For nearly 18 years, Noozhawk has been Santa Barbara County’s reliable, independent source for professionally reported and edited local news — built by and for the community we serve.
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Thank you, too, for another strong week of traffic, with our WordPress analytics recording an audience of 153,844 readers over the last seven days.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories that our Google Analytics says you were reading over that period.
Just remember that this is my opinion column, not a news story, and I am Noozhawk’s publisher, not a reporter.
1. Death at the Dorm: UCSB Student Liz Hamel’s Fall Mired in Mystery
The circumstances surrounding UC Santa Barbara freshman Liz Hamel’s February death remain largely unexplained two months after her Valentine’s Day fall from a campus dormitory.
As our Josh Molina reported in a Noozhawk exclusive, the 18-year-old from Bellevue, Washington, was last seen leaving an Isla Vista restaurant at 10:06 p.m. with an unidentified young man.
Twenty minutes later, she was found unconscious on the sidewalk below a breezeway at the San Rafael Residence Hall.
Hamel was rushed by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and died six days later, on Feb. 20.
UCSB officials, campus police and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department have released almost no information about the ongoing investigation. UCSB didn’t even issue a campus safety alert following the incident.
“All we know is she left with a boy,” said Alain Hamel, Liz’s heartbroken father.
“Falling over a breezeway at her height, it is not something that seems to happen naturally.”
Friends remember Hamel as perpetually joyful and engaging.
“Her smile brightens every room she walks into,” said Bria McGahan, who met her on move-in weekend in September and formed an instant connection.
The two girls lived next door to each other at San Miguel Residence Hall and successfully pledged Pi Beta Phi sorority.
“She was always smiling,” Hamel’s roommate, Kate Berg, told Josh. “I never saw her down or upset. She made me laugh.
“Whether we were studying together or going to Starbucks together, it was always fun.”
Hamel’s final evening remains a mystery.
She left Lao Wang noodle bar in Isla Vista with an unidentified young man, accidentally leaving behind her iPhone and ID.
That created confusion when her mother, Hema Shanthi, who tracked her location, saw the phone still at the restaurant at midnight, then apparently back at her dorm in the morning — brought there by roommates who had found it.
No one has identified the man seen with Hamel in partial photos taken that fateful night, it’s not know if he has come forward and, as Josh noted, authorities aren’t talking.
Hamel’s parents had planned to visit Santa Barbara this month to celebrate their daughter’s 19th birthday. Instead, her dad delivered her eulogy.
“She was my daughter, my friend, my TV buddy, and my constant source of pride,” Alain Hamel said.
“I miss her with every breath.”
Rest in peace.
2. Santa Barbara Duplex Has Been Damaged by Vehicles 6 Times
For more than four decades, Gregg Petty’s duplex has stood as an unintentional testament to the dangers of a Westside Santa Barbara intersection.
As our Tom Bolton reported in another Noozhawk exclusive, the modest residence in the 600 block of West Canon Perdido at San Andres Street has earned an unwanted distinction as perhaps Santa Barbara’s most crash-prone home.
In the latest incident, on March 28, Santa Barbara police say a Ford Explorer driven by 32-year-old Leticia Abigail Castro barreled through the stop sign and crashed deep inside the single-story structure, severing a gas line on the way in.
“There have been six incidents of vehicles causing damage on the property,” said Petty, who has witnessed the cycle of destruction and repair repeatedly since he bought the place in 1979.
The March crash scene revealed the violent intrusion — household furnishings scattered among debris, walls buckled and the ceiling partially collapsed.
Only the residents’ fortuitous vacation prevented potential tragedy.
If the tenants had been home, Petty said, they likely would have been “sitting here watching television … and that vehicle would have killed them both.”
Their two cats were at home, but escaped injury.
Twelve years earlier, luck similarly intervened when a vehicle crashed into the same unit. A house-sitter had fortuitously changed plans, avoiding sleeping on a futon against the very wall the vehicle breached.
Four additional vehicles have ended up in the front yard over the decades, creating a grim history that has finally prompted City of Santa Barbara officials to act.
Brian D’Amour, acting director of the Public Works Department, told Tom that temporary barriers will soon be erected, with permanent bollards planned for summer installation.
“Rather than take the approach of, ‘Why didn’t they do it in the past?’” Petty reflected, “the approach is now, ‘I’ve got their attention, and they’re hopefully going to prevent a death.’”
The T-intersection, where southbound San Andres Street meets West Canon Perdido, creates a perfect location for wrecks.
Vehicles that fail to stop are funneled directly toward Petty’s property with virtually no room for course correction.
His duplex sits just feet from the street, protected only by a low wall that has repeatedly proven inadequate against cars and trucks traveling at high speed.
Castro was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after being treated for her injuries at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
District Attorney John Savrnoch said the case remains under review.
3. Fatality Reported in Collision on Modoc Road Near Santa Barbara
A three-vehicle collision on Modoc Road near Hope Ranch on April 17 left a 19-year-old Goleta man dead and an 87-year-old woman with major injuries.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. between tiny Via Senda and the La Cumbre Road overpass.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, the CHP said the teenage driver of a GMC Terrain was traveling east on Modoc when he crossed the double yellow lines and slammed into an oncoming Audi A4 sedan.
The SUV then sideswiped a Toyota Camry and overturned against a concrete barrier below the bridge.
The SUV driver, later identified by authorities as Edgar Rojas Reveles, was extricated from the wreckage and transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he died.
The Goleta octogenarian driving the Audi suffered major injuries and also was taken to Cottage Hospital.
The Camry driver, a 49-year-old woman from Mariposa, declined medical treatment at the scene.
Neither crash victim has been identified.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the wreck.
4. Fish and Wildlife Works to Capture Bear Roaming UCSB Campus, Goleta
A black bear that has become a social media sensation while roaming through Goleta and UCSB remains on the lam despite efforts by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and campus police to trap and relocate the animal.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported, UCSB issued an alert to the campus community regarding the planned capture operation.
By the morning of April 18, however, officials confirmed the bear had left campus. Still, they urged continued vigilance.
The bear’s journey has been extensively documented on social media, with residents spotting the animal in neighborhoods and around campus.
The morning of April 18, the bear was seen strolling east along More Mesa Beach west of Hope Ranch.
Wildlife officials advise anyone encountering the bear to appear large, wave their arms, and yell — but never run or attempt to feed the animal.
In a potentially related incident, a bear was struck and killed on Highway 101 near Summerland the night of April 22.
To answer the question everyone wants to know, wildlife officials have not confirmed if the dead bear was the same one seen around Goleta, six miles away.
California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Gutierrez said the bear was hit by a Range Rover. The driver and passengers were unhurt in the collision.
5. BizHawk: Ghirardelli Chocolate Company Coming to Downtown Santa Barbara
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, the renowned San Francisco chocolatier founded in 1852, will soon open a location in downtown Santa Barbara.
As our Josh Molina reported, Ghirardelli is headed to 509 State St., a space currently occupied by Pascucci Italian Restaurant.
“Residents are going to be excited to come downtown to have an amazing, truly unique experience at Ghirardelli,” gushed Mitch Stark, a commercial real estate broker for the building’s owner.
I don’t know how excited locals will be about braving downtown but I agree with the Ghirardelli allure. It might even get me downtown.
The company — famous for its decadent hot fudge sundaes, milkshakes and signature chocolate squares — operates some 20 stores nationwide, including in Santa Monica, San Diego and San Francisco.
Local architect Henry Lenny is designing the shop, although an opening date hasn’t been announced.
Pascucci is moving to 1230 State St., Suite A, next month.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories that are worth your time:
» Swimming in Lake Cachuma? Santa Barbara County Floats the Idea — Staff writer Daniel Green dives into a suggestion to expand recreational activities at Lake Cachuma.
» Tri-County Produce Purchased, Will Remain Open with New Housing Development — South County editor Josh Molina shares the good news that my wife can continue shopping at Tri-County Produce.
» Carrie Towbes and George Burtness Accept Honors at 82nd Person of the Year Awards — Contributing writer Ann Pieramici is on hand for the community’s celebration of Carrie Towbes and George Burtness, whose tireless volunteerism has continued a family tradition.
» Superior Court Judge Michael Carrozzo to Resign Amid Misconduct Allegations — North County editor Janene Scully introduces evidence of alleged brazen wrongdoing by Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Michael Carrozzo.
» Santa Maria Planning Commission OKs Revised Design for Sears Building — Janene writes about a far less controversial proposal for Santa Maria’s old Sears building than Santa Barbara’s old Sears building.
» Area 51, Santa Barbara’s ‘House Band,’ Keeps the Funk Flowing — Contributing writer Julia McHugh hits all the right notes with her feature on Area 51, one of Santa Barbara’s most enduring and popular bands.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Some things never change: Facing Financial Peril, Santa Barbara Looks to Charge ‘Pay-by-Plate’ Downtown Parking Fees.
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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
This is how little your California legislators think of you: Lawmakers Building Billion-Dollar Office Building Complete with Private Hallways.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Signs of the time, and crosses to bear, in my Instagram feed this past week.
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Watch It
Big pipe dreams can be crowded nightmares. But, boy, are they impressive to watch. HT to Best of Bill reader Trey Ruiz.
