The 2026 Winter Olympics ended with a record haul of 12 gold medals for Team USA.
Just on the last weekend, last weekend, Mikaela Shiffrin won the women’s slalom in alpine skiing, Elana Meyers Taylor won the women’s monobob, Alysa Liu won the women’s figure skating singles and Alex Ferreira won the men’s halfpipe in freestyle skiing.
And then there were the men’s and women’s hockey teams that capped the gold rush by beating the best in the world to be the best in the world.
Their gutsy, grinding, selfless performances also ignited a wave of American pride that has yet to subside.
It’s never going to get old for me.
But it is baseball season so I’m expecting the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers to pull a three-peat. Not that I’m greedy.
Closer to home, Noozhawk drew an audience of 160,536 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, as compiled by our Google Analytics.
This is my opinion column, by the way. It is not a news story.
1. Man Killed in Shooting on Santa Barbara’s Westside
A 29-year-old Santa Barbara man who had been facing felony charges in a 2025 downtown stabbing was shot and killed early on Feb. 20 at a Westside park.
As our Tom Bolton reported, Santa Barbara police were dispatched at 1:31 a.m. to Bohnett Park, at 1200 San Pascual St., where they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound.
First responders administered treatment at the scene before the man was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he died.
On Feb. 23, the Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau confirmed the man’s identity as Luis Gerardo “Louie” Terrazas.
No arrests have been made, and police have not said whether they believe the shooting was gang-related.
I just can’t imagine that it would be as several city officials have insisted to me that Santa Barbara “doesn’t have a gang problem” — although Bohnett Park neighbors say otherwise.
District Attorney John Savrnoch previously confirmed that Terrazas was one of three men charged in the Aug. 1, 2025, stabbing death of 30-year-old Michael Hartley outside a downtown State Street bar.
Two other people were stabbed in the fight.
The District Attorney’s Office at first charged 30-year-old Sergio Rivas and 28-year-old Juan Fernando Rios with Hartley’s murder, along with charges of personally using a knife and committing the murder to benefit a criminal street gang.
Terrazas was originally charged with attempted murder of Rivas and allegations of personally using a knife and committing the crime to benefit a criminal street gang.
However, on Sept. 3, the DA’s Office announced it had dropped the murder and gang-related allegations.
Terrazas had been released on $150,000 bail and was due back in court March 9 for a preliminary hearing on the amended charges: felony assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury and personally using a deadly weapon.
Meanwhile, back at the park, a makeshift memorial of flowers and candles was erected at the main entrance, which is just 50 yards from the Westside Boys & Girls Club.
In a post on a GoFundMe account established to assist Terrazas’ family with expenses, he was described as having “a big heart and a presence that made people feel safe, supported and valued.”
“If you knew Louie, you knew how deeply he cared for those around him,” wrote Annette Salazar, the organizer.
Funeral services are pending for Terrazas, who is survived by his son, his mother and several siblings.
As of Feb. 27, the GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $19,000. Click here to make an online donation.
A car wash fundraiser also is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 1 at 1502 San Andres St.
2. ICE Agents Detain Man Accused of Vandalizing Vehicle, Pepper Spray Local Attorney
A confrontation between protesters and U.S. immigration officers unfolded Feb. 20 in downtown Santa Barbara, beginning with a disputed arrest after a tire was slashed on a federal vehicle and escalating into the now-routine chaos captured on multiple videos.
As our Pricila Flores initially reported, protesters with the immigrant activist group SB Resiste insisted that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers grabbed, tackled and detained an innocent man after he approached their parked car in the 100 block of East Carrillo Street in downtown Santa Barbara.
“I thought he was taking a photo of the license plate or something, and when the federal agents noticed him doing that, they grabbed him,” Pedro Quito told Pricila.
Chelsea Lancaster, another protester, had a different angle.
“There is no way,” she said. “He was near the front of the car, he wasn’t even at the tail where the car got a flat tire.”
But in a continuously updated story as Pricila reviewed more accounts of the incident, she came across a video published by the Santa Barbara Independent that contradicts protesters’ claims.
In that video, the man runs up to the car and appears to do something to the right rear tire moments before it was discovered slashed.
The two officers chased down the man — later identified by his parents as 26-year-old Jack Randmaa of Santa Barbara — and placed him in a headlock as they attempted to handcuff him.
While the officers and suspect struggle on the ground amid a cacophony of f-bombs and whistles from a crowd of cellphone-wielding protesters, video shows local defense attorney Doug Hayes approach, loudly challenging the officers’ actions.
In the videos, Hayes then reaches down and takes the detained man’s backpack before one of the officers snatches it back. Hayes then leans over the three men, twice grabbing an officer before the officer pepper-sprays him and throws him to the ground.
After taking Randmaa into custody, the officers drove their car with the flat tire to the nearby Santa Barbara police station seeking assistance.
They were followed there by protesters who gathered outside as Randmaa was transferred to another ICE vehicle.
In a statement emailed to Pricila, SBPD said “Santa Barbara police officers were present at this time, and provided for public safety by creating a safe place for the community members to exercise their First Amendment rights, without interfering with the ICE agents.”
As usual, ICE officials did not respond to Noozhawk’s request for comment.
I’ve noted before that the law is pretty clear. People have the right to protest and record law enforcement in public spaces, but it’s illegal under 18 U.S.C. § 111 of the U.S. Criminal Code to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate or interfere with federal law enforcement officers who are performing official duties.
Now I’ll add that under 18 U.S.C. § 1361, it is illegal to willfully injure, damage or commit depredation against property of the United States or any federal department or agency.
In a follow-up interview with Pricila, Hayes said he had filed a police report with SBPD about the incident and would be filing criminal and civil rights lawsuits against the two ICE officers.
“I am a criminal defense lawyer, and I know about crimes …,” he said. “What they did to me was a crime. It was an assault, and it was unnecessary.”
3. Carpinteria Woman Dies Suddenly, Leaving Behind Newborn Daughter
A 37-year-old Carpinteria mother died suddenly on Feb. 21, just three days after giving birth to a daughter.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, family members say Adriana Gallardo reportedly died of complications from a lung issue. No additional information was immediately available.
To make the tragedy so much more devastating, Gallardo, a single mom, gave birth to her first child on Feb. 18.
The infant, Isabella, is now being cared for by Gallardo’s parents, according to the family.
Funeral services are pending.
Gallardo’s sister, Monica, established a GoFundMe account to help cover funeral expenses and to support Isabella.
“My sister … was so excited about the arrival of her first daughter,” she said.
As of Feb. 27, the account had raised nearly $12,000. Click here to make an online donation.
4. Pickup Driver Killed in Crash in Mountains Above Goleta
Authorities are investigating a fatal crash discovered the night of Feb. 21 in the mountains above Goleta after an automated alert from a pickup truck signaled a possible wreck.
As our Tom Bolton reported, emergency crews were dispatched shortly after 9:30 p.m. to West Camino Cielo.
Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Mike Gray said firefighters and California Highway Patrol officers drove about seven miles beyond the end of the paved roadway before locating a 2025 Toyota Tacoma about 300 feet down a steep embankment.
The pickup truck was empty but, during a search of the surrounding rugged terrain, the contingent of responders located the body of a middle-aged man in dense vegetation.
A drone was used to confirm no additional victims were in the area.
The man’s identity has not been released pending notification of family.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the crash.
5. Bill Macfadyen: Community Still Waiting for Answers in Deaths of Kristen and Jay Ruskey
And we’re still waiting for the San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office to release autopsy and toxicology reports for Good Land Organics owners John “Jay” Ruskey and his wife, Kristen, who died under mysterious circumstances almost three weeks ago in Cambria.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
As of Feb. 27, a GoFundMe account established to help the Ruskeys’ children — 19-year-old daughter Kasurina and 16-year-old twin sons Aiden and Sean — had raised nearly $164,000. Click here to make an online donation.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories you should read:
» Police Arrest Santa Barbara Man, Juvenile in SBCC Stabbing — Executive editor Giana Magnoli reports on two arrests in the brazen Feb. 18 stabbing of a Santa Barbara City College student — in the heart of the campus.
» Two New Goleta Roundabouts Scheduled to Open on March 2 — Staff writer Pricila Flores circles back to the long-awaited Old Town Goleta roundabouts.
» Santa Maria Man Charged with DUI, Hit-Run After Fatal Crash — North County editor Janene Scully follows up on the deadly Feb. 21 hit-run crash in Santa Maria that killed a 46-year-old Nipomo woman.
» ‘We’re So Happy’: Santa Barbara Group Back in California After Being Stranded by Mexican Cartel Violence — Staff writer Daniel Green rolls out the welcome mat for former Santa Barbara City Councilman Gil Garcia and his wife, Martí, who were stuck in Mexico after narcoterrorist cartel violence erupted Feb. 22.
» County Adopts Stricter Food Vendor Rules, Forms Enforcement Task Force — Daniel has a menu of changes ahead for the illegal, unpermitted food vendors that set up shop all over Santa Barbara County.
» Santa Barbara’s Zach Anthony Fires No-Hitter in Win Over Hueneme — Sports editor Diego Sandoval leads off his high school baseball roundup with a no-no.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Hot Springs Trail in Montecito Turns Into Tour Bus Destination.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Bigger than hockey: Team USA Brings Johnny Gaudreau’s Kids into Team Photo in Heartfelt Tribute after Gold Medal Win.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed and I have been spending a lot of time in Santa Maria this past week.
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Watch It
Baseball season is finally back. Let’s start at the very beginning.
