NEWS BRIEFS

Flags and Santa Rosa Road onramps as the California Highway Patrol investigated the crash scene.

The closure caused heavy traffic through Buellton and Solvang on the way to Highway 154 before Highway 101 was re-opened at about 12:30 p.m.

The early-morning crash was just the first of multiple incidents to be reported on Highway 101 Wednesday.

Eligino have both been charged with two misdemeanor counts of violations of Penal Code section 484 subdivision (a), Petty Theft and one misdemeanor count of a violation of Penal Code section 422.6 subdivision (b). Violation of Civil Rights.

Two firefighters among eight injured in early-morning crash on 101

Two firefighters were among eight injured when a minivan ran into first responders tending to a minor accident at the Highway 101, Highway 1 junction near Gaviota early Wednesday morning (March 29), Santa Barbara County Fire said.

Public information officer Scott Safechuck tweeted that the two firefighters were hit by the minivan while tending to a minor non-injury crash just before 5:30 Monday morning. They were among eight injured in the crash and taken to local hospitals: The firefighters, with major injuries, and one other person with minor to moderate injuries, were taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and five others were taken to Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria with minor injuries.

Later on, Safechuck said one of the firefighters, a captain, was moved to ICU in serious but stable condition, and the other, an engineer was released to recover from his injuries at home.

Because of the crash, authorities closed southbound Highway 101 at the Avenue of

Safechuck later reported of an crash on Highway 101 just north of the Gaviota Tunnel at about 6:30 p.m. The vehicle was said to have major damage with extrication of the lone female driver/occupant required. The patient was transported to the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital ER by ground ambulance. Her condition was unknown.

Two accidents were reported at 8:30 just south of Jonathan Park in Buellton. The first accident had the car going into the center divider, with the driver/sole occupant coming out uninjured.

The second accident involved three cars with drivers only, all uninjured. A guardrail road clearing by Santa Barbara County Fire resulted in temporary #1 lane closures in both directions. That accident is under investigation.

Los Olivos

Two individuals charged in 2022 pride flag theft, burning

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savmoch announced on Thursday, March 23, that two individuals have been charged in connection with the theft of two pride flags and the burning of one of them in the Santa Ynez Valley in July 2022.

Avi Stone Williams and Joshua Jerome

On July 28, 2022, the flag, which was flying in front of St. Mark's-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos along with those of the United States, California, and Ukraine, was allegedly stolen and burned.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies spent several days investigating the report, including collecting physical evidence, interviewing victims and witnesses, and tracking down a video of the burning of a pride flag before identifying the suspects.

In accordance with the Victims' Bill of Rights, the District Attorney's Office has met with the victims and members of the community and received input on how they have been impacted by these events.

Williams and Eligino are set to be arraigned in Department 9 in the Santa Maria courthouse on April 19.

Santa Ynez

Kahn, Business Committee re-elected to Chumash leadership team

With his re-election, Kahn, 45, continues his 20 years of service in tribal government. He was first elected to the Business Committee in 2003, becoming the youngest person ever, at age 25, to serve on the tribe’s board. He would be re-elected in seven consecutive terms, with stints as secretary-treasurer and vice chairman, before winning a special election in 2016 to become chairman.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as Chairman for my tribe, and it’s an honor to work alongside this dedicated group of leaders who are committed to ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for our tribal community,” Kahn said.

Santa Barbara

SB Humane Launches New Revamped Volunteer Program

After a three-year hiatus, Santa Barbara Humane is welcoming volunteers back to their Santa Maria and Santa Barbara campuses.

Both Santa Barbara Humane Society and Santa Maria Valley Humane Society had bustling volunteer programs before merging to become Santa Barbara Humane in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization had to make the difficult decision to pause all volunteering at both campuses to ensure the health and safety of staff.

At the helm of the volunteer program is new Manager of Volunteer Engagement Dana Bushouse. Bushouse plans to roll the program out in phases; the first step will be recruiting volunteers to help with dogs. Opportunities for volunteers wishing to work with cats or help out in the clinic will be coming shortly.

Kenneth Kahn was elected to his fourth term as tribal chairman while Mike Lopez, Maxine Littlejohn, Gary Pace, and Raul Armenta were also re-elected to their seats on the Business Committee following a recent vote by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to select its governing body.

The tribe’s chairman and Business Committee members each serve two-year terms and are responsible for establishing policies and overseeing the legal and business affairs of the tribe while providing for the economic well-being of its members.

Responsibilities for dog volunteers will include dog walking, basic manners training, kennel cleaning, and sanitation. To better serve the animals, volunteer opportunities are currently limited to those 16 years or older who can commit to a minimum of two hours per week for 4-6 months. Shift times are 7 to 9 a.m., 12 to 2 p.m., and 4 to 6 p.m. Volunteers at Santa Barbara Humane Society or Santa Maria Valley Humane Society, will need to apply.

To apply, community members can visit sbhumane.org/volunteer to fill out an application and sign up for a brief interview.