Well, what do you know? April showers really are a thing!
The late-season rain — which included a burst of absolute downpour just after midnight April 22 in Montecito — capped off an unusual week of news for Team Noozhawk.
According to our Google Analytics, we had an audience of 102,540 readers this past week. What follows is my own take on your Top 5 most-read stories for the period.
I should remind you that this is my opinion column, not a news story. But read on anyway.
1. Murder Trial Set for Santa Barbara Man Accused of Killing Solvang Mom, 2 Kids in Highway 154 Crash
After more than two years and a lengthy, coronavirus-caused court timeout, a Santa Barbara man is about to stand trial in the dreadful 2019 head-on collision that killed a Solvang woman and her two young children.
As awful as those circumstances were, it may have been worse: Investigators say the crash was intentional and prosecutors intend to prove it.
Our Giana Magnoli set the scene for the trial, which is to begin April 28 with jury selection before Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Tom Adams.
As Noozhawk has been reporting since the Oct. 25, 2019, wreck, 30-year-old John Dungan was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and an enhancement in the deaths of 34-year-old Rebecca Bley and her children, 2-year-old Lucienne and 4-month-old Desmond.
With her children strapped in their car seats, Bley was driving her Chevrolet Volt toward Santa Barbara on Highway 154 late that afternoon. As she approached the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge, witnesses say Dungan veered his oncoming Chevrolet Camaro into her lane and slammed head on into the Volt.
Authorities say the family died on impact, but their compact car was propelled backward and burst into flames, sparking a small brush fire by the bridge.
Dungan, who was seriously injured in the crash, has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Giana reported previously that pre-trial motions were heard in early February, including what witness testimony and evidence could be admitted in court.
Prosecutors allege that Dungan was suicidal and homicidal at the time of the collision. Some of the reasoning behind the three murder charges apparently is linked to Dungan’s enhancement charge, which alleges that he committed the crime while released from custody in an unresolved felony stalking case involving his ex-girlfriend.
Giana has many of the details, which she explains far better than I can summarize. Click here to read her full story.
By the way, there is one more victim in this atrocity: Max Gleason, Bley’s heartbroken husband and their children’s father.
2. 2 Santa Maria Residents Killed, 3 Critically Injured in San Luis Obispo County Crash
A Santa Maria man suspected of driving under the influence was arrested the night of April 16 after a deadly collision in San Luis Obispo County. Two fellow Santa Marians were killed in the horrific wreck and three others were critically injured, including a 3-year-old girl.
As our Tom Bolton was first to report, the collision occurred just before 8 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 near Santa Barbara Road in southern Atascadero.
The California Highway Patrol said the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Felipe Antonio Gonzalez, lost control of his Chevy Suburban and slammed into the back of a Chevrolet Cruze whose driver had pulled the compact car onto the shoulder.
“Mr. Gonzalez’s attempts to regain control of the Suburban were unsuccessful,” the CHP said in a statement summarizing the chain of events.
Traveling at more than 65 mph, the truck then plowed into the parked car, causing it “to catapult northbound approximately 120 feet,” the CHP said.
Two back-seat passengers — 54-year-old Maria Hernandez and 47-year-old Celene Reducindo — died of their injuries, the CHP said.
The 3 year old, identified as Mia Peralta, was also sitting in the back and suffered major injuries. She was rushed to Valley Children’s Healthcare in Madera.
The CHP said Hernandez was not wearing a seat belt and that Mia was also unrestrained.
The Cruze driver, 47-year-old Berenice Cortez Pineda, and her front-seat passenger, 48-year-old Ricardo Gonzalez, suffered major injuries and were taken to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo.
The relationships among the five victims were not immediately clear.
The CHP said Felipe Gonzalez was treated for minor injuries at Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, then booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony DUI causing bodily injury, and driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.10% causing bodily injury.
As of April 22, he remained jailed on $100,000 bail.
The CHP said the circumstances of the collision are under investigation, but “alcohol was a factor in the crash.”
A Noozhawk reader who called 9-1-1 after witnessing the wreck said the Suburban driver “was driving completely crazy.”
“He almost hit us,” she said.
3. BizHawk: Hook & Press Donut Shop Finds New Sweet Spot in Santa Barbara
Four years after John Burnett opened Hook & Press, a little shop of craft doughnuts in downtown Santa Barbara, he’s moved into a much larger space across the street and around the corner in La Arcada Plaza.
Although doughnuts are their bread and butter, Burnett and his wife, Denisse Salinas, are planning to expand their operation with a larger menu and happy hours with beer, wine, champagne, kombucha and sparkling sake.
There are a lot of possibilities with the new place, at 15 E. Figueroa St. and the former home of Jeannine’s Bakery & Restaurant, but Burnett enjoys the basics of doughnut experimentation
“There’s just certain things I see and and I say, ‘I like that. I want that as a doughnut,’” he told our Josh Molina. “Doughnuts are like this perfect canvas for any flavor, any texture. You can just put it on a doughnut and it works.”
There’s no hole in that philosophy, and I can confirm that his edible artistry is a #bestofbillrecommendation.
The new shop is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
4. Bill Macfadyen: Kiteboarding Outing Ends in Death for Santa Barbara Man
A cause of death has not yet been released for Adam Brown, the 61-year-old Santa Barbara man who died while kiteboarding off Leadbetter Beach on April 7.
Funeral services are pending but Brown will be honored with a paddle-out from Leadbetter Beach at 1 p.m. April 24. Click here for more information.
5. Teenage Pedestrian Seriously Injured When Struck by Vehicle in Santa Barbara
A 15-year-old girl suffered serious injuries the night of April 16 when she was hit by a car as she was walking with friends on East Cabrillo Boulevard at the Santa Barbara waterfront.
Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Jim McCoy told our Tom Bolton that the teenager was struck about 8:20 p.m. near the Garden Street intersection.
The girl, whose identity was not released, was taken by an American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with injuries to her hips and legs. Details on her medical condition were not available.
The circumstances of the collision are under investigation by Santa Barbara police, but no other details have been disclosed.
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Good Reads
Here are a half-dozen other stories that are worth your time, as well as our latest activities guide for your kids:
» Ray Ford: Santa Barbara County Officials Working to Build a Firewise Community — With wildfires an ever-present danger, our Ray Ford examines a new program aimed at getting homeowners directly involved in mitigation efforts.
» Bucket Brigade Kicks Off Walk Montecito Campaign to Pave Way for Neighborhood Trail Network — Our Serena Guentz was on the trail of an ambitious walkabout project in Montecito.
» Five MS-13 Gang Members Set to Be Sentenced Next Month for Multiple Murders — Our Janene Scully has been the lead reporter on Noozhawk’s team coverage of the MS-13 murders case. The trial has had a major community impact at both ends of Santa Barbara County, and Janene has been a diligent presence in the courtroom in Santa Maria.
» SpaceX Rocket Lifts Off, Lands at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Easter Morning — Who doesn’t get excited by SpaceX rocket launches — and returns — from Vandenberg Space Force Base? Our Janene Scully was ready for the latest liftoff.
» Santa Barbara Family Seeks Community Support in Double Battle Against Cancer — Our Ann Pieramici dropped in on Santa Barbara’s Canto family, which is facing double trouble from cancer.
» Visit Santa Barbara Holds Job Fair as Hotels, Hospitality Industry Look for Workers — Help wanted. Our Josh Molina has the details.
» ParentNooz Camp Guide — Check out Noozhawk’s 2022 ParentNooz Camp Guide for the latest youth activities opportunities.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? On Montecito’s Riven Rock Road, Hikers and Homeowners Clash Over Parking.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
It’s always the last place you look: Dutch Teenage Painter’s Multimillion-Dollar Masterpiece Was Hidden in Plain Sight.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Condolences to my daughter-in-law, Colleen Macfadyen, and her family for the very unexpected death of her mom, Teresa Bannon, at age 64. It’s in my Instagram feed this past week.
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Americans Held Hostage: Day 234
As if U.S. citizens and legal residents in Afghanistan didn’t have enough to worry about after the United States abandoned them to the Taliban 234 days ago, now the country is on the brink of famine. Good luck with that.
• • •
Watch It
If you’re gonna try this at home … you probably should use a teddy bear. HT to Best of Bill reader Laila Moerman.
(@discover.animal video)
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— 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.