March Madness may still be a thing, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have had a mind-boggling start to their season.
With a lineup loaded with selfless superstars led by the ubiquitous Mookie Betts, it’s the opening Dodger Nation has long dreamed of.
It’s also one that Dodger fans expect to continue all the way to a world championship seven months from now. No excuses this year.
Closer to home, Noozhawk plated an audience of 146,941 readers this past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading over the last seven days.
You should know by now that this is my opinion column. It is not a news story.
1. Highway 101 Flooding, Closures Snarl Traffic Through Montecito as Rain Hammers Region
An intense thunderstorm parked over Montecito the night of March 30, dumping almost two inches of rain in an hour.
Flooding shut down Highway 101 between Olive Mill and San Ysidro roads and inundated much of the neighborhood between North Jameson and San Leandro lanes.
Widespread localized flooding was reported throughout the community, including a major waterfall from the kitchen ceiling at one Coast Village Road restaurant.
To top it off, 2-3 inches of hail blanketed Ortega Hill in Summerland and much of eastern Montecito, lingering well into the next day.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning as the prolonged thunderstorm battered the area.
Roadway flooding halted freeway traffic in both directions for more than two hours, causing a miles-long backup radiating from the heart of Montecito’s Highway 101 widening project construction zone.
“Tonight’s storm is causing major impacts,” the Montecito Fire Protection District declared in a social media understatement, noting flooding, rocks, mud and debris on roads as well as downed power lines.
Montecito firefighters were assisted by crews from the Carpinteria-Summerland, Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County fire departments due to the high volume of emergency calls — 70 in all, including the rescues of eight people and a dog from submerged vehicles on the freeway.
One trapped driver was treated for hypothermia after being rescued near Sheffield Drive, Montecito Fire spokeswoman Christina Atchison said.
In all, the weather service said, 6.27 inches of rain drenched Montecito over four days.
“That amount of rainfall is not a normal occurrence in any of our storms we’ve seen throughout this rainfall period,” Fire Chief David Neels told our Rebecca Caraway.
He said the areas most significantly damaged from the storm were around Sheffield Drive, San Ysidro Creek, lower Butterfly Lane and Channel Drive.
2. Montecito Resident Describes Harrowing Surprise as Intense Storm Floods Home
Longtime Montecito resident Michael Clark experienced a wild night March 30 as fierce rain pummeled the area.
“This rain was more water and more intensity than we’ve ever experienced,” he told our Janene Scully, recounting the 45-minute downpour that swiftly overwhelmed his house on upper San Ysidro Road.
As a nearby seasonal creek swelled rapidly, water began pouring into Clark’s kitchen.
Despite efforts to fortify the property with sandbags, the torrential flow soon submerged the entire lower floor with more than a foot of water.
“It was scary,” Clark said, “We felt helpless to stop it.”
His son, Jon, bravely worked to reinforce the sandbag wall amid the deluge, feeling “like he was in the ocean,” Clark said.
Their efforts, combined with a lull in the rain, ultimately prevented further damage, but not before appliances were threatened and the lower level was inundated.
The unexpected fierceness caught Clark off-guard on his 65th birthday.
“We got the alert when pretty much all the damage was done,” the recently retired Montecito Water District employee lamented.
“I’m really glad I had the sandbag wall in between the creek and our place because that kind of saved us,” Clark added.
3. Santa Barbara County Pushes Forward with Plan to Clear Right-of-Way Obstructions Near Hot Springs Trail
Making good on threats it made several years ago, Santa Barbara County is taking action against Montecito homeowners who allegedly have placed landscaping obstructions in the public right-of-way near the popular Hot Springs Trailhead.
On March 18, the county posted letters demanding that 11 homeowners on East Mountain Drive and Riven Rock Road remove the obstructions within 10 days.
The notices stated that failure to comply could result in fines of $350 per day, an additional $500 penalty, and liability for the county’s expenses.
The notices were among the last acts of now-departed county Public Works Department director Scott McGolpin, who insisted to our Josh Molina that his retirement had nothing to do with it.
“We are just reinitiating the process that we started to get the right-of-way cleared of obstructions,” he said. “The county has authority to use the public right-of-way.”
The issue dates back more than two years to when the county ordered three homeowners to remove “unpermitted obstructions,” sparking a legal battle over parking and environmental concerns near the trailhead.
The site in the residential neighborhood has eight posted parking spaces on East Mountain Drive, about a quarter-mile west of Hot Springs Road.
The intention, McGolpin said, was to pick up “12 to 15 potential spots” for additional parking, although neighbors have good reason to believe the county’s goal is closer to 60.
Chris Sneddon, who was promoted to public works director after his longtime boss retired, expressed optimism about resolving the matter through permitting and removal processes.
“We’re in the process of meeting with owners and reviewing their submittals,” he said.
While there appears to be at least some communication between the county and neighbors at one end of the controversy, I’m not aware of any movement 1½ miles up the canyon at the other end of the public trail.
There, pools around the historic hot springs have been rebuilt illegally — without permits, environmental impact reports or any basic consideration for public health — and with no apparent repercussions from either the state or federal governments.
4. Hiker Airlifted to Safety after Being Stranded by Rising Santa Ynez River
A backpacker stranded by rising waters in the Santa Ynez River was airlifted to safety the morning of March 30, cold but unhurt.
As our Tom Bolton reported, the hiker arrived at the first Paradise Road river crossing in Los Padres National Forest around 8:30 a.m. to find that overnight rainfall had raised the river about a foot.
The depth made the river unfordable at the crossing, which is east of Lake Cachuma and about six miles northeast of Highway 154.
Santa Barbara County firefighters and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene, but determined that an air rescue was necessary.
Fire Engineer Mike Gray said the sheriff’s Air Support Unit Copter 308 responded and carried the man safely back to the other side of the river.
The man’s identity was not disclosed, but Gray said he was uninjured. No other details were available.
5. BizHawk: Indian Tandoori Kingdom Brings Signature Cuisine to Santa Barbara’s State Street
Downtown Santa Barbara’s restaurant scene has added more international flair with the opening of Indian Tandoori Kingdom.
Owner, chef and manager Lovepreet Singh was born in India and immigrated to the United States in 2015. He learned to cook at Flavor of India in Studio City and soon began exploring where to set up a place of his own.
He found 1026 State St. — the former home of two Italian restaurants, Oppi’z and Palazzio’s — and began serving last month.
“I like the location here,” Singh told our Josh Molina. “There are so many people on the streets.”
The restaurant specializes in North Indian cuisine that features chicken, lamb and fish in dishes like seekh kabob, tandoori chicken, tandoori shrimp and curry thali.
The brightly colored décor is just as unique, including computer-generated art of India that Singh created himself.
Indian Tandoori Kingdom is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories worth reading:
» Santa Barbara Police Converge on Downtown Bank After Bomb Threat — Editor in chief Tom Bolton has the 4-1-1 on what could have been a disastrous 9-1-1 call.
» Sheriff Bill Brown Shares Sobering Statistics About Rise in Overdose, Fentanyl Deaths in County — Santa Barbara County is in the middle of a catastrophic fentanyl epidemic. Staff writer Rebecca Caraway has the shocking details.
» 49 Trees to be Axed at De la Guerra Plaza as Part of Santa Barbara Parks Department Plan — South County editor Josh Molina leaves me stumped at the revelation that De la Guerra Plaza and the adjacent Storke Placita are home to nearly 100 trees.
» Looking Back at a Century of the Arts at Santa Barbara’s Grand Granada Theatre — Contributing writer Julia McHugh ushers us to a front-row seat for the celebration of the landmark Granada Theatre.
» Fiery Debris From Chinese Rocket Spotted Streaking Across Central Coast Skies — Hours after the latest launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, a handful of Noozhawk readers caught a glimpse of another space case. HT to Goleta resident Regina Penner, who gave North County editor Janene Scully an impressively descriptive play by play.
» Kathy Odell to Step Down as CEO of Women’s Economic Ventures — My good friend, Kathy Odell, has been one of Santa Barbara County’s most successful entrepreneurs, male or female, and has been an inspiration to me for 20 years. In “retirement,” she took over as CEO of the powerhouse Women’s Economic Ventures and has led it to previously unknown heights — in the middle of a pandemic. She plans to step down at the end of next month, which has me wondering what her next “retirement” will bring.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? 2 Firefighters Seriously Injured in Highway 101 Crash in Gaviota.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Hypocrisy follows this guy around like his shadow: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Sister’s Café Seeks $16-an-Hour Busser While Fast-Food Restaurants Must Pay $20.
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Here’s What I’m Up To
- April 10 — I’m looking forward to the opportunity to compare notes with student journalists at The Forge, the beautifully designed student newspaper at Santa Barbara High School. If I happen to come across a prospect or two for the next generation of Team Noozhawk, all the better. HT to staff reporter Yharai Casas Mejia for the invitation.
- June 6 — I’m not a morning person but the Rotary Club of Santa Maria Breakfast mentioned the possibility of pancakes. I’ll be there early to share Noozhawk’s story and North County expansion plans.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Sunsets, @sadiethealaskanmalamute and Easter Sunday #nicotime in my Instagram feed this past week. You’re welcome.
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Watch It
A few weeks ago, my Best of Bill column linked to a news story about an orca attacking a great white shark, but the video of that assault was indistinct. My buddy, Chase McLaughlin, has since come through with phenomenal footage of a lethal, shark-seeking missile in a different incident. That shark needed a bigger boat!
