GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) - This holiday season you can get some impressive deals on unique gifts while helping out many charities at the same time.

The seventh annual holiday bazaar is underway in the lobby at the Santa Barbara Elks #613 in Goleta.
The event began earlier this month, but there are many items left and many new gifts coming out to the tables as sales are made.

They include jewelry, crafts, cards, one of a kind treasures, decorations, and collectibles. Some items you won't find anywhere else.

Bunny Delorie, who is coordinating the bazaar with the Elks, says, "everything in this room is donated by lodge members and or made by our lodge members and we raised a lot of money for our lodge and for charities."

Those stopping by can also buy raffle tickets for gift baskets at a special table and the funds will go to several charities including Teddy Bear Cancer non-profit, local veterans and children with disabilities.

There are also several trees full of over $200-dollars in gifts or cash you can win with a raffle ticket you drop in the box under your favorite tree.

You don't have to be an Elks member to visit the bazaar at 150 N. Kellogg.

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Por Adam Cancryn, CNN

El vicepresidente J. D. Vance intentó este martes atraer a los pesimistas votantes de Pensilvania en torno a la agenda económica del Gobierno de Trump, aliviar sus preocupaciones sobre el alto costo de vida y hacerlo con un mensaje más eficiente que el presidente Donald Trump una semana antes.

De regreso en este estado clave, solo días después de que Trump ofreciera un discurso divagante sobre la asequibilidad, Vance atribuyó a las políticas del Gobierno el impulso al crecimiento del empleo y a nuevas inversiones. Culpó fuertemente al expresidente Joe Biden al asegurar que su administración provocó los altos costos que los republicanos ahora intentan reducir.

Y, sobre todo, pidió paciencia a los votantes frustrados con la economía al argumentar que Trump necesita más tiempo para cumplir la “época dorada” que prometió hace casi 11 meses.

“Tenemos que mantenernos firmes. Tenemos que seguir trabajando”, dijo Vance. “Heredamos un desastre”.

El discurso del vicepresidente en Allentown, Pensilvania, representó el más reciente intento de la Casa Blanca por abordar la reacción negativa al costo de vida que ha generado alarmas entre los republicanos ante el temor de un revés en las elecciones intermedias.

Y ofreció una visión del papel clave que desempeñará Vance como portavoz económico, mientras los funcionarios recalibran su discurso e intentan recuperar a los votantes insatisfechos con la economía y escépticos de que Trump esté haciendo lo suficiente para solucionarlo.

“Él es un mensajero tremendo para este tipo de asuntos”, dijo un asesor de Trump, argumentando que el ascenso de Vance, bien documentado, desde la pobreza infantil hasta la Casa Blanca le da mayor credibilidad en temas de asequibilidad. “Él cree en lo que dice”.

En contraste con los 90 minutos de comentarios dispersos y una especie de mitin que Trump tuvo en Pensilvania la semana pasada, Vance mantuvo su discurso en menos de 20 minutos y presentó una evaluación más breve y enfocada de la economía y de las dificultades que enfrentan los estadounidenses.

Vance reconoció que la agenda del Gobierno aún no se ha traducido en beneficios generalizados para los estadounidenses, en contraste con la insistencia de Trump en que la economía es “increíble” y que los precios están cayendo en picada. Y buscó centrar la atención en 2026, prediciendo que se avecinan días financieros más brillantes.

Aun así, Vance se negó a distanciarse de una manera notable de la visión optimista de la economía de Trump, una señal del delicado equilibrio que deberá mantener en los próximos meses. Al ser presionado sobre la reciente evaluación de Trump de su desempeño económico como “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus”, Vance lo respaldó rápidamente, socavando su propio mensaje más moderado en el proceso.

“La semana pasada, el presidente Trump calificó su economía con una nota de A-plus-plus-plus-plus. ¿Qué calificación le daría usted a la economía hoy?”, preguntó un reportero.

“A-plus-plus-plus”, respondió Vance. “Lo que hemos logrado: salarios más altos, menor inflación, una enorme cantidad de inversiones y dinero llegando a Estados Unidos. Eso es increíble, y es algo de lo que hay que sentirse orgulloso”.

Vance también replicó el discurso de Trump respecto a sus críticas contra el Gobierno de Biden, intentando desviar la responsabilidad por las fallas de la economía actual.

Los altos costos de la vivienda, la salud y los comestibles que afectan a los estadounidenses ahora son resultado de las políticas de la era Biden, afirmó

By Sarah Ferris, CNN

(CNN) — Speaker Mike Johnson is charging ahead with a GOP health plan that allows Biden-era Obamacare subsidies to expire this month — all but guaranteeing that the money will indeed lapse and spike premiums for tens of millions of Americans next year.

In a high-stakes Tuesday night meeting, top House Republicans rejected a last-ditch push from a small bloc of GOP centrists to consider bipartisan measures to avert that funding cliff. Those Republicans – led by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York – have repeatedly warned GOP leaders that ignoring the deadline will cause a health care affordability crisis across the country.

One of those stern warnings came just hours earlier, as Fitzpatrick, Lawler and other Republicans directly confronted Johnson over his stance on the issue during a contentious closed-door meeting.

The GOP centrists had pushed bipartisan proposals that would extend the enhanced subsidies temporarily with what Fitzpatrick described as “guardrails,” such as income caps to ensure the money goes to middle and working class Americans. Dozens of centrist Democrats were already on board, with more Democrats privately willing to support the proposal if it came to the floor.

But the powerful House Rules Committee — which is effectively controlled by Johnson — formally decided Tuesday night they would not allow the centrists’ measures to come up for a vote. With just three scheduled work days left in 2025, the GOP leaders’ decision to choke off amendments on their health care bill means there is essentially no path to bringing the Obamacare matter to a vote at all this year.

The clash between GOP leaders and moderates is spiking tensions inside the already-dysfunctional House GOP conference, with many centrists fuming at their own leadership for ignoring what they fear could be a health care crisis — as well as a political one for their party next November.

The centrists argue that they spent days altering their own proposal to meet party leaders’ demands, including finding a way to pay for the measure, after a lengthy back-and-forth over the weekend. But in the end, it was rejected anyway.

Now that GOP leaders have boxed out centrists from a floor vote, centrists’ only path to bring up the measure is through a procedural gambit known as a discharge petition — which is designed to be a tool for the minority party, rather than overruling members’ own leadership.

Lawler acknowledged that bleak reality in his remarks to the committee as he pleaded for a floor vote on the proposal.

“In the absence of our leadership putting a vote on the floor … the only feasible path forward is a discharge petition,” Lawler said, addressi

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - The driver in a fatal hit and run on the Santa Barbara Mesa in 2024 is going to prison for two years.

Brock Hoffman entered a plea of no contest in Santa Barbara Superior Court, equivalent to a guilty plea. He left the scene of the fatal accident on June 29, 2024 and faced a felony charge.

Hoffman turned himself in on July 4, 2024.

Police used nearby cameras and other information to place Hoffman at the scene, then contact him leading to his surrender.

His vehicle had damage to the front right fender and headlight area.

The crash took the life of Juan Lopez, who worked in a grocery store nearby. It is unknown why Lopez was in the traffic lane on Cliff Drive near Loma Alta when the crash took place about 11:30 p.m.

His longtime partner and mother of his three children spoke in court during the sentencing hearing and played a short video of Lopez.

Christina Godinez said it was 535 days since the family saw Lopez.

The sentence of two years was an option and the range went up to four years. Probation was denied.

Hoffman was handcuffed in court and he will be sent to state prison immediately.

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—From films like “The Princess Bride” to “When Harry Met Sally,” Rob Reiner has left a lasting impact in cinema and locals like Kim Sarrami.
  
“I was in high school when Harry met Sally came out, and I remember just loving the love story and the sweetness of it,” said Sarrami.
 
Now, many are left grieving the loss of an icon and activist, reflecting on whether this could have been prevented.
  
“I am sad for his family and I hope my family, like I said, can talk about situations like that and be able to overcome hardships that will be similar, maybe greater, There's a lot of hardship. There's a lot of pain in life as we get older, but the greatest tool is to know that you have the ability to begin again,” said Sarrami.
 
Though it’s unclear what led to the stabbing, many speculate it could be mental health or substance abuse related.
 
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness in a year.
 
Research shows a small percentage of overall violence is linked to severe mental illness, but the risk significantly increases when combined with substance abuse.
 
“I had someone in our family that committed suicide, so I feel like that's always a fear for me,” said Sarrami.
 
Kim Sarrami is navigating motherhood in a way that makes mental health a priority for her kids.
  
“Kids are multidimensional, they need more than one thing. They do need financial comfort, security, safety. I really understand that. But they also need presence. They need those parents to show that they love them in a different way other than providing for them,” said Sarrami.
 
Sarrami says a greater effort needs to be placed on de-stigmatizing mental health and addiction, adding that she’s breaking the cycle of silence prevalent in her upbringing.
 
“ I'm trying my best as a mom and just for myself to be honest and transparent and communicate things that I see. the more my kids know about it, more aware of their own emotions and what they're dealing with, the healthier I feel like they'll be,” said Sarrami.

If you or your loved one are dealing with a mental health crisis, help is available 24/7 by dialing 9-8-8.  

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