Rumors & Buzz
Alisal Ranch retreat
A look at Ellen DeGeneres’ new project, among other projects - A2
Wildwonder event to focus on ‘spirit of women of the Wild West’ - B1
Our 167th Year
75¢
S AT U R DAY, O C TOBE R 29, 2 02 2
Two killed in fiery head-on collision
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department responds to the scene of a fiery headon collision on State Route 1 in Gaviota.
Driver arrested after State Route 1 crash in Gaviota By KATHERINE ZEHNDER
4 a.m., cost the lives of Lompoc residents Jenna Causby, 19, and Dorothyann Guthrie, 20. Mr. Nelson was driving a Ford C-Max south on State Route 1 at 80 mph, north of Highway 101, Officer Rodriguez said. Mr. Nelson was approaching Ms. Causby, who was driving a Chevrolet Malibu, from the north on State Route 1. Ms. Guthrie was her passenger. Ms. Causby was approaching Mr. Nelson from the south, Officer Rodriguez said. Officer Rodriguez said the crash occurred as Mr. Nelson overtook slower traffic,
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A man was arrested Friday after a fiery, head-on collision that resulted in the deaths of two women on State Route 1 in Gaviota. California Highway Patrol announced the arrest of Kyle Nelson, 22, of Goleta on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. “Charges are pending a toxicology report,” Officer Gabe Rodriguez of the CHP’s Buellton office said. The collision, which happened around
traveling southbound directly ahead of his vehicle. The CHP officer said Mr. Nelson passed over solid double yellow lines, traveling south in the No. 1 northbound lane, directly into the path of the Chevrolet. Ms. Causby, realizing the Ford was traveling the wrong way, turned the Chevrolet to the right in an attempt to avoid a head-on crash, Officer Rodriguez said. Simultaneously, Mr. Nelson turned the Ford to the left, and the front of the Ford collided head-on with the front of the Please see COLLISION on A4
COURTESY PHOTO
Making great strides
ELECTION 2022
Infanti runs unopposed for Solvang mayor
Doctor, patient discuss cystic fibrosis ahead of Santa Barbara fundraising walk
Musk buys Twitter for $44B By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
COURTESY PHOTO
Dr. Richard Belkin, medical director of the Adult CF Program at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, is among the participants in the Santa Barbara Great Strides walk.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER COURTESY PHOTO
Mark Infanti
Candidate discusses his goals Editor’s note: This is part of a series about local candidates in advance of the Nov. 8 election. By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Charlie Uhrig is stepping down as the mayor of Solvang, and Mark Infanti is running unopposed for his seat. “The current (city) council has been working together very well, and our current mayor is very well respected. And I was hoping he would stay, but he is stepping down,” Mr. Infanti told the NewsPress. “He and the council have encouraged me to run, and I decided I would run.” Mr. Infanti has previously worked as a project management consultant for clients such as aerospace and defense contractors. “Part of my old career that crosses into this environment is that I am comfortable speaking in public in front of large groups and I am very comfortable preparing for that,” said Mr. Infanti. Mr. Infanti has a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Texas El Paso. He also studied architecture for a few years prior to switching his major. Please see INFANTI on A4
FYI To learn more about Mark Infanti, visit infanti4solvang. info.
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Cystic fibrosis is a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder that most commonly affects the lungs and respiratory system. And it can affect other organs, including those related to the digestive and reproductive systems. But strides have been made in research and treatments, and it’s making a difference for patients. “The life expectancy for CF has dramatically improved over time. In the 1950s it was only three years old. It is now well into the 50s because of the effect of newer therapies, multidisciplinary care centers and better antibiotics,” Dr. Richard Belkin, medical director of Adult CF Program at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, told the News-Press. “The majority of patients have lung involvement and the majority of CF patients die from progressive lung disease. It is a rare and orphan disease.” “There are close to 40,000
FYI The Los Angeles chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will host its Santa Barbara Great Strides walk Nov. 12 at Chase Palm Park, 323 E. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara. Check in for the three-mile walk is at 9:30 a.m., and the walk will start at 10 a.m. To register, go to fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/ GreatStrides/120_ Southern_California_Los_ Angeles?pg=entry&fr_ id=9029.
FOLLOW US ON
66833 00050
3
children and adults living with cystic fibrosis in the United States (and an estimated 105,000 people have been diagnosed with CF across 94 countries), and CF can affect people of every racial and ethnic group,” according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The foundation remains determined in its efforts to help cystic fibrosis patients. On Nov. 12, the foundation’s Los Angeles chapter will host a walk to raise funds and awareness at Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara. The walk is called “Santa Barbara Great Strides.” Check-in is at 9:30 a.m., and the three-mile walk will start at 10 a.m. on the park’s soccer field. As of Friday evening, walk participants had raised more than $14,600, and the goal is $45,000. Cystic fibrosis impacts people such as Santa Barbara resident Taylor Marmo. In addition to living with CF, Ms. Marmo has two siblings who have CF, but they have mild symptoms. For Ms. Marmo, a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis came after a lifetime of medical problems. But after diagnosis and medications, she’s doing well today and said she feels like she’s been given back her life. “I was born in September 1993, the first out of five kids,” Ms. Marmo told the News-Press. “I was always small and labeled as a failure to thrive, growing up. There were certain things throughout my life where I had
chronic sinus infection, was always sick and suffered from abdominal pain. “My parents looked at it as avoiding going to school or being nervous, which was not my personality,” she said. “I was heavy into drinking and drugs in high school. I landed in hospital due to drinking at 17 and had pancreatitis,” Ms. Marmo said. “I went into rehab and got sober at 17. I had a second episode of pancreatitis, but doctors in L.A. wouldn’t treat me due to my addiction. “Dr. Richard Belkin came on my case and followed as my asthma doctor to make sure things would run smoothly,” Ms. Marmo said. “Dr. Belkin said, ‘I think it’s more than an addiction,’ ” Ms. Marmo recalled. Dr. Belkin started running tests, and at age 18, Ms. Marmo was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. CF affected her pancreas, and Ms. Marmo participated in experimental therapy. “I was put on Kalydeco via compassionate use back in 2014. I took it inconsistently because I was hospitalized so much,” said Ms. Marmo. Kalydeco is a medication used to treat CF. Ms. Marmo has three gene mutations. One mutation from each parent and one which she created in utero. Dr. Belkin said there’s currently no cure for cystic fibrosis, but new research is looking into it. “The Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation is working on finding alternative therapies,” Dr. Belkin said. Ms. Marmo said she didn’t live any sort of life before being on medication. “I was bed ridden and on pain meds all the time,” she said. “At 21, I told my dad that I was tired of living. I was miserable and depressed.” She further explained what treatments she uses. “When I’m sick, I do inhaler treatments. I have a portacath in my chest and I do IV treatments through that.” She said she became pregnant in 2017 and was at her healthiest during the pregnancy. She gave birth to her second child two years later, but that pregnancy proved difficult, and she experienced pancreatitis for a month. “I was put on Kalydeco in 2020 and got pregnant with my third daughter,” she said. “I had a healthy pregnancy. I only got pancreatitis once, and it was a pretty mild episode. “At the end of October, it will be two years without an episode of pancreatitis which is the longest I have ever gone,” said Ms. Marmo. “Pregnancy seemed to agree with me, and my children gave me a reason to live. I live a whole new life that I never thought I would ever get to live. A few years ago I never thought I would get on a plane due to dehydration causing pancreatitis. I feel like I have been given back my life, which is incredible,” said Ms. Please see WALK on A4
email: dmason@newspress.com
Elon Musk
COURTESY PHOTO
LOTTERY
i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
6
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Santa Barbara resident Taylor Marmo, who has cystic fibrosis, says she feels like she’s been given back her life after the treatments.
Elon Musk has taken control of Twitter. “The bird is freed,” the billionaire posted, referring to Twitter’s logo. The free speech advocate has said he would like to reduce the company’s restrictions on what users can say in their posts. But Mr. Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, also said he doesn’t want Twitter to be a platform for hate speech. Thursday night’s acquisition of Twitter cost Mr. Musk $44 billion. But he said he didn’t buy Twitter to make money. He said the purchase was his attempt to help humanity. Mr. Musk wasted no time putting his stamp on the company. He fired CEO Parag Agrawai, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde. According to various news sources, Mr. Musk plans to serve as the interim Twitter CEO until he hires someone. And Mr. Musk decided Twitter will no longer be a publicly traded company. Its stock is scheduled to be delisted Nov. 8 from the New York Stock Exchange. Earlier this year, Mr. Musk said Twitter erred when it put a permanent ban on tweets by Donald Trump. But on Friday, Mr. Musk said any decisions on restoring banned users would wait until a new Twitter council is formed.
Sudoku................. B3 Sports ................A3-4 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 5-8-31-46-47 Mega: 15
Friday’s DAILY 4: 1-3-2-4
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 4-18-31-53-69 Mega: 7
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 1-3-27-29-32
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 01-04-12 Time: 1:48.03
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 19-36-37-46-56 Meganumber: 24
Friday’s DAILY 3: 1-9-7 / Midday 3-5-1