I’m excited to report that the saga of former Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson and her family has finally turned the corner into positive territory.
Michelle’s youngest son, Blake, has been released from the hospital after spending most of the last three weeks in intensive care, undergoing surgery after surgery for a deadly serious bacterial infection.
The teenager is now recuperating at home and is expected to make a complete recovery, albeit with a few likely permanent scars to remind him of the ordeal.
A GoFundMe page is still active to assist the family with Blake’s medical expenses. Click here to make an online donation.
Click here to send Michelle a note through Facebook.
Thank you for all of your prayers, thoughts, encouragement and donations.
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Noozhawk is in growth mode, and we’re looking to add to our advertising sales team. Ours is an exciting story to sell, with affordable pricing and record-setting traffic milestones almost every month — like this one, which is headed past 1 million pageviews for the third time since October.
If you’ve got what it takes to help us make the most of our strengths and opportunities, email your résumé to Kim Clark, Noozhawk’s business development vice president, at kim.clark@noozhawk.com.
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Without being paid to “ruckus” or it being “suggested” that they riot, 115,755 people read Noozhawk this past week.
This column is my own take on your top stories, determined solely by our Google Analytics.
1. Man Arrested for Allegedly Installing Hidden Camera in Santa Barbara Ice Cream Shop Restroom
Most customers at McConnell’s Ice Cream in downtown Santa Barbara stop by the counter to, you know, buy some ice cream.
So when a man entered the scoop shop at 728 State St., headed straight to the restroom and then promptly left without ordering any Salted Caramel Chip, a hawk-eyed employee took notice. Thinking his behavior odd, she checked the restroom but didn’t find anything amiss.
She did observe an electrical outlet she didn’t think she had seen before, but how many of us ever look at such sockets unless we’re truly desperate to charge our cell phones?
An hour later, however, the employee saw the same guy do the same thing. This time when she checked the restroom, the outlet was gone.
As Santa Barbara police Sgt. Riley Harwood told our Giana Magnoli, the young woman reported the incident to her manager, who told the staff to call the police if the man returned.
Five days later, on the evening of March 14, the same employee was working the counter when he came back. When she checked the restroom, the outlet was back, too. She called the cops.
Officers were already at the shop when the creepy electrician returned to the scene not long after.
“Upon being searched, (he) was found to be in possession of tools, adhesive and an electrical outlet-style camera housing similar to that recovered inside of the business’ restroom,” Harwood said.
He said the suspect — identified as Jason John Hanrahan, 48, of Santa Barbara — was arrested on suspicion of installing a hidden camera inside a restroom and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail.
Bail was set at $2,500 for the misdemeanor charge.
Hanrahan’s vehicle and residence also were searched, and police seized computer hardware and memory devices.
“Detectives will be analyzing this evidence … to determine if additional crimes have been committed,” Harwood said.
Meanwhile, Giana’s scoop had barely been posted when Noozhawk’s site traffic went crazy. Within hours, her story had claimed the week’s top spot, and readers are still queuing up for news of the restroom spy cam caper.
2. 1 Dead, 1 Critically Injured in Crash on Highway 101 in Montecito
A 73-year-old Simi Valley woman was killed March 12 when the car in which she was riding slammed into a palm tree off southbound Highway 101 in Montecito. Her husband, the driver, was critically injured, but died five days later.
The crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. just east of San Ysidro Road, in front of the old Miramar Hotel property. For hours afterward, traffic on the two-lane freeway was backed up into Santa Barbara.
Montecito Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Todd Edwards told our Tom Bolton that the car, a Honda Accord, drifted off the roadway at a speed of about 65 mph, hit the palm and caught fire. Both victims had to be extricated from the wreckage.
The passenger, later identified as Catherine Louise Riesen, was declared dead at the scene, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Kelly Hoover.
Her husband, 75-year-old Larry Dale Riesen, was taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. He died of his injuries March 17.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the wreck, but alcohol and drugs did not appear to be factors.
A memorial service for the Riesens is scheduled for 11 a.m. March 20 at Reardon Simi Valley Funeral Home, 2636 Sycamore Drive in Simi Valley.
3. Ernesto P. Paredes of Santa Barbara, 1929-2016
Longtime Santa Barbara educator Ernesto P. Paredes died March 10 after a brief illness. He was 86.
I never had the honor of meeting “El Profesor de Todos,” but I’m privileged to be a friend of his son, Ernesto II. The apple, as they say, doesn’t fall far from the tree, and the younger Paredes truly is a man of graciousness and character — a Santa Barbara beacon like his dad.
Born Nov. 17, 1929, in Del Rio, Texas, the elder Paredes and his wife, Marta, were married in 1958, and they eventually moved to Santa Barbara to raise their three sons.
During his 47-year career in education, Paredes was a teacher at Santa Barbara Junior High School, served as principal of La Cuesta Continuation High School, and taught at San Marcos High School for 20 years.
According to the family, in spite of his vast wealth of experience and credentials, whenever he was asked what he taught, his response was always simply “students.”
Paredes is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marta; their sons, Alfredo (Celina), Ernesto II (Jenifer) and Roberto (Lisa); and seven grandchildren.
A celebration of his life will be held at noon March 18 at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 State St., with a reception to follow.
Contributions can be made in his memory to the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. Click here to make an online donation.
4. Possible Drowning Reported at Santa Barbara Motel
A tourist from England was found unresponsive in the pool at La Quinta Inn & Suites near downtown Santa Barbara the afternoon of March 16.
Santa Barbara firefighters and paramedics administered CPR on the victim at the hotel at 1601 State St. He then was taken by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The man’s condition has not been disclosed and information has been hard to come by.
Police are investigating the incident.
5. BizHawk: Yankee Noodle Concept Replaces Union Ale on State Street
If you’re looking for American Asian-inspired cuisine in a casual sit-down environment, look no further than the former Union Ale at 214 State St. in Santa Barbara.
As our Gina Potthoff first reported, the owners of the former sports bar have transformed the place into Yankee Noodle — serving traditional dishes with an Asian twist, such as kimchi quesadillas and nachos, ramen noodles, honey sesame shrimp and Philly cheese steak egg rolls.
As general manager Paul Garcia explained, the bar’s wall-to-wall TVs are gone, and the interior now features a large communal table, a more extensive list of craft cocktails and a focus on barrel-aged whiskey and bourbons.
Yankee Noodle owner Matt Chrestenson and his business partners also operate Rebar Coffee next door and nearby American Ale at 14 E. Cota St.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Burglary Spree Hits Santa Barbara Neighborhoods.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
This explains a lot: Anxious People Are More Likely to Walk Left When Blindfolded.
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Watch It
What happens when you monkey around with an orangutan? HT to my friend, Julia McHugh.
(Borneo Warrior video)
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— Bill Macfadyen is Noozhawk’s founder and publisher. Contact him at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com, follow him on Twitter: @noozhawk, or click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
