Newsom vetoes extension of unemployment insurance
Visions of the Oceano Dunes
Governor says cost of program for illegal immigrants is too high - A4
Bob Canepa’s photographs grace WIldling Museum of Art and Nature - B1
Our 167th Year
75¢
T H U R S DAY, O C T O B E R 1 3 , 2 0 2 2
NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
Murder/fentanyl suspects appear in court By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS
The Santa Barbara Courthouse is seen through a car window after a short burst of rain hit downtown Santa Barbara on Wednesday.
Burst of rain
Two men accused of murder for allegedly supplying fentanyl to an individual who subsequently overdosed and died appeared in court Wednesday for the start of their preliminary hearing. Jonathan Eric Fleischer, 40, and Edward William Wysel, 52, are charged with murder in the death of Z. Raymond, prosecutors said in their four-count felony complaint. The victim died sometime between Aug. 8 and Aug. 10. The co-defendants are also charged with transportation for sales of a controlled substance. The charge carries a special allegation that they committed great bodily injury to the victim. Other special allegations charge them with committing aggravating factors in that the crime involved great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm or other acts “disclosing a high degree
Some precipitation descends as Santa Barbara County moves into fall-like weather By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
Clouds prevailed, and the suspense quietly grew. Then it happened, on the afternoon of an October day that looked and felt more like June gloom. A burst of rain. It wasn’t a lot. The National Weather Service reported a mere 0.03 inch of rain fell Wednesday in Goleta, where it rained for up to 15 minutes with some lingering drizzle afterward. One resident told the News-Press she became aware of the precipitation when she heard the shrieking of kids and teenagers caught in the rain outside her home. The burst of precipitation was much shorter in Santa Barbara.
And the weather service didn’t report any measurable amount of rain anywhere else in the county. But what’s certain is the weather is getting cooler, and the National Weather Service says that trend will continue. Finally, it’s beginning to feel like fall. (Technically, fall started Sept. 22, but until recently, it’s felt more like a late summer.) “A stubborn area of low pressure aloft will likely linger over the region through the remainder of the week, and keep a showery and unsettled weather pattern in place,” the weather service said Wednesday. “Night through morning low clouds and fog are likely to continue through the week. A cooler weather pattern is expected over the weekend and into early next week.”
The weather service predicted partly cloudy conditions today in Santa Barbara County, with highs in the mid-70s in the Santa Barbara area and 70 in Lompoc and Santa Maria. Apparently it’s still summer, at least part of the time, in Santa Ynez, where today’s high is expected to be 82. And a high of 86 is forecast for Cuyama. But the lows tell another story. Lows in the mid 50s are expected throughout the county, except for the more moderate Santa Barbara/ Goleta area, where the weather service forecasts lows in the lower 60s. The National Weather Service predicts partly cloudy skies and similar temperatures on Friday, followed by mostly cloudy skies on Saturday and a dip in temperatures. The forecasted
high for Santa Barbara on Saturday is 69. In Santa Maria, temperatures aren’t expected to exceed 68 Saturday, and things will be cooler in Santa Ynez, with a predicted high of 76. On Wednesday, the weather service said there was a 30% chance of showers and a thunderstorm. By the time the News-Press went to press Wednesday night, a thunderstorm hadn’t happened. The rain came and went. Ventura saw 0.03 inch of rain; Oxnard, 0.05 inch; and Camarillo, 0.06. Up north, no measurable rain was reported in San Luis Obispo County, and not much was reported in Los Angeles County. email: dmason@newspress.com
Gas prices remain high in state and county By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Gas prices hover around $7 a gallon at the Chevron gas station at the corner of Hollister Avenue and Storke Road in Goleta.
FOLLOW US ON
6
66833 00050
3
The sign at the Chevron station in Goleta told the story: $7 for a gallon of gas. Prices started at $6.559 a gallon Wednesday at the Mobil gas station at the corner of Glenn Annie Road and Calle Real in Goleta. If you drove around, you could find somewhat cheaper gas. At State and Mission streets in Santa Barbara, the Arco station was selling gas for $5.99 a gallon. And the price was $5.959 a gallon for regular, unleaded gas at the Fuel Depot on Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta. Prices remain higher in Santa Barbara County than they were a year ago, and that’s the story across California and the rest of the country. But prices have continued their roller coaster ride.
The national average on Wednesday was $3.922 a gallon, up from last week’s $3.831 a gallon and last month’s $3.1716 a gallon. One year ago, the national price was $3.279, according to the American Automobile Association. California continues to have the most expensive gas in the country. According to AAA, the state’s average on Wednesday was $6.246 a gallon, slightly down from $6.425 a week ago but up from last month’s $5.405 a gallon. And one year ago, the average was $4.444 a gallon. In Santa Barbara County, Wednesday’s average was $6.202 a gallon, down from $6.387 a week ago but still higher than last month’s $5.42 a gallon. One year ago, the average was $4.383 a gallon. The story was similar in Ventura County, where the Please see GAS PRICES on A4
of cruelty, viciousness or callousness,” and engaged in violent conduct that “indicates a serious danger to society.” A third special allegation accuses them of committing a serious/violent/registerable sex offense felony. Count three of the complaint alleges that on or about Aug. 11, they committed the crime of transportation for sales of a controlled substance, fentanyl. And count four charges them with possession for sale of a controlled substance, fentanyl. Following the preliminary hearing, the judge will decide if prosecutors presented enough evidence to bind the defendants over for trial. This is the second case being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office involving people accused of murder for supplying drugs to someone who died as a result. email: nhartstein@newspress. com
Man arrested on suspicion of murder in Santa Ynez area By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A 26-year-old Lancaster man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in the death of a 72-year-old man Saturday in the Santa Ynez area. The suspect, Rylen Quinn Svane-Morris, was arrested Tuesday in Santa Cruz on suspicion of murder for the Oct. 8 killing of the victim, identified as Terry Wilson, according to Raquel Zick, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Acting on a tip, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office contacted the suspect Tuesday and arrested him without incident on an outstanding homicide warrant, Ms. Zick said. Mr. Svane-Morris will be booked at the Northern Branch Jail near Santa Maria for his no-bail warrant as well as possible additional charges. The stolen vehicle that he was believed to be associated with was recovered by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and will be released to the owner. At approximately 3:56 a.m. Saturday, deputies responded to the 1000 block of Jason Way in Santa Ynez for an unknown type of emergency. When deputies arrived, they found an adult male victim. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department and medics responded to treat the victim, who was beyond life-saving
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Rylen Quinn Svane-Morris
measures and was declared dead at the scene. The suspect, who fled prior to deputies’ arrival, was identified, and deputies began searching the area, Ms. Zick said. Several hours after the murder, it was discovered that a vehicle, a blue 2014 Chrysler Town & Country minivan, was stolen from a residence in the area where the homicide occurred. Based on the proximity, detectives believe Mr. SvaneMorris stole the Chrysler minivan after allegedly committing the murder. email: nhartstein@newspress. com
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 5-22-30-34-43 Meganumber: 26
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 1-2-0-3
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 3-7-11-13-38 Meganumber: 1
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 1-2-6-8-15
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-03-06 Time: 1:40.67
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 13-30-41-42-59 Meganumber: 6
Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A4
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 0-1-5 / Wednesday’s Midday 1-1-1