Partying for Obama
Presidential candidate Barack Obama seems likely to clean up big-time at the September 8 party Oprah is throwing for him at her Santa Barbara home.
Year: 2007
German Film Honors Anti-Nazi Heroine
The screening is a benefit for HopeDance magazine.
FRS Lands 7-11 Deal
The energy drink FRS, made by the Carpinteria company formerly known as New Sun Nutrition, will be carried in 7-Eleven convenience stories on the West Coast.
Zaca Fire Heats Up
News at the 6 a.m. fire briefing on Monday, July 16, was bleak. The Zaca Fire-which, since beginning on July 4, has consumed 27,500 acres of Santa Barbara’s backcountry-had recrossed the Manzana and was now heading up through the Fish Creek drainage toward Ranger Peak. That evening, as the fire built to a head and threatened to push up over McKinley Ridge, orders were given to evacuate areas near Figueroa Mountain.
Westside Teen Fatally Stabbed
Blood still stains the driveway of a San Pascual Street residence adorned with flowers and candles, all reminders of the most recent death of a Santa Barbara teen due to gang violence. In what police spokesperson Lt. Paul McCaffrey said was a gang-related attack on three lower Westside “active gang members or gang associates,” 16-year-old Lorenzo Valentin Carachure was stabbed to death Monday. His two acquaintances were also stabbed, but are reportedly in good condition.
Mobile Home Owners Pay Landlord’s Court Costs
Battle was joined in the Goleta City Council chambers over who must pay the landlord’s court costs in a rent-controlled park. When the smoke cleared, residents of the Rancho Mobile Home Park each received a bill for $803.72 to cover the $94,000 that landlord Daniel Guggenheim spent fighting a suit in which a tenant alleged pain and suffering from an eviction attempt.
City To Face Wrongful Death Suit
In a decision with broad public policy implications throughout the state, the California Supreme Court ruled on July 16 against an appeal by the City of Santa Barbara, opining that written waivers do not cover gross negligence, regardless of the wording of the releases that people sign when participating in activities. The ruling also means the city must defend itself against charges of gross negligence in the 2002 death of Katie Janeway, a 14-year-old developmentally disabled girl who drowned in Los Banos del Mar Pool during a city-run summer camp.
Adult Literacy Tutors Needed
You can help another adult learn to read to a child, understand documents and bills, work toward a better job, and become a more confident reader. The Santa Barbara Public Library System’s Adult Literacy Program is seeking volunteers to work as one-on-one tutors with community adults twice a week, at all branch libraries.
Homegrown Tomatoes
Heirlooms might be all the rage, but no matter; homegrown is the best. I’m talking tomatoes, of course. Santa Barbara gardens should be just entering their peaks right now, producing tomatoes by the ton. It’s not really summer for me until I slice up my first Celebrity from the backyard, ready and red and juicy and needing nothing more than a spritz of salt and a grind of pepper.
Visiting Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Things have changed a lot at Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) since performances began there back in 1935. For instance, when it started out, the OSF included boxing matches along with the plays in attempts to broaden its appeal.
