The state of schools
Artistic summer camp
Santa Barbara superintendent, students discuss the ins and outs of education - A4
Arts by the Sea camp experience set to begin on June 20 - B1
Our 166th Year
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F R I DAY, M AY 2 0 , 2 02 2
Smashburgers and more New restaurant, XO Santa Barbara, provides comfort food in the Funk Zone
State’s $6 per gallon gas prices breaks record – again By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE
(The Center Square) – California’s average price for a gallon of gas shattered previous records on Wednesday, swelling to an average price of $6.05 per gallon, according to AAA. The record-breaking prices come after California saw costs slightly decrease throughout April, following a $5.90 per gallon peak at the end of March. While California has the highest average price per gallon, prices are up nationwide, reaching a national
average of $4.567 per gallon as of Wednesday. Seasonally, California gas prices typically rise in the spring as the state switches over to a more expensive blend of gas for pollution control. This latest rise in prices, however, has nothing to do with switching to the “summer blend” of gas, which the state began using in February, Marie Montgomery Nordhues, a spokesperson for the Automobile Club of Southern California, told The Center Square in an email. Ms. Nordhues said the latest Please see GAS on A2
CDC panel backs Pfizer booster for ages 5-11 By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse poses with employees on the day of a ceremony celebrating the opening of XO Santa Barbara, a restaurant in the Funk Zone.
By KATHERINEZ ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
One of Santa Barbara’s newest restaurants, XO Santa Barbara, opened recently in the Funk Zone, offering comfort food made from scratch. About 30 people, including Mayor Randy Rowse, attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at the restaurant, located at 121 E. Yanonali St. “This is our love letter to Santa Barbara with XO Please see XO on A6
FYI XO Santa Barbara, 121 E. Yanonali St., is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It’s closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For more information, go to xosantabarbara.com.
XO Santa Barbara is emphasizing comfort food, everything from smashburgers to breakfast sandwiches.
Community leaders gather during the ribbon cutting at XO Santa Barbara.
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Dr. Henning Ansorg
Commissioner Robert M. Califf. “The FDA is authorizing the use of a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children 5 through 11 years of age to provide continued protection against COVID-19,” Dr. Califf said. “Vaccination continues to be the most effective way to prevent COVID-19 and its severe consequences, and it is safe. “If your child is eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and has not yet received their primary series, getting them vaccinated can help protect them from the potentially severe consequences that can occur, such as hospitalization and death,” Dr. Califf said. Dr. Ansorg said the vaccine and the booster will help to build immunity in children and reduce hospitalizations. “The side effects are the same as after the first and second shots,” he said. “It is becoming very obvious that the COVID vaccine we have right now requires three shots,” Dr. Ansorg told the News-Press. “The official CDC recommendation will prompt pediatricians and family doctors to recommend the third shot. We are anticipating the FDA to meet in early June to discuss safety and efficacy of the third shot for children under five,” said Dr. Ansorg. And he said people in high-risk categories such as being 60 and older or having underlying health conditions should get a second booster shot, which means a total of four shots including the two initial doses for the vaccine. email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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i n s i de Classified.............. A5 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A6
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee Thursday recommended the Pfizer COVID vaccine booster for children ages 5-11. The booster was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday. “Vaccination with a primary series among this age group has lagged behind other age groups leaving them vulnerable to serious illness,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. “With over 18 million doses administered in this age group, we know that these vaccines are safe, and we must continue to increase the number of children who are protected,” Dr. Walensky told the Washington Post Thursday. The News-Press asked Dr. Henning Ansorg of the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department if he had any safety concerns with the booster shot for young children. “No, it makes a lot of sense,” the county public health officer said Thursday. “What we have seen during omicron is that more children have to be hospitalized for COVID. In this age group, there were quite a number of admissions to the hospital. “Of those hospitalized, the kids who were unvaccinated were double the number of vaccinated kids, so that is pretty significant,” he said. “The FDA authorized this because with omicron, the immunity gained by the second shot of the vaccine was waning faster than in other age groups. “So it is important that they get the new shot, as the virus has created new versions of itself to bypass the immune system,” Dr. Ansorg told the News-Press. “ In the future, I hope we get an updated version of the vaccine.” Dr. Ansorg explained the children’s dose is smaller than the adult dose. There is also medication now available to treat COVID-19, but that is currently only approved for ages 12 and up. “While it has largely been the case that COVID-19 tends to be less severe in children than adults, the omicron wave has seen more kids getting sick with the disease and being hospitalized, and children may also experience longer term effects, even following initially mild disease,” said FDA
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A6
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-10-26-38-45 Mega: 9
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 5-1-5-1
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 7-21-24-41-65 Mega: 24
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 2-24-35-37-38
Thursday’s DAILY DERBY: 11-07-01 Time: 1:45.65
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 2-18-20-25-32 Meganumber: 17
Thursday’s DAILY 3: 7-4-9 / Midday 6-9-2