Irvine, Calif. (KEYT) - There was plenty of juice provided by the Gauchos battery of pitcher Jackson Flora and catcher Nate Vargas.

The Big West Pitcher of the Year Flora allowed just one run in seven innings of work while Vargas homered and drove in three runs as UCSB beat Cal State Fullerton 7-4 at the Big West Championships.

The Gauchos will play Friday at 1 p.m. against the Cal Poly-UC San Diego winner in this double-elimination tournament in Irvine.

UCSB (38-16) did most of their damage at the plate in the first two innings of the game. Vargas doubled in Liam Barrett for the first run of the game. Rowan Kelly knocked in Vargas with a single and William Vasseur also scored on the second error of the first inning by the Fullerton left fielder.

Vargas crushed his team-leading 11th home run in the bottom of the second, a 2-run shot to put UCSB up 6-0.

With the big lead Flora was on cruise control as he limited Fullerton to just 3 hits, one run and he struck out 9 in his 105 pitches. He is now 11-0 on the year and leads the nation with a 1.05 ERA.

The Titans made it interesting off of Gauchos freshman reliever Josh Jannicelli who allowed a 3-run home run in the eighth inning to Cameron Kim to make it 7-4.

Fullerton brought the tying-run to the plate in the top of the 9th inning but Jannicelli struck out Nick Miller to nail down the two inning save.

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – During a special summit held on Wednesday, local teens throughout Santa Barbara got the rare opportunity to sit down with some of the community's most influential people – putting those in power in the hot seat.

Inside the Faulkner Gallery, several tables were set up in preparation for the student-led discussions. Officials from the Sheriff's department, Santa Barbara Unified School District, City Council members, county Mental Health services, and others sat down to hear what the teens had to say.

It was a collaborative effort between CommUnify and the South Coast Youth Safety Partnership (SCYSP) to give the local youth the opportunity to "flip the script," to become the questioner, rather than the questionee.

"It's important for these spaces to exist," said student William Rodriguez. "There are things that these students want to say, but are just ignored completely because they don't have spaces like this to communicate those things with adults, with elected officials that do have that power."

The students received hours of training through workshops to gain tools needed for Wednesday's conversations. With their training, the students were able to question, probe, and chat with local leaders from Carpinteria to Goleta.

CommUnify says workshops and events such as these help youths build up their self-confidence, while they improve listening, communication, and collaboration skills that will keep them away from negative approaches such as violence.

"The flow that the kids are having during the conversations its genuine, and you can see in their faces that they're happy that someone is actually listening to them. Somebody of power is actually listening to them," said SCYSP Coordinator Maico Hernandez. "So this is beautiful to watch."

At these discussions, the youth are in the spotlight, along with the curiosity, ideas, and questions that will guide them as future leaders.

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SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Two people have been charged in connection with the July 4, 2025, fire that destroyed Templeton Feed and Grain which was sparked by illegal fireworks.

One of the defendants, Michael Joseph Steele of Morro Bay, is facing six counts connected to helping the other defendant, a 16-year-old boy, in finding, buying and transporting the illegal fireworks that caused the fire on Independence Day of 2025 stated the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office in a press release Thursday.

"The Templeton Feed & Grain is a historic institution and a beloved part of our community's identity, agricultural heritage, and local economy," shared District Attorney Dan Dow. "Since 1946 this business has served the ranching, farming, and agricultural community of San Luis Obispo County for nearly eight decades — through three generations of the Jermin family. The Jermin family has been a cornerstone of our region's agricultural industry and has served this community with pride for generations. The loss of this working granary which became an iconic landmark is felt not only by the Jermin family, but by every resident, rancher, farmer, and neighbor who has walked through those doors over the past 79 years."

Specifically, Steele is facing the following charges:

• PC 273a(a)–Felony Child Endangerment
• PC 18720–Felony Possession of Ingredients to Make a Destructive Device of Explosive
• PC 182(a)(1)–Felony Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
• H&S 12700(b)(1)–Misdemeanor Possession of Unaltered Dangerous Fireworks with a Gross Weight of Less Than 25 Pounds
• H&S 12677–Misdemeanor Possession of Dangerous Fireworks
• H&S 12671– Misdemeanor Possession and Storage of Unregistered Fireworks

According to the complaint filed in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, Steele is alleged to have taken multiple overt steps including traveling with the juvenile to Bakersfield to buy the illegal fireworks and posting about the fireworks on social media.

Steele filed a $200,000 bail bond with the County Superior Court on Thursday and is next due in court for an arraignment on his charges on June 4 of this year shared the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

The San Luis Obispo County teen is also facing multiple charges via a Juvenile Wardship Petition filed by the local prosecutor's office including arson, possession of unaltered dangerous fireworks, possession of ingredients to make an explosive device, and conspiracy to commit a crime detailed the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

He is scheduled to appear at the Juvenile Services Center on Kansas Avenue on June 4 noted the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing and anyone with more information about the Templeton Feed & Grain fire is asked to contact the San Luis Obispo County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-549-7867 or online here where they can provide information anonymously.

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SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - A proposed new recycling center in Santa Maria for empty California Redemption Value (CRV) beverage containers has received approval to open.

On Wednesday, the Santa Maria Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit for the new facility that is planned to open on a 0.39-acre site located at 1128 West Church Street, near the busy intersection of West Main Street and North Blosser Road.

AGS Recycling Inc, which operates facilities in nearby Orcutt, Guadalupe, rural Arroyo Grande and Morro Bay applied for the permit and will soon transform the site from an auto repair shop to a recycling center.

"It's great spot for all the customers," said Edgar Arroyo, AGS Recycling Inc. owner. "It's a convenient, fast and drivable spot. It's a big spot and safe for all cars and customers."

Unlike some of the other local AGS sites that are positioned in parking lots utilizing moveable storage containers, the new Santa Maria center will be located inside a permanent structure.

The already existing building will used for the collection, purchase, weighing, and temporary storage of recyclable materials (aluminum cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles).

With the approval in now in hand, AGS Recycling said it is planning to open within a three-month timeframe.

When it does open for business, it re-establish a buy-back place for people to recycle CVR bottles and cans in Santa Maria for the first time since rePlant closed all of its nearly 300 locations across the state in 2019.

Earlier in the year, as it application was being reviewed the city's planning department, AGS Recycling was told it needed to find solutions for a number of concerns that were brought up during the review process.

Some of the concerns expressed about the business included a potentinal increase of unsheltered people in the general area, cleanliness and odor, pests and rodents, abandoned shopping carts, alley traffic, alley fires, and an overall increase in crime.

The solutions AGS presented to city planning leaders included, power washing the site twice a week, hiring an exterminating company to perform monthly services, closing public access to the alley from the project site, contracting with a security company to provide surveillance cameras with sensors, installing motion-activated exterior lighting, posting “No Trespassing” signs, reporting abandoned shopping carts to the City, keeping the dumpster and outdoor storage container locked when not in operation and maintaining the site landscaping to eliminate any hiding places.

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