Good morning, Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara was ranked among the top 10 generous communities on GoFundMe in 2025, with over 34,000 local residents donating to fundraisers for memorials and emergency expenses (about one in 13 residents contributed).

The Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department will host its Annual Rose Pruning Day at Mission Historical Park starting 9 a.m. Jan.

10. The event needs 150 volunteers to prune over 1,500 rose bushes with expert guidance from Dan Bifano (Santa Barbara Rose Society) as volunteers bring their own gloves and tools.

Raising Cane’s will open its new location at 7000 Hollister Avenue in Goleta, where Kyle’s Kitchen (the current tenant) will move next door to Target as the chain prepares to serve its signature chicken finger meals.

International artist Porfirio Gutiérrez will lead a talk on ancestral materials and cochineal dye at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on Friday, Jan.

9 (6-7:30 p.m.); he will host an 11-hour workshop on natural dye techniques for ages 16+ on Jan. 24-25 with limited tickets.

Robert Rodarte launches HappySad Theatre with Lucy Prebble’s The Effect, which will run at Center Stage Theater January 16-17 (targeting local young audiences and inspired by his New York experience) as he returns home to Santa Barbara.

Guadalupe Union School District will hold a 3:30 p.m. ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, Jan.

14 at the new Guadalupe Early Learning Center at 375 Arroyo Seco Road; the 5.1-acre, $10 million facility will serve up to 192 students.

UCSB researchers found that a small part of the corpus callosum is enough to synchronize brain hemispheres (evidence from partial callosotomies supports their findings).

Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may shape future epilepsy and brain injury treatments.

Record holiday storms filled local reservoirs nearly to capacity in early January (Gibraltar at 101.8%, Jameson at 100.2%, Cachuma at 97.4%), while Lake Mead’s water level dropped from 1,066.37 feet in January to 1,062.24 feet in December amid ongoing drought conditions.

Highway 101 near Goleta reopened after heavy rain triggered mudslides that forced temporary closures.

Caltrans officials said both northbound and southbound lanes reopened and urged drivers to remain cautious as cleanup continues in the area.

Santa Barbara Airport resumed operations at 10:20 a.m. on Jan.

4 after heavy rainfall caused flooding that forced a temporary closure. Crews cleared the runway overnight, but more storms are expected so flight schedules may face delays.

The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, partnering with Redtail Multifamily Land Development and public agencies, held a groundbreaking for Heritage Ridge, a 104-home affordable housing community at 6488 Camino Vista in Goleta.

The project includes 41 senior solar-powered units, 63 special needs family homes, and a two-acre park (a collaborative effort to address local housing needs).

Santa Barbara's Dons stayed undefeated at 4-0 in Channel League play after beating Dos Pueblos 87-59 on Tuesday, Jan.

6 with Owen Horn's 23 points + Blake Lee's 15 points leading the team. Dos Pueblos, missing injured Wyatt Gardiner, dropped to 1-3 in league play.

Santa Barbara High boys basketball kept its winning streak alive with an 87-59 win over Dos Pueblos on Monday at J.R.

Richards Gym. The Dons (10-7, 4-0 Channel League) lead their league while Dos Pueblos will play at Sovine Gym on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Reading Skills 101 Workshop

2-4 p.m. — Santa Barbara Public Library — Free entry — A community workshop designed to empower families with essential reading skills and understanding for children across all grades.