On behalf of Team Noozhawk, thank you for helping us exceed our 2023 year-end fundraising campaign goal of $90,000.
We couldn’t do this important work without you, and we’re gratified that you so enthusiastically choose to invest in our mission of covering Santa Barbara County with professionalism and objectivity.
Our journalists are already digging into some large reporting projects we’re planning for later this year, covering topics from housing to K-12 education to government accountability to mobility.
There’s a lot at stake in 2024, and we’re committed to delivering the local news and important information you need, day in and day out.
If you didn’t donate during our campaign, there’s still time to donate now. Your contribution directly supports our news operation — every reader donation means more issues covered and more news published.
And your donation will go an extra long way this year. If you haven’t read my recent column, Noozhawk is making some major changes.
We’re doubling down to cover more local news than ever before, and we’re shifting and expanding our staff to new — and well-deserved — roles to accomplish this.
No other news organization in Santa Barbara County has a more experienced, more professional — or, frankly, more unbiased — news team, and we are uniquely positioned to do what we do best.
Will you help us?
Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference. Thank you again.
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According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 155,706 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top Five stories you were reading during the period. This is my opinion column, by the way, and not a news story.
1. Surfer Found Dead in Santa Barbara Identified as 68-Year-Old Man
The surfer whose body was discovered floating in the ocean below Santa Barbara’s Mesa on Dec. 27 has been identified by authorities as 68-year-old Guy Brian Wright.
As our Tom Bolton reported, emergency personnel responded to the incident near Mesa Lane after a surfboard was found floating in a kelp bed a couple of hundred yards offshore.
Before they arrived, however, another surfer and a commercial fishing boat located the missing man’s body and brought him to the Santa Barbara Harbor.
Harbor Patrol Capt. Nathan Alldredge said the boat was met at the dock by Santa Barbara firefighters, Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies and American Medical Response paramedics, who pronounced Wright dead.
While it is suspected that a medical condition may have contributed to Wright’s death, the exact cause is under investigation by the sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau.
Funeral services are pending for Wright, who was described by friends as “a Mesa local.”
2. High Tides, Big Waves Pound Santa Barbara County Coastline
Monstrous surf and high tides that began walloping the Santa Barbara County coast on Dec. 28, continued into the weekend, while heavy rain joined the party on Dec. 30.
As our Janene Scully reported, the storm dropped an inch or more of rain around the county.
The National Weather Service extended high surf and coastal flood warnings until late that night, emphasizing risks of “extremely dangerous beach conditions” with 10 to 15 foot waves and sets to 20 feet.
“Powerful waves and strong rip currents will pose an exceptional risk of ocean drowning and damage to coastal structures like piers and jetties,” the weather service said in a Dec. 30 statement.
“Large breaking waves can cause injury, wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats near shore.”
Although Santa Barbara County had numerous water rescues during the period, it largely avoided major incidents — unlike Ventura County, which experienced widespread damage.
3. Man Dies After Fall from Utility Pole Near Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Apparent New Year’s Eve revelry took a deadly turn early on Jan. 1 when a man suffered fatal injuries in a fall from a tree or a utility pole near the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
As our Tom Bolton reported, Santa Barbara County firefighters and other emergency personnel were called out around 1:40 a.m. to the 2600 block of Puesta del Sol, near the museum, a block west of Mission Canyon Road.
Fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said the man apparently had climbed a tree, then attempted to cross over to a nearby utility pole, but instead plunged to the ground.
A friend of mine who lives in the neighborhood told me a major party was going on at the house, and that witnesses tried to perform CPR before EMTs arrived.
Safechuck told Tom that the man, who he said may have been under the influence, suffered major head trauma in the fall.
He was rushed by an American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The man’s identity has not yet been released, and sheriff’s Lt. Jarrett Morris said the Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the circumstances of his death.
4. BizHawk: Paseo Nuevo, Restaurant Moves, Company Changes Dominate Business Stories in 2023
Our Josh Molina recapped the Top 10 stories of his popular BizHawk column over the last year.
To no one’s surprise — certainly not mine, or Josh’s — restaurants dominated the menu.
Bon appétit.
5. 2 Killed in Reported Wrong-Way Collision on Highway 101 in Northern Santa Maria
Two people died in a wrong-way collision on northbound Highway 101 in Santa Maria late on Dec. 30.
As our Janene Scully reported, Santa Maria firefighters, California Highway Patrol officers and an American Medical Response ambulance were dispatched at 11:30 p.m. to the crash scene under the North Broadway overpass.
According to CHP emergency dispatch reports, the crash involved a wrong-way vehicle with the wreckage blocking all three lanes under the bridge.
Both vehicles reportedly were smoking when emergency crews arrived, heavy extrication was required to get the victims out, and two people were killed in the wreck.
Despite Janene’s best efforts, almost a week later, that’s about all we’ve been able to get out of the CHP.
Northbound traffic was diverted off the freeway at Donovan Road for several hours while the crash scene was investigated and cleaned up.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the collision.
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Good Reads
Here are six stories you should read before you go:
» Lotusland to Take Garden Growth to New Levels of Sustainability, Conservation and Innovation — There are some really cool things going on at Ganna Walska Lotusland, and contributing writer Ann Pieramici digs in to some of them.
» New California Laws Going Into Effect in 2024 — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway’s roundup of new laws will leave you wondering why anyone still lives in California.
» Guadalupe District Breaks Ground on New Junior High School, Early Learning Center — North County editor Janene Scully reports on some growing news for the Guadalupe Union School District.
» Santa Barbara Talks Podcast: Reporter Josh Molina’s 10 Most Memorable Stories in 2023 — South County editor Josh Molina continues his rewind of top stories for 2023, this time using his popular podcast to talk about his very own Best of Josh catalog. My favorite was his column sharing the range of emotions that engulfed him when his son, Jacob, headed off to Cal.
» SpaceX’s First Falcon 9 Launch of 2024 From Vandenberg Space Force Base Deploys Direct-to-Cell Starlink Satellites — Janene tracks the latest SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, but the star of the story is reader Mike Troy’s photo from the Goleta foothills.
» Clay Studio Fires Up Creative Opportunities for Ceramic Artists, and the Curious — Staff writer Serena Guentz crafts a story about the nonprofit Clay Studio, a potter’s wheel deal in Goleta. HT to my friends, Kristen and Tom Tolles, for the ceramics connection.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Macy’s Will Be Out of La Cumbre Plaza by 2028 as Housing Plans Roil Santa Barbara.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Stuck on stupid: Three Off-Road Drivers — One in Rented Porsche — Cited After Getting Stuck at Death Valley National Park.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
I wrapped up my #mailboxesofmontecito2023 series just before the clock struck midnight Dec. 31, and have already embarked on a #mailboxesofmontecito2024 tour. It’s all in my Instagram feed, but so is #nicotime.
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Watch It
These mechanical masterpieces are mesmerizing, a little bit creepy, but oddly soothing as they come to life at the beach.
