Crews conduct operations at the Sedgwick Reserve area during the Lake Fire. Credit: Ray Ford / Noozhawk photo
Noozhawk staff and photographers captured the year in pictures. Take a look back by scrolling through some of the memorable moments from 2024.
Roadways flood Santa Barbara’s lower Eastside after February rains. Credit: Ray Ford / Noozhawk photoA flight departs the Santa Barbara Airport after a major cleanup effort on flooded and mud-covered runways in February. (Santa Barbara Airport photo)Roy Lee, who owns the Uncle Chen Chinese restaurant in Carpinteria, challenged Das Williams for the First District seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and won in the March election. Credit: Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo
Spring
While Santa Barbara wasn’t in the path of totality, spectators still enjoy the show for the April 8 solar eclipse. The best view was at 11:11 a.m. when the partial eclipse was at 55%. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photoAs his parents look on, 2-year-old Paulo Limon of Santa Maria enjoys a pony ride during the Santa Maria Valley Strawberry Festival. Credit: Janene Scully / Noozhawk photoRides at the Santa Barbara Fair & Expo include swings, a carousel, the Zipper and the Super Shot Drop Tower at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in April. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photoA landslide takes out part of Las Alturas Road and sends a home sliding down a hillside above Santa Barbara after winter storms. Neighbors helped raise funds for the displaced residents, and the City of Santa Barbara allocated $1.4 million from its General Fund disaster reserves to remove the home. Credit: Peter Hartmann / Noozhawk photoWind turbines spin at the Strauss Wind Energy Project near Lompoc, which started operating in 2024. Credit: Len Wood / Noozhawk photoGordan McDougall, center, CEO of BayWa r.e. Wind LLC, celebrates the official opening of the Strauss wind farm near Lompoc with other officials, including Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann, holding scissors, inside a reception tent underneath a wind turbine. Credit: Len Wood / Noozhawk photoGraduating Dons celebrate at their commencement ceremony. Credit: Peter Hartmann / Noozhawk photoSanta Maria High School graduate Alizae Partida shows off her diploma during the June graduation ceremony. Credit: Len Wood / Noozhawk photoThe Santa Barbara Teachers Association and the Santa Barbara Unified School District reached a labor agreement in June after mediation. (Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo)
Summer
Two entries, Miramar Western Wear and the City of Lompoc, in the Lompoc Valley Flower Festival Parade show off the community flower and aerospace industries. Credit: Janene Scully / Noozhawk photoEntries for the 50th annual Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Parade delight crowds with their colorful and festive displays. Credit: Fritz Olenberger photoThe marine layer affects the July 4 fireworks along the Santa Barbara Waterfront. Credit: Fritz Olenberger photoTanner Anderson, of the Knights 4-H Club linked to St. Joseph High School, and Genie savor a calm moment near a water trough at the Santa Maria Fairpark ahead of opening day of the Santa Barbara County Fair in July. Credit: Janene Scully / Noozhawk photoCrews work on emergency repairs on Highway 154. The roadway connecting Santa Barbara to the Santa Ynez Valley was closed for more than two weeks in late June and July after tension cracks were discovered by Caltrans workers. Credit: Peter Hartmann / Noozhawk photoFirefighting crews on Figueroa Mountain Road attack the Lake Fire. Credit: Ryan Cullom / Noozhawk photoA 737 drops a load of retardant on the Lake Fire. Credit: Ryan Cullom / Noozhawk photoCrews conduct firing operations at the Sedgwick Reserve during the Lake Fire. Credit: Ray Ford / Noozhawk photoAdelaida Mendez, left, granddaughter Jennifer Martinez and son Henry Mendez sell cascarone, which are confetti-filled eggs with elaborate and colorful designs, along State Street during Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta celebration. Credit: Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photoSheriff’s deputies and Special Enforcement Team members respond to a barricaded man in Goleta in August. Credit: Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photoScenes from Old Spanish Days Fiesta’s 2024 Historical Parade. Credit: Fritz Olenberger photoJulie Michealsen takes a picture of Air Force One at the Santa Barbara Airport in August while President Joe Biden and his family vacation in the Santa Ynez Valley. Credit: Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photoProtesters hold a rally in front of Goleta City Hall in August to protest reopening the Sable Offshore Corp. pipeline that caused the 2015 Refugio oil spill. Environmental groups have filed appeals and objected in public meetings to Sable’s efforts to restart oil and gas operations in Santa Barbara County. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photoA U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, also known as Rhino, breaks the sound barrier while flying during the Central Coast AirFest in September. Credit: Ryan Cullom photoThe winner of the 12-or-younger pie-eating contest celebrates her victory at the Goleta Lemon Festival in September. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photoMaximillian Von Welczeck raises his hand in victory after winning the food-eating contest at Solvang’s Danish Days in September. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photoSanta Barbara County officials break ground on the new Probation Department building, which is expected to open in 2026. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photoVicki Moore, who lost her daughter and husband in the Conception boat fire, says she wants to make sure that no other families have to go through what she and other victims’ families have gone through. On the five-year anniversary of the fire that claimed the lives of 34 people, families of the victims and the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board called for more safety measures for passenger boats. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photoSanta Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon says it was a historic moment for the City Council to approve construction of a new police headquarters. Construction is underway. Credit: Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photoSanta Barbara continues to consider the future of State Street, which is still closed to vehicles for several downtown blocks. Credit: Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo
Fall
Law enforcement officers and court staff stand outside the Santa Maria Court Complex building where an improvised explosive device was detonated on Sept. 25, injuring six people. Credit: Janene Scully / Noozhawk photoThe exterior of Department 9 at the Santa Maria Court Complex has a burn scar and fire extinguisher remnants after an improvised explosive device detonated on Sept. 25. Credit: Santa Barbara County Superior Court photoConstruction around the Santa Barbara Public Library finishes in October, featuring the new Michael Towbes Library Plaza. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photoCecilio Marquez and his wife, Mary Valadez, visit with customers during the 38th annual California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria in October. Marquez started the Rancho Santa Cecilia farm 30 years ago and runs it with his family. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photoRob Oosterveer sells flowers at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market in its new location on State and Carrillo streets. Credit: Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photoIn October, Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps shares a one-year update on the bluff safety plan for Isla Vista and highlights a property manager who recently raised his fence to 6 feet. With Capps is Spencer Brandt, director for the Isla Vista Community Services District, and Grace Wilson, a friend of SBCC student Benny Schurmer, who died after falling from the bluffs. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photoAngela Richey has worked in the Santa Barbara County Elections Office since the 1990s and recalled manually sorting ballots into buckets before they had the Agilis machine, seen here. Credit: Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photoWendy Santamaria celebrates her Santa Barbara City Council victory with supporters at SoHo on election night. Credit: Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photoGoleta Mayor Paula Perotte, from left, newly-elected Councilwoman Jennifer Smith, former Councilman Kyle Richards and Councilwoman Luz Reyes-Martin celebrate on election night. Credit: Rebecca Caraaway / Noozhawk photoThe Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s new Film Center, which took over the former site of the Fiesta Five Theater at 916 State St., shows a mix of movies, including international films, documentaries and family movies. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo
Winter
The Northern Branch Jail is surrounded by vacant land near the corner of Betteravia and Black roads west of Santa Maria. The county plans to expand the facility and downsize operations at the Main Jail near Santa Barbara. Credit: Janene Scully / Noozhawk photoRick Caruso, owner of the Rosewood Miramar Beach luxury hotel in Montecito, is all smiles as the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approves his project for affordable housing and boutique retail shops in December. Credit: Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photoA Tommie Kunst Junior High School band member and his aide smile big along the route at the Santa Maria Parade of Lights. Credit: Janene Scully / Noozhawk photoSanta Claus high-fives kids during the Julefest Parade in Solvang. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photoThe 2024 Parade of Lights in Santa Barbara. Credit: Ray Ford / Noozhawk photo
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