1. What’s An Adopted Dog Look Like? Yours
As part of Adopt-a-Dog Month, Noozhawk invited readers to send in photos of their adopted and rescued dogs. Nearly 60 of you shared pictures of these truly blessed animals. Next week, we’ll have you vote for your favorite one. Thanks to the generosity of La Cumbre Feed, 3652 Calle Real, the winning adopted dog will be dining on $100 worth of free dog food from WellPet.
2. Santa Barbara Council Members, Candidates Respond Cautiously to Police ‘Excessive Force’ Allegations
Repercussions continued to reverberate this week from an Oct. 21 Santa Barbara police traffic stop that ended with an arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence and multiple eyewitness allegations of “excessive force” by the arresting officers. Throughout Noozhawk’s coverage of the story, readers had been asking what candidates in Tuesday’s City Council election thought about the situation. So we asked. What did the candidates — and current council members — have to say?
Although Police Chief Cam Sanchez rejected the witness accounts and has decided his officers did nothing wrong, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident.
3. Carpinteria Cares for Youth Forum Tackles Prescription Drug Misuse, Abuse
Inspired by Noozhawk’s recent Prescription for Abuse series, the nonprofit Carpinteria Cares for Youth hosted a public forum on Nov. 3 to address the growing problem of the misuse and abuse of prescription medications — especially among young people.
Among the speakers were sheriff’s Sgt. Sandra Brown, supervisor of the Coroner’s Office, and Dr. Chris Lambert, director of Cottage Health System’s Frequent Opiate User Program, both of whom figured prominently in the Noozhawk series.
Even the Los Angeles Times was there to cover the event, which drew a packed audience at Carpinteria’s City Council chambers.
4. Mesa Architects Propose ‘Scramble’ Intersection for Cliff Drive at Meigs Road
An innovative diagonal pedestrian crossing — also known as a “scramble” — has been proposed for the busy intersection of Cliff Drive at Meigs Road on Santa Barbara’s Mesa. To get the details, Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper caught up with proponents Jeff King and Dennis Thompson of the Mesa Architects, a group of architects, planners and Mesa residents who are working to improve the neighborhood.
Under the plan, the “scramble design” stops all vehicle traffic and allows pedestrians to cross in every direction at the same time. Pedestrians aren’t allowed to cross when vehicles have the right of way, enabling motorists to make right turns without worrying about pedestrians. What do you think of the concept? Better than bulb-outs?
5. Santa Barbara Police Arrest 4 Suspects in Series of Residential Burglaries
Santa Barbara police detectives trying to solve a lengthy string of residential burglaries caught a break in the case with the help of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department’s Gang Unit. The tip led to the arrest of four suspects — including two alleged Ventura County gang members — shortly after a Goleta burglary.
Santa Barbara police and the Santa Barbara County and Ventura County sheriff’s departments are continuing the investigation to identify more victims. Santa Barbara police Lt. James Pfleging said authorities will contact victims as property is recovered.
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Earlier this year, I discovered Berkeleyside at about the same time that Berkeleyside discovered Noozhawk. We were both struck at how similar the local news sites are in their approach to and roots in professional journalism. We’ve been talking regularly ever since and, last Friday, I spent the day with Berkeleyside’s three co-founders: the husband-and-wife team of Tracey Taylor and Lance Knobel and Frances Dinkelspiel.
We had a blast swapping stories and experiences, sharing strategies and information, and discussing accomplishments and aspirations. As New Media pioneers, it was an exciting opportunity for the four of us to get together and we hope it will lead to some collaboration between our two organizations. After all, Berkeley and Santa Barbara have a lot more in common than UC campuses in their midst. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, the Columbia Journalism Review’s News Frontier Database recently featured both Noozhawk and Berkeleyside as part of its ongoing series on hyperlocal news sites.
It’s rewarding to be recognized by our journalism peers, and it doesn’t hurt when they’re prestigious ones like the Columbia Journalism Review. I’m grateful to CJR’s Paige Rentz for the comprehensive article. Check it out and let me know what you think.
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— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.