Jacob is your community news reporter covering the Santa Maria Valley. Sobering statistics from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office show that in the last three years, overdose deaths in ...

Hamel’s family “is appealing to the public again for help understanding what happened to their only daughter who died ...

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Santa Barbara County underreported COVID-19 deaths over the last month, due to a reporting error. The Santa Barbara County Public ...

In June, following the death of George Floyd and amid renewed scrutiny over how and when law enforcement officers use physical force against civilians, the Independent filed a California Public ...

Gloria Jean Dominguez Gloria Jean Dominguez passed away on May 30, 2025, following complications from pneumonia. Gloria fell ill while visiting her ...

Though Santa Barbara had not been aware if the earthquake was isolated or part of a bigger California wallop, the rest of the ...

Santa Barbara County announced its first coronavirus-related death this week as its number of confirmed infections increased to 111. Public health officials said the North County resident who died ...

A 2024 Santa Barbara Grand Jury report released Monday identified an inherent risk of a conflict of interest regarding in-custody death investigations in the county. While the Grand Jury did not ...

Santa Barbara County officials launched an investigation on Monday into the death of a man being held in custody at the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

A Santa Barbara man who allegedly arranged a human smuggling attempt that led to the drownings of three migrants in Ocean Beach made his initial appearance in federal court Thursday. Faustino ...

A Santa Barbara surfing school owner was arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death his two young children in Mexico, authorities said Tuesday. SAN DIEGO — A California surfing school owner was ...