THE YOUNG and the RESTLESS

The mad medley of Halloween enthusiasts that
descends every year on Isla Vista will be forced
to watch their p’s and q’s this upcoming weekend, as Sheriff’s
Department officials say Isla Vista will be “swarming with police.”
Last year’s spooky festivities resulted in 700 arrests and
citations and 40 cases of alcohol poisoning. As many as 40,000
out-of-towners are expected to show up this year.

The Carpinteria School Board voted 3-2 to close the Main
Elementary School, citing financial pressures and
declining enrollments. Critics of the plan claimed the real culprit
was financial mismanagement. But depending on the outcome of School
Board elections, the decision could soon be revisited and possibly
reversed.

As Santa Barbara and San Marcos high school
football players hurled their bodies at one another at
last Friday’s homecoming game held at Peabody Stadium, rival gang
members marked the occasion by engaging in multiple
brawls near, on, or around the Santa Barbara High School
campus. One incident left the victim with head injuries requiring
hospitalization. “It’s constant retaliation,” explained Santa
Barbara Police Lt. Paul McCaffrey. “It’s getting to be like the
Israelis and the Palestinians.” Santa Barbara High School principal
Paul Turnbull stressed that the violence was gang-related and not
directly connected to the game. But last Friday’s game was the
first in which Turnbull had ordered the stands videotaped to ensure
parents and football boosters did not get out of hand. Two parents
have been banned from campus for threatening Santa Barbara High
football coach Will Gonzales. Some parents have complained that
Gonzales – struggling with a winless season – has been rude and
abusive to the players.