Good morning, Santa Barbara.

Local first responders and elected officials gathered at the Courthouse Sunken Gardens this morning to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and honor nearly 3,000 lives.

The ceremony featured a joint Color Guard, national anthem, and 21-gun salute (a tribute to fallen heroes).

Coast Village Week runs from Sept.

10 to Sept. 17 along Coast Village Road & offers meal deals, art specials and events for dogs and car enthusiasts. Today a dog photo area runs from noon to 3 p.m. while a Sunday exotic car show is planned from 9 a.m. to noon.

At a Carpinteria Rotary Club meeting, sheriff deputies demonstrated drug detection and suspect apprehension skills with their canine partners (Obi, Dude, and Yeti), offering members a closer look at the training behind local public safety.

Chaucer’s Books will host author David K.

Israel on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. at 3321 State St., where he will read from his novel 'The Lost Mozart' & sign copies for attendees.

Cal State Channel Islands launches the *Double Landing* exhibition of Rafael Perea de la Cabada’s art on Monday, Sept.

14 at Napa Hall Art Gallery, with free receptions planned on Sept. 17 and an artist talk on Oct. 20.

New competitive funding has been announced to support space and aerospace innovation on the Central Coast, with $525,000 available through the Space Vandenberg Innovation Fund.

Applications are open until 5:00 p.m. PT Oct. 2 & full proposals due by 5:00 p.m. PT Oct. 16, with awards expected in December.

Local developer and civic leader Kimberly Schizas has joined the Scholarship Foundation board in Santa Barbara to guide college scholarship and aid services.

She brings decades of nonprofit board experience (including roles in county planning and community commissions) to support the foundation’s mission.

UC Santa Barbara earned the 2026 AWS Champions award for completing an 800-server migration (saving costs and reclaiming campus space) that streamlined its IT operations.

The project freed up room at the North Hall Data Center and set a new standard for cloud adoption in education.

State regulators approved Ocean Rainforest’s massive kelp farm project for the Santa Barbara Channel on Wednesday, Sept.

9; the project will be built in phases and could start construction in 2027.

Santa Barbara’s Historic Landmarks Commission approved plans on Wednesday, Sept.

9 to convert the former Nordstrom building at 17 West Canon Perdido Street/817 State Street into 112 rental apartments, including 11 affordable units and retaining 5,200 sqft of commercial space. A 10-day appeal period is set for design comments.

Dos Pueblos boys water polo advanced to the semifinal after wins over Westlake and Mater Dei at Elings Aquatics Center on Friday.

They will face Beckman High in Goleta on Saturday at 9:10 a.m. (Key players led the scoring in both games.)

Surfers are enjoying gentle waves at Leadbetter Beach today.

The spot near Santa Barbara City College draws local residents, students and visitors and is known for its accommodating surf conditions (photo submitted by local Brian Soergel).

Gabe Grandcolas was named president of the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Board, a volunteer-run organization that honors local student athletes and coaches yearly.

The Knight Real Estate Group sales director, a Santa Barbara High graduate, brings strong local roots to guide the board.

Ben Howland, a local coaching legend who began his career in Goleta, was honored as part of the SBART Hall of Fame after a career that included four Pac-12 championships at UCLA.

A court at the Goleta Unified Boys and Girls Club was dedicated to him in 2025.