Our 167th Year
Honoring the grads
Community service champs
Laguna Blanca seniors celebrate their graduation - A3
CommUnify presents awards during 17th annual dinner - B1
75¢
F R I DAY, J U N E 16 , 2 0 2 3
NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
Red, white and blue Patriotic residents drive vehicles with flags to celebrate holiday
Texas sends first bus of illegal border crossers to L.A. By BETHANY BLANKLEY THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) – A bus of foreign nationals who illegally entered Texas and were apprehended and released by the Biden administration were taken to Los Angeles for the first time, Gov. Greg Abbott said. They were dropped off at the Los Angeles Union Station Wednesday evening. “Texas’ small border towns remain overwhelmed and overrun by the thousands of people illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico because of President Biden’s refusal to secure the border,” Gov. Abbott said. “Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to, particularly now that its city leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary city status. Our border communities are on the frontlines of President Biden’s border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Some of the participants of the Flag Day cruise pose for a group photo at La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara on Wednesday.
Costner says his estranged wife won’t leave his home Actor and his legal team file documents in Santa Barbara County Superior Court
By LIAM HIBBERT NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Flag Day was this past Wednesday, and the often overlooked holiday received a bit more traction in Goleta and Santa Barbara this year. Flag Day celebrates the creation of the American flag and is meant to honor the beginnings of this country. This year, a group of locals took it upon themselves to raise awareness about the holiday and show their appreciation for America as they drove down various streets with plenty of flags attached to each vehicle. In fact, there were flags on approximately 20 vehicles. They varied from cars to trucks in the Flag Day car cruise, which stretched from Goleta to Montecito and back north to La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara. “Just think of all the millions of men and women that fought for that flag,” one of the drivers, Lynn Behrens, told the NewsPress. “I think we should make a fuss over it like we do Memorial Day or Veterans Day, I think the flag’s very important.” The drive started at the Costco parking lot in Goleta at 5 p.m. and wound its way around the city before ending about an hour later Please see FLAG on A4
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
Several flags are attached to a car in the Flag Day cruise.
Flag Day celebrates the creation of the American flag and is meant to honor the beginnings of this Participants in the Flag Day cruise enter La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara. That was the end of the country. route, which started in Goleta, continued to Montecito, then swung back to Santa Barbara. FOLLOW US ON
66833 00050
3
Real-life drama is continuing for movie star Kevin Costner. And that drama is building — with all the suspense of a movie — in Carpinteria. Mr. Costner and his wife, Christine Baumgartner, are going through a divorce. And according to court documents filed June 9 in Santa Barbara County Superior Court by Mr. Costner and his legal team, Ms. Baumgartner is still living at the couple’s $145 million beachfront home in Carpinteria, despite the terms of a prenuptial agreement. Mr. Costner owns the house. Under the agreement, Ms. Baumgartner has 30 days to vacate it after a divorce is filed. And Ms. Baumgartner filed for divorce more than a month ago — on May 1. Mr. Costner’s legal team wrote in the documents that Ms. Baumgartner refused to leave despite several requests that she do so and despite Mr. Costner’s offers to give her money to move. “Instead, Christine has taken the position that she will not move out of Kevin’s separate property residence unless and until Kevin agrees to various financial demands,” the lawyers wrote. In the meantime, Mr. Costner appears to be moving ahead with his plans for the property. According to media reports, someone else was spotted this week at the Carpinteria residence — property inspectors. Mr. Cotner plans to mortgage a piece of his 10-acre property to finance his “Horizon” movie franchise. The site has an ocean view, and the house is on a clifftop. Mr. Costner and Ms. Baumgartner started their relationship in 1998 and got married in 2004 at his ranch in
NASA PHOTO
Kevin Costner attends a 2016 NASA event promoting the movie “Hidden Figures,” in which Mr. Costner was one of the stars.
Colorado. They have two sons — Cayden, 15, and Hayes, 14 — and a daughter, 13-year-old Grace. Joe, Liam, Annie and Lily are Mr. Costner’s older children from previous relationships. Mr. Costner, a Compton native, grew up in Ojai and Ventura, where he attended Saticoy Elementary School, Cabrillo Middle School and Buena High School. At Buena, Mr. Costner played on the Bulldogs basketball team, averaging nine points a game. He was the team captain. His movies have varied from “No Way Out” (1987) to “Field of Dreams” (1989), “Dances with Wolves” (1990) and “Hidden Figures” (2017). And he was Superman’s dad, playing Jonathan Kent in Warner Bros.’ “Man of Steel” (2013). In more recent years, he’s been busy as the star of “Yellowstone,” a series that premiered in 2018 on the Paramount Network. email: dmason@newspress.com
LOTTERY
i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
6
steps up to do his job and secure the border.” Gov. Abbott began Texas’ busing strategy in April of last year. Managed by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the state has chartered buses to transport more than 21,600 people to now six Democratic-run self-described sanctuary cities. Transportation is free to them and voluntary. All adults and guardians of minors must sign waivers to choose to receive the transportation. The first destination city was Washington, D.C., followed by New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia last year. This year, Denver and Los Angeles were added as destination cities. After Texas has sent buses to the Democratic-run cities, the mayors have declared emergencies and also described the busing strategy as a political stunt. CBS News Los Angeles reported “the Coalition for Humane Please see TEXAS on A4
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-14-24-44-47 Mega: 7
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 3-1-1-4
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 8-10-19-44-47 Mega: 4
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 7-21-29-36-39
Thursday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-11-01 Time: 1:41.45
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 3-20-36-42-64 Meganumber: 4
Thursday’s DAILY 3: 6-5-7 / Midday 9-9-3