.

The chain also lures customers with free t-shirts and drinks at new locations, limited-time giveaways and discounts for first responders.

At a Starbucks near San Antonio, a 24-ounce iced blonde vanilla latte costs about $6.55 when ordering through the app. A nearby Dunkin’ sold a medium ic

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