April 9 was the first-ever Local News Day. At Noozhawk, we just call that Thursday.
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According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk reached 144,316 readers over the last week.
What follows is my take on the Top 5 stories you were reading during that period, based on our Google analytics.
This is not a news story, but my opinion column as Noozhawk’s publisher. Thanks for reading.
1. Family Seeks Answers After Isla Vista Man’s Death
Nearly two months after an Isla Vista man was found dead on a Santa Barbara beach, his family is still searching for answers about how he ended up in the water.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, the body of 53-year-old Ryan Quinn was discovered Feb. 24 at the base of the cliff east of the Mesa Lane Steps, near the 1800 block of El Camino de la Luz.
The Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau ruled the cause of death as drowning, but investigators have not determined whether it was accidental or intentional.
Santa Barbara police say the case remains under investigation.
Family members describe Quinn, who lived alone in Isla Vista, as kind, resilient and not suicidal, noting he had recently been approved for Social Security disability benefits and was optimistic about the future.
Abraham Phillips told Evelyn his older half-brother was “just a sweetheart. Not a bad bone in his body. Always super positive.”
He “never complained about anything and just made the best of what he had,” Phillips added.
Quinn, a Santa Barbara High School graduate who studied visual arts at UC San Diego and San Diego State University, worked and taught in film, animation and photography.
He was a producer of Fresh Frames, an independent television program at Santa Barbara City College, and his family said he recently had been working on a project with a UC Santa Barbara student.
Relatives say Quinn avoided the beach and Phillips is asking anyone with information to contact the family at 805.881.3599.
2. Emergency Personnel Rescue Snake-Bit Hiker Off Cold Spring Trail Above Montecito
An injured hiker was airlifted to the hospital on April 6 after suffering a suspected rattlesnake bite on a trail in the Montecito foothills.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, Montecito Fire Protection District and Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue personnel were dispatched just before 11 a.m. to the Ridge Trail in Los Padres National Forest, about 1½ miles from the Cold Springs Trailhead.
The crews reached the female hiker on foot and she was flown to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital by the sheriff’s Air Support Unit Copter 308.
Authorities could not confirm the type of snake, but said the woman was treated based on symptoms consistent with a rattlesnake bite.
Her identity and medical condition were not disclosed.
As the weather heats up, so does rattlesnake activity. A Search & Rescue team member urged hikers not to stray from trails, avoid brush and keep a safe distance from wildlife.
3. Late-Season Storm Could Bring Rain, Thunderstorms to Santa Barbara County
A surprising late-season storm is headed to Santa Barbara County, with forecasters warning of heavy downpours and possible thunderstorms this weekend.
As our Nick Forselles reported, National Weather Service officials say the first system is expected to arrive the afternoon of April 10 and continue into the next morning, followed by a second wave on April 12 that could linger another day.
Forecasters say there may be breaks between the two systems, but periods of heavier rain, thunderstorms, localized downpours, hail and heavy winds are possible.
Rainfall totals are expected to range from about a half-inch to 1½ inches, with higher amounts likely in mountain and foothill areas.
Meteorologists are confident in the timing of the first storm but say uncertainty remains around the second one, which could shift rain intensity depending on its track.
4. Goleta Man Jailed for Allegedly Trying to Kill Ex-Girlfriend’s Boyfriend
Remember the apparently unsuccessful Goleta manhunt I wrote about in my March 27 Best of Bill column?
Well, there was a whole lot more to the story than the scant information the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department shared with the public that night.
As our Tom Bolton reported, authorities eventually caught up with that suspect, who was arrested and charged in a violent March 25 stabbing that left a man seriously wounded.
According to sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick, 39-year-old Jorge Luis Jijoni-Lagara was arrested April 2 following an intensive search tied to the attack.
Deputies initially responded around 7:30 p.m. March 25 to a report of an intruder fleeing a residence in the 1100 block of Via Regina, off North San Marcos Road in the Goleta foothills.
Upon arrival, Zick said, deputies found a man suffering from multiple stab wounds.
The man, whose identity was not disclosed, received first aid at the scene before being transported by an American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
Authorities said he is expected to recover.
Investigators quickly identified Jijoni-Lagara, the ex-boyfriend of the victim’s girlfriend, as the suspect.
That search of the El Encanto Heights neighborhood where he reportedly lived turned up nothing.
On April 2, however, detectives served search and arrest warrants at a residence in another part of El Encanto Heights, the 200 block of Hillview Road near Evergreen Acres Park.
There, Zick said, they took Jijon-Lagara into custody without incident.
Jijoni-Lagara has been charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, stalking and child cruelty.
He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and is scheduled to return to Superior Court on April 14. Until then, he’s being held without bail in County Jail.
5. It’s Full Steam Ahead for New Daily Pacific Surfliner Commuter Train
South Coast commuters gobsmacked by California’s highest-in-the-nation gas prices will soon have expanded rail options as Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner adds a new daily round-trip service beginning May 4.
As our Nick Forselles reported, the yearlong pilot program will operate daily between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, with local stops in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc and Guadalupe.
The train will reach San Luis Obispo by midmorning and return to Los Angeles by early evening.
The added service increases the route to six daily trips to Goleta and three to San Luis Obispo.
The expansion is the result of a partnership between the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency and the Ventura County Transportation Commission.
Officials say the expansion will improve flexibility for commuters, particularly during peak travel times.
Taxpayer-subsidized fares — an old government gambit to get the public to do something it really doesn’t want to do — are aimed at luring in new riders, and SBCAG and the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce will host a Train to Work Employer Forum at 10 a.m. April 22 at the Hilton Garden Inn, 6878 Hollister Ave. in Goleta.
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Good Reads
Don’t miss these six stories:
» Montecito Collision Blocks Highway 101 Lanes, Third Time This Week — South County editor Evelyn Spence has been busy keeping track of the rash of crashes you probably were stuck in this past week.
» Property Owners Sue Santa Barbara Over Temporary Rent Freeze — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway is following a lawsuit filed by local property owners against the City of Santa Barbara’s rent freeze scheme.
» David L. Ortiz, Former Principal of La Colina Junior High in Santa Barbara, 1954-2026 — Former La Colina Junior High School Principal David Ortiz was an enormously popular educator but always a class act. I so enjoyed working with him through Santa Barbara Partners in Education. Rest in peace, and prayers to his family and friends.
» Supervisors Reject Tax Proposal for Richards Ranch Annexation to Santa Maria — Executive editor Giana Magnoli rounds up the tug of war over Richards Ranch.
» Former UCSB Student Convicted of Rape Seeking New Trial; Sentencing Delayed — Rebecca is still reporting on the never-ending ploys of convicted serial rapist Arian Eteghaei.
» UCSB Has a Cori Close Relationship to UCLA’s First NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship — Can I get an eight-clap for Cori Close, the brilliant architect of the UCLA Bruins’ dominating run to the national championship? Sports columnist Mark Patton catches up with the UC Santa Barbara alumna and women’s basketball coach of the year.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Thousands Blanket Downtown Santa Barbara, Beach to Protest Donald Trump, Elon Musk.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Now here’s a drive down Memory Lane: Customer Loyalty Was Once Measured in Green Stamps. And the More You Shopped, the Bigger the Rewards.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Easter, the @santamariaelksrodeo Queen Kickoff and a twilight @spacex launch are the highlights of my Instagram feed this past week.
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Watch It
Jo Adell may be a California Angel in the outfield, but he robbed the Seattle Mariners blind on April 4. This one’s for my friend, Chase McLaughlin, a diehard — i.e., long-suffering — Halos fan.
