I know we need rain, and it looks as if we may be getting some early next week, but this past week’s weather has been simply spectacular. Hello spring!
Unfortunately, the hopefulness and renewal of this time of year took a dark turn this week, at least in terms of Noozhawk’s most-read stories.
As you know, this weekly column is my recap of the Top 5 stories you were reading during the last seven days. According to our Google Analytics, there were 103,427 of you over that period.
I wish I had more pleasant news to review, but I don’t. Let’s hope next week is more uplifting.
1. Man Declared Dead after Possible Drowning at Red Rock in Santa Barbara County Backcountry
A 37-year-old Santa Barbara man died March 20 at the Red Rock pools area in the Santa Barbara County backcountry of Los Padres National Forest, possibly of drowning.
Even more tragically, he disappeared and later was found in front of his wife and young children.
As our Tom Bolton was first to report, the victim — later identified as Edgar Adrián Chico Oaxaca — went missing in one of the popular pools on the upper Santa Ynez River, about a half-mile from the Red Rock Day Use Area at the end of Paradise Road, about 11 miles east of Highway 154.
Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli said county firefighters, sheriff’s deputies, the sheriff’s Search & Rescue Team and U.S. Forest Service personnel responded to the incident around 2:40 p.m.
After an intensive search, Oaxaca was found in the water, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. Bertucelli said he was declared dead at the scene.
Sheriff’s Lt. Robert Minter said the Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the cause and circumstances of the death.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
A family friend established a GoFundMe account to help support Oaxaca’s widow, Karla Hernandez, and their three children.
“He drowned in front of all of us, including his children,” Krystel Zeledon wrote in a post on the site. “It was so hard to see them suffer, and as much as we tried to help, we could not save him.”
As of March 25, more than $5,000 had been raised. Click here to make an online donation.
2. Fiery Truck Crash Shuts Down Southbound Highway 101 in Santa Barbara
The crash of a cement mixer brought southbound Highway 101 traffic to a standstill March 23 in Santa Barbara, but not in the concrete way you might expect. This wreck caught the truck on fire, and was one of three fiery crashes along the South Coast in a day’s time.
Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Jim McCoy told our Tom Bolton that the cement mixer crashed about 1:25 p.m. just east of the southbound Milpas Street entrance ramp, adjacent to the Santa Barbara Zoo’s parking lot.
McCoy said the truck, which was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, had ended up between the freeway and the nearby Union Pacific railroad tracks.
The driver, whose identity was not released, suffered moderate injuries and was transported by an American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
There were no other injuries in the crash, but a vehicle parked in the zoo lot reportedly was damaged by debris spinning off the wreckage.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances of the crash, which shut down the freeway’s three southbound lanes for about a half-hour as firefighters put out the flames.
One lane eventually reopened but afternoon commuters were backed up for miles and for hours afterward.
Just before 5 p.m., a chain-reaction, multivehicle collision was reported near the first Milpas Street exit ramp, further impeding traffic.
Earlier in the day, a Jeep caught on fire after a rollover crash on southbound Highway 101 near Dos Pueblos Ranch west of Goleta. The driver, a woman whose identity was not released, suffered severe injuries when she was ejected from the vehicle.
The next day, a big rig overturned and caught fire on northbound Highway 101 in Summerland around 5 a.m. March 24. That wreck pretty much stalled the morning commute well into the afternoon hours. There was no information about the driver.
The CHP is investigating both wrecks.
Stay alert out there!
3. Chick-fil-A Plan Hits Roadblock with Santa Barbara County Architectural Review Board
Last week’s Best of Bill column included an item on Chick-fil-A looking to open a second South Coast restaurant near North Turnpike Road between Goleta and Santa Barbara.
The location, at 4765 Calle Real just east of the intersection, is the current home of an IHOP restaurant, which is planning to vacate the premises later this year.
As our Josh Molina reported, Chick-fil-A officials went before the Santa Barbara County Board of Architectural Review on March 18 to get the party started. You can see from the nearby rendering that it was nothing to crow about, and BAR members said so.
Josh’s story has the uninspired design details, but my beef is the waste of time and resources this local tradition is.
What I mean by that is the idiotic custom of an applicant appearing before some kind of review panel with either the most outlandish, impossibly ambitious plans imaginable or just half-assing it with a butt-ugly proposal that’s dead on arrival.
Panel members provide some observations, which evidently is enough to go back to the drawing board for something with a more realistic chance at approval.
The whole hunt-and-peck charade just drives up project costs while prolonging the agony. There’s got to be a better way to cook a chicken.
Until then, keep reading because Chick-fil-A will be back.
4. Driver Arrested After Carpinteria Highway 101 Collision with Big-Rig That Killed Passenger
An alleged drunken driver crashed into the back of a semi truck pulling a dump trailer on Highway 101 in Carpinteria in the early morning hours of March 18, then veered off the road and slammed into trees.
The driver suffered major injuries but his passenger died in the wreck.
As our Giana Magnoli first reported, California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Gutierrez said a Nissan sedan hit the back of the asphalt trailer near the southbound Padaro Lane exit ramp around 2:15 a.m.
After that collision, which occurred in the Highway 101 widening project construction zone, the car “veered off the right shoulder and collided into two trees, coming to a complete stop near train tracks,” Gutierrez added.
The driver, identified as 21-year-old Jonathan Jair Montoya of Oxnard, suffered major injuries and was transported by an American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The passenger, later identified as 21-year-old Sergio Honorio Sanchez of Oxnard, was declared dead at the scene.
The dump truck driver was not hurt.
Montoya was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, Gutierrez said, adding that CHP officers were investigating the circumstances of the crash.
5. Altercation Leads to Fatal Stabbing on Santa Barbara’s Eastside
A middle-of-the-night confrontation on Santa Barbara’s Lower Eastside escalated into a fatal stabbing of a Port Hueneme man on March 20. Four suspects have been taken into custody in the case.
As our Tom Bolton first reported, Santa Barbara police Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale said the altercation occurred about 2 a.m. in the 500 block of North Milpas Street, between Cota and Haley streets across from Jack in the Box.
“The initial investigation revealed the victim and the suspect had some sort of confrontation prior to the stabbing,” he said.
The suspect was gone when officers arrived a few minutes later, but they found the stabbing victim, who they identified as 40-year-old Valentine Hernandez.
An American Medical Response ambulance rushed him to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, but he died of his wounds.
Three days later, Ragsdale announced that four suspects had been arrested.
» Carlos Rios Zavala, 53, of Santa Barbara, was arrested in Oxnard and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on a murder charge. Bail was set at $2 million.
» Alejandro Mendoza Zarco, 44, of Santa Barbara, was arrested in the 1000 block of East Montecito Street and booked on a charge of felony conspiracy to commit murder. Bail was set at $1 million.
» Leticia Munoz, 60, of Oxnard, was arrested there and booked on a charge of felony conspiracy to commit murder. Bail was set at $1 million.
» Jesus Manuel Zavala-Zazueta, 45, of Port Hueneme, was arrested near Chino Street and Cook Avenue on Santa Barbara’s Westside and booked on a charge of felony conspiracy to commit murder. Bail was set at $1 million.
As of March 25, all four suspects remained in jail.
Noozhawk requested booking photos of the four, but police Chief Barney Melekian declined to release them, apparently because police aren’t seeking other suspects and the case does not appear to be gang-related.
Given the seriousness of this crime, I’m not sure that’s a valid public safety excuse. It is a politically correct one, though.
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Good Reads
Here are five important stories that are worth your time, and our latest activities guide for your kids:
» South Coast Homes, Condos Selling Quickly Above Asking Prices with Low Residential Inventory — The results are no surprise to anybody, but our Serena Guentz has the latest on Santa Barbara County’s real estate picture.
» Jeff Shelton Vision for Santa Barbara’s State Street Undercrossing Showcases Whimsical Design — After interminable discussions over the years, the State Street undercrossing is finally getting a transformation. Our Josh Molina has the details.
» Santa Barbara Man Among 6-Person Crew for Blue Origin Rocket Flight — Marty Allen of Santa Barbara is about to get the ride of his life, our Janene Scully reports.
» Santa Maria-Bonita School District Hires 28-Year Educator Darren McDuffie as New Superintendent — Our Janene Scully introduces readers to Superintendent Luke Ontiveros’ successor.
» Revised Plan for Housing Project on East Haley Street in Santa Barbara Gets Pushback — The developer of a Santa Barbara mixed-use project wants to make some changes, according to our Josh Molina.
» ParentNooz Camp Guide — Check out Noozhawk’s 2022 ParentNooz Camp Guide for the latest youth activities opportunities.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Old Town Goleta’s Mercury Lounge is Closing March 31.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
“I would be pleased to RSVP as ‘pending’”: Four-Day Schitt’s Creek-Themed Cruise Is Setting Sail in 2023.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
I was a day late for the first day of spring, but I’m a late bloomer. The flower power is in my Instagram feed this past week.
• • •
Americans Held Hostage: Day 207
I wonder if the U.S. citizens and green-card holders we abandoned in Afghanistan have been talking about the significance of the passage of time over the last 207 days.
• • •
Watch It
Let’s chick in with one of my favorite websites: The Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam featuring Jackie, Shadow and an adorable — and active — hatchling. HT to Friends of Big Bear Valley for the hours and hours and hours of entertainment.
(Friends of Big Bear Valley 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.