What were you reading on Noozhawk this past week?
1. Sheriff’s Department Investigating Death on Beach as Possible Suicide
The death of a woman whose body was discovered on the rocky beach below More Mesa is being investigated as a possible suicide, authorities said July 24.
Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Williams, a department spokesman, said the woman’s identity would not be released.
“The family is very distraught ... as you can imagine, and have asked that we do not release any further info to the public,” he said. “To be sensitive to the family, we will honor their request and not put out additional information.”
» Click here for free suicide prevention resources that are available 24 hours a day.
2. Santa Maria Man Dies in Collision with Wife of Candidate Abel Maldonado
Laura Maldonado, the wife of Republican congressional candidate Abel Maldonado, and one of their sons were injured and a Santa Maria man died in a July 23 collision at the intersection of Dominion and Foxen Canyon roads near Santa Maria.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Joseph Scott Scheurn, 32, was killed when he failed to yield at the intersection and his Honda Accord plowed into Maldonado’s Cadillac Escalade. Both vehicles then crashed into a nearby irrigation canal.
Maldonado, 45, and her teenage son were treated and released from Marian Medical Center later that evening, Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson reported.
“Monday afternoon, my wife, Laura, and son were in a terrible car accident in Santa Maria,” Abel Maldonado said in a statement issued Monday night. “Our deepest condolences and sympathies are with the family of the victim. There are no words that can lift the burden of grief and sorrow his family and friends are experiencing right now. ... The thoughts and prayers of our entire family are with his family and friends.”
A CHP official said the investigation is ongoing. It was not known whether alcohol or drugs contributed to the collision.
3. Warnings Posted After Shark Attacks Sea Lion Off East Beach
Reports that a great white shark had attacked a sea lion off Santa Barbara’s East Beach didn’t necessarily keep people out of the water but it did send them stampeding to Noozhawk to read about it.
The Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center notified the Harbor Patrol of the July 24 attack, and warning signs were quickly posted along city beaches. As a precaution, the Santa Barbara Junior Lifeguards remained high and dry on the sand for a day or two.
There were no further reports of casualties but, protected species or not, sea lions are nothing more than appetizers for great white sharks.
4. Gym Members Generating Power While Burning Calories at AC4 Fitness
Gyms are ubiquitous in health-conscious Southern California but the new AC4 Fitness, 52 N. Fairview Ave. in Goleta, boasts a number of features to set itself apart.
Founded by the father-son team of Tony and Anthony Calhoun, AC4 Fitness has no fitness classes or personal trainers, and the workout equipment is largely based around a 30-minute circuit of cardiovascular and weight-training exercises. The spacious, 24-hour gym offers a range of amenities, including state-of-the-art hydro-massage tables, vertical tanning booths, Wi-Fi access and a system in which members can bring a friend free of charge.
But what’s really unusual is AC4’s own power-generating capability. The elder Calhoun told Noozhawk intern Patrick Kulp that the facility’s cardiovascular machines can produce electricity that feeds back into powering the building through a system called Re-Rev. Gym rats can even measure the energy their workout regimes are producing via wall-mounted television displays.
5. Santa Barbara County’s New $5.2 Million Solar Panel System Up and Running
Speaking of power trips, I’m all for alternative energy and saving taxpayer dollars but, good Lord, that hillside of new solar panels behind the Santa Barbara County Jail is a hideous eyesore.
Nevertheless, in a community that prides itself on agonizing over every last architectural detail of any private project to ensure it conforms to our notion of public aesthetics, 4,500 black solar panels are now blanketing several acres above the county complex along Calle Real.
County energy manager Roy Hapeman told Noozhawk intern Patrick Kulp that the $5.2 million array is expected to generate 1.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which should be enough to power a third of the county facilities’ energy needs at the site.
If this is the future of our local landscape, I can’t wait to see how Santa Barbara’s renowned plein-air artists begin painting their impressions.
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It’s not too late to enter our drawing to ride for the Noozhawk brand in the Aug. 5 Mutton Bustin’ event at the Santa Barbara Old Spanish Days Fiesta Stock Horse Show & Rodeo.
This year’s rodeo opens Aug. 2 at Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, with the popular Professional Bull Riding competition, featuring some of the most prominent up-and-coming riders and bulls in the country.
Bull riders of tomorrow can get a taste of rodeo excitement by mutton bustin’, in which children cling to sheep for as long as possible as the animals race around the arena trying to escape their rider’s grasp. Kids who wish to compete in Sunday’s mutton bustin’ event as the Noozhawk rider — the only spot still unfilled — are invited to apply at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for the drawing to be held July 30. Contestants must be between the ages of 4 and 6 as of Jan. 1, 2012, and weigh no more than 60 pounds. The Noozhawk rider — and his or her family — will receive prizes and rodeo tickets.
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Noozhawk is excited to be a sponsor of this year’s 70th Annual Man & Woman of the Year awards, which will be revealed at a dinner celebration Oct. 11 at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara.
It’s a privilege for us to be asked by the Santa Barbara Foundation to join KEYT and KDB 93.7 Classic Radio in promoting the prestigious awards, which highlight the community’s spirit of volunteerism. You’ll be seeing more about the program on Noozhawk in the next two months.
In the meantime, the Santa Barbara Foundation is now accepting nominations for Man and Woman of the year. Click here for more information or to make a nomination.
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