As mentioned previously, my business partners, executive editor Tom Bolton and business development vice president Kim Clark, and I are in Nashville — or, as I’m calling it, Noshville — for the annual conference of the Local Independent Online News Publishers Association.
Noozhawk is one of the founders of the nearly 10-year-old organization, which has grown to more than 250 members, and Kim is a former board vice chairwoman. She’s also a tireless mentor and champion for other hyperlocal news sites that are trying to establish or organize sales and marketing operations.
Kim’s been a popular speaker at the last several of these national conferences, and again was in high demand after her panel this year — in spite of its catchy title: “An Optimal Advertising and Sponsored Content Sales Process for Niche Publishers.” You had to be there.
Not long after you read this, I’ll be one of three publishers — with my friends, Lance Knobel of Berkeleyside and Steve Hull of Bethesda Beat — on a panel led by News Revenue Hub founder and CEO Mary Walter-Brown discussing “For-Profit Membership Success Stories.”
It’s an honor for Noozhawk to be included but I don’t mind saying that we deserve it. Thanks to you and the enormous success of our energized Hawks Club, Noozhawk has been a star of the News Revenue Hub universe.
Your ongoing support and engagement have been instrumental in laying the groundwork for an ambitious 2020 expansion we’re pursuing, but it’s also inspired other Noozhawk-type sites around the country to think bigger and long term. That’s a healthy development in the ongoing struggle to overcome and reverse the spread of news deserts that are swallowing up so many communities.
I understand that Santa Barbara County has been baking like a desert this week while Noozhawk’s traffic has been sizzling, according to our Google Analytics.
Interestingly, there are three repeat stories and topics in this past week’s Best of Bill column. That’s somewhat unusual, but it just shows how in demand our reporting is.
That may not explain the presence of my column, but it gives me an opportunity to remind you that this column is solely my take on the Top 5 stories that 165,642 of you were reading this last week.
What you’re about to read may contain my opinion, not that of Noozhawk — which doesn’t have one. Also, I’m a publisher and not a reporter. There’s a difference.
Thank you for reading.
1. Bill Macfadyen: Tragedy of Hope Ranch Homicide Deepens with Every Twist
It’s been a little over a week since the grisly murder of a Hope Ranch woman and the officers-involved shooting death of the son suspected of killing her. I’m afraid we have nothing new to report on last week’s No. 1 story or my column that followed as this week’s top story.
There’s been no obituary, no funeral announcement, no memorial service details, and no further information from the notoriously unforthcoming Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department on the status of the investigation.
That hasn’t deterred Noozhawk readers from clicking on everything we’ve written about the Oct. 15 stabbing death of Valerie Ely, the 62-year-old wife of Tarzan actor Ron Ely.
Authorities say she was killed by the couple’s son, 30-year-old Cameron Ely, who was subsequently shot dead by four deputies in what sheriff’s officials said was a confrontation outside the house at 4141 Mariposa Drive, on Hope Ranch’s eastern end.
The deputies are on paid administrative leave while an officer-involved-shooting investigation is conducted.
Ely is survived by her husband, who was uninjured in the attack, and two older daughters, Kirsten and Kaitland.
2. Father and Toddler Taken to Hospital After Being Struck by Vehicle in Santa Barbara
A father and his toddler daughter were hit by a car while in the crosswalk of a Lower State Street intersection — one controlled by traffic signals, mind you. Both ended up at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of their injuries from the Oct. 20 collision.
According to Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Jim McCoy, the man and his 2-year-old daughter were struck by a Jaguar sedan about 3 p.m. as they were crossing State Street at Yanonali Street, near the train station.
He said the man was propelled up and over the car, while his daughter was dragged about 20 feet underneath the vehicle.
As our Tom Bolton reported, both victims were treated at the scene before being taken by American Medical Response ambulance to the hospital.
In a GoFundMe post, family members identified the victims as Nico Constantinides and his daughter, Zahir. Constantinides’ brother, Kenny, said Zahir suffered a broken femur and is stuck in a full lower-body cast after undergoing emergency surgery.
As of Oct. 25, the GoFundMe page had raised more than $18,000 to help the Constantinides family with Zahir’s medical expenses. Click here to make an online donation.
Santa Barbara police are investigating the incident, but SBPD spokesman Anthony Wagner said the driver — identified as 65-year-old Kelly Cuevas of Goleta — was cited for not yielding to pedestrians. He said she also was required to undergo a Department of Motor Vehicles re-examination.
“The citation was an infraction, and that is as far as it will go with that particular case,” he told our Giana Magnoli.
3. Structures Threatened by Wind-Whipped Vegetation Fire Near El Capitán Canyon
The Real Fire that broke out Oct. 17 near El Capitán Canyon on the Gaviota coast needed less than 7½ hours to climb to the No. 3 position in last week’s Best of Bill column. A week later, our Tom Bolton’s initial story is still here.
Firefighters reached full containment of the 420-acre blaze by Oct. 21. No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged.
The cause of the wildfire remains under investigation, Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli told our Giana Magnoli.
4. Pedestrian Dies After Being Struck by Amtrak Train in Santa Barbara
A pedestrian was struck and killed in an Oct. 22 late-night collision with a northbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train on Santa Barbara’s Westside.
The incident was reported about 10:25 p.m. near the West Junipero Street footbridge that crosses Highway 101 and the Union Pacific railroad tracks near the Pilgrim Terrace senior housing complex, Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Chris Mailes told our Tom Bolton.
The victim’s identity was not immediately available, and details were hard to come by.
The Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the death.
5. South Coast Communities Brace for Possible Preemptive Power Shutoffs
In response to my Oct. 18 column, a buddy of mine sent me an Internet meme asking a simple question: What’s the difference between California and the Titanic?
Answer: The Titanic had its lights on when it sank.
I was still laughing when I clicked on the Noozhawk homepage and found a new story on yet another Public Safety Power Shutoff warning from Southern California Edison in advance of warm, dry and windy weather in last weekend’s forecast.
Sigh.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, no preventive outages were implemented among the more than 20,000 customers in the at-risk zone. This time.
On Oct. 23, however, Edison issued another shutoff warning for nearly 250 customers on the Gaviota coast.
I get the reasoning behind this recurring strategy, but we should at least acknowledge that it’s not an actual solution. California has been in a full-blown infrastructure crisis for years — decades, really — and very little has been done to fix it, at any level. That’s a fact.
Most of California also lives with a 24/7 risk of wildfire, and autumn is about the worst time of our year for perilous and unpredictable weather conditions. See No. 3 above if you’ve forgotten the Thomas Fire, the Camp Fire and the Tea Fire — or any of the half-dozen or so fires burning around the state at this minute.
It’s a no-win situation, but officials — including elected officials shouting the loudest about the beleaguered utilities — would be wise to remember that the public’s patience is not without limit.
That lesson should have been learned locally with the deadly Montecito flash flooding and debris flows in the aftermath of the post-Thomas Fire martial law. Cry wolf once too often … and you end up getting eaten by a wolf.
Click here for the latest prospective outage map.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Naked Man Arrested After Allegedly Prowling, Entering Home on Mesa in Santa Barbara.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
After 67 million years, it definitely needs a Tic Tac or something: How Scientists Are Recreating Dinosaur Breath.
• • •
Best of Bill’s Instagram
Doesn’t get any better than @codyjohnson and Morro Bay in my Instagram feed.
• • •
Watch It
Don’t share this with “your lady.” But if you do, leave my name out of it. Good luck.
(AwakenWithJP video)
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— Bill Macfadyen is Noozhawk’s founder and publisher. Contact him at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com, follow him on Twitter: @noozhawk and Instagram: @bill.macfadyen, or click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.