Remember when we couldn’t wait for 2020 to end? Ah, the good old days, amirite?
Last week I told you that this week I’d be sharing some of Noozhawk’s exciting plans for 2021. Well, I need to postpone that till next week as we’re awaiting an update from our Newspack partners on our transition to the WordPress.com and Google News Initiative universe.
That timeline, which I expect will be completed in the first quarter, will determine the scheduling of several other projects we have in development.
In the meantime, thank you again to our Hawks Club members who made such a huge difference with their financial commitments to Noozhawk last year, and for already getting this year off to such a strong start.
We know that not everyone can afford to support us, but your contribution — at any amount — helps Noozhawk keep going and growing as we strive to deliver the vital local news you rely on.
We are here for you 24/7, and you know you need us now more than ever.
There were 145,756 of you reading Noozhawk this past week, according to our Google Analytics, with massive traffic on our Top 5 most-read stories.
What follows is a recap of those five stories, along with my own take on them. In other words, this is my opinion column and not a news story.
I’m not gonna lie; the news has been wretched this week. But if you stick around to the end, there’s a raccoon video that will make you smile.
1. 1 Dead, Another Critically Injured in Shooting in Car Near Goleta
A mysterious shooting in a quiet, neatly kept residential neighborhood near Goleta left one person dead and another wounded Jan. 7.
The incident prompted a shelter-in-place order for residents while Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies launched what ultimately was an unsuccessful manhunt for the suspect.
Our Tom Bolton broke the story of the shooting, which was reported just after 12:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Burtis Street, near the entrance to Hollister School at 4950 Anita Lane.
Lt. Erik Raney told Tom that deputies, Santa Barbara County firefighters and American Medical Response ambulances arrived at the scene to find two individuals in a parked 2012 Audi A3 hatchback.
The passenger was pronounced dead, but the driver was rushed to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and reportedly was in stable condition.
Neither victim was identified, and Raney said a motive for the shooting had not yet been determined.
The suspect, who apparently fled on foot, was described as a white man in his 20s with dark hair and possibly wearing a gray shirt and baggy blue jeans. He was considered “armed and dangerous.”
Deputies launched a large-scale search for the man, and a shelter-in-place order spanned the area south of Hollister Avenue between Turnpike Road on the east and Patterson Avenue on the west. Nearby Atascadero Creek and More Mesa were included in the search field.
Although assisted by K-9 teams and a sheriff’s helicopter, deputies were unable to track down the suspect. The shelter-in-place order was lifted at 3:15 p.m. and the search was suspended around 7 p.m., Raney said.
He said a neighborhood youth ran into the Hollister School office to report the crime.
Noozhawk will have an update on this story as soon as we can on Jan. 8. We know there’s intense interest as 42,000 people read Tom’s report within its first 11 hours on our site.
2. 2 Dead, 2 Wounded in Shooting on Santa Barbara’s Lower Eastside
Two people were shot to death and two others were wounded the evening of Jan. 3 in a suspected gang-related confrontation on Santa Barbara’s Lower Eastside.
As of four days later, no suspects had been identified.
Santa Barbara police spokesman Anthony Wagner told our Tom Bolton that at least one individual had approached a group of people milling about the 1200 block of Liberty Street, a block-long residential lane off South Canada Street, between Hutash (formerly Indio Muerto) and Punta Gorda streets.
Wagner said the assailant pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Two local teenagers — identified as 17-year-old Angel Castillo and 18-year-old Omar Montiel-Hernández — were killed in the 5:40 p.m. incident.
Two other people were transported by American Medical Response ambulances to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds. Their identities, ages and medical conditions were not disclosed by authorities.
Wagner said investigators were working “several leads” but no arrests had been made.
I know what you’re thinking but police would not say whether the shootings are connected to this week’s No. 4 story, “Teenager Suffers Serious Stab Wounds in Altercation in Downtown Santa Barbara.”
“We are investigating two incidents with ties to criminal street gangs, but we’re not prepared to link them together at this juncture,” Wagner told Tom.
Funeral services are pending for the two teens, both of whom apparently attended Santa Barbara High School.
Montiel-Hernández’s aunt, Alma Pacheco, said he is survived by his parents and five younger brothers.
“No matter the circumstances, nobody has the right to take someone else’s life,” she wrote in a post establishing a GoFundMe account to help his family with funeral expenses.
“He loved his family and we loved him.”
Click here to make an online donation.
A friend of Castillo’s family has established a GoFundMe account to assist with his funeral expenses. Click here to make an online donation.
3. Santa Barbara County Hospitals Prepare for ‘Crisis Care’ as COVID-19 Admissions Skyrocket
In spite of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s now month-long lockdown, coronavirus hospitalizations have mushroomed to record levels in Santa Barbara County. The increase has authorities on the verge of implementing “crisis care” to deal with the surge.
As our Jade Martinez-Pogue reported Jan. 5, crisis-care conditions means that people with urgent health-care needs not named COVID-19 may not receive the level of medical attention they might otherwise expect.
On Jan. 7, Jade reported that coronavirus hospitalizations and intensive-care admissions had peaked with 178 patients in local hospitals, 59 of them in ICUs. The county also set a record with 512 new cases reported.
According to the county’s Community Data Dashboard, 70.2 percent of the 84 staffed ICU beds are currently occupied by COVID-19 patients. Although actual ICU availability is 11.9 percent, the “adjusted” availability remains at 0 percent.
Dr. Van Do-Reynoso, director of the county Public Health Department, said surge beds have been brought online to relieve the pressure. A dozen were in use as of Jan. 6.
“In light of our current situation, I am at a loss,” said Dr. Henning Ansorg, the county’s public health officer. “I honestly don’t know what to say anymore.”
The rather grim week was not without encouraging news. Do-Reynoso said 54 percent of the county’s allocated 16,775 coronavirus vaccines have been administered in the first phase.
The California Department of Public Health also cleared the county to proceed with concurrent vaccinations in all three tiers in Phase 1A, which includes most health-care workers, residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities, emergency medical services personnel and dialysis center staff.
By early February, the county expects to be administering about 1,000 vaccinations a day.
Until then, you know the drill: keep your distance, wear a mask around others and wash your hands frequently.
4. Teenager Suffers Serious Stab Wounds in Altercation in Downtown Santa Barbara
An apparent gang-related altercation near downtown Santa Barbara left a teenage boy with potentially life-threatening stab wounds the evening of Dec. 30.
As of a week later, no suspects had been identified.
Santa Barbara police spokesman Anthony Wagner told our Tom Bolton that a group of four juveniles was walking near West Anapamu and Bath streets around 5:45 p.m. when they were accosted by a second group of juveniles and young adults.
Wagner said one teen was stabbed in the fight but managed to stagger a block east to De la Vina Street where he collapsed.
As is so often the case, the rest of the contingents — including those in the kid’s own posse — fled the scene.
The victim was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
His identity was not released because of his age, nor was there any updated information about his medical condition.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact police at 805.897.2465.
5. Santa Barbara Unified School District May Stop Giving Students Ds and Fs
According to Santa Barbara Unified School District data, what passes for public education in the Age of COVID-19 results in a startling decline in student performance.
One out of three SBUSD secondary students is currently turning in D- or F-level work in at least one class, with a growing number of kids getting the same results in three or more classes. The numbers are abysmally similar among elementary students.
So, what have district officials come up with to remedy the situation? Just eliminate D and F grades, of course. Easy-peasy.
As our Josh Molina reported Jan. 4, the grade-changing scheme was buried in the board packet that trustees were to discuss the next day — yet one more self-inflicted controversy for the perpetually bumbling district.
“The experience of distance learning has helped us to understand the urgency of adopting a different approach to student grading,” the board report said.
“A student-centered grading policy should honor the rigor of an instructional program, and also recognize the responsibility to hold students harmless from the inherent education inequities, which are exacerbated by pandemic conditions.”
Under the proposal, students could receive an A, B, C, an incomplete or no credit. If a student performed “specific learning tasks” by June 2, an incomplete grade could be converted to an A, B or C.
Not surprisingly, teachers weren’t rushing to give the plan an A-plus.
Santa Barbara Teachers Association president Karen McBride wanted to know how students would learn material outside of class and what kind of support they would get.
“I understand the need to respond in this situation where we have a lot of kids with Ds and Fs,” she said. “… while it is well-intended, it is missing that piece where we look at what is behind a child who is getting a D or F, and what are we going to do about it besides just giving them more time.
“That doesn’t address the root causes. I haven’t heard any discussion about that.”
At the school board meeting, trustee Virginia Alvarez asked about other options.
“Perhaps it could be that we do give students that additional time, but take this burden away from the teachers because they are already moving forward to their new classes,” she said.
Rather than have teachers juggling multiple semesters of students, she wondered whether the district could just hire a dedicated teacher or teachers to work with stragglers.
The board is to vote on the proposal on Jan. 12. I’ll bet it passes 5-0.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Amazon Arrives in Downtown Santa Barbara.
• • •
Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
In California, crime does pay — even if you’re in prison: Millions of Dollars in California Coronavirus Jobless Benefits Sent to Out-of-State Prisoners.
• • •
Best of Bill’s Instagram
My #top9of2020 was pretty much all @sadiethealaskanmalamute in my Instagram feed. I’m OK with that.
• • •
Watch It
Snack theft is the cruelest.
(Rumble Viral video)
• • •
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— Bill Macfadyen is Noozhawk’s founder and publisher. Contact him at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com, follow him on Instagram: @bill.macfadyen, or click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
