With 2024 just days away, Noozhawk has some changes to announce for the new year.
We’ll have more to say over the weekend with our story about the new developments, but I’ll give you some breaking news in this Best of Bill column:
As of Jan. 1, executive editor Tom Bolton is moving up to a newly created editor in chief position as he steps back from the day-to-day management of our news operation.
Tom will be writing more in-depth news features, something he enjoys and repeatedly has tried to squeeze in since he came aboard back in 2012. He’s quite good at it, which you’ll discover soon enough, and the addition fulfills a long-desired objective of ours to dig deeper into some of the stories we report.
As one of Noozhawk’s owners — along with Kim Clark, our business development vice president, and me — Tom will continue to be involved in the exhilarating challenges of running a small business, but this should get him a little more time for fishing and grandpa duty.
Along with that move, we’re excited to promote Giana Magnoli to executive editor after a stellar stint as managing editor.
Giana has been with Noozhawk since she graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2009, and I’m enormously proud of how she has grown as a journalist, as a leader, and as an innovator.
I’m not at all surprised, however. I knew in our very first interview that she was capable of just such a responsibility, and she has earned the title and the opportunity.
We’re also taking advantage of the depth of local news experience that Noozhawk has and are promoting staff writer Josh Molina to the new position of South County editor.
You see Josh’s byline seemingly everywhere on our site — and throughout these Best of Bill Top 5 lists, as he continuously reminds me — but you may not know that he’s also a gifted teacher, mentor and instructor in both the Santa Barbara City College and CSU Northridge journalism departments.
He’ll still be reporting, of course, but we’re shifting some of our professional development duties to him so he can share his skills, experience and tutelage with our staff and interns.
The indefatigable Janene Scully will continue as our North County editor but will take on more management of overall staff assignments and editing, as well as — we expect — the supervision of an additional reporter covering the Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Ynez valleys.
Amid all of this shuffling, we have an immediate opening for a full-time local news reporter, and may be adding a second later in 2024. If you think you have what it takes, a message that must include a cover letter, a résumé and a news reporting portfolio can be emailed to gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.
We also have an opening for a full-time advertising sales and marketing representative and at least a part-time ad sales rep based in the North County. Inquiries should be emailed jointly to Kim Clark at kim.clark@noozhawk.com and sales manager Sheridan Taphorn at staphorn@noozhawk.com.
2023 has been an action-packed year for Noozhawk, but we can’t wait to flip the calendar to 2024 when Santa Barbara County’s best and most experienced journalists are delivering even more of the indispensable local news you rely on.
If you’ve been thinking about supporting our work, there’s no time like today to make a financial donation.
We’re less than $18,000 away from meeting our $90,000 year-end fundraising campaign goal. Will you do your part to get Noozhawk off to a strong start in 2024?
Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference. Thank you in advance for your support.
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According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 154,884 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top Five stories you were reading during the period. As a reminder, this is my opinion column, not a news story.
Oh, and best wishes for a happy new year — notwithstanding the not-so-happy news you’re about to encounter.
1. Wrong-Way Crash on Highway 101 Sends 3 People to Hospital in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara County highways were perilous on Christmas Day, and night, thanks to allegedly impaired drivers responsible for two head-on collisions, one of them deadly.
As our Tom Bolton reported, northbound Highway 101 was shut down in downtown Santa Barbara just before 11 p.m. Dec. 25 after a wrong-way driver slammed his pickup truck into a minivan just north of the Bath Street exit ramp.
California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Gutierrez said 38-year-old Teodulo Nava Clemente of Santa Barbara was driving a Toyota Tundra pickup south in the northbound lanes when he came around the curve under the pedestrian overcrossing and collided with an oncoming Ford Transit van.
The van driver, 49-year-old Carlos Gutierrez Ramirez of Oxnard, and his two passengers were badly injured in the wreck.
Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Michael Hoose said all three were transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
Clemente had to be extricated from the mangled pickup, which flipped on its side after the collision and went careening down the freeway, coming to rest against the median wall.
He, too, was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with critical injuries.
Gutierrez said Clemente was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving.
The Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office has charged Clemente with driving under the influence and causing great bodily injury to two people, having a blood-alcohol level over 0.20%, driving into oncoming traffic, driving on a suspended and revoked license, and failure to provide proof of financial responsibility for the vehicle.
He also has been charged with special allegations and enhancements, including having two DUI convictions in the county within the last 10 years — both in 2016, according to Superior Court records.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the collision.
Hoose said at least three other vehicles were damaged by debris in the roadway following the wreck, but no one else was injured.
Christmas Day got off to a brutal start with a fatal head-on crash around 1:30 a.m. on Highway 166 east of Guadalupe.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, the CHP said 27-year-old Bladimir Agustin Chavez of Santa Maria was driving an eastbound Toyota Camry at an unknown speed when he veered across the double yellow lines and slammed into an oncoming Infiniti I30 sedan east of Simas Road.
Authorities said the Infiniti driver — later identified as 65-year-old Gregorio Dominguez of Guadalupe — was pronounced dead at the scene.
Our Janene Scully reported that Chavez was arrested and charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and driving with a blood alcohol content above 0.08% — all felonies.
He also faces a misdemeanor charge of being an unlicensed driver along with special allegations or sentencing enhancements, including for causing great bodily injury.
Chavez pleaded not guilty at his Dec. 27 arraignment before Superior Court Judge Kristy Imel.
As of Dec. 29, he remains in the Northern Branch Jail on $250,000 bail.
Funeral services for Dominguez are pending.
2. Surfer’s Body Recovered From Ocean Off Santa Barbara
The body of a surfer was found in the ocean below Mesa Lane in Santa Barbara on Dec. 27 after a surfboard was discovered floating in an offshore kelp bed.
A witness told our Tom Bolton that the abandoned board was spotted just after noon a few hundred yards from shore, prompting another surfer and a nearby private boat to search for its owner.
They quickly found the surfer’s lifeless body and brought it back to the beach, where they were met by responding Santa Barbara firefighters and emergency personnel.
The dead man’s identity has not been released, and authorities are investigating the circumstances of his death.
3. Storm Causes Flooding, Road Closures in Santa Barbara; More Rain Expected
Last week’s unusually wet storm moved on in time for Santa Barbara County to dry out — mostly, anyway — before Christmas.
Although the rain was heavy at times, and the cause of widespread street flooding and numerous rescues of stranded motorists, the result of the Dec. 21-22 storm was mainly a good soaking, as our Josh Molina reported in a follow-up story.
But that was so last week. On Dec. 28, Santa Barbara County was walloped by dangerous surf, high tides and coastal flooding.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported, the perilous conditions led to multiple calls for ocean rescues of stranded surfers and others in the water.
Off Hollister Ranch, west of Gaviota, Santa Barbara County firefighters made afternoon ocean rescues for a capsized 18-foot boat and a jet ski in distress. No one was injured in the incidents.
Earlier off Isla Vista, firefighters rescued two surfers who were suffering from exhaustion due to the high surf.
At the Santa Barbara Harbor, the breakwater was closed as were low-lying parking lots.
The National Weather Service said high surf and coastal flood advisories would remain in effect until 10 p.m. Dec. 31.
4. Judge Rules in AMR’s Favor in Ambulance Services Case Against Santa Barbara County
A local judge has granted American Medical Response a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit against Santa Barbara County over the new ambulance services contract.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, Superior Court Judge Donna Geck’s ruling, finalized Dec. 22, stays the county’s new ordinance and permit approvals and extends AMR’s current contract until at least July.
Geck said the injunction would not be contrary to the public interest, pointing out AMR’s proven record of providing emergency medical services in the county.
She also noted that the company scored significantly higher than the county Fire Department in an independent evaluation of the two competitors.
In a statement, county spokeswoman Kelsey Gerckens Buttitta assured the public that AMR remains the contracted ambulance provider and that the legal challenge is not affecting 9-1-1 emergency medical services.
Representatives of AMR did not respond to a request for comment.
AMR and the county Fire Department have been vying for the ambulance services contract since last year. When the county changed its terms to a nonexclusive permit system earlier this year, both organizations applied for that, too.
After the Board of Supervisors voted in September to grant SBCFD three permits for ambulance services countywide and deny AMR’s permit, AMR West filed suit against the county.
5. BizHawk: High School Friends Open Mister Softee Ice Cream Shop in Santa Barbara
Mister Softee, an East Coast mainstay known for its delectable soft-serve ice cream treats, has made its debut in Santa Barbara.
As our Josh Molina reported, new franchisees Eden Piszczek and Angelina Rodriguez opened the store at 935 State St., near the bustling Carrillo Street intersection downtown.
The 21-year-old entrepreneurs from Camarillo worked in the Mister Softee in Old Town Camarillo, and have partnered with Jeff Hiller, that franchise’s owner, to open the Santa Barbara shop.
“At first it was just kind of scary, stepping into this, and investing so much into it …,” Piszczek told Josh. “I think that is the best thing we could have done, just be brave and do it. So here we are.”
Headquartered in Runnemede, New Jersey, Mister Softee was founded in 1956 and is known for its soft-serve ice cream, twists, dips, sprinkles, sundaes, shakes, floats and banana boats. The company has more than 350 ice cream trucks, as well as numerous storefronts across the country.
“Most people come into the ice cream store and they are really happy to be there,” said Rodriguez, who has tailored the menu with some Santa Barbara touches.
“I just really enjoy that sense of community.”
There really is nothing better than a twist of soft-serve chocolate and vanilla, but it’s almost impossible to find in California.
I became a fan of Mister Softee at a Brooklyn Cyclones game in New York over the summer. Now I can stop by whenever I’m at Montecito Bank & Trust downtown.
Mister Softee is open daily from noon to 9 p.m., but will be closing at 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve.
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Good Reads
Check out these six stories before you go:
» Santa Barbara Orders Removal of Some Dining Parklets By Jan. 1 — Staff writer Josh Molina has the latest development in the City of Santa Barbara’s uneven treatment of local restaurants.
» California Coastal Commission Approves Goleta’s Hazardous Fuel Reduction Plan for Ellwood Mesa — Staff writer Serena Guentz has some good news for the Ellwood Mesa Open Space.
» Study Supports 600-Seat Performing Arts Center for Downtown Santa Maria — North County editor Janene Scully has a front-row seat for a Santa Maria coalition’s pitch for a badly needed all-purpose performing arts center.
» Marcia Heller: Tamale-Making 101 — Copy editor Marcia Heller rolls up her sleeves to learn a new holiday tradition.
» Dan McCaslin: City Walking and the ‘Privatization’ of Social Life — Outdoors columnist Dan McCaslin usually writes about his backcountry adventures, but this time he’s closer to home with some food for thought about our urban environment.
» Noozhawk’s Picks for Biggest Sports Stories of 2023 — Sports editor Diego Sandoval has the recap of a momentous year for local high school and college sports teams — including state and national championship squads.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Conception Victim Captured Video of Deadly Dive Boat Disaster.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Love is in the numbers: Las Vegas Weddings Could Hit Record on New Year’s Eve Due to Date’s Pattern.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
It’s Christmas so, of course, #nicotime was going to hog my Instagram feed this past week. Along with some crazy clouds.
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Watch It
And this was before California’s gnarly high surf on Dec. 28.
