(Noozhawk video)
Aside from the horrifying lead item in this week’s Best of Bill column, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis dominated the Top 5. It’s the first time in months that’s happened, but it reflects the pivotal period our community has entered with the frenzy of activity and expectations surrounding the vaccines.
In addition to our regular coverage of the coronavirus, Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli has been asking readers to send in their specific vaccine questions, and she and her team have been diligently answering them.
They’ve been doing that for more than two months, and it’s been an extremely popular and valuable service. I’d call it solutions journalism at its most basic form.
We’re always up for a new challenge, though, so we hosted — and I moderated — a virtual Noozhawk Talks on the COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 18.
Sponsored by Cottage Health, Sansum Clinic, the Santa Barbara Foundation, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, Mosher Foundation, the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, the forum featured Cottage Health CEO Ron Werft; Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, an infectious disease specialist at Cottage Health; Dr. Kurt Ransohoff, CEO and chief medical officer of Sansum Clinic; Dr. Charles Fenzi, CEO and chief medical officer of Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics; and Santa Barbara County Public Health Department director Van Do-Reynoso.
Nearly 1,100 community members Zoomed in as we set out to answer the more than 300 questions that were submitted as part of the Noozhawk Talks registration over the last week. We made only a slight dent in that number but we actually covered a lot of ground in the 75 minutes we had.
You can click here to read our Jade Martinez-Pogue’s report, and the full video is sitting at the top of this page.
I had to write this column so I’ve not had much time to process my thoughts, but two things stood out for me:
» In spite of all of the justifiable frustration and not justifiable confusing communications about the vaccines, the fact that they’re here and that there is a lot more on the way is a monumental achievement that cannot be overstated. Between more shots in the arms and the inevitable herd immunity, there’s a palpable sense that we’re about to turn the corner. We may have a ways to go before we can kick COVID-19’s ass, but that day is coming.
» The collaboration among Santa Barbara County’s health-care community — public and private — has been an under-reported story of this crisis. It’s not air-tight, but it’s a remarkable accomplishment given the scale and urgency of the challenges.
After a very long and very dark 11 months of the biggest public health crisis we’ve faced in our lifetime, there are signs of hope springing to life all around us. We just need to remember to look for them.
And by the way, for those of you who did not get your questions answered during our Noozhawk Talks, we’ll add them to our to-do list. Or I should say that I’ll add them to our reporters’ to-do list.
Our team works tirelessly to deliver the latest information about where Santa Barbara County residents can get the coronavirus vaccine, who is eligible and what local officials are saying.
We’re also covering the other ways the COVID-19 crisis affects you — all while providing the rest of the daily local news you depend on, 24/7. Thanks to generous financial contributions from readers like you, we’re able to keep our community informed on the stories that matter most.
By becoming a member of our Hawks Club, you’ll help us continue this kind of unique local news coverage. Will you become a member today?
Your contribution, at any amount, makes a huge difference for Noozhawk. We’re grateful for your support.
According to our Google Analytics, Noozhawk drew an audience of 119,330 readers this past week, and this column is my recap of the Top 5 stories you were reading during that period.
Trigger warning: It includes opinion, my opinion, which I’m making in my civic capacity as Noozhawk’s publisher. This is not a news story and I am not a reporter.
1. High School Student Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder of Classmate
2021 has been rough for local students.
Barely into the new year, two Santa Barbara High School students were shot to death in a Jan. 3 attack that seems to have disappeared already into the Santa Barbara police cold-case files.
On Jan. 7, two 19-year-old college students were killed in an apparent ambush during an alleged drug deal just east of Goleta. Three suspects, one of them a 15 year old, have been arrested in that case.
Then, on Feb. 14, a Laguna Blanca School student allegedly stabbed a classmate multiple times in a gruesome assault in the middle of the night.
Police say the suspect, 18-year-old Cora Vides of Santa Barbara, was arrested not long after the 2:30 a.m. attack at a residence in the 600 block of Roberto Avenue, a block east of Meigs Road and just north of Cliff Drive on the Mesa.
Vides pleaded not guilty to an attempted murder charge on Feb. 17 in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Kevin Weichbrod. She is due back in court March 8.
As our Tom Bolton reported, the criminal complaint accuses her of acting “with premeditation and deliberation,” as well as a special allegation of using a deadly weapon, a knife.
Police say the female victim, also 18, suffered “nonlife-threatening but very serious injuries” and was being treated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. She reportedly has since been transferred to a hospital in Los Angeles.
Details on her condition were not available and police did not release her name.
Both girls are seniors at Laguna Blanca’s upper school campus in Hope Ranch.
In an email to Noozhawk, the K-12 private school said the tight-knit school community was holding “both of these families in our hearts and thoughts at this time and in the days ahead.”
“The health and safety of our students and staff is always our No. 1 priority, and we are taking all necessary precautions to ensure our community’s well-being,” the statement said, adding that ongoing counseling services are available for students and faculty.
Vides was booked into County Jail but was released on $1 million bail on Feb. 18.
2. Where to Schedule a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment in Santa Barbara County
As COVID-19 vaccine doses continue to trickle in to Santa Barbara County, frustration has been building among local residents who want a shot at a shot. It hasn’t helped that California continues to set unrealistic expectations by expanding the convoluted vaccination eligibility tiers well beyond the state’s ability to deliver. But what else is new?
Fueled by the news that residents as young as 65 can now start signing up, our Giana Magnoli’s Feb. 15 update on how, when and where to get an inoculation appointment shot into the Top 5.
A similar story — when the range was ages 75 and up — had similar results the previous week.
3. Santa Barbara County to Begin Vaccinating Those Age 65+ Next Week
As mentioned in the previous item, Santa Barbara County residents ages 65 and up were given the green light to start signing up for coronavirus vaccine appointments as of Feb. 16 — if they could find them.
Since the vaccine became available in mid-December, California had limited the county’s distribution to certain front-line health-care workers, residents of long-term care facilities and people ages 75 and older.
Delivering a math lesson at the county’s weekly COVID-19 briefing, Public Health Department director Van Do-Reynoso noted that the state is only doling out about 6,000 doses a week to Santa Barbara County, which has an estimated 41,000 residents in the 65-74 age group alone.
“I just want to ground us in reality,” she said.
4. COVID-19 Mask Recommendations Open New Chapter in Cover Story
Until very recently, the most effective protection against the formidable coronavirus has been about as basic as you can imagine: wear a mask around others, keep your distance and wash your hands often.
The COVID-19 vaccine is in the process of relegating that defense to the second team, but it’s quite likely that those simple actions will be part of our game plan for a long time to come. To that end, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released new guidelines and findings about the benefits of masks.
Santa Barbara County public health officials followed up with a few reminders of their own.
“When you are wearing a mask, remember to wear it correctly,” county public health director Van Do-Reynoso said. “Wear it when you are inside or when you are in close proximity with others.”
Dr. Henning Ansorg, the county’s public health officer, went further, describing the differences between the options in the mask market, including cloth masks, procedural masks, and the mighty N95 and KN95.
Our Brooke Holland has the details on how to put your best face forward.
5. Suzanne Nicastro: It’s Time to Tell the Truth about Public School Closures
Suzanne Nicastro, superintendent/principal of Manzanita Public Charter School on Vandenberg Air Force Base, is the latest educator to call for the immediate reopening of public schools.
In a Feb. 16 commentary, Nicastro called out California officials who have stated from the start of the coronavirus crisis that SCIENCE, and SCIENCE alone, would guide their decision-making on when it would be safe to allow children to return to schools.
Of course, some schools were allowed to reopen in October — and to this day have been operating safely with almost no coronavirus-related incidents. But then came December when Gov. Gavin Newsom’s holiday stay-at-home order abruptly derailed many school board-approved plans to reopen in January.
Now we have the latest objection, that all teachers must be vaccinated before they return to their classrooms — notwithstanding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determination that, while important, vaccinating teachers isn’t a must for in-person instruction.
Nicastro took a different tack, focusing on the growing evidence of actual science that keeping students away from a full school experience is devastating for their emotional growth and development as well as their physical and mental health. It’s particularly devastating to younger children.
“Science is no longer driving this decision,” she wrote. “Fear, anxiety, incompetence and adult selfishness are keeping classroom doors closed today.
“These closed doors are further driving inequitable policies for our most fragile students — students whose very lives will be cut short due to future risk factors that are only escalating with each day of a closed classroom.”
Hmmm. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Memorial Service Planned for Dos Pueblos Student-Athlete Trevor Katz.
• • •
Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Five heroes for our time: The Kindness of Strangers Probably Saved a Boy’s Life.
• • •
Best of Bill’s Instagram
@picolosalamos with my valentine in my Instagram feed. How sweet this #bestofbillrecommendation is.
• • •
Watch It
It’s that time of year when I check in with the Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley. Jackie and Shadow are taking turns sitting on two eggs — and you won’t want to miss a minute, day or night.
(Friends of Big Bear Valley video)
• • •
How You Can Help Noozhawk
Noozhawk is proud to be the go-to source of news for locals like yourself. You trust and rely on us to provide timely, relevant and thorough coverage of the issues that shape Santa Barbara County.
And we get up early — and stay up late — excited to report what’s going on in our community so we can keep you informed and engaged.
While most of Noozhawk’s revenue comes from advertising and sponsorships, we believe that reader contributions are a vital source of support — financially and fundamentally. We believe that if we ask our readers to contribute what you think we’re worth, we can build a sustainable business model for local news.
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today! Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Your loyalty membership helps us continue to provide you with unmatched local news and in-depth reporting on the issues that you care about.
Please note that personal contributions to Noozhawk are not deductible as charitable donations.
Thank you for your support.
— Bill Macfadyen is Noozhawk’s founder and publisher. Contact him at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com, follow him on Instagram: @bill.macfadyen, or click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
