I was riding on the Washington Huskies dog sled all season long, hoping the Pac-12 “Conference of Champions” would go out on top before its teams scatter to the four winds.
In the end, the Huskies — whose mascot, Dubs, actually is an Alaskan malamute, thank you very much — got clobbered by Michigan, but Houston has always been good for cheaters.
With football in my rearview mirror and baseball yet to start, at least it’s always Noozhawk season around here.
We piled up an audience of 150,555 readers this past week, according to our WordPress analytics. What follows is my recap of the Top Five stories you were reading during that period.
In case you’re new to these Best of Bill accounts, this is my opinion column. It is not a news story.
1. Joe’s Café, Community Mourn Deaths of Two Longtime Employees
In a shocking turn of events, the Christmas Day deaths of two popular employees of Joe’s Café in Santa Barbara have left colleagues and longtime customers reeling.
Alfredo Arroyo, a 62-year-old bartender — as well as the general manager of the Crocodile Restaurant & Bar at Santa Barbara’s Lemon Tree Inn and a 39-year employee of the old Café Del Sol — and 66-year-old server Kim Avakian both died Dec. 25.
As our Serena Guentz reported, Arroyo suffered a massive heart attack in November and was recovering at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles when he died of complications from emergency surgeries.
A GoFundMe account was established to help his family with medical and funeral expenses.
“Alfredo was a man who was full of life and endless love for all,” family friend Marcie Martinez wrote in a post announcing his death.
“His courage through this entire battle to survive is a testament to his character. He was a man who was gracious, gave without question, and invited all to feel welcomed and loved.”
In his final hours, she added, he was “still sharing words of wisdom, encouragement and reassurance of his devoted faith and love for his family.”
Arroyo is survived by his wife of 40 years, Adriana; children Ivan, Jessica and Eric; and grandchildren Quinn and Nico.
A funeral was held Jan. 10 at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Goleta.
As of Jan. 12, Arroyo’s GoFundMe account had raised nearly $132,000. Click here to make an online donation.
Avakian died unexpectedly on the same day.
A friend, Courtney Drazich, described Avakian as having “a big personality, and an even bigger heart.”
“Kim was well loved by many who knew her,” she said. “She worked at Joe’s Café … for over 20 years and created longtime friendships with many of the restaurant’s regular customers and staff.”
Avakian is survived by her daughter, Mikyla, and two grandchildren. Her funeral was held Jan. 5 at Santa Barbara Cemetery.
A GoFundMe account established to assist her family with funeral expenses had raised nearly $5,000 as of Jan. 12. Click here to make an online donation.
2. Santa Barbara Man Identified as Victim in New Year’s Day Fall From Utility Pole
The Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau has identified the man who took a fatal fall from a Santa Barbara utility pole early on New Year’s Day as 30-year-old Faris Sanjakdar.
County fire Capt. Scott Safechuck told our Rebecca Caraway that Sanjakdar plunged as he was attempting to cross — for whatever reason — from a tree to the utility pole in the 2600 block of Puesta del Sol in Mission Canyon.
Emergency personnel who responded to the 1:40 a.m. call near the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History suggested Sanjakdar may have been under the influence at a party.
He was transported by an American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he succumbed to massive head trauma injuries.
The Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the circumstances of Sanjakdar’s death.
Sanjakdar was a project engineer for the City of Santa Barbara Public Works Department.
Friends have established a GoFundMe account and as of Jan. 12, the site had raised more than $12,700. Click here to make an online donation.
3. Montecito Resident Arrested After Strong-Arm Robbery at Business
A Montecito man, suspected in a Jan. 5 strong-arm robbery on Coast Village Road, found no refuge from Santa Barbara police after trying to hide in the Butterfly Lane pedestrian undercrossing under Highway 101.
Lt. Benjamin Ahrens told our Janene Scully that an employee at a business in the 1000 block of Coast Village Road called 9-1-1 to report an assault around 7 p.m.
The victim was not injured but multiple officers responded to the scene, quickly fanning out to search for the suspect.
Ahrens said a man matching the alleged perpetrator’s description was discovered in the tunnel off Coast Village Circle and apprehended with the assistance of a K-9 team.
He identified the suspect as 28-year-old Raider Damron, who is facing charges of robbery and resisting arrest.
As of Jan. 12, Damron remained in County Jail with bail set at $100,000.
4. Bankruptcy Trustee Calls Santa Barbara News-Press Building Transfers a ‘Sham’
Is anyone else as surprised as I am that a federal bankruptcy trustee smells something fishy in the whole Santa Barbara News-Press debacle? No? Really?!
As our Josh Molina reported, U.S. Bankruptcy Court trustee Jerry Namba filed a complaint against the now-defunct News-Press’ parent company, Ampersand Publishing LLC, alleging that owner Wendy McCaw’s 2014 property transfers were a “sham” to avoid paying debts, to defraud creditors and to hinder former employee payouts.
The complaint targets the News-Press building at 715 Anacapa St. in downtown Santa Barbara, the parking lot across the street, and the Goleta printing plant at 725 S. Kellogg Ave.
Namba seeks turnover of the assets for potential sale to settle debts exceeding $5.13 million owed to former employees and creditors, along with approximately $135,000 owed to the IRS in unpaid wage withholding taxes after McCaw pulled the plug last year.
According to Santa Barbara County Assessor’s Office records, the three properties were assessed at around $30 million in 2023.
In what seems like a salient point, Ampersand is accused of not charging rent to the News-Press while charging rent to third-party entities.
Namba’s complaint also calls out Ampersand’s refusal to grant access to the buildings for assessment of potential assets.
Among those assets are the newspaper’s archives, which is what the community seems most concerned about now that it’s come to grips with the fact that McCaw — a Hope Ranch billionaire “philanthropist” and “preservationist” — took Santa Barbara’s 155-year-old chronicle of our heritage and history and ran it into the ground.
Ampersand Publishing’s bankruptcy attorney did not respond to Josh’s requests for comment.
5. Southbound Highway 101 Shut Down After Fatal Crash on Gaviota Coast
A fatal two-vehicle collision on Highway 101 west of Goleta early on Jan. 5 shut down the southbound lanes for nearly 12 hours and led to additional crashes among traffic detoured to Highways 246 and 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley.
As our Janene Scully reported, a flatbed semi-truck and a pickup truck collided just before 3 a.m. near Dos Pueblos Canyon Road on the Gaviota coast.
The big rig tipped over on its side in the wreck, and the demolished pickup truck erupted in flames.
Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said the pickup’s driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
The big-rig driver suffered minor injuries in the collision but declined to be taken to a hospital.
No identities were released and additional details were not available.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances of the wreck.
While Highway 101 was closed, southbound traffic was rerouted to Highways 246 and Highway 154 through the Santa Ynez Valley.
Multiple crashes were reported, including a three-vehicle injury collision just west of Solvang.
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Good Reads
Check out these six stories stories before you go:
» Isla Vista Co-op Takes Over Cantwell’s as Part of Transformation of Santa Barbara Corner — South County editor Josh Molina reveals an intriguing development for two of the South Coast’s grocery gems.
» Maryan Strathy Schall of Santa Barbara, 1930-2024 — Maryan Schall and her late husband, Dick, were two of Santa Barbara County’s most gracious, kindest and inspirational community leaders. Rest in peace.
» 80-Year-Old Carpinteria Man Identified as Bicyclist Killed in Vehicle Collision — Staff writer Serena Guentz reports on a tragic collision in Carpinteria.
» Montecito Honors 23 Victims and the ‘Resilience That Binds Us’ Six Years After Deadly Debris Flow — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway is on hand for a solemn anniversary in Montecito.
» Iconic Buellton Eatery Pea Soup Andersen’s Closes Months Shy of 100th Anniversary — North County editor Janene Scully serves up the last of Andersen’s roadside sign-famous pea soup.
» Mark Patton: Luke Zuffelato and Family Give Santa Barbara High a Sporting Chance — Sports columnist Mark Patton catches up with the Zuffelato family’s latest dynamic duo.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Lake Cachuma Expected to Fill and Spill in Wake of Major Storms.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
There’s a sinking feeling at Point Reyes: World-Famous California ‘Shipwreck’ Is a Social Media Star, But Time Is Running Out.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed was all over the map this past week, with some sensational views, too.
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Watch It
Let’s go back to Mavericks for another swell video of last month’s monster waves in Half Moon Bay.
