One year after withdrawal from Afghanistan
‘Painting in the Light’ Longtime local artist Richard Schloss releases his first book - B1
Republican lawmakers blast Biden on the anniversary of chaotic departure - A3
Our 167th Year
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T U E S DAY, AU G U S T 16 , 2 0 2 2
Santa Maria police investigate shooting death And a man pleads not guilty to a previous homicide By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
“No restaurant parking,” says a sign on a pillar at CVS Pharmacy. A sign on a pole next to it warns unauthorized vehicles will be towed.
Dealing with parking CVS on Coast Village Road tows unauthorized vehicles; Honor Bar uses garage
By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Two Montecito businesses are doing what they can to cope with the diminished number of parking spaces on Coast Village Road, exacerbated by the outdoor dining parklets extending into the street. One, the Honor Bar, a local restaurant that’s packed to the seams on weekends, is going a more traditional route, using an underground parking garage reserved for Montecito Plaza tenants like them. The other, CVS, the local branch of a national pharmacy chain, is employing what some might consider less conventional means. A store employee confirmed Monday that CVS is towing cars from its lot that it determines belong to anyone who’s not shopping at the pharmacy. That includes people dining at the restaurants across the street. The News-Press learned recently that sometimes less than half of the 30 or so parking spaces are used by CVS customers. “That is true, but they’re probably being nice about it,” the employee, who declined to give her name, told the News-Press Monday. “Sometimes there are two people in the store, and the entire parking lot is full.” CVS has about 15 spaces available in front of the store and 15 in the back, she said. Most times, the spaces are being used by people who park there and walk to a nearby restaurant to eat, she said. Others are being used by “some people who work around here,” the employee said. She said the situation has been going on for years, but with the parklets gobbling up precious
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Ron Tutay has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder in connection with this year’s fourth homicide in Santa Maria.
him and arrested him for drugrelated violations, the detective said. After further investigation, they found evidence at the scene linking him to the shooting and arrested him on suspicion of murder, Det. Corral said. “We have no concrete information about a motive,” Det. Corral said. The victim, later identified as Gerald Lynn Williams, 55, of Santa Maria, was taken to the hospital where he later died. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Corral at 805-928-3781, ext. 2243. email: nhartstein@newspress. com
Santa Maria Serves project to help community By JARED DANIELS NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A sign outside a busy Honor Bar on Sunday points to the underground parking garage with spaces for the Coast Village Road restaurant.
street parking, “it’s just getting worse now. It’s extremely worse.” The employee confirmed that the store’s manager often calls Love’s Towing in Santa Barbara to arrange for it to come and tow away offenders in the CVS lot. Asked how often this happens, she said, “Whenever we get a chance.” She added that CVS has put up signs warning illegal parkers that their vehicles might end up being
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Santa Maria police are investigating the shooting death of a 19-year-old man whose body was found early Sunday in an alley behind the 300 block of West Rochelle. Police identified the victim as Felix Ivan Antonio Antonio of Santa Maria. Officers responded to the scene at 12:03 a.m. Sunday. No arrests have been made, and the motive for the shooting remains unknown at this time, Detective Oscar Corral said. “It’s still an ongoing investigation,” he said. Police are asking anyone with additional information about this shooting to contact Detective Cazares at 805-928-3781, ext. 1319. The homicide is the fifth in Santa Maria this year. Meanwhile, the man arrested in connection with the city’s fourth homicide in July will stand trial in Santa Barbara Superior Court, Det. Corral said. Defendant Ron Tutay was held over for trial following a July 13 preliminary hearing, the detective said. Mr. Tutay has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder. Police responded at 9:24 p.m. July 2 to reports of shooting in front of Louie’s bar, 213 E. Main St., Det. Corral said. They found a man on the ground who had been shot. Officers saw a man, later identified as Mr. Tutay, sitting on a nearby sidewalk, questioned
towed. The Honor Bar, meanwhile, appears to be taking full advantage of its lease allowing restaurant patrons to park in the Montecito Plaza’s underground garage. “We have Honor Bar spaces in the Plaza garage,” Marissa Bloom, Honor Bar general manager, told the News-Press Monday. “It’s pretty common knowledge” there’s a parking lot there, she
said, adding that the Honor Bar is simply part of a larger group of businesses whose customers are allowed to park there. Ms. Bloom was uncertain whether the restaurant’s “guests” are using more spaces since the parklets were erected than they did before. “Parking has always been what it’s been,” she said. email: nhartstein@newspress.com
Volunteers will paint over graffiti, pick up litter, assist seniors and work on a playground during the 22nd Santa Maria Serves event. Volunteers will meet at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, 600 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria, where coffee will be provided by Starbuck, along with other light refreshments. From there, volunteers will travel to one of six project locations to take part in a day of service that will benefit the community. Pastor Carl Nielsen of Bethel Lutheran Church was inspired to start Santa Maria Serves after taking a group of volunteers to New Orleans in 2009 to help in restoration efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. After returning home, “he came back to Santa Maria and asked himself, ‘Why can’t
we do something like that right here in our own community?’” according to Serve Santa Maria’s website. The first iteration of the event followed shortly after in 2010. The motive and vision of the event, according to the organization’s website, is to “show our love for God and our neighbors, and demonstrate our unity in the Body of Christ” and “to see the city and surrounding communities of Santa Maria transformed both in spiritual and societal ways.” Furthermore, event organizers believe that “Christians are called to seek the peace and prosperity of the city, both in prayer and as servants of society, looking forward to the final and eternal heavenly city where the trials of this world will cease,” according to their website. Projects for this year’s day of service, which were selected Please see PROJECT on A2
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-12-25-42-45 Meganumber: 9
Monday’s DAILY 4: 3-3-5-7
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 23-24-50-54-64 Meganumber: 3
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 1-11-18-25-29
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 05-12-03 Time: 1:44.47
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 19-24-35-43-62 Meganumber: 2
Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A4
Monday’s DAILY 3: 0-8-7 / Monday’s Midday 3-3-9