The Independent saw some awesome stories this year — from robots to ghosts to everything in between. Serious subject matter — like immigration and oil — were tirelessly covered thanks to the tireless reporting of Ryan P. Cruz and Nick Welsh. And our newer reporters, Christina McDermott and Ella Heydenfeldt, did not miss a beat. Of course, our entire staff should be patted on the back until they’re stuck in the ground, but I’ll focus mainly on our news staff for my 2025 Year in Review.
Some of my favorite stories this year were Ella’s, who was quick to show off her incredible writing ability and use that to make her stories come to life.
From the Goleta bumper sticker battle, centering around the city’s longstanding country vibes versus its probably urban future; to her cover story on the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Director Amada Cruz and the museum’s impressionist exhibit; to her more recent pieces on Santa Barbara’s limited and highly sought after late night bites (which also has a social media highlight thanks to our lovely Maya Johnson), in which she bestows personality to box mac ‘n’ cheese and describes food as something that “sticks to your ribs” as she delves into the ever-so-important topic of where to chow down past “Santa Barbara’s bedtime.”
She’s proved herself to be an epic addition to the staff and, seeing as she invited me to try some of those late night bites with her, a new friend.
Our staple powerhouse reporters did important work that should be recognized, too. Ryan’s ongoing coverage of immigration — including leading our all-hands-on-deck cover story Smoke and Mirrors about the fallout of federal raids on central coast cannabis farms — has shown who he really is: a dedicated and genuinely caring journalist who doesn’t just chase a beat because it’s his job, but because it is important to him. Ryan has a heart that you may struggle to find elsewhere in this media landscape. He never fails to impress me.
His cover story on Central Coast ghosts was super cool and spooky, too. I was incredibly excited about the idea — “ghosts!” I would yell emphatically every time it was brought up during an edit meeting — and the story did not disappoint.
Nick Welsh needs no kudos — he gets them all the time, responding often with a big smile and an “Oh!” or just silent, humble reception, sometimes with an expression that could be read as feigned surprise or makes you think he might not have heard you — but he deserves them all the same. His coverage of Sable Offshore and their pipeline dramatics displays the grit he’s known for. He’s got this dogged determination reminiscent of the meddling Scooby Doo gang constantly chasing after a new monster to unmask. And in the current political landscape, we have no shortage of monsters. (A lot of these monsters have actually ditched the masks but that’s a different story). This landscape has made for great Angry Poodle fodder, where Nick doesn’t hold back, calling out our nation’s politicians for the richards they are and framing it with well-written analogies like his reverse-robbery jello delivery. Peel back the fluffy ears, snout, and boxing gloves and there’s Nick: a tenacious writer trapped in a cartoonist’s body, as he’s described himself in the past. He makes American and local politics easy to digest and fun to read without downplaying the seriousness of the topics he writes about. He bears his canines. But wraps them up in a nice little bow. Angry Poodle, indeed. And we should be fucking angry.
I can’t forget Christina McDermott, our Mickey Flacks fellow, who has waded into the weeds of Santa Barbara’s screwed-up housing reality and weaved together baskets of important information — including a series about Isla Vista and the contentious eight-story development behind the Mission. Her work is concise and essential, and her audio pieces add more meat to the kebab. I don’t know where I’m going with these metaphors, but what I mean to say is that she is a hard worker and a good, sincere person, and that shines through her work. But, although she focuses mostly on the nitty gritty stuff, I have to say my favorite pieces of hers this year were about Drag Queens — the Queens of Barbara and their monthly shows at Eos nightclub — and bears. She was on the bear beat for a minute. It was awesome. “Bears are opportunistic omnivores that eat trash,” she wrote in one piece. I think about that line from time to time because it’s one of those matter-of-fact statements that is also unreasonably funny, or at least I think so.
And, of course, our lovely Jean Yamamura. Jean’s one of those people whose presence just makes you smile. I’m never not happy around Jean — or if I am, she’s quick to shit on whatever is making me unhappy. Got a hate-email from some anonymous Debra angry about the way you presented factual information? “Screw ‘em, what do they know?” Jean will say. She’s constantly wrapped up in opinion pieces, but when she’s not, she’s writing pure gold about whatever — weather, people, politics. Some of my favorites this year were her profiles, including the new Direct Relief CEO and Goleta City Councilmember Luz Reyes-Martín. And her writeup of the No Kings protests in Santa Barbara was full of picture-painting detail and personality you can only find in Yamamura copy.
For a glimpse outside of the hard-hitting news arena for a second: Quick shoutout, too, to Matt Kettmann for one of my all-time favorite cover stories this year: “Are These the Droids We’re Looking For?,” a real sci-fi-meets-food-industry story that is as well-written as it is informative and just, well, dope. (Also if you haven’t watched the way he tastes wine, you should do that.) And Tiana Molony, who put together some great special editions, including Active Aging, featuring a fun and lighthearted piece she wrote about senior hockey players and one of my own favorite pieces I wrote this year about the spunky, gay Lavender Elders.
Oh, and amid all this back-patting, I’d be remiss not to add: Thank you to Jackson Friedman for being the easygoing and kind-hearted glue that holds this chaotic news team together. This year has been insane and yet, somehow, he never lost his head. He never does — even when he’s surrounded by decapitated chickens.
Here’s to next year.
