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Our 166th Year
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Marathon for muscular dystrophy
‘Legacy’ oil well capped By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The State Lands Commission capped a leaky 100-year-old oil well called “Olsson 805” on the west end of Summerland Beach last week. The well is one of hundreds of “legacy wells” on Santa Barbara County’s coast that were drilled in the late 1800s and abandoned in the early 1900s. There was almost no governmental oversight of these wells, and workers sealed the pipes with rocks and rags in the 1930s. The State Lands Commission is granted $2 million per year to identify leaking legacy wells and properly cap them. When oil leaks, swimmers, surfers and other beachgoers are impacted as well as coastal wildlife and fish. It could also cause environmental degradation and be a hazard to public health. Extreme high tide or storms caused some of Olsson 805’s oil Please see WELL on A4
ANNELISE HANSHAW / NEWS-PRESS
Leon, center, and Mary, left, Lewandowski lead a group of friends and coworkers along the coast in a 26.2 mile walk to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association Sunday.
Couple launches challenge to benefit a cure
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A friendly bunch walked from Goleta, along the shoreline of Santa Barbara and back Sunday totaling 26.2 miles — a marathon. Instead of sporting running bibs with numbers, they wore tshirts that say 24 Hour Marathon Challenge. They don’t trek the coast for a medal or finishing time. They’re raising awareness for muscular dystrophy. Leon Lewandowski created the challenge in 2019. He was inspired by the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral a few years earlier, and he wanted to benefit a disease close to his heart. His mother learned she has muscular dystrophy 25 years ago. Her muscles are deteriorating slowly, and Mr. Lewandowski wishes for a cure. He actually raised money for the disease in his childhood. Inspired by a telethon, he knocked on his neighbors’ doors to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In sixth grade, he participated in his first walkathon for the organization. In November of 2019, he asked his wife, Mary, if she’d join him. It didn’t sound like the most thrilling way for the couple,
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
The couple completed the inaugural challenge alone in 2019 and was forced to tackle the marathon independently in 2020 as well.
both teachers, to spend their Thanksgiving break. But she obliged — if she could pick the route. They tested their idea, walking 26.2 miles and stopping
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at favorite eateries. At the end of the marathon, they donated $26.20 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. As they completed their challenge, they were alerted to
a wildfire, the Cave Fire. The following year, they faced a pandemic. They planned a group walk for late March 2021, which they canceled. But they set out
independently. Their goal is to encourage more participants nationwide, and they’ve reached about 100 people across the United States in a Please see MARATHON on A3
The California Republic Party is considering endorsing a candidate in the Sept. 14 recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom. CAGOP’s executive committee is allowing a party endorsement, a decision it made Saturday. The party will hold a virtual meeting Aug. 7 to determine who, if anyone, will receive CAGOP’s endorsement. CAGOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said in a statement: “I have consistently called for a fair, transparent process that would allow our party to go into the recall election united and strong with a decision to endorse a candidate or a decision not to endorse. Thank you to the bylaw amendment authors, the Rules Committee, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors for introducing and formalizing this process, and I look forward to our exceptional candidates appealing directly to our delegates about why their vision for the future of our state is best.” “California voters have an opportunity to put our state back on track. They are sick and tired of facing surging crime, record levels of homelessness and poverty, sky-high taxes, unaffordable housing and soaring unemployment,” she added. email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
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CAGOP considers recall election endorsement
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