As many of you know, Noozhawk has grown significantly over the last year, and our expanded team is now bursting at the seams at Noozhawk World HQ.
We need more space, specifically a couple of conference rooms as well as bullpens for our news and sales and marketing operations.
We’re just beginning to look around but if you have any leads or can help us find what we need, please let me know at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com. Thank you.
In the meantime, Noozhawk reached an audience of 131,231 readers this past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading during that period, based on our Google analytics.
This is my opinion column, not a news story, but I must warn you that it’s a very dark compilation this time. I wish it weren’t, but we don’t make the news; we report it.
1. Woman, 2 Pets Killed in Goleta Valley House Fire
An 89-year-old woman and two household pets died in a Goleta Valley house fire the afternoon of April 14.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, Santa Barbara County firefighters responded just after 2 p.m. to the 5000 block of Amberly Place, a cul de sac off Walnut Lane two blocks south of Hollister Avenue.
Fire Capt. Mike Gray said crews extinguished the fire in a front bedroom of the single-story house, but a resident and two of the family’s pets, a cat and a dog, were pronounced dead.
The victim was identified as Carolee Martin, and her great-grandson, Iceon Anderson, established a GoFundMe account to help the four-generation family find replacement housing.
“The shock and grief have been overwhelming, and now we’re facing the challenge of finding a new place to live,” Anderson wrote in a post.
“My grandma spent most of her time caring for my great-grandma and the pets, and this loss has left her heartbroken,” he added.
“We’re struggling to find a place that can accommodate our family and give us the stability we need to start healing.”
As of April 17, the campaign had raised nearly $1,400. Click here to make an online donation.
Funeral services for Martin are pending.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
2. Coroner Investigating Body Discovered on Santa Barbara Highway Off-Ramp
Authorities are investigating the death of a man whose body was found on a Highway 101 exit ramp at Milpas Street in Santa Barbara on April 13.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, California Highway Patrol officers and Santa Barbara firefighters were dispatched just after 10 a.m. after receiving a 9-1-1 call about a man lying near the northbound exit ramp.
CHP Sgt. Keith Rogers said officers arrived to find an approximately 44-year-old man who “displayed obvious signs of death.”
He said it was unclear how long the man had been lying there but there were no immediate indications of foul play.
His identity was not disclosed.
The Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the circumstances of the death.
3. Kratom Products Linked to Overdoses, Addiction in Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County Public Health officials are warning about the dangers of kratom, an unregulated and widely available substance linked to addiction, overdoses and, in some cases, death.
Often marketed as a natural supplement in teas, gummies or pills, kratom acts on the brain’s opioid receptors and can produce stimulant or sedative effects depending on the dose.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, public health leaders say its potency, inconsistent dosing and easy access — including online, in smoke shops and liquor stores, and even gas stations — make it particularly risky, especially for young people.
For one Santa Barbara family, those risks became painfully real.
Craig Abbey told Evelyn that his 22-year-old son first tried kratom tea to relieve wrist pain, then was introduced by a smoke shop employee to 7-hydroxymitragynine pills, a concentrated kratom byproduct.
The younger Abbey quickly developed a dependency.
Abbey said his son’s use escalated over time, eventually affecting his ability to attend classes.
“He just couldn’t keep up,” Abbey said.
After recognizing the addiction, his son entered a rehabilitation program but relapsed multiple times before nearing completion earlier this year.
“It was brutal,” Abbey said.
County officials say such cases are not isolated, although tracking usage is difficult because hospitals do not routinely test for kratom.
Authorities have increased their warnings and enforcement efforts, while urging the public to approach the products with caution.
Kratom can be dangerous when used with other drugs — such as alcohol or prescription pain medications — because the combination can cause severe respiratory depression.
Dr. Henning Ansorg, the county’s public health officer, said the blend “will make toxicity much, much worse.”
He added that varying doses make for more “significant risks.”
“The dose that you buy is completely unknown,” he said. “… (People) need to be very, very cautious of these products.”
Abbey said he hopes sharing his family’s experience will raise awareness about what he calls a “very potent” and misunderstood drug.
“Nobody seems to know how dangerous this stuff is,” he said.
4. Woman Killed, Toddler Injured in Crash on Highway 166 East of Santa Maria
A rollover wreck on Highway 166 east of Santa Maria killed the woman driver and put a 3-year-old in the hospital the evening of April 14.
As our Tom Bolton reported, Santa Barbara County firefighters responded around 6:45 p.m. to the crash scene near Rinconada Ranch, about 25 miles east of Santa Maria.
Fire Capt. Mike Gray said crews arrived to find a Ford Fusion about 20 feet off the roadway. The car had overturned at least once but ended up on its wheels down an embankment.
The driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her lone passenger, an injured toddler, was taken by a county ambulance to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria. The child’s name and medical condition were not available, nor was the relationship with the driver.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances of the crash.
The night before, on April 13, two big rigs slammed into each other on the highway near Pine Canyon, about 20 miles east of Santa Maria.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, both drivers suffered minor injuries in the 9:45 p.m. collision and were transported to Marian Regional Medical Center for treatment.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of that wreck, too.
5. County Supervisors Will Consider $70 Million in Budget Cuts
Santa Barbara County officials opened a week of budget workshops with a stark message: prepare for deeper deficits while preserving core services.
As our Giana Magnoli, Nick Forselles and Daniel Green reported in team coverage of the workshops, retiring County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato proposed a $1.64 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
That figure is 2.9% less than the 2025-2026 budget and is anchored by roughly $70 million in cuts driven by declining state and federal funding.
Much of the reduction targets health and social services, where hundreds of positions could be eliminated, raising concerns about slower response times, reduced specialty care and fewer safety-net resources.
Department leaders described a difficult balancing act between maintaining essential programs and restructuring for long-term stability.
Led by Sheriff Bill Brown, public safety agencies warned of reduced patrols and growing caseloads, while Public Works and Community Services department heads highlighted infrastructure backlogs and expiring grants.
The Board of Supervisors is using the workshops to weigh trade-offs, consider restoration requests and gather public input before adopting a final budget in June.
The workshops resume at 9 a.m. April 17 at the County Administration Building, 105 E. Anapamu St. in Santa Barbara.
Click here for the workshops schedule, and click here for budget materials.
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Good Reads
Here are six other stories you should read:
» Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse Will Not Seek Re-Election — Executive editor Giana Magnoli and staff writer Rebecca Caraway team up to cover a surprise announcement from Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse.
» Four Supervisors Back Challenger in County’s Auditor-Controller Race — Staff writer Daniel Green is finding all kinds of intrigue at the highest levels of Santa Barbara County’s elected leadership.
» Solo-Vehicle Crash Kills Santa Ynez Woman on Figueroa Mountain Road — North County editor Janene Scully follows up on a Figueroa Mountain Road wreck that killed a 32-year-old Santa Ynez resident.
» Santa Barbara Reduces Review for Single-Family Home Projects — I was stunned when I read Rebecca’s report that the City of Santa Barbara had actually taken one very small step toward regulatory relief.
» Space Force Selects Blue Origin for Super-Heavy Launch Site at Vandenberg Base — Janene has the latest rocket news from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
» Five Santa Barbara High Student-Athletes Sign to Play at Collegiate Level — Sports editor Diego Sandoval is on hand as five Santa Barbara High School football and baseball stars make their college commitments.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Visas Revoked for 10 UCSB International Students, Grads.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Say Cheese: 102 Years Ago, a California Teenager Changed American Food History.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed encompasses the high-end Hotel Californian and the Allan Hancock College Rodeo Team. I’m at home in both places.
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Watch It
When I was a kid, my family spent a couple of summers on North Carolina’s windswept Outer Banks, where the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island captured my imagination. After a centuries-old search, the enduring mystery may have finally been solved.
