While waiting for the Republican National Circus to begin, 99,551 people were reading Noozhawk this past week, according to our Google Analytics.
Here’s my own take on your top stories:
1. Fatal Accident Snarls Southbound Highway 101 Traffic in Santa Barbara
A 27-year-old motorcyclist lost a collision with two trucks on Highway 101 in Montecito, and died of his injuries from the July 11 crash.
The California Highway Patrol said David Joseph Irwin of Norco was riding his 2015 Yamaha motorcycle southbound when the wreck occurred near the Olive Mill Road exit about 3:30 p.m.
The CHP is investigating the cause of the collision, which also involved a Kenworth light-duty box truck and a Chevy pickup. There were no arrests, and it was not known if alcohol or drugs were involved.
The congested area is known as the Montecito Crawl, and motorcyclists regularly can be seen lane-splitting through the stop-and-go traffic.
Irwin suffered severe injuries that “required immediate medical attention,” according to Santa Barbara Fire Battalion Chief Jim McCoy.
He was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he died.
The box truck driver — Eric Davis, 36, of Visalia — and the the pickup driver — Patrick Cockrill, 56, of Long Beach — were unhurt, according to the CHP.
The wreck occurred just as the afternoon commute was getting started, backing up freeway traffic for hours and clogging surface streets through Montecito.
2. 20 Arrested at Goleta Hotel in Prostitution Sting Using Online Classified Ads
Local law enforcement running a prostitution sting through a popular classified advertising website hit pay dirt when 20 men went looking for love in one of the wrong places.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said sheriff’s detectives and Santa Barbara police conducted a reverse “John” sting operation July 7-8 at a Goleta hotel.
“The sting involved investigators placing an online ad on Backpage.com, a website known for online prostitution-related advertisements,” she said. “Once the ad was placed, a female undercover detective negotiated with an inquiring person or ‘John’ a sexual act for an amount of money.”
When the unwitting customer arrived at the hotel room, well, let’s just say the experience was deflating.
All 20 men — ranging in age from 20 to 66, and not one named John, in case you were wondering — were booked into County Jail on solicitation of prostitution charges.
Since half these guys will be contacting me in 18-24 months, pleading for Noozhawk to scrub their names from our story — an action we cannot and will not take — I’ll do them a solid now and not include their identities in my column. You can click here for the list, however.
3. Two Suffer Major Injuries in Head-On Collision in Western Goleta
A thunderous head-on collision on Cathedral Oaks Road in Goleta the evening of July 8 left both drivers with major injuries and their vehicles little more than scrap heaps.
The road was closed for a couple of hours while authorities cleaned up the mess and investigated the scene.
According to Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni, a Mercedes-Benz sedan and a pickup truck collided about 6:30 p.m. near Winchester Canyon Road.
Firefighters had to extricate both drivers — a woman in her 40s from the sedan and a man in his 50s from the pickup — and both were transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the cause and circumstances of the wreck.
4. Santa Barbara Firefighters Rescue Man Who Tumbled Down Mesa Hillside
The night of July 11 was a doozy for a man who seemed to be on quite a roll. And not the good kind.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to the 400 block of Loma Alta Drive about 10:25 p.m. after neighbors on the Mesa reported a man talking loudly and creating a disturbance.
First to arrive on the scene were police officers who found the guy “kind of rolling around on the ground,” according to Fire Capt. Barrett Hoffman. He said the man, who “could have been altered,” promptly rolled over the edge of the roadway and down the steep hillside, landing in brush about 75 feet below the street.
Hoffman said firefighters rigged up a rope system and rescued the victim with the help of a Stokes basket.
The man complained of back pain and was taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. His identity and condition were not disclosed.
5. Elderly Pedestrian Struck, Critically Injured in Hit-Run Near Goleta
An 88-year-old Goleta man was struck by a pickup truck as he was crossing the street near his home early on July 14, suffering major injuries that ultimately would take his life.
Authorities say the driver fled the scene, and they’re asking for the public’s help to locate the suspect vehicle.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Miguel Gutierrez-Vargas was hit as he was walking in the 5100 block of San Lorenzo Drive, near Walnut Lane off Hollister Avenue, just before 6 a.m.
County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason said the victim was rushed by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where Cottage Health spokeswoman Maria Zate told Noozhawk that he was in critical condition.
Hours later, however, the CHP confirmed that Gutierrez-Vargas had died of his injuries.
The vehicle is described as a maroon Chevy pickup truck and it was last seen turning onto nearby Andy Lane, from which there are several ways out of the neighborhood. The CHP said the truck will have front-end damage.
Anyone with information is asked to call law enforcement at 805.477.4174.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Students Protest End of D’Penguineers Robotics Team at Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy.
• • •
Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Just passing through, but well worth the trip: Google Street View Images You Won’t Want to Miss.
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Watch It
In a show of strength, “old” guys rule.
(Mark video)
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— Bill Macfadyen is Noozhawk’s founder and publisher. Contact him at [email protected], follow him on Twitter: @noozhawk, or click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
