Remote Surveillance Trailer in Santa Barbara, CA

The California Guitar Trio and The String Revolution are set to play July 10 at 8 p.m. at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club.

Made up of band members Bert Lams, Tom Griesgraber, and Paul Richards, The California Trio has challenged genres and fostered a unique relationship with fans. The group formed in 1991 but met in the late ‘80s, studying with English guitar player Robert Fripp, most famously known for his work with David Bowie. While studying with Fripp, the three decided that when the seminars ended they would come together as a trio. They met up in Los Angeles in ‘91 and played as much as they could in coffee shops and at open mics. Together, the group made 21 albums and continue to make music, their most recent release being a live album, Live in Scottsdale: On Tour with King Crimson. Known for their dynamic storytelling and humor, The California Guitar Trio continue to captivate audiences.

The String Revolution, a Grammy Award–winning band, spans genres such as rock, jazz, and classical music. Made up of guitarists Janet Robin, Markus Illko, and Rober Luis, the group is known for reimagining the art of guitar. Their covers of songs such as “Billie Jean,” “Rocket Man,” and “Englishman in New York,” are highly acclaimed and praised for their unique take on these tracks. In 2024, the group won a Grammy Award for “Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.”

Purchase tickets here.

Gauchos will face six 2024 NCAA Tournament participants, including national runners-up Marshall

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team announced its schedule for the 2025 season on Wednesday, an 18-game slate, plus two exhibition matches. One third of the Gauchos' competitive games will be against opponents who reached the NCAA Tournament in 2024, including national runners-up and 2020 national champions Marshall. Also on the docket for Santa Barbara are matchups with San Diego, Cornell, North Florida, Oregon State and UC Davis.

Fans can secure their spot at all 10 of the Gauchos' home matches in 2025, including contests against the Cornell and North Florida sides that played in last year's tournament, with season tickets. Season tickets will go on sale on July 16, at ucsbgauchos.com/tickets.

In the preseason, the Gauchos will play their Blue-Gold intrasquad game on Aug. 9, then head south to play San Diego State in a friendly on Aug. 15. The season begins with a trip to Corvallis, where Santa Barbara will play Oregon State on Aug. 21. The Gauchos' home opener comes on Aug. 25, when they host Central Arkansas. The Bears reached their conference championship game last season, losing on penalty kicks to North Florida, whom the Gauchos will host on Aug. 28.

After their tussles with last year's Atlantic Sun finalists, Santa Barbara will host Westmont in the 62^nd annual Community Shield match on Aug. 30. Last year's Community Shield served as Zac Siebenlist's coming out party, as the rookie scored both of the Gauchos' goals on the night. From there, he went on to play in 16 games last season and scored the last-minute equalizer to force overtime at Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Speaking of the NCAA Tournament, September begins with three straight games against tournament teams for the Gauchos. Santa Barbara hosts Cornell on Sept. 5 before embarking on a cross-country road trip. The Gauchos will visit the University of San Diego on Sept. 10, then travel to West Virginia to play Marshall on Sept. 14, stopping in Las Vegas on their way home to play UNLV on Sept. 18. San Diego finished as the No. 10 team in the country last season, and Marshall made it all the way to the National Championship match, finishing as runners-up.

The Gauchos are back home on Sept. 21, hosting Grand Canyon during UC Santa Barbara's Welcome Week before hosting the first leg of the Blue-Green Rivalry against Cal Poly on Sept. 27. That match against the Mustangs will not count toward The Big West standings.

Conference play begins in the next game for the Gauchos, as they will play Cal State Fullerton on the road on Oct. 1. Santa Barbara hosts UC Riverside on Oct. 4, then travels north for a Big West Championship rematch with UC Davis on Oct. 8. Santa Barbara returns home to host Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 11, then visits UC San Diego on Oct. 15 before playing the second leg of the Blue-Green Rivalry at Cal Poly on Oct. 18. The Gauchos host Sacramento State on Oct. 22 and UC Irvine on Oct. 25 for their final home games of the regular season, then play the regular season finale on the road at CSUN on Nov. 1.

Santa Barbara will hope to finish as one of the top two teams in the conference and avoid the first round of The Big West Championship, which is set for Nov. 5. Conference semifinals are set for Nov. 8, with the championship match to be played on Nov. 15. If the Gauchos can claim their third Big West tournament championship or earn an at-large bid, they will make their 16^th NCAA Tournament appearance, with the first round set for Nov. 20.

UC Santa Barbara Athletics is excited to announce the remainder of their fall sport schedules in the coming weeks, with the reigning Big West Champion Gaucho Women's Soccer team revealing their season slate on July 8 and Gaucho Women's Volleyball unveiling theirs on July 10. The Santa Barbara Men's Water Polo and Men's and Women's Cross Country schedules will be revealed later this month. Season tickets for fall sports will go on sale the week of July 14. Fans can always find the most recent Gaucho news at ucsbgauchos.com.

A wildfire in California's San Luis Obispo County exploded in size Thursday, triggering evacuation orders and sending smoke plumes southeast into Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

The big picture: The massive Madre Fire has surpassed January's destructive Los Angeles-area wildfires to become California's largest this year, as much of the state faces hot, dry conditions that raise wildfire risks ahead of the July Fourth holiday.

The latest: Officials in Orange County evacuated a high school and El Torito after the Tonner Fire ignited, per a City of Brea Facebook post.

By the numbers: The Madre Fire ignited near State Route 166 on Wednesday and had grown to 35,530 acres by Thursday lunchtime local time, per Cal Fire.

Threat level: Part of the highway was closed due to the fire, per a San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services Facebook post.

Meanwhile, state fire officials are urging Californians not to use fireworks when celebrating the Fourth of July holiday.

Between the lines: Research shows hot, dry and windy weather that helps wildfires spread is becoming more common across much of the U.S. amid climate change, per Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

A rapidly spreading wildfire in Southern California quickly became the state’s largest fire of the year after igniting on Wednesday, leading to evacuations.

The Madre Fire sparked on Wednesday around 1 p.m. along Highway 166 in New Cuyama in San Luis Obispo County. Hours after starting, the fire had consumed 9,000 acres. By Thursday morning, the fire had surged to more than 35,500 acres as firefighters on the ground and in the air attempt to suppress the blaze.

Evacuation orders are in place for multiple zones in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties near Highway 166. The highway remains closed for firefighting efforts, according to San Luis Obispo County Government officials.

About 50 structures are threatened by the fire, according to CAL Fire.

On Tuesday night, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning east of the Rock Front Area, west of Cottonwood Canyon Road and south of Highway 166.

“Residents should prepare to leave at a moment’s notice,” the sheriff’s office said.

Fire behavior is being driven by hot, dry and windy conditions. Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said breezy conditions will continue on Thursday, and northerly Sundowner winds are likely to return Friday night and into the weekend. Gusts between 25 and 45 mph are likely, with localized gusts of up to 50 mph.

Smoke from the Madre Fire is creating a significantly smoky sky for the Cuyama Valley and is forecast to drift over Santa Barbara and western portions of Ventura County. Smoke could be visible over parts of Los Angeles County on Thursday.

Below is a press release from the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District regarding Air Quality Watch for the county in the midst of the Madre Fire

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District and County of Santa Barbara Health Department issued an Air Quality Watch for Santa Barbara County to be in effect until conditions improve. The Madre Fire burning along Highway 166 between Highway 101 and New Cuyama is producing significant smoke; currently, ground-level conditions are good to moderate countywide. This is a dynamic situation, and local air quality conditions can change quickly. All Santa Barbara County residents are encouraged to stay alert to local conditions by visiting www.ourair.org/todays-air-quality or fire.airnow.gov.

Levels of smoke and particles, and areas affected, will vary. If you see or smell smoke in the air, be cautious and use common sense to protect your and your family’s health. Everyone, especially people with heart or lung conditions, older adults, pregnant women, and children, should limit time spent outdoors and avoid outdoor exercise when high concentrations of smoke and particles are in the air.

When air quality reaches unhealthy levels, and/or if you see or smell smoke, we recommend that everyone:

When wildfire smoke is affecting your area, create a “clean air room” to keep indoor air quality safe. The best protection against wildfire smoke is to stay indoors as much as possible when smoke is present. For information on different ways to create a “clean air room,” click here.

If you have symptoms that may be related to exposure to smoke and soot, contact your doctor. Symptoms include repeated coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, and nausea or unusual fatigue or lightheadedness.

Traducción en español:

CONDADO DE SANTA BÁRBARA, California — El Distrito de Control de la Contaminación del Aire del Condado de Santa Bárbara y el Departamento de Salud del Condado de Santa Bárbara emitieron una Vigilancia de la Calidad del Aire para el Condado de Santa Bárbara, hasta que mejoren las condiciones. El incendio Madre, a lo largo de la Carretera 166, entre la Carretera 101 y New Cuyama, está produciendo considerables cantidades de humo; actualmente, las condiciones a nivel bajo son de buenas a moderadas en todo el condado. Esta es una situación dinámica, y las condiciones locales de la calidad del aire pueden cambiar rápidamente. Se recomienda a todos los residentes del Condado de Santa Bárbara que se mantengan atentos a las condiciones locales visitando https://www.ourair.org/todays-air-quality/ o https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Los niveles de humo y partículas, y las áreas afectadas, variarán. Si ve o huele humo en el aire, tenga cuidado y use el sentido común para proteger su salud y la de su familia. Todos, especialmente las personas con afecciones cardíacas o pulmonares, los adultos mayores, las mujeres embarazadas y los niños, deben limitar el tiempo que pasan al aire libre y evitar el ejercicio al aire libre cuando hay altas concentraciones de humo y partículas en el aire.

Cuando la calidad del aire alcanza niveles que no son saludables y/o si ve o huele humo, recomendamos que todos:

Cuando el humo de los incendios esté afectando su área, haga una "habitación de aire limpia" para mantener segura la calidad del aire del interior. La mejor protección contra el humo de los incendios es permanecer adentro tanto como sea posible cuando haya humo. Para obtener información sobre las diferentes formas de hacer una "habitación de aire limpia," haga clic aquí.

Si tiene síntomas que pueden estar relacionados con la exposición al humo y al hollín, comuníquese con su doctor. Los síntomas incluyen tos repetida, falta de aire o dificultad para respirar, sibilancias, opresión o dolor en el pecho, palpitaciones y náuseas o fatiga o aturdimiento inusuales.

The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With the Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.