It’s rodeo time, America, and specifically, time for the 82nd annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo & Parade.
As longtime Best of Bill readers know, each year Noozhawk sponsors a rider in the always entertaining mutton bustin’ competition, in which young buckaroos attempt to hang on to a galloping sheep three to four times their size for as long as they can.
We had just under 60 entries in this year’s drawing, which was won by 5-year-old Jayce Teague, who will be riding for the Noozhawk brand in the June 1 event.
How far he goes will be up to him — and the unpredictable sheep he rides in on.
According to his mom, Erin Murphy, the TK student at Alice Shaw Elementary School in Orcutt loves animals and has quite a zest for adventure. His favorite food is chicken wings, he loves to travel, and he has five cats and two dogs that keep him busy.
“He’s very excited for mutton bustin’,” she told me.
Of course, that excitement has turned into a face plant for many a mutton bustin’ rider, but I have every confidence that Jayce will taste victory and not dirt.
Good luck, Jayce! And thanks to all the cowboys and cowgirls who entered our contest.
The Santa Maria Elks Rodeo & Parade runs through June 1 at the Elks Unocal Events Center, at 4040 Highway 101 in Santa Maria. Click here to purchase tickets online or for more information.
While we wait for Jayce to shoot out of the chute, Noozhawk had an audience of 185,017 readers grazing the website this past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories that our Google Analytics says you were reading over that stretch.
And by “my take,” I mean my opinion. This is my opinion column, not a news story — although I do have some news I’m reporting.
1. Lompoc Physician Critically Injured in Highway 1 Crash Out of ICU
Santa Barbara County is still coming to terms with the deadly May 18 head-on collision that claimed the lives of three Dos Pueblos High School students on Highway 1 south of Lompoc.
There hasn’t been much good news in the crash aftermath but here is some that is unequivocally positive:
The two badly injured survivors of the initial impact are making incremental progress on their long road to recovery.
For his story, our Josh Molina expanded on some of the news I first shared in last week’s Best of Bill column, a reversal of roles I’m pretty sure Josh and I have never encountered before.
This week I’m going to top it, thanks to a huge assist from Nora Wallace, my friend and former colleague, and Lompoc Valley Medical Center’s public relations coordinator.
Not wanting to repeat what Josh and I wrote previously, I asked Nora if she could give me any updates on the condition of Dr. Hafez Nasr, a primary care physician at the hospital’s North H Center at 1225 N. H St., and his wife, Saghar Golpayegani.
Nora volunteered to interview Nasr, himself a Noozhawk reader, by telephone from his Cottage Hospital bed, and she graciously shared her notes with me.
I may be a publisher now, but I wasn’t a bad rewrite editor back in the day so I’ve written a joint account in a Noozhawk exclusive.
Nasr and his wife were driving north on Highway 1 around 6 p.m. that fateful day when their Tesla Model 3 sedan was struck head-on by a southbound Toyota Yaris that had crossed into their lane.
The subcompact car was occupied by three teens returning to the South Coast from Santa Barbara County Junior Lifeguard training at remote Jalama Beach.
All three — Jake Curtis, an 18-year-old Dos Pueblos senior from Goleta, and 17-year-old junior Michael Ochsner and 15-year-old sophomore Alexander Wood, both of Santa Barbara — died instantly.
The Nasrs were airlifted to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with major injuries and faced their own fight for survival.
“Overall we are counting our blessings,” said the 54-year-old Nasr, who served 20 years as an Air Force physician — including a stint with the 30th Medical Group at then-Vandenberg Air Force Base — before beginning his civilian practice.
“We’re both done with all our surgeries for the time being.”
Nasr suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures to his elbow, ankle, nose and orbital socket, plus burst fractures in his lower spine that require him to wear an uncomfortable torso brace.
His wife endured even more severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury that kept her intubated until recently, a “floating” elbow requiring external fixation, an open knee fracture and extensive facial trauma.
She remains in Cottage Hospital’s intensive-care unit.
“Unfortunately, I was completely awake,” Nasr recalled of the chaos after the wreck. “My wife, I could see her, bones sticking out. It was a very difficult thing to see.”
The collision occurred just days after their 26th wedding anniversary. They have two children — a son at UC Berkeley and a daughter at UCLA.
Nasr hopes to go back to work at some point.
“The problem is I am not able to bear weight at all on my right side,” he said. “I would love to get back to seeing my patients. It’s going to be a little time.”
Despite their ordeal, the couple’s thoughts remain with the families of the three students.
“Of course we feel very, very, very sorry for the three young men who ended up dying,” Nasr said. “We share in their grief even though we were the victims of what happened.”
Grateful for the outpouring of support from family, friends, patients, colleagues and complete strangers, Nasr and his family do not want for anything.
“We are resilient” he said. “We are dealing with it the best we can.
“Everyone has been very kind, sending prayers and messages and flowers. You focus on the good things and hope, with time, these things heal.”
2. Community Gathers to Mourn 3 Dos Pueblos Students Killed in Crash
I wrote about this last week as well, but it’s still drawing heavy readership this week.
More than 1,200 people filled Dos Pueblos High School’s Greek Theatre the evening of May 22 for an emotional candlelight vigil honoring students Jake Curtis, Michael Ochsner and Alexander Wood, who died in a head-on collision on Highway 1 south of Lompoc four days before.
The standing-room-only crowd carried candles and flowers as family members, friends and community leaders shared memories of the three, who were returning from Santa Barbara County Junior Lifeguard training at Jalama Beach when the multivehicle crash occurred.
“They were bright, kind, committed students,” Principal Bill Woodard said. “They were lifeguards, classmates, athletes, students, brothers, sons and friends.”
According to his obituary, Curtis was “best known for his love of music, his fun-loving spirit, and his kind and caring nature,” especially for those with special needs, like his younger brother, Jaxon.
The Dos Pueblos honor-roll student, four-year swim team member and surf team member was “at a pinnacle moment in his young life, having just been appointed as a Santa Barbara County lifeguard when his beautiful light went out.”
Curtis is survived by his mother, Jessica Brown, and father Dax Curtis, along with his sister, Mylee, and twin siblings Delaney and Jaxon.
His family will hold a celebration of his life at 2 p.m. May 31 at Goleta Beach Park, 5986 Sandspit Road, followed by a paddle-out.
A GoFundMe account in Curtis’ memory had raised more than $26,000 as of May 30. Click here to make an online donation.
In his obituary, Ochsner was described as having touched many lives through baseball, outdoor adventures and close relationships.
“Michael had the most amazing personality,” the obituary said. “He was quiet but very confident and strong. He was not a follower, and didn’t need validation from others on his directions.”
He was planning to pursue his Emergency Medical Technician certificate in the fall, and had dreams of following his older brother, Drew, into a career as a firefighter.
Ochsner is survived by his parents, Sharon and Andrew Ochsner, and brothers Drew and Christopher.
His funeral service was held May 28 at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Goleta.
A funeral service for Wood is pending.
A GoFundMe account established to assist his family with expenses described him as “full of promise, kindness and an infectious joy that touched everyone who knew him. He was an excellent student, a loyal friend, and someone who lived with an open heart.”
“He loved nature and found peace in the mountains, but his true home was the ocean,” the post says. “Whether swimming, surfing, or simply being near the water, the ocean was where Alex felt most free.”
Wood is survived by his parents, Louisa and John Wood, and brothers Owen, Miles and Henry.
As of May 30, the GoFundMe account had raised more than $36,000. Click here to make an online donation.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the collision. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 805.691.6160.
Rest in peace, and continued prayers for their families and friends.
3. BizHawk: Ospi Eatery Joins The Post Mall in Santa Barbara
A little-noticed nook across from Santa Barbara’s Andrée Clark Bird Refuge is being billed as an emerging culinary and retail gem.
As our Josh Molina reported, The Post is home to 13 speciality merchants and restaurants at the freshly revitalized, former Las Aves property at 1801 E. Cabrillo Blvd., on the new roundabout at Los Patos Way.
Among its latest openings is Ospi, a modern Italian eatery from Top Chef alum Jackson Kalb and his wife, Melissa.
The restaurant — which has sister sites in Brentwood, Costa Mesa and Venice — sports house-made pastas, crispy romana-tonda pizzas, craft cocktails and its first-ever breakfast menu.
Breakfast runs from 8-11 a.m. weekdays, with standout dishes like lemon ricotta pancakes and whipped ricotta fett’unta.
The Post developers David Fishbein and Joey Miller, the two principals of Los Angeles-based Runyon Group, have a successful track record of curating sophisticated dining and shopping experiences, most notably at Platform in Culver City.
They’re off to a strong start here, although I don’t know if they’ve yet weathered one of the bird refuge’s occasional, odoriferously eye-watering algae blooms.
4. Bill Macfadyen: Tragic Impacts of Deadly Collision Felt at Both Ends of Santa Barbara County
There’s really nothing more I need to say about last week’s Best of Bill column, but thank you for reading it.
5. Suspect Charged with Attempted Murder in Montecito Mansion Assault, Standoff
Two days after a breathtakingly violent attack left a 60-year-old woman comatose at billionaire Ty Warner’s Montecito mansion, the suspect pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and a slew of other felony charges.
The bizarre May 21 incident prompted a massive law enforcement response to the hotelier and Beanie Babies mogul’s oceanfront estate on Fairway Road next to the Santa Barbara Cemetery.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, 42-year-old Russell Maxwell Phay of Henderson, Nevada, was arraigned in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, where he entered a not guilty plea on May 23.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Phay entered the home occupied by Warner, several estate employees and victim Linda Malek-Aslanian with intent to commit larceny before brutally attacking the latter.
Malek-Aslanian was found outside the house with severe injuries and rushed by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The criminal complaint accuses Phay of inflicting great bodily injury that left the victim “comatose due to brain injury.”
After the 4:30 p.m. assault, Phay barricaded himself in an upstairs bathroom before climbing out a window and jumping to the ground, where sheriff’s deputies arrested him.
The charges include attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, residential burglary and obstructing deputies.
Authorities say the victim, a New York-based financial services professional, and Phay did not know each other.
Phay is being held without bail in County Jail. He is due back in court on June 2 for his preliminary hearing.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories that are worth your time:
» Arson Suspected After Fire Destroys or Damages Up to 20 Vehicles in Santa Maria — Editor in chief Tom Bolton gets the day started with an incredibly hot, tremendously destructive — and apparently intentional — apartment complex fire.
» 8-Story Apartment Tower Proposed Behind Santa Barbara Mission Closer to Reality — South County editor Josh Molina is following the uphill battle against what would be Santa Barbara’s second-tallest skyscraper.
» Alleged Wrong-Way DUI Driver Will Stand Trial for Murder in Fatal Santa Maria Crash — North County editor Janene Scully has an update on the case against a woman accused of killing a 53-year-old Santa Maria woman and badly injuring her husband in an alleged wrong-way DUI wreck on Highway 101.
» BizHawk: Pascucci Restaurant Back in Business at New Home on State Street — The peripatetic Pascucci restaurant is open in its latest landing spot, and Josh stops by for a taste.
» Detectives Link Lompoc Suspect to Students’ Cannabis Medical Emergency — Janene has the details on a health scare involving illicit cannabis edibles at Cabrillo High School in Lompoc. And here I thought marijuana legalization was supposed to be the end of shadowy drug dealing. Who knew?
» Dos Pueblos Baseball Advances to CIF-SS Division 4 Championship with Win Over Thousand Oaks — Sports editor Diego Sandoval is keeping score on Dos Pueblos High’s advance to this weekend’s CIF title matchup.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? BizHawk: Arnoldi’s Café in Santa Barbara Abruptly Closes After Death of Co-Owner.
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What I’m Up To
Although I’m not looking for a free meal, I occasionally do have free time if you’re looking for a speaker for your club, group or organization and want to hear more about Noozhawk. Email me at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com.
- Aug. 21 — The Cosmopolitan Club of Santa Barbara is looking for an update since my last appearance, some 15 years ago. We’ve come a long way. HT to my friend, Chris Tacelli, for getting me the invitation.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
This pier is without peer: X Atelier’s Wooden Mobius Pier Rises in a Loop from a Portugal Riverbank.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
#latergram is the theme of my Instagram feed this past week. I’ll do better next week.
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Watch It
Baby goat herd mentality … what’s not to love? HT to Best of Bill reader Quinn Robbins.
