Good morning, Santa Barbara.

Leadership expert Kathleen Marcove traced her journey from a Peace Corps assignment to a challenging nonprofit role that spurred the launch of Marcove Executive Training in Santa Barbara.

She now works with local businesses & public agencies to develop leadership strategies that support employee growth.

On Thursday, Oct. 15, the Music Academy of West broke ground on The Muse (a multistory 20,000-sqft center for music performances, instruction, practice, and recording) at the corner of State and Canon Perdido.

Construction will begin after minor city permits, with the center scheduled to open in 2028.

The Asian American Neighborhood Festival celebrated 17 years of local culture Sunday at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park with taiko drums, Filipino folk dancing and breakdancing drawing visitors to historical exhibits and walking tours (highlighting the area’s heritage).

Downtown Santa Barbara will host a traditional Día de los Muertos festival this weekend as the Santa Barbara Museum of Art holds a celebration from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., ending with a 3:30 p.m. procession featuring music and dance from Oaxaca and Guerrero.

Santa Barbara Unified students made gains in English language arts and math today, surpassing district goals and state averages as shown in the California School Dashboard (Superintendent Hilda Maldonado credited targeted teaching efforts).

The district now holds green ratings across subjects.

San Marcos High School began an $11 million wellness project on Monday to replace aging portable classrooms with three new permanent buildings for the Cottage Health Careers Academy + upgrade a community wellness center where students and locals can get care; construction is expected to finish in December 2027.

On Oct. 16 the Mosquito and Vector Management District detected Aedes aegypti near North Turnpike Road and Calle Real and issued an advisory urging residents to remove standing water, use repellent, and report sightings + help stop the spread.

Santa Barbara City College women's golf team shot a season-best 44-over at Rancho Vista Golf Club on Monday, finishing second for the third consecutive week; they will play one more round next Monday at Scarlet and Gray Golf Club before hosting the WSC Finals after Halloween.

The Santa Barbara Islanders begin their inaugural exhibition season this weekend at Ice in Paradise in Goleta.

The team opens with a game Friday at 8 p.m. and another Saturday at 4:45 p.m. as local players join to grow community hockey.

Dos Pueblos water polo team has won eight of its last nine matches and is unbeaten in Channel League play.

The Chargers won the Santa Barbara Invitational title for the first time and will compete in the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs — brackets are released Friday, Oct. 23.

Dos Pueblos girls volleyball swept Torrance on Tuesday at Sovine Gym, with Faith Harrison scoring 16 kills and five blocks — her strong play set the Chargers up to host Temescal Canyon on Thursday.

Bishop Diego’s Victoria Heredia and Annabel Liu finished third at the Frontier League Championships on Tuesday at Ventura College after a semifinal loss and an 8-6 consolation win, while Carpinteria High fell in their match in Ojai and will focus on their Citrus Coast League contest on Thursday.

Dos Pueblos High School golfer Celeste Alcaraz repeated her Channel League win at Santa Barbara Golf Club with a 78 that was 9 shots ahead of competitors (Mia Rocha and Oakley Moran also placed well), and several players will advance to the CIF-SS tournament next week.

San Marcos boys basketball will begin the 2026-27 season with interim head coach Max Kadlec, a 2020 graduate who previously coached with the team.

He will lead the program with assistant Cade Roth & his father Alan Kadlec, aiming to build on last season's 22-7 record.