As we look back on another year of serving Santa Barbara County, we’re deeply grateful to you, our readers, for trusting Noozhawk as your go-to source for your local news.
Your daily engagement with our stories — from breaking news to education coverage, from local sports to nonprofit spotlights to those ubiquitous crashes we’re always writing about — shows how much you value professional local journalism reported without an agenda.
This year, you helped us tell the stories that matter.
You shared our commitment to keeping the community informed, whether tracking raging wildfires and storms, following the twists and turns of the interminable Hot Springs Trail controversies or highlighting the achievements of local students.
Or reporting on those ubiquitous crashes.
You relied on us 24/7, knowing our team of professional journalists — your neighbors — would be there when news happens.
Thanks to reader support, we’ve kept our reporting free and accessible to everyone while actually expanding our coverage.
As we turn the page on the 2024 calendar, we invite you to ensure this vital community resource continues to thrive in 2025.
If you value having a reliable, independent news source, please consider joining the readers who have already contributed to our year-end Hawks Club campaign.
Together, we can keep telling Santa Barbara County’s stories — your stories — for you.
Will you help us reach our year-end goal of raising $100,000 to keep Noozhawk going and growing?
Any amount helps. Thank you.
Noozhawk had an audience of 120,197 readers this past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading over that period, as tracked by our Google Analytics.
For the first time in more than a month, one of our ubiquitous crash stories is not No. 1, although our second most-read story of the week is no less heartbreaking.
And for the last time in 2024, a reminder that this is my opinion column and not a news story.
Happy New Year!
1. High Winds Topple Trees, Down Power Lines in Santa Barbara County
Hours before Santa Claus was expected to fly in, strong winds whipped through Santa Barbara County on Dec. 24, toppling trees, damaging power lines and creating hazardous conditions throughout the region, with more severe weather expected.
Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Scott Safechuck told our Josh Molina that wind gusts reaching 40 to 50 mph — and up to 60 mph in some areas — knocked down multiple trees along Highway 101 between Turnpike Road and Patterson Avenue near Goleta.
Via Diego — off Primavera Road north of Bishop Diego High School in Santa Barbara — was particularly hard hit, with fallen trees forcing partial street closures.
“Strong winds are occurring countywide that could blow down trees and outdoor furniture,” the county Office of Emergency Management warned early on the morning of Christmas Eve.
By midday, emergency dispatchers had received more than three dozen 9-1-1 calls related to mostly wind conditions.
No injuries were reported, however.
Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Cory Cloud cautioned residents about another “big wind event” expected that afternoon.
“Don’t park underneath hazard trees and power lines if you can avoid it,” he advised.
According to the National Weather Service, cold front-generated thunderstorms were possible in interior areas of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
2. 1 Dead, 1 Critically Injured in Head-On Crash Near Vandenberg Village
A Dec. 24 head-on collision on Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village left a 19-year-old driver dead and the second motorist clinging to life.
As our Tom Bolton first reported, the crash occurred around 10 a.m. in the northbound lanes south of the Constellation Road overpass, causing one vehicle to flip onto its roof, according to the California Highway Patrol.
In a Dec. 26 follow-up, our Janene Scully reported that authorities had identified the dead driver as Asher Tenud, who recently had moved to Santa Maria from Portland.
The CHP said Tenud was driving a 1998 Jaguar XJR south on the highway when he lost control of the car as he entered the right-hand curve about a half-mile south of Constellation Road.
The car hurtled through the dirt median and into the northbound lanes, where it slammed into an oncoming 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan.
The impact left both vehicles largely unrecognizable wrecks, with the Jaguar upside down on its roof.
Tenud was pronounced dead at the scene while Santa Barbara County firefighters used heavy equipment to free the other driver, whose identity was not disclosed.
“One patient suffered major injuries and was transported to Lompoc Valley Medical Center,” fire Captain Scott Safechuck said.
A county helicopter initially was called to airlift the victim to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital but was canceled due to the severity of the injuries.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the wreck.
Although the highway’s four lanes are separated by concrete and steel center dividers north of the Constellation Road overpass, only dirt divides the sides south of the bridge all the way to Allan Hancock College’s Lompoc Valley Center.
That southern stretch includes the pretty sharp curve to the right, which has been the scene of numerous wrecks over the years, many of them fatal.
Would an actual center divider have prevented this latest tragedy? We’ll never know, but common sense says it damn sure would’ve helped.
A GoFundMe account was established to assist Tenud’s family with funeral expenses. As of Dec. 27, the site had raised nearly $19,000. Click here to make an online donation.
GoFundMe organizer Elizabeth Day said Tenud recently settled in Santa Maria after spending the past two years traveling through Oregon and California.
“Asher was a keen observer with a sharp wit — a trait that could be both hysterical and infuriating simultaneously for those around him,” according to the site.
“His friends also knew well the depths of his generosity, as well as his sense of fun. He leaves a vast space behind that will be impossible to fill.”
Tenud is survived by his parents, mom Danielle Rhodes and dad Ashley Tenud, and brothers Brooke and Bowie, all of Portland.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
3. High Surf Brings Big Danger for Coastal Areas, with Rain in Forecast
Although surfers weren’t complaining, large waves and coastal flooding created hazardous conditions along Santa Barbara County beaches during Christmas week.
As our Janene Scully and Daniel Green reported, the South Coast was pounded by 8- to 12-foot waves while North County areas were being clobbered by waves of 18 to 25 feet.
“Flooding of sea water is likely around the times of high tides, over vulnerable low-lying coastal areas such as parking lots, beaches and walkways,” the National Weather Service warned in a high surf advisory.
High tides between 4 and 5 feet were expected from 3 to 6 a.m. daily, with dangerous rip currents.
The Santa Barbara waterfront experienced some minor issues on Dec. 23, but no serious problems were reported, according to Harbor operations manager Nathan Alldredge.
“The tides weren’t too severe,” he told Daniel. “It wasn’t a big, huge swing.
“We made out relatively unscathed. A little bit of sand in the parking lot here and along the sidewalks.”
Nothing tells a storm story quite like pictures, however, and Noozhawk readers Mike Eliason and Karl Sonkin provided additional drama to the photos of Daniel and fellow Noozhawks Tom Bolton and Ryan Cullom.
Meanwhile, last-minute holiday shoppers had a wet, cold and blustery Christmas Eve, with morning rainfall reaching about a quarter-inch in the county.
Click here for the latest weather service forecast.
4. BizHawk: Restoration Hardware Brings Gallery, Eatery to The Old Firehouse in Montecito
Restoration Hardware has transformed Montecito’s landmark Old Firehouse into a high-end retail and dining destination, bringing its signature luxury concept to the Upper Village.
As our Josh Molina reported, the newly opened RH Montecito at 1486 East Valley Road features the RH Firehouse Grill, an indoor-outdoor restaurant with fireplaces and fountains, alongside a Wine & Barista Bar and an interior design atelier upstairs.
The Great Room showcases a few of the company’s furniture collections amid reclaimed oak beams and 14-foot ceilings.
“We have long admired this iconic building and its rich history,” said RH chairman and CEO Gary Friedman, describing the project as a reimagining of the historic structure.
The restaurant is open daily with extended weekend hours.
Although it’s been a popular dining destination so far, many Montecito residents have been less than impressed with the extensive traffic backups on East Valley Road caused by, well, whatever it was the company’s contractors were doing digging around in the street for weeks on end.
5. Santa Barbara Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Series of Sexual Assaults
The determination of three brave women to seek justice has led to the conviction and 20-year prison sentence of a Santa Barbara serial sexual assault perpetrator.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported Dec. 20, the survivors’ quick actions in reporting the attacks and preserving evidence proved crucial in capturing 35-year-old Honorio Meliton-Fidal, who was charged with multiple sexual assault counts, including rape and sodomy.
One survivor’s fierce resistance and quick thinking in keeping her attacker’s dropped cell phone provided a crucial breakthrough in the case.
Another survivor’s immediate report enabled collection of DNA evidence that would later link the crimes together.
“This case is a powerful example of how collaboration, the bravery of survivors and the unwavering commitment of law enforcement can bring a perpetrator to justice,” District Attorney John Savrnoch said.
The investigation culminated when DNA evidence from two of the attacks matched Meliton-Fidal’s profile in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, also known as CODIS.
Santa Barbara police Detective Adam Mik connected the final pieces using an email address associated with the recovered phone.
Meliton-Fidal was arrested in November 2023 and will serve 20 years in state prison for the three attacks, which occurred between January and May 2023.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories that are worth your time:
» Construction to Close El Capitán State Beach Campground for a Year — Staff writer Daniel Green has news that will make for some unhappy campers.
» Goleta Pedestrian Dies After Vehicle Collision in Old Town — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway delivers more bad news on the rash of crashes.
» State Commission Accuses Santa Barbara County Judge of Misconduct — North County editor Janene Scully is on the case of a North County judge at the center of a misconduct investigation.
» Garbage Truck Fire Leads to Shutdown of Calle Real Near Santa Barbara — Editor in chief Tom Bolton reports on a garbage truck becoming a dumpster fire. Literally.
» How America Lost Control of the Bird Flu, Setting the Stage for Another Pandemic — KFF Health News public health local editor and correspondent Amy Maxmen diagnoses the bird flu outbreak currently bedeviling the United States, including Santa Barbara County. The federal government is turning another public health challenge into a debacle? Knock me over with a hummingbird feather.
» Dan McCaslin: Up for a Challenge? Try Tunnel Trail to Rattlesnake Canyon — Outdoors columnist Dan McCaslin sets out on an exacting, spectacular and surprisingly close hike in the Santa Barbara foothills.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Wrong-Way Crash on Highway 101 Sends 3 People to Hospital in Santa Barbara.
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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.
- Jan. 7 — I’ll be sharing Noozhawk’s story and discussing the future of local news — and local news in Santa Barbara County — with my friends at the Minerva Club of Santa Maria. The Minerva is one of the oldest, continuously operating women’s clubs in California and a community treasure since 1894.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
So we were railroaded? How Timekeeping Innovations Turned New Year’s Into a Midnight Celebration.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
It’s #christmas in my Instagram feed.
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Watch It
The Dec. 23 Santa Cruz Wharf collapse may have gotten the most attention, but 50 miles north of it, gutsy surfers were tackling 60-foot waves off Mavericks Beach at Half Moon Bay.
