If the Best of Bill seems a little lighter this week (Who am I kidding? Lighter than usual.), it’s because I’m in San Antonio with student journalists and advisers from Dos Pueblos High School. We’re attending the Journalism Education Association’s National High School Journalism Convention, where Noozhawk will be receiving a national award for our work with The Charger Account.
We’re very appreciative of the recognition but we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to help cultivate the next generation in our industry. If the size and scope of this massive convention is any indication, they’re going to have a very bright and vibrant future. While it’s a wild and sometimes-bewildering experience to be in journalism these days, it’s an exciting time for these students to be entering the field.
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What were you reading on Noozhawk this past week?
1. Man’s Body Found on Beach in Isla Vista Identified as UCSB Student
A 21-year-old UCSB student died in an apparent fall from the bluffs along Del Playa Drive in Isla Vista. A passer-by discovered the body — later identified as David Propp, 21, of Missoula, Mont. — on the beach below the 6500 block of Del Playa.
Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Lt. Butch Arnoldi said Propp’s facial and head injuries were consistent with a fall. The incident is under investigation.
2. Woman Sexually Assaulted at Isla Vista Party, Suspect At Large
UCSB police are searching for a suspect in a Nov. 10 sexual assault during a party in Isla Vista. The victim, a female student, told investigators the attack occurred about 1 a.m. at a residence in the 800 block of Embarcadero del Norte.
Authorities described the suspect as a college-age white man with brown hair. Anyone with information about the assault is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 805.683.2724 or Crime Stoppers of Santa Barbara County.
3. Six Hurt in Collision After Driver Runs Red Light
Six people were rushed to a Santa Maria hospital Nov. 13 after a brutal collision at the intersection of Enos Drive and Miller Street.
Santa Maria police say a pickup truck driver on Enos ran a red light and struck a Chevy Suburban traveling along Miller. The Suburban’s driver, Ofelia Venegas, 42, of Santa Maria, and her four passengers were taken to Marian Regional Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries.
Jeffery Gill, 49, of Santa Maria, was transported to the hospital with major injuries.
The circumstances of the crash are under investigation.
4. Vandals Go On Tire-Slashing Spree in Santa Barbara
A spree of vandalism damaged 18 vehicles in Santa Barbara’s Westside neighborhood last weekend. Santa Barbara police say tires were slashed on 18 cars and trucks parked in the 800 block of West Micheltorena Street, the 1500 block of San Andres Street and the 700 block of Western Avenue.
No suspects are in custody but anyone with information is encouraged to contact SBPD at 805.897.2300.
5. Teen Driver Obtains New Attorneys in Wrongful-Death Suit, Files for Bankruptcy
The Santa Barbara driver who struck and killed a pedestrian on Coast Village Road in 2010, and his parents, have hired new attorneys as the wrongful death civil lawsuit filed by the victim’s family makes its way through the judicial process.
Tyler Fourmy, who was 17 at the time of the collision, pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter in the death of Florinda Flores, 47, of Montecito. He was sentenced a year ago to Juvenile Hall, probation and community service.
Flores died at the scene of the crash, near her bus stop less than 50 yards from her home. Her husband, Wolfgang Schulz, her daughter and other family members are suing Fourmy and his parents, Susan Granziera and Patrick Fourmy.
The lawsuit alleges that Fourmy was negligent and his parents were negligent for entrusting an “unsafe driver” with a motor vehicle in “defective condition.”
All three Fourmys are now represented by Mullen & Henzell, said Jeffrey Young, the attorney for the plaintiffs. According to Young, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Donna Geck continued the Nov. 14 case management conference to March, when she will set a trial date.
Noozhawk reporter Giana Magnoli poked around at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and learned that Fourmy filed for personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy the day before his court hearing. Among the creditors he lists are the county Probation Department — to which he owes $23,500 in restitution — and, preemptively, Schulz.
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