As we head into 2025, Noozhawk is looking back at the year’s top stories and what got readers’ attention.
The most-read stories, according to website analytics, range from natural disasters and vehicle collisions to the Bidens visiting the Santa Ynez Valley and, of course, public policy over hiking trails and housing development.
The following is a list of the top stories based on readership numbers.
1. Neighbors Clash Over Hot Springs in Montecito
A series of pools along the Hot Springs Trail drew visitors from all over the world and the ire of neighbors in Montecito.
South County Editor Joshua Molina reported on the hot springs in June after a video of an altercation between a neighbor and a visitor to the pools went viral among residents.
The controversy began after a Montecito resident used a shovel and other material to build pools from the hot springs. Neighbors have complained that while the springs are natural, the pools are not.
The opponents say that visitors to the pools have left trash in their yards, vandalized their property and have been a general nuisance. Complaints to the County of Santa Barbara and the U.S. Forest Service did not yield positive results.
A representative from the Forest Service said the agency would not destroy the pools since they were already there and used by visitors but that it would not approve new pools.
At one point, residents tried to stop visitors by placing large boulders on the road to the springs, but the county issued warnings because of the road being county property. The warnings prompted the homeowners to sue, kicking off a legal battle between the county and the residents.
2. Santa Maria Valley Couple Die During Trip to Mexico
A Santa Maria couple on a family trip to Mexico died from a suspected gas leak at the house where they were staying. North County Editor Janene Scully interviewed family and friends of the couple.
Julian Casares, 21, and Mireya Leon, 20, were traveling with Leon’s family in July. The two had attended Righetti High School in Orcutt, where she participated in track, and he was a member of the football and wrestling teams.
Leon was employed by the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. Cesares worked as a merchandiser for Pacific Beverage Co. and was on a waitlist for an apprenticeship as an engineer.
3. Restaurant Owners and Residents Demand Crackdown on Street Vendors
Local residents gathered at a meeting of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments in October to demand stricter rules on street vendors.
Restaurant owners stated that street vendors create unfair competition because they don’t pay for permits and they create health concerns by not following food codes.
The Santa Barbara County Health Department presented a slideshow of issues that it has faced in trying to deal with food vendors. Concerns include improper food storage, a lack of sanitation and proper restrooms for workers, and illegal grease dumping that clogs up drains.
Other safety issues include open flames, propane canisters and that some stands set up alongside busy roads with a lack of proper lighting.
Local leaders said they could not directly disregard state laws that protect street vendors, but they are reaching out to the state legislature in an attempt to modify the laws to give local governments more power to address street vendors.
4. Santa Barbara Sees Return of February Storms
Evacuation orders were issued for parts of southern Santa Barbara County in February during a storm that brought a risk of flooding.
Residents were told to prepare to leave by having full gas tanks, gathering important documents and essential items, and being ready to leave at a moment’s notice. County and state officials declared emergencies to bring in more resources for the response.
In the end, the storm brought only 1 to 2 inches of rain, but it caused widespread flooding that forced local agencies and businesses to close for repairs. The cost for repairs was estimated at the time to be $5 million.
5. Bidens Arrive on South Coast for a Santa Ynez Vacation
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden spent a week vacationing at a ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley. The property is owned by billionaire Joe Kiani, a donor and family friend.
The visit was filled with shopping to local stores, including the Solvang Farmers Market and The Book Loft. The first lady signed a copy of her picture book, “Willow the White House Cat.”
The president attended Mass at Old Mission Santa Ines.
6. Heavy March Rains Flood Highway 101
The wet weather did not end in February as storms continued into March.
Highway 101 was drenched with a half-inch of rain in 15 minutes, flooding parts of the freeway in Montecito and Santa Barbara. The storm also caused multiple downed power lines and fallen trees, and left a trail of stranded cars in flooded areas.
The amount of debris along the highway was so severe that Caltrans teams had to work through the night to clear the area.
North County Editor Janene Scully talked to one Montecito homeowner whose home flooded during the storm. Despite attempts to stop the water with sandbags, 10 to 12 inches of water made its way into the house.
Due to the heavy damages from the February and March storms, Santa Barbara County was added to the federal disaster declaration. The declaration meant that the county could apply for federal funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
7. Lake Fire Burns 38,664 Acres North of Santa Ynez Valley
The Lake Fire was one of the biggest stories of the year and took the whole Noozhawk team to cover.
The fire quickly grew to be the largest California wildfire of the year, though it was later surpassed by others.
It started in early July and took a full month for fire crews to fully contain. The firefighting effort drew in 3,500 people at its peak as they attempted to stall the fire using hand crews, heavy equipment, helicopters, tankers and more.
Several firefighters were hurt in the blaze, but there were no life-threatening injuries reported.
Officials said the blaze began near Zaca Lake around 4 p.m. on July 5 and quickly spread. The fire grew so fast that evacuation orders were issued for some communities in the Santa Ynez Valley.
One of the areas affected by the blaze was UC Santa Barbara’s Sedgwick Reserve. The reserve saw 3,000 acres burned before the fire was contained, but the main station was untouched.
The reserve is a site known for its research, where scientists can conduct experiments using untouched soil and forest. Researchers at the ranch feared the loss of decades of research.
8. Teenager Struck by Train, Killed Near Fernald Point in Montecito
A 15-year-old boy was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in June. The boy, identified as Ryan Bradley Chapman, was on his way to a birthday party with friends when he was killed.
Noozhawk Editor-in-Chief Tom Bolton reported that the group was walking along the tracks in the Fernald Point area.
9. Gunman in ‘Alpha Dog’ Murder Granted Death-Penalty Reprieve
The gunman in the case made famous by the 2006 movie “Alpha Dog” was granted a sentencing reprieve after a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge ruled in his favor.
Ryan James Hoyt was found guilty for his role in the murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz in 2000.
Hoyt, now 44, remained on death row at San Quentin Prison for years while the appeal of his conviction and sentence wound its way through the judicial system, including in the appellate courts and the state Supreme Court.
In a lengthy habeas corpus petition, Hoyt’s attorneys made numerous arguments seeking to toss out the death-penalty sentence. On Jan. 12 of this year, Superior Court Judge Brian Hill granted Hoyt’s motion to vacate the sentence.
Hoyt was convicted of shooting Markowitz nine times before burying him in a shallow grave near Lizard’s Mouth in the mountains above Santa Barbara.
Hoyt and his accomplices kidnapped Markowitz in an attempt to extort money for a debt by Markowitz’s half-brother, Ben Markowitz.
Hoyt and the rest of the suspects were arrested, but the ringleader, Jesse James Hollywood, escaped prosecution by fleeing the country. He first fled to Canada and later Brazil.
Hollywood was arrested in Brazil in 2005, and his trial for the crime began in 2009. He is serving a life sentence at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
10. Wrong-Way DUI Driver in Fatal Highway 101 Santa Maria Crash Faces Murder Charge
A wrong-way crash on Highway 101 near Santa Maria was the most-read traffic fatality story in a year of multiple deadly collisions.
In September, a Santa Maria bartender, Kendra Cordova, was charged with murder for her alleged role in a traffic collision that killed a woman and left a man critically injured. Cordova is accused of driving under the influence and colliding with another vehicle while driving on the wrong side of the highway.
Alma Teresa Alcorta Del Lazaro, 53, of Santa Maria died in the crash, and her husband Cecilio L. Camacho, 63, was severely injured. Firefighters had to extricate Camacho from their truck, which had collided with the concrete center divider.
Cordova was charged with murder after investigators learned she had taken classes as a bartender that detail the dangers of drunken driving, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
The accident was one of several serious traffic crashes that have occurred throughout the county in 2024.
On Christmas Eve, an Oregon resident driving between Vandenburg Village and Lompoc lost control of his vehicle and collided head-on with another car.
The Oregon resident, identified as Asher Linden Tenud, was killed at the scene, and the driver of the other vehicle was critically injured.
Also on Tuesday, a Goleta pedestrian was hit and killed by a vehicle when crossing the street in Old Town.
In November, Brian Hernandez Cervantes, 23, of Cuyama pleaded not guilty to murder charges connected to driving a vehicle in the high-speed crash that sliced his vehicle in half, killing his young daughters in child safety seats near Lompoc.
An 18-year-old motorcyclist died in October after a collision where another driver allegedly failed to yield when making a left turn in Santa Maria, police said.
An 11-year-old girl was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 1 and Santa Lucia Canyon Road in September.
Edith Gomez Camarillo, 20, of Santa Maria is facing vehicular manslaughter charges after allegedly running a red light, hitting another vehicle and killing two people at Stowell and Bradley roads. The Aug. 1 crash killed husband and wife Randall Kern, 68, and Marichu Kern, 55.
There also have been many vehicle crashes that critically injured drivers and passengers.
In November, a multi-vehicle pileup on Highway 1 near Lompoc sent three people to the hospital with critical injuries. The pileup involved four vehicles.
A multi-car crash in October shut down Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley and left three people injured, including one critically.
