A driver was taken into custody after crashing into the front of a home in Vandenberg Village just hours after the start of the New Year According to the California Highway Patrol Wednesday on the 4200 block of Sirius Avenue Officers say the 20-year-old driver from Lompoc sustained minor injuries adding that alcohol was a contributing factor Officers on Thursday said they were unable to provide information on what may have occurred leading up to the crash or other information on the investigation as the report on the incident is not yet complete Plywood could be seen up along part of the front of the home the morning after the crash along with a wooden beam out of place and damage to the grass This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page - Potential safety improvements are in the works for a deadly intersection on Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village along with several other local government agencies are looking at restricting left turns at the intersection of Highway 1 at Santa Lucia Canyon Road We understand that the community has concerns about traffic safety and the Highway 1 cooridor between Vandenberg Village and the (Vandenberg Space Force) Base," said Jim Shivers Caltrans Public-Legislative Affairs Manager "(There) is a proposal to restrict left turn movements from Santa Lucia Canyon Road onto Highway 1 This is something that we would put on the table located near the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc is just south of the main gate of Vandenberg Space Force Base It has been the site of several car crashes in the past including most recently a fatal collision that killed an 11-year-old girl in October 2024 there has been 11 reported injury crashes involving left turns between 2018-22 "It's proven to be extremely dangerous over the last several years," said Steven Heuring who lives In Vandenberg Village and is part of the Vandenberg Village Association You can't trust the motorist trying to negotiate it safely Caltrans announced it will hold a public meeting is discuss the issue at Cabrillo High School on Wednesday "It's very important that we hear from the public the people that use the stretch of Highway 1 every day travelers to the correctional facility or to the Space Force Basem" said Shivers "It's very important that we hear their views about ways to enhance traffic safety in this corridor." the meeting will include a presentation by Caltrans engineers who will provide information on proposed modifications at the site Should Caltrans restrict left turns onto northbound Highway 1 there are concerns how it would potentially impact traffic in Vandenberg Village Any traffic traveling from Santa Lucia Canyon Road needing to go north would have to head south for a couple of miles to Vandenberg Village and turn onto Burton Mesa Road to eventually enter the highway "You can just imagine the amount of traffic that's going through that intersection," said Heuring referring to the Constellation Road underpass "Now would be transferred to here at Vandenberg Village and it's not acceptable I think it could even cause a backup for folks getting off the highway because the traffic lights can only handle a certain amount of traffic a multi-agency meeting was held to address safety concerns regarding the entire stretch of Highway 1 between Lompoc and Vandenberg SFB The meeting was attended by several local government officials the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) Assemblymember Gregg Hart and Santa Barbara County Supervisors Bob Nelson and Joan Hartman who represents District Four where the intersection is located on Monday and provided News Channel with a statement about the site CalTrans is finally taking action on the Santa Lucia/Highway 1 intersection," said Nelson "My office is committed to ensuring this solution remains temporary as we work with stakeholders—including Vandenberg Space Force Base SBCAG (Santa Barbara Association of Governments) and the County—to identify and fund a long-term fix I’m advocating for a clear project timeline to keep stakeholders engaged starting with a traffic corridor study to explore alternatives and secure funding." Shivers added several safety enhancements have already taken place on Highway 1 near the intersection and several more are still to come "We just completed a project to install what's called a high friction surface treatment on Highway 1 near Santa Lucia Canyon Road and the Vandenberg Village area," said Shivers "Travelers might be familiar with this type of pavement that is used near the Gaviota Tunnel and it's designed to aid travelers in wet weather conditions and has proven very successful We're currently in the planning stages to resurface 27 lane miles of Highway 1 between Vandenberg Village and Vandenberg Space Force Base This will include a complete resurfacing that will be part of the overall package of enhancing safety in this corridor to go along with the high friction surface treatment."   Dave Alley is a reporter and anchor at News Channel 3-12. To learn more about Dave, click here News Channel 3-12 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here Terms of Service Privacy Policy Community Guidelines FCC Public File EEO Public File Report FCC Applications Do Not Sell My Personal Information Juliet is your community news reporter covering the South Coast of Santa Barbara County. After a spike in crashes on Highway 1 between Lompoc and Vandenberg Village, locals are calling for more safety measures to be implemented to protect drivers. "I honestly, I don't remember what happened that day. I know I was driving downtown to help my daughter get her nails done, and I was coming home," said Joni Song, but she didn’t make it home. "Next thing I know I’m waking up in the hospital," Song said. She was involved in a crash on Christmas Even. It was one of 33 crashes along Highway 1 last year near Vandenberg Village. Twenty-five of those crashes happened during wet conditions. "I hurt my arm and my leg pretty good and then my face got the most of it. I had tons of brain injuries and then mouth injuries," she said while showing her injuries one by one. "Being thankful and couldn't believe I was alive and pretty upset that someone else had passed away during it," she said. The California Highway Patrol says crashes in the area increased from 16 in 2023 to 33 in 2024. In response, they’ve put more officers in the area, especially during wet weather. "The speed limit here is 65, I think that is just too fast for this road," said retired Sheriff Deputy Joey Patrick. Patrick believes distracted driving, speeding and deteriorating pavement are all safety concerns for the area. "If you’re coming down that hill (southbound on Highway 1) at 65, a lot of force is coming around that curb," explained Patrick. This week, Caltrans crews began laying a high friction surface treatment as part of a multi-agency project addressing safety concerns along the southbound lanes of Highway 1 south of Vandenberg Village. "Your speed is going to affect you and the people around you. If you feel like you need to go fast, then maybe you left a little too late," Song said. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. A driver was killed in a rollover crash on Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village Tuesday morning. It happened just after 10 a.m. in the northbound lanes just south of the Constellation Road offramp. According to the California Highway Patrol, it appears the driver of a Jaguar was heading southbound on the highway when, for unknown reasons, they crossed over the grassy median and into oncoming traffic, colliding with a minivan. The Jaguar landed upside down just off the roadway. Officers say the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the minivan was taken to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries. The highway was shut down between Constellation Road and Hancock Drive while officers conducted their investigation and remained closed as of 11:30 a.m. Officers said it was too early to tell whether the wet roads or speed may have been contributing factors in the collision. In a separate crash in the area, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department reports a vehicle with four people went off the road also near the Constellation Road offramp at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. None of the family members were said to be injured.  The number of crashes in the area is more than double the number reported in the same area last year. KSBY requested statistics from the California Highway Patrol for the area along Highway 1 south of Constellation Road. CHP reports that of Dec. 19, 33 crashes had been reported in the area with 25 of those crashes having happened during wet or rainy conditions. Injuries were reported in 14 of the crashes. In 2023, 16 crashes were reported at this location, up from 10 in 2022. Due to the increase in crashes this year, CHP reports they have been placing patrols in the area during inclement weather, including on Tuesday. The agency is also reportedly working with Caltrans to identify possible improvements to the highway. At Buena Vista Elementary School in Vandenberg Village, one class has been busy with a special project. Sixth graders from teacher Jake West's class put together a special "thank you" video to show their appreciation to firefighters battling the wildfires in Southern California. Sixth-grader Kate Culliver says her dad is a local firefighter who was sent to the Los Angeles area to help in the response effort. "The appreciation for how much we show, how much we care for them. When they're in the fire of L.A., we're giving them pretty much confidence into them," she said. Culliver went on to say that all firefighters are true heroes for putting their lives at risk to save others. Regarding her father helping with the firefight, she says, "It's kind of scary, but it's really brave of him to do that." West says in a social media post that he hopes the video will give fire crews "a little extra encouragement as they spend days and weeks away from family to help in LA." You can watch the full video from the students below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jake West (@raisingthemwest) An investigation is underway after a bear was found shot outside Lompoc a captain with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s law enforcement division tells KSBY they were notified of the incident the morning of Aug He was unable to provide a specific location of where the bear was found generally describing it as being in the Vandenberg Village community Foy says they had received reports of the black bear wandering around the community in the weeks prior but relocation was not warranted given the area in which the bear was spotted dozens if not hundreds of times every day in California,” Foy said “In this case—the area of Vandenberg Village—it’s completely surrounded with open space of habitat perfectly suitable for a bear.” He says that because the community is small and the bear had not done anything to justify guarding “no effort had been made to remove the bear.” even if they were to have trapped the bear they would have taken it to the nearest suitable habitat which would have been only a few hundred yards away from the neighborhood The killing of bears in California is illegal outside of bear hunting season which has not yet begun and is never allowed in the Vandenberg Village area Foy says they are currently working on gathering surveillance footage and other information to determine whether the bear was shot lawfully A lawful shooting would mean that the bear was acting violently and had to be killed to protect someone or something Foy also mentions that his department had been working with a neighborhood group in the area to provide tips on how to deter bears from coming near homes Some of these strategies include making sure garbage cans are secured pet food is not left outside and rotten fruit that has fallen off trees are picked up which broke out last Thursday at Vandenberg Space Force Base according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department The fire broke out just after noon on November 7 It burned 130 acres and prompted the evacuation of the south end of Vandenberg Village There was no reported damage to any homes or other structures Santa Barbara County Fire officials told KSBY News on Tuesday that the fire was caused by sparks from a trailer that became disconnected from the vehicle that was towing it Fire department officials say all equipment and personnel assigned to the fire have been released Authorities have identified the driver who died after crashing on Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village Tuesday morning as Asher Linden Tenud The two-vehicle collision occurred just south of Constellation Road at around 10 a.m The California Highway Patrol's investigation shows the 19-year-old was driving a green 1998 Jaguar XJR southbound on the highway when his vehicle went out of control around a curve crossing over the dirt median and crashing head-on into a gray 2007 Honda Odyssey traveling northbound Injuries to the driver of the van were described as life-threatening They were taken to a nearby hospital but their name or an update on their condition had not been released as of Thursday afternoon The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s office says he is from Portland “A terrible tragedy for the drivers and their families during what should be a joyous season,” said Buellton Area Commander Lieutenant Jason Bronson in a press release “During your holiday travels we ask everyone to slow down and drive cautiously especially in rain and inclement weather.” A CHP report shows the number of crashes in the area near Constellation Road so far this year is more than double the number reported in the same area last year CHP reports 33 crashes had been reported in the area with 25 of those crashes having happened during wet or rainy conditions Injuries were reported in 14 of the crashes CHP reports they have been placing patrols in the area during inclement weather including on Tuesday when CHP states an officer was nearby when the deadly crash occurred Officers tell KSBY they are also working with Caltrans to identify possible improvements to the highway Anyone who witnessed Tuesday’s crash or has information that could help with the investigation is asked to contact the Buellton Area CHP office at (805) 691-6160 An 11-year-old has died from injuries sustained in a two-vehicle accident Sunday afternoon near Vandenberg Village California Highway Patrol officials announced the update in a news release Monday saying the young female "succumbed to her injuries" at Lompoc Valley Medical Center The accident happened on Highway 1 near Santa Lucia Canyon Road just before 5 p.m Officials say a 2020 Toyota Camry carrying the child along with two adults made a left-hand turn onto Highway 1 when it was struck by a southbound Toyota Prius All parties were transported to the hospital The driver and passenger of the Camry had minor injuries The driver of the Prius — a 21-year-old Lompoc man — sustained major injuries The accident closed the highway at Santa Lucia Canyon Road for an hour and 10 minutes The cause of the collision remains under investigation A traffic collision has closed northbound lanes and diverted southbound traffic on Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village Santa Barbara County Fire says it received reports at around 5 p.m of a crash on Highway 1 near Santa Lucia Canyon Road two vehicles were involved in the collision that injured four people Safechuck says that three adults were taken by ambulance to the hospital with moderate to major injuries was in critical condition and was taken to the hospital as well Caltrans is at the scene and has closed northbound traffic starting from Constellation Road CHP also reports that southbound traffic has been diverted from Highway 1 to Santa Lucia Canyon Road The cause of the collision is under investigation This story will be updated as more information becomes available For constant updates on fires in Santa Barbara County For constant updates on fires in San Luis Obispo County check out CAL FIRE SLO’s social media: – Firefighters are responding to a 130-acre vegetation fire near Santa Lucia Canyon Road north of the Lompoc Federal Correctional facility and east of Vandenberg Village According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department forward progress of the fire was stopped at 3:10 p.m and some of the assigned crews have been dismissed the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department issued evacuation orders for Providence Landing and lower Vandenberg Village For the latest emergency information, visit Ready SBC According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department, a temporary evacuation center was set up at Trinity Church of the Nazarene at 500 East North Avenue in Lompoc Maple High School evacuated students by bus to Cabrillo High School and parents and guardians are encouraged to head to Cabrillo High at 4350 Constellation Road to reunite with their students explained the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office For Maple High students who take the bus home normal bus routes started from Cabrillo High before taking them back home explained the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Santa Lucia Canyon Road was closed on the Highway 1 side as part of the fire response and drivers were asked to avoid the area added the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Allan Hancock College's Lompoc Valley Center has been closed for the remainder of the day and evening classes and events have been canceled shared the College's communications staff Andrew is a Digital Content Producer and Assignment Desk Assistant for News Channel 3-12. For more about Andrew, click here. Santa Barbara County (SBC) Fire was called to northbound SR-1 near Vandenberg Village for a report of an accident that caused a vehicle to travel 100 feet over the side of the road and overturn Officials identify the driver of the vehicle as a solo female SBC Fire reports that firefighters helped to extract the woman and bring her back to the roadway using a rope system The driver had minor to moderate injuries and was transported by ambulance to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria Officials say one lane of northbound SR-1 is closed while SBC and Lompoc Fire are still at the scene A crash closed a portion of Highway 1 outside Lompoc late Friday morning in the southbound lanes just north of Constellation Road in Vandenberg Village According to initial reports into the California Highway Patrol At least one of the vehicles was said to be facing the wrong way on the highway The southbound lanes were blocked in the area as of 11:32 a.m A public meeting is taking place next month to discuss safety enhancements along Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village Enhancements to the stretch of highway between Vandenberg Space Force Base’s main gate and Harris Grade road will be the topic of discussion including no longer allowing lefthand turns from Santa Lucia Canyon Road onto northbound Highway 1 a high-friction surface treatment project and pavement preservation projects The safety of the highway has been brought into question recently following multiple crashes at the Highway 1 and Santa Lucia Canyon and also at Highway 1 near Constellation Road The meeting is set for March 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m A head-on collision on Highway 1 near Constellation Road in Vandenberg Village, Santa Barbara County resulted in one fatality and left another person critically injured on Tuesday morning According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department the crash occurred at approximately 10:00 a.m One vehicle overturned during the collision requiring heavy extrication to remove a trapped passenger One individual was pronounced dead at the scene Their identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin A second individual sustained major injuries and was transported by AMR ambulance to the Lompoc Airport where they were airlifted by county helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Further details about their condition have not been disclosed The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the collision If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident Consult with one of our personal injury attorneys Our trusted Santa Barbara County car accident lawyers will evaluate your case, discuss the next steps, and consider all factors that could impact your settlement amount they can help you obtain additional information or a police report if needed Our legal team has a well-established reputation for advocating for accident victims, with clients receiving over $750 Million in compensation Having a car accident checklist can help you stay organized and calm after a crash Whether you are the injured party or a family member of a deceased victim, here’s what you should do following a car accident: I HAD AN ACCIDENT According to the National Safety Council motor-vehicle-related deaths were most often caused by collisions between vehicles but these crashes accounted for less than half (43%) of total fatalities The second leading cause was crashes involving fixed objects Other significant causes included pedestrian incidents and non-collision events like rollovers While vehicle-to-vehicle collisions caused less than half of all fatalities they contributed to the majority of injuries single-vehicle crashes—such as collisions with fixed objects and rollovers—resulted in a higher proportion of fatalities and fatal crashes These types of incidents made up 54% of deaths and 56% of fatal crashes but only 25% or less of total injuries causing approximately 8,800 deaths in 2022 A bicyclist sustained serious injuries after being hit by a vehicle in Sacramento on Saturday evening According to the Sacramento Police Department and another woman and two children sustained injuries following a two-vehicle head-on crash in El Dorado Hills A motorcyclist was killed following a suspected DUI crash in Merced on Saturday afternoon Two young men were killed following a suspected DUI crash in Fresno on Friday night and two others sustained non-life-threatening injuries following a multi-vehicle collision in the Westlake community of Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon Several people were injured following a possible fatal head-on collision at a stoplight in the Hawthorne area of Los Angeles County early Sunday morning California’s Powerhouse Accident Lawyers With a consecutively proven track record Disclaimer: Not every one of our firm’s attorneys has received the recognitions stated here Visit the attorneys’ specific profile page under the ‘Our Firm’ tab for specific attorney recognitions (888) 488-1391 Do I Have A Case? 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Hill Ave. #201Pasadena, CA 9110624hr Local Line: (626) 723-3933Available by appointment only This website is for informational purposes only and does not provide legal advice Please do not act or refrain from acting based on anything you read on this site Using this site or communicating with the law offices of arash khorsandi through this site does not form an attorney/Client relationship Copyright © 2025 The Law Office of Arash Khorsandi Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Accessibility | Careers WE’VE RECOVERED OVER $750 MILLION FOR OUR CLIENTS There are positive developments as firefighters battle a brushfire burning on Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc Forward progress on the roughly 150-acre blaze has been stopped And all evacuation orders and warnings issued for nearby neighborhoods have been lifted broke out on the east side of Santa Lucia Canyon Road around noon Santa Barbara County Fire spokesperson Karen Cruz-Orduna said there was a major response Los Padres National Forest," Cruz-Orduna said That fire initially led to evacuation orders for Lower Vandenberg Village and Providence Landing areas Parents and guardians are being told to pick up their kids at Cabrillo High School in Lompoc Allan Hancock College's Lompoc campus closed and canceled all classes Thursday because of the fire Santa Lucia Canyon Road remains closed at Highway 1 Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officials are asking people to avoid the area A vegetation fire broke out near Highway 1 in the Vandenberg Village area near Lompoc prompting evacuation orders and road closures Maple High School is evacuating students by bus to Cabrillo High School and parents must pick up their child at Cabrillo An evacuation order has also been issued for lower Vandenberg Village and Providence Landing areas Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Lompoc Gate are closed and travel on Washington Ave from Utah Ave remains closed until further notice There are also mandatory evacuation orders for areas west of Mercury Santa Barbara County Fire said there is no time to pack Affected residents can find temporary shelter at the Trinity Church of Nazarine and pets can be taken to any Santa Barbara County Animal Services location Santa Barbara County emergency officials are asking the public to stay away until further notice UPDATE (8:57 p.m.) - Santa Barbara County Fire says the Santa Lucia fire is now 80% contained and that the fire has spread 130 acres— slightly less than their initial reports Fire crews are continuing to strengthen containment lines and mop up hot spots Authorities say they expect the fire to be fully contained by Sunday.__ Friday) - The fire is now 60 percent contained and burned 150 acres UPDATE (5:39 p.m.) - Officials with the Lompoc Unified School District say all schools will resume their normal schedules on Friday Allan Hancock College's Lompoc campus will also reopen on Friday.___ UPDATE (4:05 p.m.) - Forward progress of the fire has been stopped and some firefighting resources have been released according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.___ UPDATE (3:44 p.m.) - The evacuation warning has been lifted per the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.___ UPDATE (3:11 p.m.) - Santa Barbara County Fire officials report that the fire is 5% contained The Santa Barbara County Call Center will be open until 6 p.m Thursday for those with questions regarding the fire UPDATE (2:47 p.m.) - The fire that broke out Thursday afternoon at Vandenberg Space Force Base has burned 130 acres There are no reports of injuries or structure damage.___ UPDATE (2:36 p.m.) - All evacuation orders have been downgraded to evacuation warnings according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.___ UPDATE (2:13 p.m.) - A temporary evacuation center is set up at Trinity Church UPDATE (2:04 p.m.) - Allan Hancock College's Lompoc campus has been closed as a result of the fire at Vandenberg Space Force Base School officials say the college is included in an evacuation warning area All day and evening classes have been canceled along with a Food Share event that was scheduled to take place today The Santa Barbara County Fire Department shared the following video of the fire on X Image and video of vegetation fire pic.twitter.com/YMwKEqSRWX UPDATE (1:29 p.m.) - People in areas west of Mercury and Celestial Way are being told to evacuate immediately Click here for an interactive map of the evacuation order Vegetation Fire update: MANDATORY Evacuation for the following: West of Mercury UPDATE (12:57 p.m.) - An evacuation order has been issued for the Lower Vandenberg Village and Providence Landing areas due to the fire at Vandenberg Space Force Base.___ located in the southern part of Vandenberg Village is evacuating students by bus to Cabrillo High School according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Parents are encouraged to pick up their children at Cabrillo High.___ (12:29 p.m.) - Firefighters are responding to a brush fire that broke out at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday The fire was first reported just after noon on the east side of Santa Lucia Canyon Road Santa Lucia Canyon Road is closed at Highway 1 A large plume of smoke from the fire can be seen from Lompoc This is a developing story and will be updated with new information as it becomes available – One person has died and another had major injuries after a head-on collision on northbound Highway 1 south of Constellation Road the person with major injuries was transported by helicopter to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara for further treatment One lane of northbound Highway 1 remains open as part of the response that was first called in around 10:04 a.m added the Santa Barbara County Fire Department another single-vehicle accident occurred in the same area but resulted in no injuries to the family of four in that crash shared the Santa Barbara County Fire Department courtesy of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department This is an evolving emergency response and more information will be added to this article as it becomes available For many residents, this week's rain is raising concerns about road safety in parts of the Central Coast Caltrans is scheduled to hold a meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss some of those safety concerns regarding Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village Community members are invited to attend the event at the Cabrillo High School Cafeteria from 6 to 7:30 p.m officials say they will discuss a recently completed high friction surface treatment project that will reportedly enhance the safety of the road in wet weather conditions Caltrans representatives are also slated to present several proposed modifications to Highway 1 including a restricted turn at the Santa Lucia Canyon Rd Juliet is your community news reporter covering the South Coast of Santa Barbara County Many crashes have occurred over the years along a stretch of Highway 1 between Vandenberg Space Force Base and Lompoc Community reporter Juliet Lemar found out Caltrans has plans to make some changes to the area next year Bruce Villabos says his father was involved in a two-car crash along this stretch of Highway 1 His father survived the crash but sustained life changing injuries there's a lot of limit of what he can do,” he said Villabos’s father is one of many drivers involved in serious crashes along Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village which tow truck driver Louis Ortiz says are often caused by speeding and distracted driving Ortiz says he responds to at least one crash a week along this stretch of the highway Lemar reached out to the California Highway Patrol to find out just how many crashes have happened in this area this year but has not yet received a response She also reached out to Assemblymember Gregg Hart “Caltrans is currently analyzing data from a traffic study at this intersection as well as at Vandenberg Gate and Highway 1.” When asked about plans for changes along the highway Lemar was told by Caltrans that implementation of channelizers on Highway 1 near Santa Lucia Canyon Road in 2022 led to a 100 percent reduction in injury or fatal crashes in the northbound lanes Caltrans says there are plans to improve median barrier crash cushions in 2025 — A Lompoc woman was arrested Saturday in connection to a homicide Deputies responded to the area of Sami Lane and Khouri Circle A report indicated "suspicious circumstances," which means a deputy still believes a crime may have occurred and requires additional follow up Deputies discovered an adult female homicide victim inside a residence on Khouri Circle through their investigation Detectives assisted with the investigation and identified an adult female suspect "who was known to the victim." The suspect was identified as a 46-year-old woman from Lompoc and Oklahoma "The identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification to next-of-kin," said the SBCSO The 46-year-old was booked at the Santa Maria Northern Branch Jail where she is being held on $2,000,000 bail detectives believe there are no outstanding suspects in this case more information on this case will be shared as it becomes available Multi-media Journalist and Tipline investigations Follow me on my social media for more news and insights UPDATE (Monday) – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has identified the murder victim as Denise Ann Carter Authorities say her daughter is the suspect in her killing ORIGINAL STORY: A woman is facing murder charges in connection with the death of another woman in Vandenberg Village According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area of Sami Lane and Khouri Circle at around 6:42 a.m Saturday following a suspicious circumstances report The location is in a 55 and older community off Burton Mesa Boulevard Detectives responded to help with the investigation which led to the arrest of a 46-year-old suspect identified by authorities as Brooke Carter The sheriff’s office reports she is from both Lompoc and Oklahoma adding that she and the victim knew each other The victim’s name is not being released until next-of-kin has been notified Sheriff’s officials say there are no outstanding suspects but have not released information on a possible motive Carter was booked into the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria with bail set at $2 million Fire crews gained progress on a brush fire that caused a scare in the area of Vandenberg Village on Thursday The fire burned about 150 acres in the area of Santa Lucia Canyon Road and was 30% contained as of Thursday night Officials said forward progress has been stopped KSBY talked to fire officials and residents about the scare this caused in the community Santa Barbara County Fire public information specialist "We do have some resources and we’re able to combat the fire." RELATED | UPDATE: Forward progress of fire at Vandenberg Space Force Base stopped It's unclear exactly how many firefighting units were deployed to the area but a KSBY crew at the scene saw multiple air assets as well as first responders from both Cal Fire and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department Evacuation warnings and orders were issued Thursday but have since been canceled She was on her way home when she said she started getting the alerts “I saw that they were evacuating Maple High School which is a couple [of] houses down from my house so I knew that that was the time to head home,” said Nicole Murray I got the alerts stating it was going to be an evacuation for that area.” Murray said that she was impacted by a 2017 fire that was — at the time — the largest wildfire in modern California history “I previously lost my home in the Thomas Fire in Ventura County and so when I got the evacuation news I first started that said it was getting close,” Murray said “Then I got the evacuation warning on my phone with the warning alerts and I feel like it triggered my PTSD a bit.” The Thomas Fire — caused by power lines touching during high winds — scorched nearly 300,000 acres and destroyed almost 1,100 structures It's the state's 11th most destructive wildfire She later received a phone call from authorities letting her know the evacuation was lifted saying: “This is the sheriff's office with an update for the Santa Lucia fire," the call said "All the evacuation orders and warnings for the lower Vandenberg Village and Providence Landing areas have been lifted.” Murray said she felt relieved being able to return to the comfort of her own home “I feel like I can take a breath of relief now that I am able to go home and feel safe.” – First responders are on the scene of a multi-vehicle collision on northbound Highway 1 and Santa Lucia Canyon Road west of Vandenberg Village that has resulted in injuries to six people Four people were transported from the scene to Marian Regional Medical Center and one was taken by CalStar helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Emergency Room shared the Santa Barbara County Fire Department Northbound Highway 1 was closed as part of the response added the Santa Barbara County Fire Department One person needed help to get out of their vehicle explained the Santa Barbara County Fire Department for the incident first called in at 4:46 p.m Numerous collisions on Highway 1 near Santa Lucia Canyon Road in Lompoc have caused Caltrans to look into how to reduce the danger A meeting was held Wednesday evening to share ideas with the public It’s an area that’s become known for numerous crashes Drivers making left turns from Santa Lucia Canyon Road onto northbound Highway 1 have led to problems and concerns the first of which is to eliminate that dangerous left-hand turn onto northbound Highway 1 left turns will still be available from southbound Highway 1 onto Santa Lucia Canyon Road This is because Caltrans officials say they found that the number of crashes from that direction is significantly less than from the northbound side The change announced at the meeting will be temporary as they work towards longer-term solutions The other two phases of the plan include getting funding to extend the right turn lane onto Highway 1 from Santa Lucia Canyon Road to allow for better traffic flow That will be followed by continued work by Caltrans and other partners on the project to find a permanent solution at this intersection Community members at a meeting held Wednesday night by Caltrans officials said they work at Vandenberg Space Force Base and make the drive often "I travel to Vandenberg daily," said Annie Burgett "I've actually witnessed one of the accidents where a child was ejected." "I've changed my route because of that," said Dianna Duncan "It's very nerve-wracking because I do go to work every day and it's just very sad because there's just so many accidents." "There's so many near misses just in my travel each day," said Burgett They came to the Caltrans meeting to hear what the plan is to reduce the danger "I'm very pleased that there are that many people that are now aware of the situation," said Ed Mandibles it's sad that this many people have to die before something gets done "People need to be more cautious and get along on the highways," said Duncan Wednesday's meeting was to gather community support for the plan but there are still a few more steps before it can be implemented Two young children were killed as a result of a drunk driving two-vehicle crash just north of Lompoc on Wednesday The agency reports that one of the drivers involved in the crash— 23-year-old Cuyama resident Brian Hernandez-Cervantes— was arrested for driving while impaired and causing their deaths officials say a Buellton region CHP officer patrolling the Lompoc and Vandenberg Village area attempted to stop an Infinity sedan for speeding immediately fled northbound on Harris Grade Road Authorities say the driver then accelerated to high speeds and passed vehicles recklessly on the narrow two-lane road Hernandez-Cervantes failed to navigate a curve in the roadway and struck a tree with enough force to tear the vehicle in half Officials report that the front portion of the car slid down the heavily wooded hillside while the rear portion of the vehicle slid across the lanes of the road and collided with a another vehicle traveling southbound An officer who arrived at the scene moments after the crash discovered that the passengers of the Infinity sedan— two children aged three years and seven months respectively— were killed in the crash Hernandez-Cervantes reportedly suffered moderate injuries Officials say the driver of the other vehicle was uninjured Hernandez-Cervantes was determined to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash and was placed under arrest He has been booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of murder felony driving under the influence of alcohol Authorities report that the investigation is still ongoing and that anyone with additional information about the incident should call the Buellton Area CHP office at (805) 691-6160 Santa Barbara County elections officials have announced that 30 official ballot drop boxes are now available throughout the county ahead of the upcoming presidential general election County officials say the drop boxes are available 24 hours a day from now until 8 p.m The list of drop box locations in Santa Barbara County is as follows: Details on these locations can be found on the County of Santa Barbara's website All registered voters will receive their ballot in the mail in early October officials say they should contact the Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters office at (800) 722-8683 Voters may mail their ballot with no postage required The United States Postal Service advises voters to mail their ballots early in order to reach the elections office in time to be counted Ballots may also be returned to the County Elections offices in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria or to a polling place on Election Day Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives arrested a suspect on Saturday for the alleged murder of a woman in the Vandenberg Village area of Lompoc a witness reported suspicious circumstances in the area of Sami Lane and Khouri Circle Deputies arrived at the scene and launched an investigation during which they found a homicide victim inside a home on Khouri Circle according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Detectives then identified and arrested 46-year-old woman Brooke Carter Authorities booked Carter at the Northern Branch Jail where she is being held with her bail set at $2 million Sheriff’s officials are withholding the identity of the victim as they notify relatives Detectives do not believe there are any outstanding suspects in the case The comments below represent the opinion of the writer and do not represent the views or policies of CalCoastNews.com.  Please address the Policies, events and arguments, not the person. Constructive debate is good; mockery, taunting, and name calling is not.   Comment Guidelines   Editor Bill Loving Reporter Karen Velie, (805) 234-1703 Reporter Josh Friedman Founder Daniel Blackburn Tip Your Team tips@calcoastnews.com Advertise ads@calcoastnews.com Moderator moderator@calcoastnews.com Site Issues admin@calcoastnews.com The Friends of the Lompoc Public Library System is set to host its quarterly book sale Thursday through Saturday Organizers spent Wednesday morning setting up over 197 boxes of books Proceeds from the book sale will go to the Lompoc Library and the Vandenberg Village Library The Friends of the Lompoc Library told KSBY it has donated $22,000 over the past few months to the library from past book sales the Friends of the Lompoc Library book sale committee member said the library fills many need in the city of Lompoc "Our libraries offer so many more services than just checking out books They have free lunches for children during the summer They have summer reading programs," Duffy-Taylor said "It is crucial for us to be able to make sure that they have the funds needed to serve the citizens and the residents of Lompoc." The book sale begins with an exclusive sale for Friends of the Lompoc Library members Thursday for 5 to 7 p.m People can sign up and pay for membership at the door The sale will then be open to the public Friday from 10 a.m For more information about the book sale, including the last sale of the year, click here