I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to a rain-free weekend — especially with temperatures in the upper 60s.
Not that I’m complaining about the recent storms that clobbered Santa Barbara County’s South Coast. We need the water and, as I always say, drama and inconvenience are good for Noozhawk’s traffic.
It’s the nature of news.
According to our WordPress analytics, that drama and inconvenience added up to an audience of 172,672 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top Five stories you were reading during that period, along with some insight 0n how our professional journalists cover our community.
This is my opinion column, by the way. It is not a news story.
1. Woman’s Body Discovered in Storm-Swollen Mission Creek in Santa Barbara
As the Feb. 19 storm began moving out of Santa Barbara, a dead woman was discovered wedged against a tree along Mission Creek near downtown.
Our Tom Bolton reported that the woman was found around 9 a.m. near the West Cota Street bridge at Bath Street.
Santa Barbara fire Chief Chris Mailes told Tom that a CBS news crew spotted the body while covering the storm.
The woman was mostly unclothed and had no identification.
“It’s going to be a while before we figure out who she was and how she died,” police Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale said.
Although “foul play is not suspected at this time,” he described the situation as an active investigation.
In addition to the woman’s identity, authorities were trying to determine how and where she came to be in the creek.
Mailes said the creek level already had receded about 3 feet from its peak by the time her body was discovered.
Tragically, hers was not the only creek-related death from the storm.
The next morning, the body of an 86-year-old Goleta Valley man was found in Maria Ygnacio Creek not far from the Foothill School campus south of Cathedral Oaks Road.
The man — later identified as Dr. Peter Miller, a retired orthodontist and longtime local avocado rancher — was reported missing by his family the night before.
Santa Barbara County sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick told Tom that Miller’s abandoned Nissan Frontier pickup truck was discovered that night stuck in the creek crossing in the 5000 block of Via Alba, off Via Campobello west of North San Marcos Road.
“When deputies arrived, they found Miller’s pickup truck swept 90 degrees on the roadway, parallel with the current of Maria Ygnacio Creek,” she said.
A sheriff’s K-9 team, county firefighters and Search & Rescue Team members immediately began looking for Miller but were unable to locate him.
The search resumed Feb. 20, and Zick said Miller’s body was found around 9 a.m. in the creek between Ribera Drive and Poinsettia Way, about a half-mile downstream from the truck.
“The cause and manner of death are pending further investigation,” she said, “and could take up to eight weeks.”
In a news release, the Sheriff’s Department had described Miller as an “at-risk missing man” who had “mobility issues.” We duly cited those descriptions, with attribution, which prompted some scolding from several of Miller’s justifiably distraught and grieving friends.
I understand the objections, but readers should know that Noozhawk’s responsibility is to report the facts that we can corroborate. In this case, that is all that authorities were telling us.
Of course, the fullness of any human being’s life should not be measured solely against his or her final moments. We are happy to do a follow up story on Miller if his family wishes to reach out, and I will remind readers that we publish obituaries for free as a community service.
Funeral services are pending.
The two deaths followed the Feb. 14 discovery of a dead man in Toro Canyon Creek near Summerland.
Sheriff’s detectives are investigating that death as “suspicious,” but have released no further information about the case.
2. See Photos and Videos From the Santa Barbara Storm
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but two words — thank you — are due to Noozhawk’s small army of photographers who covered the latest storm from all angles.
We’re grateful to Noozhawks Ryan Cullom, Ray Ford and Peter Hartmann and readers Daniel Bollag and Timmy Bolton for sharing their photos with us.
3. Santa Barbara Makes Changes to Its Sidewalk Vendor Ordinance
The Santa Barbara City Council has approved amendments to the city’s sidewalk vendor ordinance aimed at compliance with state law and ensuring safety.
Our Josh Molina reported the details in one of only two nonstorm stories in the Top 10 most-read stories of the week.
The changes include mandating that street and sidewalk vendors possess valid California government identification. They also clarify that owner permission is required for vending on private property.
Unlicensed vendors risk impoundment of their equipment, to be reclaimed within 60 days or forfeited to the City of Santa Barbara.
Assistant City Attorney John Doimas said the changes are intended to refine the ordinance, initially adopted in 2022 but enforced only recently after identifying necessary adjustments.
City Councilman Oscar Gutierrez stressed the importance of supporting street vending as a pathway to economic opportunity and cultural enrichment.
“It’s a good stepping stone for people to move up and be able to open a conventional, stable business,” he said.
“It is cultural. There are cultures all over the world where street vending is the norm.”
Doimas noted there are 18 licensed vendors operating in the city, but Gutierrez said there are far more people vending without a license.
4. Storms Bring Down Iconic Palm Trees at Refugio State Beach
For decades, Refugio State Beach has been known almost as much for the stately palm trees that lined the water’s edge as for its stunning Pacific Ocean views.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, however, beach erosion from a relentless series of February storms has toppled several of the century-old palms at the famed beachhead on the Gaviota coast, 14 miles west of Goleta.
Dena Bellman of the State Parks Channel Coast District said the park is closed temporarily due to flooding, high waves and even a sinkhole.
“We’ve been so lucky in the last few years with less damage in Refugio and more in other areas, but this year it kind of flip-flopped,” she lamented.
Bellman said tree inspectors, historians and archaeologists are assessing the palms while trying to come up with “an appropriate plan on how to approach keeping the historic aesthetic of Refugio while trying to deal with it.”
5. Flooding, Power Outages Reported After Heavy Rain
This actually was the 10th most-read story of the week, but the three storm stories ahead of it were all previews of the advancing downpour so I’m giving our Giana Magnoli wrap-up privileges.
The latest storm arrived the afternoon of Feb. 18, bringing widespread flooding, rock slides and road closures before it moved on about 24 hours later.
Several hundred Southern California Edison customers lost power after two transformers blew in Santa Barbara, and falling trees brought down electrical lines in Carpinteria and Montecito.
Downed power lines briefly trapped a woman driving on Sycamore Canyon Road in Montecito, but first responders were able to send her safely on her way.
The heavy rain and saturated ground combined to raise South Coast creeks to dangerous levels, with heart-rending consequences as you’ve already read about.
According to the county Public Works Department’s rain monitors, Goleta, Santa Barbara and Montecito recorded 3-6 inches of rainfall.
Significantly higher amounts were logged in the mountains, with 8.6 inches on San Marcos Pass, 7.3 inches on La Cumbre Peak, 6.8 inches at the top of Tecolote Canyon west of Goleta, and 5.9 inches in Montecito’s Upper Romero Canyon.
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Good Reads
Here are six more must-read stories before you go:
» Barn Owl Tangled in Fishing Line Now Recovering After Dramatic Rescue in Goleta — Contributing writer Karin Hill wings it with a feel-good story that we can all use.
» After Multiday Search, Overdue Backpacker Found Safe in Santa Barbara Backcountry — Editor in chief Tom Bolton has another happy ending, this time with a tale from the trail(s).
» One Man Killed, 3 Injured in Vehicle Crash on Highway 1 in Lompoc Valley — North County editor Janene Scully delivers the details on another horrific crash at a notorious intersection north of Vandenberg Village.
» 500,000-Gallon Sewage Spill Leads to Water-Contact Closure at Goleta Beach — Tom mops up an unfortunate story at Goleta Beach Park.
» Santa Barbara’s Biltmore Hotel Sets Partial Reopening for End of May — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway checks into what has been the truly strangest business story.
» David Bolton: On 200th Anniversary, Reflections on 1824 Chumash Revolt Reveal Scale of Historic Breaking Point — My friend, David Bolton, reaches way back in history to the 1824 Chumash Revolt, a Santa Barbara County uprising that was the biggest and one of the most impactful rebellions in the California missions era.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? SpaceX Sends 51 Starlink Satellites into Orbit at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Some people will go to great depths for a brilliant photo: Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 Winners.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed was #toughenoughtowearpink this past week, along with some #mailboxesofmontecito2024 and a sleepy @sadiethealaskanmalamute.
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Watch It
What on Google Earth?! Even for the ancients, it was all about location, location, location. HT to Best of Bill reader Cameron Collins.
