SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Internationally acclaimed musician Jake Shimabukuro performed a free ukulele concert for school kids at the Arlington Theatre Wednesday morning. Hundreds of 4-6th graders were bussed in from around the area, and they joyfully sang along to a number of songs.

Shimabukuro told the students he began playing ukulele at age four and his mom was his first teacher. He showed them the first chords he learned, and how easy the instrument is to pick up and strum a tune. The event was put on by UCSB Arts & Lectures with Shimabukuro returning to the stage a few hours later for a ticketed event dubbed "Holidays in Hawai`i" which is where he's from.

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LEXINGTON, Kentucky (KEYT) - Emma Fredrick tied for match-high honors with 11 kills but Cal Poly saw their surprising postseason run end in a 3-0 sweep at Kentucky (25-19, 25-18, 25-7) in an NCAA Regional Semifinal.

Lizzie Carr had 11 kills for the Wildcats(28-2) who advance to the Regional Final versus Creighton on Saturday.

The Wildcats defense was the story as they held the Mustangs to a .114 hitting percentage and Cal Poly had 19 hitting errors.

Cal Pol ends the season at 27-8 with NCAA Tournament upset wins against BYU and USC.

The Mustangs were the only unseeded team to reach the Sweet 16.

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BOSTON, Mass. (KEYT) – On Thursday, a federal court ruled in favor of a coalition of states, including California, and restored funding cut by the Trump Administration earlier this year for a program that issued grants to projects intended to limit the financial impact of natural disasters before they happen.

The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program was signed into law by President Trump as part of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to fund local mitigation projects nationwide.

The BRIC program invested a total of $5 billion into resiliency projects across the country since its passage and every dollar spent through the project is estimated to have saved between $6 and $13 in damages, clean up costs, and economic impact detailed a June letter from members of Congress opposed to the programs termination.

California is the largest beneficiary of the federal program and is uniquely at risk from future natural disasters noted a press release in July from the California Office of Attorney General.

"Democrats and Republicans in Congress recognized a simple fact: Preparing for disasters, instead of just reacting to them, saves money and lives," stated Attorney General Bonta. "Yet in the name of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, President Trump and his lackeys have once again jeopardized public safety with their indiscriminate slashing of pre-disaster mitigation funding. We’re taking them to court – not because we want to, but because we have to. As we continue to build a climate resilient California, we deserve a federal government that is a partner, not a roadblock in our efforts – and that’s exactly what Congress intended."

On April 4 of this year, Cameron Hamilton, who was serving as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) at the time, issued a press release stating that the federal emergency response agency was terminating the BRIC program and returning the grant program's funding to the Disaster Relief Fund or the U.S. Treasury.

Hamilton was fired from the position the following month, just one day after telling the House Appropriations Committee, "I do not believe it is in the best interest the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency", a statement inconsistent with plans announced by the Trump Administration regarding the future of the federal emergency response agency.

"President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response in many, many circumstances has failed the American people, and that FEMA, as it exists today, should be eliminated in empowering states to respond to disasters with federal government support," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem informed the House Appropriations Committee in May.

Your News Channel reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment in June as part of our coverage of the decision to eliminate the BRIC program and the following statement was provided in response:

"The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program.

Luis Medina

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KUNA) – Un peatón falleció en un accidente en Desert Hot Springs la madrugada del jueves.

Según la policía, el accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 12:15 a.m. en la intersección de Pierson Boulevard y Western Avenue. Los equipos de emergencia acudieron al lugar, donde el peatón fue declarado muerto.

La policía informó que el conductor involucrado se detuvo en el lugar, intentó prestar auxilio y contactó a la policía.

El Equipo de Investigación de Accidentes Graves (MAIT) de la Policía de Desert Hot Springs acudió al lugar y asumió la investigación.

Con base en la información obtenida en el lugar, los investigadores determinaron que el peatón se encontraba en el carril de circulación cuando fue atropellado. El conductor está cooperando con la policía, y el alcohol no parecen haber sido factores en la colisión.

Pierson Boulevard estuvo cerrado durante varias horas, pero la carretera ya está reabierta.

The post Peatón muere en una colisión en Desert Hot Springs appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Luis Medina

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KUNA) – Se espera que mañana se dicte sentencia de muerte contra un pandillero de Banning que conspiró o perpetró cinco asesinatos, a veces solo por diversión, en la ciudad a lo largo de varios años.

En octubre, tras deliberar solo unas horas, un jurado de Riverside recomendó la pena capital para William Arnold Armendariz III, de 28 años, por sus crímenes mortales.

Arendáriz se declaró culpable en julio de cinco cargos de asesinato en primer grado y un cargo de intento de asesinato, así como de una acusación especial de homicidio en beneficio de una pandilla callejera criminal y numerosas acusaciones de posesión ilegal de armas de fuego y lesiones corporales graves, según los registros judiciales.

El jurado se reunió en el Palacio de Justicia de Riverside expresamente para determinar si debía recibir cadena perpetua sin posibilidad de libertad condicional o la pena de muerte. Tras aproximadamente tres semanas de testimonios, el jurado recomendó esta última. Está previsto que el juez del Tribunal Superior del Condado de Riverside, Matthew Perantoni, siga la recomendación del panel durante la audiencia de sentencia del viernes.

El acusado se encuentra detenido sin derecho a fianza en la Cárcel Robert Presley. Varios de sus coacusados fueron condenados en años anteriores.

“Sacar a estos criminales de las calles ha sido un proceso largo, pero ha convertido a la ciudad de Banning en un lugar más seguro para todos los residentes y visitantes”, declaró en octubre el capitán de la policía de Banning, Brandon Smith. “Aunque las recientes condenas no han devuelto a los seres queridos a sus familias, el Departamento de Policía de Banning espera haberles brindado justicia y un cierre a los problemas”.

Armendariz, miembro de una pandilla documentada, estuvo directamente involucrado en los asesinatos de Bradley Cunningham, de 21 años; James Lara Jr., de 53; Felicia McCafferty, de 48; Charles Neazer, de 51; y Theresa Sanchez, de 42.

El primer asesinato ocurrió en la madrugada del 7 de noviembre de 2015, cerca de las calles Fifth y Williams, donde Neazer fue abatido a tiros por el acusado, según los investigadores.

La noche del 1 de julio de 2018, atacó a Cunningham y a la víctima. Un amigo suyo en la zona de Lincoln Street y Navajo Road, mató a Cunningham en la calle. El amigo de la víctima escapó por poco de la muerte, según informó la policía.

En la tarde del 30 de agosto de 2020, Lara, McCafferty y Sánchez fueron asesinados a tiros mientras se encontraban reunidos en el Ce