By Aleena Fayaz, Rashard Rose, CNN

(CNN) — The City of Philadelphia is suing the Trump administration after the National Park Service removed a long-standing exhibit on slavery in the city’s Independence National Historical Park.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court Thursday against the US Interior Department, Secretary Doug Burgum, the park service and its acting director Jessica Bowron, asks for a judge to issue a preliminary injunction to return the displays.

The exhibit, located at the President’s House Site where Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived, features displays honoring individuals enslaved by Washington and a historical timeline of American slavery.

Video from CNN-affiliate WPVI shows work crews dismantling large display panels at the site on Thursday afternoon.

“The interpretive displays relating to enslaved persons at President’s House are an integral part of the exhibit and removing them would be a material alteration to the exhibit,” attorneys for the city said in the filing.

The exhibit’s removal comes as the Trump administration continues its campaign to purge cultural institutions of materials that conflict with the president’s political directives.

In an executive order signed last March, President Donald Trump accused the Biden administration of advancing “corrosive ideology,” specifically citing Independence Park, and called upon the Interior secretary to remove content within the department’s jurisdiction that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”

“Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth,” the order states. “This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.”

In the lawsuit, attorneys for the city wrote, “Without notice to the City of Philadelphia, the National Park Service has removed artwork and informational displays at the President’s House site referencing slavery, presumably pursuant to the mandate in the Executive Order.”

“Defendants have provided no explanation at all for their removal of the historical, educational displays at the President’s House site, let alone a reasoned one,” the attorneys said.

CNN has reached out to the White House; the National Park Service; and Interior Department, which oversees NPS, for comment.

CNN has also reached out to Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker.

City Council President Kenyatta Johnson slammed the removal, calling it “totally unacceptable.”

“Removing the exhibits is an effort to whitewash American history. History cannot be erased simply because it is uncomfortable,” he said in a statement.

Michael Coard, founding member of the advocacy group “Avenging the Ancestors Coalition” that helped installed the exhibit in 2010, in a social media post called the removal “outrageous and blatantly racist.”

The Trump administration has imposed the president’s views on other US cultural and historical institutions, purging materials focused on diversity.

Last year, the American Battle Monuments Commission, a small, little-known federal agency,

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball Team added another conference win to their register tonight, defeating Cal Poly on the road 61-51. They now stand 14-3 on the season and 6-2 in Big West play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos took the first quarter to get their bearings, faltering after Zoe Shaw began the game's scoring with a head-on three-pointer. The Mustangs came out of the gate strong, threatening the Gauchos with intensity and ten points by Cal Poly scoring leader Dulci Vail. The Mustangs came away with the first quarter 16-15.

A bucket by Shaw began the Gauchos' second, kicking off a quarter that would prove to be insurmountable and game-defining for the Mustangs. The Gauchos administered a six-minute, 19-point run that went nearly interrupted, save for one basket by Cal Poly. Santa Barbara finished the half ahead by nearly 20 points at 38-22.

In the third, the Gauchos reached the twenty-point threshold two minutes in. Maddie Naro sank six straight points to make it 44-22 Gauchos. Their lead peaked at 47-24, but didn't hold for long. The 'Stangs slowly descended upon the Gauchos, making ten consecutive points and closing the half behind at 49-37.

The Gauchos had to hold their ground in the fourth, a feat they managed largely thanks to six-straight free throws in the final moments of the game. Mid-period, Cal Poly came within two baskets of the Gaucho lead at 55-51. Santa Barbara stalled effectively and pulled multiple fouls, leading to their last-chance scoring opportunity. Shaw put in four while Olivia Bradley had two.

Cal Poly actually outscored Santa Barbara in every quarter except the second, during which the Gauchos scored a blistering 17 greater points than the Mustangs.

Zoe Borter was back to holding the reins for the Gaucho offense and scored in double-digits for the fifth time this season. Her 24 points were the best of the game by ten.

Shaw also secured over a dozen points, sinking 13 from a 50% shooting performance. Olivia Bradley and Jessica Grant led in rebounds with six each, while Maddie Naro was back to dealing assists, making four. Grant had her most diverse statistical showing of the year, getting season-highs in steals (2), blocks (2), assists (3) offensive rebounds (2), and defensive rebounds (4).

UP NEXT
The Gauchos return to home play with a game against Long Beach State at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24 in The Thunderdome.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics)

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - The Blue-Green Rivalry leaves Cal Poly black and blue again!

UCSB shot what is believed to be a program-record 82% from the floor in the first half on their way to a 40-point beatdown of the Mustangs 107-67.

The Gauchos have now won 17 straight games against the Mustangs, their last loss in the series was in January of 2018.

UCSB made 23-of-28 shots in the first half including 10 three-pointers as they led 59-33 at halftime.

The Gauchos kept their foot on the gas in the second half and reached 100 points with over 3 minutes left in the game.

Zion Sensley led six Gauchos in double-figures in scoring with a game-high 20 points off the bench. The Sophomore also led everyone with seven rebounds.

(Miro Little had a strong game for UCSB with 12 points, a career-high 11 assists and just one turnover. Entenza Design).

(Freshman CJ Shaw added 16 points off the bench as UCSB improved to 5-3 in the Big West and 12-7 overall. Entenza Design).

(Aidan Mahaney tallied 15 points for UCSB who ended up shooting 67% from the floor with 15 made three-pointers. Entenza Design).

Cal Poly got 11 points from Jake Davis while Hamad Mousa added 10 points.

(Coach DeGeorge sees his Mustangs fall to 3-5 in the Big West and 7-13 for the season. Entenza Design).

The post Gauchos crush Cal Poly by 40 points for 17th straight win in the Blue-Green Rivalry appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - The Santa Barbara Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 83rd annual Person of the Year award.

The honor recognizes an individual, couple, or family whose service has made a lasting and meaningful impact on the Santa Barbara community.

Community members are encouraged to submit nominations highlighting leadership, service, and dedication to improving quality of life in the region.

Nominations will remain open through February 18, with this year’s honorees set to be announced in March.

For more information on eligibility and how to nominate, visit the Santa Barbara Foundation’s website.

The post Nominations Open for Santa Barbara Person of the Year appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - A local nonprofit races to rescue surplus produce and deliver it to families in need as hunger rises across the region.

Fresh food begins long before it reaches a plate.

Just after sunrise at Rincon Hill Farms in Carpinteria, workers move quickly through the fields — cutting, sorting, and lifting crops pulled from the soil before the heat settles in.

This is where the rescue begins.

“We have an undercover crop that’s helping to protect the soil,” said Chloe Lobdell, farm director at Rincon Hill Farm.

Rows of fresh produce stretch across the fields — some destined for store shelves, others left behind. But even what doesn’t make it to market still has value.

“It’s wintertime, but we have a lot of root vegetables and lettuce,” Lobdell said.

That food now fuels Veggie Rescue, a Santa Barbara nonprofit that has saved more than five million pounds of fresh food by diverting surplus produce from farms, grocery stores, and farmers markets — and delivering it directly to those who need it most.

“To rescue food that would otherwise end up in landfills,” said David Roberts, Veggie Rescue program director. “All of our food is donated, and we get it to nonprofit partners within 24 hours.”

Veggie Rescue distributes food to nearly 70 nonprofit partners, including schools, churches, shelters, and food banks across Santa Barbara County.

“We’re so thrilled that we’re able to donate food to so many partners,” said Executive Director Eryn Shugart. “But the need right now is outpacing the supply.”

Shugart says cuts to federal benefits and reductions in food bank budgets have pushed more families into food insecurity — at a time when fresh food is already in short supply.

“Unfortunately, as benefits have been cut at the federal level and the Foodbank’s budget has been reduced, food insecurity has risen in our county,” Shugart said.

As demand increases, Veggie Rescue has been forced to maintain a waiting list for organizations seeking fresh food — something the nonprofit hopes to eliminate with increased community support in the coming months.

“I don’t want there to be hungry people in this beautiful place where there’s so much abundance,” Shugart said.

As the sun sets, the rescue shifts from the fields to the city.

At the State Street farmers market, Veggie Rescue driver Kevin Kemp moves through closing stalls, collecting unsold produce as vendors pack up for the night.

Crates of greens, berries, and tomatoes fill the van — all headed to shelters, pantries, and meal programs.

“They could’ve held onto it,” Kemp said. “But they donated it.”

Even small donations make a difference.

“You realize it really does add up — just a couple hundred pounds at a time,” Kemp said.

The journey ultimately leads back to the fields, where hope is planted with every harvest — and where the answer to hunger begins.

The post Exploding Hunger Crisis Hits Santa Barbara Food Rescue appeared first on News Channel 3-12.