June gloom has been exceptionally dreary this year on Santa Barbara County’s South Coast so the couple of days of back-to-back sunshine did wonders to brighten up our attitudes and outlook.
Having finally arrived, here’s hoping summer sticks around a while. Which reminds me: The Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration is this weekend, capped by the annual parade at noon June 24.
Alas, the slow-moving spectacle is still consigned to Santa Barbara Street and not State Street, where parades belong.
Wherever it appears, perhaps the most enthusiastic Summer Solstice celebrant I know is my colleague, Noozhawk copy editor Marcia Heller.
Marcia wrote a delightful feature on a local dance group, La Boheme Productions, a stalwart and extremely popular presence in the parade.
Look for Noozhawk contributing writer Judith Smith-Meyer and the other bling-laden ladies of La Boheme as they energetically dance their way up the parade route between East Ortega and East Sola streets.
And Marcia will be there, too. Her own group, World Dance for Humanity, is another fixture in the festivities. Although more fluid than fixed as they flow past.
Even if the day is gloomy, these dancers’ exuberance and gleeful choreography will put a smile on your face.
Putting a smile on my face was the audience of 98,084 readers Noozhawk had this past week, according to our Google Analytics.
What follows is my recap of the Top 5 stories you were reading during that period. Just remember that this is my opinion column, which I write as Noozhawk’s publisher. It is not a news story.
1. Suspect in Minnesota Crash that Killed 5 Went to Prison for Critically Injuring Pedestrian in Montecito
At the time, a 2018 collision in Montecito that left a pedestrian from North Carolina with serious injuries was reckless, inexcusable and indefensible.
As our Tom Bolton reported back in September 2018, a guy named Derrick John Thompson was allegedly driving a Chevrolet Malibu being pursued by Ventura police on Highway 101 — from Ventura.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Gutierrez, after leading the chase for some 30 miles to Montecito, Thompson got off the freeway at Olive Mill Road and headed toward Butterfly Beach.
There, Gutierrez said, he careened around the corner of Butterfly Lane from Channel Drive and struck 58-year-old Jennifer Jenson of Conover, North Carolina.
Jenson suffered major injuries while Thompson jumped out of the car, which had subsequently crashed into a wall, and ran away before being captured, arrested, convicted and sentenced — in 2020 — to eight years in prison.
We’ll come back to this chapter of the story in a minute, but first we must visit Minneapolis, where Thompson is accused of being the central figure in an incident with striking similarities but deadly and far more horrific consequences.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Thompson — a now 27-year-old resident of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota — was arrested the night of June 16 after he allegedly blasted through a red light in a Cadillac Escalade and slammed into a car full of young women, killing all five of them.
The dead were identified as 17-year-old Sabiriin Ali of Bloomington, Minnesota; Sahra Gesaade of Brooklyn Center and Salma Abdikadir of St. Louis Park, both 20; and Sagal Hersi and Siham Adam, both 19 and from Minneapolis.
The Star-Tribune reported that three of the women were cousins, one was an extended relative, and the fifth was a friend.
The five, who had been running errands for a friend’s wedding the next day, were instead buried on June 19 after a joint funeral service attended by thousands of mourners.
As in Montecito, Thompson allegedly fled on foot after the Minneapolis wreck, but was apprehended soon after.
On June 22, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged Thompson with 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide — two felony counts for each victim — as well as charges of driving under the influence, gun possession, and possession of significant amounts of fentanyl and other street drugs.
That same day, he also was charged in federal court with intent to sell fentanyl and two counts related to illegal possession of a firearm.
Thompson’s toxicology results are pending, and authorities say the charges may be amended.
Many of you are wondering what Thompson — the son of former Minnesota state Rep. John Thompson, D-St. Paul — was doing halfway across the country when we all thought he was imprisoned in California for at least another 5½ years.
This being California, it’s not so simple. Or, this being California, it actually is that simple.
Santa Barbara County Senior Deputy District Attorney Kevin Weichbrod told Tom that, in February 2020, Thompson pleaded guilty to evading law enforcement causing injury; fleeing from the scene of a collision causing serious permanent injury; conspiracy to possess marijuana for sale; and an enhancement for personally causing great bodily injury causing a comatose condition.
As we’ve reported previously, Thompson was sentenced to eight years in state prison after a reduction of 577 days of credit for time served in County Jail. We have not yet been able to determine when he got his Get Out of Prison Free card.
“Based on the fact that he was sentenced to a violent felony, he should have been required to serve 85% of his time, meaning he would have had close to 5½ years left to serve,” Weichbrod said.
Enter California’s Proposition 57 , the so-called “Parole for Nonviolent Criminals and Juvenile Court Trial Requirements Initiative” that was approved by voters in 2016.
The new law significantly changed sentencing calculations for “nonviolent” inmates and bestowed on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation wide latitude in awarding additional credits.
I’m sure the Abdikadir, Adam, Ali, Gesaade and Hersi families will understand the logic.
“That is horrible,” District Attorney John Savrnoch told Tom. “My heart aches for the families of those young ladies, the Minneapolis community, and the Minneapolis Islamic community specifically.”
2. On the Brink of Homelessness, San Diego Woman Wins the Medi-Cal Lottery
A San Diego County resident staring at homelessness after a long ordeal of chronic — and expensive — health issues, instead became one of the first recipients of rental housing assistance through a new California public health care program.
Known as CalAIM, the groundbreaking, $12 billion initiative aims to redefine medical care by encompassing crucial aspects of people’s lives, including food and housing.
The idea is that, by addressing such fundamental challenges, recipients are better able to maintain stable living conditions and their overall well-being.
The program provided 60-year-old Annie Malloy with $5,000 to cover a security deposit on an apartment she could afford in Fallbrook.
“I couldn’t have gotten this place without that help,” she said.
This story was reported by Angela Hart of KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Thanks to Noozhawk’s new partnership with Newspack, we’re able to republish content produced by both KFF Health News and CalMatters, a nonpartisan and nonprofit journalism venture explaining how California’s state capitol works and why it matters.
Giana Magnoli, our managing editor, has been including in-depth features that tackle public policy issues she thinks are relevant and of interest in Santa Barbara County. Based on the traffic they’ve been drawing, they’re a popular addition to our lineup.
3. Construction of Goleta Self-Storage Facility Turning Heads on Highway 101
Many of us have watched and wondered about the mass of windowless buildings growing from the ground up along the south side of Highway 101 just west of Highway 217 in Goleta.
I’m sorry it took us so long to tell you what’s going on, but our Josh Molina came through with the story. It’s a self-storage facility.
According to Josh, the 1,023-unit Goleta Self Storage is to open later this year at 10 S. Kellogg Ave., a narrow, two-acre site sandwiched between the highway and the Union Pacific railroad tracks.
The site, west of Highway 217 and the southbound entrance ramp for Patterson Avenue, is accessed from Old Town Goleta.
4. BizHawk: Santa Barbara’s Corner Tap Reopens with New Chef, Manager and Decor, and Detroit-Style Pan Pizza
Corner Tap Bar & Eatery, which anchors a key corner of Santa Barbara’s Mesa neighborhood, is off to a fresh, fresh start.
The restaurant at 1905 Cliff Drive — part of Chris Chiarappa’s Santa Barbara Restaurant Collective — closed a couple of months ago for a revamp, which included new décor, a new menu, and new management under the husband-and-wife team of chef Nathan Simandle and general manager Paige Simandle.
As our Josh Molina reported, Corner Tap features gourmet-style comfort food but specializes in Detroit-style pan pizzas, which apparently layers creamy cheese and toppings beneath the sauce.
That works for me although I zeroed in on the Wagyu Smashburger Tacos, described as “a mouthwateringly savory, massively flavorful, delectably gratifying blend of meat, cheese, subtle spice and crunch.”
True to its roots, Corner Tap includes an extensive selection of beer on tap, along with classic and specialty crafted signature cocktails.
Also on tap, as it were, are plans for live music, big game viewing, comedy nights and tasting events.
In addition to Corner Tap Bar & Eatery, Chiarappa’s empire boasts the nearby Mesa Burger, the Lighthouse Coffee chain and Sweetie’s.
5. Detectives Release New Photos of Suspect Vehicle in Montecito Homicide
For more than a year, the investigation into the murder of a 96-year-old Montecito woman has seemingly gone nowhere.
But as our Tom Bolton reported June 19, it now appears that the investigation actually is going somewhere — to Los Angeles, specifically.
Santa Barbara County sheriff’s investigators have released new photos of a white 2015-2018 Porsche Cayenne that they believe is connected to the May 27, 2022, murder of Violet Evelyn Alberts.
Alberts, who lived alone and appears to have had no family, was found dead in her secluded home in the 900 block of Park Lane.
The Sheriff’s Department has not released any details about how she was killed, or offered any possible motive.
But detectives have been following up on leads, including new photos from a closed-circuit video camera, and are again asking for the public’s help to find the killer or killers.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick told Tom that detectives are particularly interested in Los Angeles-area residents who may have loaned or rented out the sports car, which apparently traveled to Montecito from Los Angeles the evening of the murder.
The investigation is ongoing, and a $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the murder.
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Good Reads
Check out these six stories before you go:
» Santa Barbara County OKs New Ambulance Provider Permit System Over American Medical Response Objections, Concerns from Hospitals — Managing editor Giana Magnoli is still chasing the details of Santa Barbara County’s ambulance contract.
» Los Olivos Residents Share Harrowing Witness Accounts in Pleading for Highway 154 Improvements — North County editor Janene Scully stops by Solvang for the latest on potential Highway 154 improvements and frightening tales of close calls. And worse.
» Historic Landmarks Commission Wants Parklets Smaller on State Street, Gone Elsewhere in El Pueblo Viejo District — Staff writer Josh Molina is keeping tabs on Santa Barbara’s interminable parklets debate so I don’t have to.
» Anthony Grumbine: In Spite of Challenges, Santa Barbara Facing a Historic Design Opportunity — My friend, Anthony Grumbine, makes some good points about the tremendous opportunity that Santa Barbara has to reimagine itself — but with an important reminder about the “Vitruvian Filter.”
» SpaceX Rocket Delivers 47 Starlink Satellites with Vandenberg Space Force Base Launch — Janene is up for the latest SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and I could hear the rumble all the way to Montecito.
» Mark Patton: Westmont’s Brady Renck Rose from Depths of Despair to Top of World Series — A star of Westmont’s national championship baseball team may have found his confidence wavering at one point but his faith never did. Sports columnist Mark Patton bats cleanup on the Brady Renck story.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Pedestrian Hit, Killed on Highway 101 in Santa Barbara.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Here’s your chance to get a splash pad of your own: United States Is Giving Away Lighthouses for Free.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Where else but in my Instagram feed can you find thank-you notes, Venus, a crescent moon and Vienna Sausages?
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Watch It
Now hold on.
