He did it again.
Three weeks after Noozhawk South County editor Josh Molina reported each of the Top 5 stories in my weekly Best of Bill of column, he came right back with another perfect score.
And it’s not like the rest of the team was coasting. This past week was an incredibly busy one for our staff, all of whom had very strong traffic on their stories, according to our Google Analytics.
But this column is based solely on what — according to our WordPress analytics — 173,926 of you were reading over the last seven days. The five most-read articles were all Josh, although he did have an assist or two along the way.
I just treated him to lunch so maybe we’ll go get ice cream this time. That is if the weather ever gets as hot as Josh has been.
Although the stories I write about are Josh’s and Team Noozhawk’s news articles, this is my own take as an opinion column.
Read on.
1. Driver Dies in Rollover Crash on Highway 154 Near San Marcos Pass
A pickup truck driver was killed the morning of April 26 when his vintage vehicle rolled over on Highway 154 near East Camino Cielo, just below San Marcos Pass.
The driver was later identified as 66-year-old Michael Fitzpatrick, a well-known auto body refinisher on Santa Barbara’s Lower Eastside.
As our Josh Molina reported, the California Highway Patrol said the single-vehicle wreck occurred around 10:40 a.m. when Fitzpatrick lost control of his 1939 Dodge pickup, which slammed into a rocky embankment and landed upside down in a ditch.
“Preliminary investigation and witness statements indicate the driver … was traveling at a high rate of speed when he lost control and collided with an embankment,” the CHP had said in a Facebook post.
Fitzpatrick was trapped underneath the truck and pronounced dead at the scene.
Widely respected as a craftsman, he owned Michael Fitzpatrick Auto Refinishing at the corner of North Quarantina and East Gutierrez streets, our Tom Bolton reported in a follow-up story.
Fitzpatrick was frequently seen tooling around town in his beloved pickup, which friends told me he had modified with a Ford engine and a modern Jaguar suspension.
If not driving the truck, he could be found riding his BMW and Harley-Davidson motorcycles or working on one of his many hot rod projects.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the crash — the first fatal wreck on Highway 154 in a while — and whether that day’s early morning storm was a factor.
2. Death Investigation of UCSB Student Liz Hamel Intensifies: ‘Time Is of the Essence’
The father of Liz Hamel, the UC Santa Barbara freshman who died after a still-unexplained fall on Valentine’s Day, held an emotional news conference April 30 at the San Rafael Residence Hall where his daughter was found critically injured.
“I shouldn’t be standing here,” a visibly shaken Alain Hamel said. “I should be at home grieving my daughter.”
The heartbroken Bellevue, Washington, dad has hired local private investigator Michael Claytor and attorney Tyrone Maho, a partner at Maho Prentice LLP, to help find answers in his daughter’s death as the academic quarter ends and students prepare to leave campus.
“For weeks I have been imploring the UCSB leadership, including the chancellor’s staff and the chief of police, to engage publicly to the campus community,” Alain Hamel said.
“This is why I am here now.”
“I shouldn’t be standing here. I should be at home grieving my daughter.”
ALAIN HAMEL
As our Josh Molina first reported in a Noozhawk exclusive that brought vital attention to the seemingly moribund case, the 18-year-old Hamel was last seen leaving Lao Wang noodle bar in Isla Vista at 10:06 p.m. Feb. 14 with an unidentified young man.
The man was described as approximately 6 feet tall with blond hair, wearing light blue Carhartt jeans and a gray Patagonia sweatshirt.
Twenty-one minutes later, Hamel was found unconscious and nearly lifeless at the foot of the San Rafael dorm, having apparently fallen about 30 feet from a breezeway.
She was rushed by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and died six days later, on Feb. 20.
“We are not accusing anyone of wrongdoing,” Maho emphasized. “If you are this young man, or you know who he is, we are pleading with you to come forward.”
The team is distributing fliers across campus and urging anyone with information to contact Claytor Investigations at 805.335.3851, offering anonymity to those who come forward.
UCSB police investigators and UCSB officials have released virtually no information about the now nearly 3-month-old case.
As I mentioned in my column last week, UCSB didn’t even bother to send out a campus safety alert after the incident — even though Hamel apparently had no identification or cell phone with her when she was found.
In response to Josh’s latest inquiry, UCSB police said investigators have been “working tirelessly” investigating the case and meeting regularly with the family.
Maho noted that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department has offered assistance to both UCSB police and the university, but it has not been accepted so far.
Thanks to Josh’s coverage of the story and the news conference, the public quickly identified the man, and UCSB police finally interviewed him, Josh reported May 2. Click here for the details.
Hamel, who lived at San Miguel Residence Hall, had not declared a major but had an interest in biology and chemistry, and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.
She was the only child of Alain Hamel and his wife, Hema Shanthi.
3. Santa Barbara Laying Groundwork for Major Airport Transformation
The Santa Barbara Airport is preparing a major makeover for its outdated fixed-base operator facilities along Hollister Avenue, with plans to release a request for proposals by late June.
As our Josh Molina reported, the redevelopment aims to modernize facilities that have remained largely unchanged for decades, bringing them up to the standard expected of a world-class destination like Santa Barbara.
The initiative follows significant investments in terminal redevelopment and comes amid growing passenger numbers at the airport.
“They are operating in very dated facilities,” airport director Chris Hastert told Josh.
“Definitely not something you would expect when you are flying from somewhere else in the world into Santa Barbara.”
The project will transform the area currently occupied by Atlantic Aviation and Signature Aviation, two FBOs that provide services like flight instruction, aircraft maintenance, fuel and hangar space.
Mayor Randy Rowse emphasized the importance of creating a positive arrival experience.
“It is really important to have that first impression of Santa Barbara when they fly in to be a really fine impression, well-served, well-friendly, a great facility impression,” he said.
Challenges for the redevelopment include misaligned lease expiration dates and decisions about existing structures, including the airport administration building and the former Elephant Bar restaurant site.
The administration offices, currently at 601 Firestone Road, will relocate to the former Deckers building at 495 S. Fairview Ave. You can read more about the Elephant Bar in the next item.
Both current fixed-based operators expressed enthusiasm about participating in the bidding process, with Atlantic Aviation highlighting its staff of 20 local employees who are “committed to and invested in Santa Barbara.”
Once contracts are awarded, full development is expected to take approximately three years to complete.
4. Food Truck Concept Set to Land at Long-Vacant Site at Santa Barbara Airport
A fresh concept is landing at the Santa Barbara Airport’s ill-starred and long-vacant restaurant space, as The Goleta Spot has signed a one-year lease for the cavernous old home of the Elephant Bar and High Sierra Grill & Bar and, more recently, the aborted home of Flightline Restaurant.
As our Josh Molina reported, owner Ben Schroeder plans to transform the 8,695-square-foot building at 521 Firestone Road into a public market-style venue where established Goleta food trucks prepare meals outside for customers who order and dine inside.
“The idea is to bring everyone together and have a place to connect,” Schroeder told Josh.
With annual rent set at $129,381 beginning July 1, the operation will feature approximately five local businesses, including craft beverages from area breweries and cideries.
Schroeder, who also owns Santa Barbara Cider Co. in nearby Old Town Goleta, plans minimal renovations — mainly fresh paint and a few repairs.
The fast-casual concept sidesteps costly kitchen renovations by using the space as a commissary while food trucks handle meal preparation.
Patrons will order inside, with food prepared in trucks but served indoors.
Airport properties manager John Feldhans welcomed the development.
“We’re really excited to see that old building brought back to life,” he said.
The Goleta Spot will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and Schroeder said live music could be added eventually.
5. Santa Barbara Unified School District Moving Forward with Housing for Teachers
The Santa Barbara Unified School District plans to tackle teacher retention by developing affordable housing at two South Coast locations, with plans for 136 total units specifically for educators and staff.,
As our Josh Molina reported, the district’s partnership with Irvine-based Red Tail Acquisitions will create 106 units at the four-acre Tatum property near San Marcos Growers, at 125 S. San Marcos Road in the eastern Goleta Valley.
A second project will add 30 units at the former Parma School campus at 915 E. Montecito St., across from Trader Joe’s on Santa Barbara’s Lower Eastside.
“Reducing the cost of housing is one of the most effective ways to recruit and retain employees,” school board president Gabe Escobedo said.
“These units can make a real, tangible difference for employees and families.”
Both projects will be managed by the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, with some Tatum units reserved for veterans.
SBUSD expects to close the $17 million Tatum property sale within two weeks, using proceeds to help fund development at the National Guard Armory site the district owns at 700 E. Canon Perdido, between Santa Barbara High and Santa Barbara Junior High schools.
With approximately 63% of district employees qualifying as low to moderate income, the need is substantial.
“High housing costs is the No. 1 reason teachers don’t stay at the district,” Escobedo noted, evidently just now discovering a truth every employer in town has known for years.
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Good Reads
Check out these six stories before you go:
» Teen Victim of Goleta Stabbing Dies; Deputies Searching for Assailant — Editor in chief Tom Bolton is doggedly pursuing details in the April 30 fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old boy across Turnpike Road from San Marcos High School.
» CHP Says DUI Suspected in Highway 154 Collision — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway has disturbing news about an early morning, May 1 injury crash on Highway 154 in the Santa Barbara foothills.
» Santa Barbara Floats Plan to Require Insurance for Harbor’s Boat Owners — After all the work above, South County editor Josh Molina still wasn’t ready to go down with the ship. So he went down to the Santa Barbara Harbor for a possible insurance boat ride.
» Firefly Rocket Launch Failure Puts Satellite in Ocean, Not Orbit — North County editor Janene Scully’s headline says it all.
» Zach Rissel: Buzzing with Opportunity, Minnesota Beekeepers Bring Hives to Local Groves — Columnist Zach Rissel goes bee-hind the scenes for a little-known tale of Midwestern honey bees doing pollination work in South Coast avocado groves.
» Mark Patton: Home Plate Is Where the Heart Is for Carpinteria High Baseball’s Charlotte Cooney — Sports columnist Mark Patton has another fantastic all-in-the-family feature about three generations of Carpinteria Warriors.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? County Supervisors Set to Vote on Rezoning Ag Land to Build Thousands of Housing Units.
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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.
- May 28 — My favorite topic, Noozhawk, is on the agenda for my appearance at the Rotary Club of the Santa Ynez Valley.
- May 30 — I’ll be back at Mountain View School in Goleta for the annual sixth-grade exit interviews. Over the past 20 years, I think I’ve only missed one or two of these chats with exceptional young students before they head off to junior high school.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
HT to Best of Bill reader Tom Voehl for this monster story: Giant Wave in Pacific Ocean Was Most Extreme ‘Rogue Wave’ on Record.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Back to My Blue Heaven in my Instagram feed this past week. Go @dodgers!
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Watch It
Ignore the narration and just enjoy the endless loop of toddler entertainment. The dog sure did. HT to Best of Bill reader Sarah Wilkinson.
