Our 164th Year
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F R I DAY, M AY 29, 2 0 2 0
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS
Alex’s Salon at 11. W. De La Guerra St. is now open.
Local hair salons reopening By JOSH GREGA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
G RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Monica Garay of Old Danish Fudge Kitchen shows off a tray of caramel apples.
ov. Gavin Newsom announced that hair salons and barbershops in 47 of California’s 58 counties that have gone through an attestation process with the State of California can now reopen. Santa Barbara County is among those counties. According to the State’s COVID-19 industry guidance document for salons and barbershops, those that reopen will be limited to conducting only services that can be
provided with both workers and patrons wearing face masks. These include services such as haircuts, weaves, color services, braiding, and extensions. Services that involve a stylist touching a client’s face such as eyelash services, eyebrow waxing, and facials are to be suspended until it is announced they can resume. Additionally, the reopening guidelines encourage salons and barbershops to have customers wait for appointments outside or in their cars, rather than congregate inside a waiting area. It also recommends stylists Please see salons on A2
‘A little more normal’
Though not as crowded as before, Solvang shops and restaurants reopen for business By JOSH GREGA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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hough many shops and restaurants in Solvang were open for business Thursday morning, the Danish town was quiet and without much foot traffic from tourists and shoppers. That said, business owners, local residents, and visitors alike were by and large pleased that life there has taken one small step toward normalcy. Several business owners with locations on and near Copenhagen Drive told the News-Press that activity in town increased noticeably during Memorial Day weekend, at which time many businesses reopened after a few
months of inactivity. However, the number of guests decreased after the long weekend. The Saturday before Memorial Day was The Copenhagen House’s first day open since COVID-19 restrictions forced it to temporarily cease regular operations and, according to manager Elsemarie Lund, was a particularly special day to reopen. “It was actually our fifth-year anniversary to the day that we opened again,” she said. She added that the first day back was “a really, really good day businesswise.” Even though the town wasn’t as busy as before the COVID-19 pandemic, the uptick in visitors from the previous week clearly indicated that people had a desire to get out and about.
“You could tell that people were ready to get out and do a little bit of shopping,” she said. For Solvang resident Todd Patterson, businesses reopening their doors makes Solvang feel “a little more normal” than before. Many shoppers who spoke to the News-Press were from out of town, unsurprising since much of Solvang’s economy revolves around tourism. As she was departing the Solvang Shoe Store, San Clemente resident Kim Beauchaine said that restaurants where she lives are not yet doing on-premises dining, so being able to have a sit-down breakfast before hitting the road back home was a treat. Twentynine Palms resident Cora Hiser was in town for a
short holiday with her daughter to escape the 107 degree weather at Joshua Tree National Park. Calling Solvang “her perfect little town,” Ms. Hiser said that while it’s unfortunate some places still remain closed, she does enjoy that Solvang isn’t as crowded now as it was during her past trips there. “I’m sad for the closures and that more things aren’t open, but again, the silver lining is I come up and kind of have the place to myself,” she said. Businesses that have not yet reopened include Cariloha, which specializes in clothing and accessories made only from bamboo. Owner and manager Sandi Milby said her store is currently Please see reopening on A2
COURTESY PHOTO
A charter bus lies on its side after crashing on Jan. 18, 2019.
Bus driver sentenced to prison for DUI crash By PAUL GONZALEZ NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A G. Wilikers at 1695 Copenhagen Drive and The Book Loft at 1680 Mission Drive are among the many businesses getting back to normal.
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Please see DUI on A10
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L O T T E RY R ESU LT S
Classified.............. A9
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-5-11-14-44 Meganumber: 21
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 2-8-0-4
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 34-52-58-59-62 Meganumber: 4
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 3-8-22-23-27
Thursday’s DAILY DERBY: 07-11-04 Time: 1:47.82
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 38-58-59-64-68 Meganumber: 21
Comics.................... A8 Life.................... A 3-4 6
Goleta woman was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday for crashing a charter bus while high on methamphetamine. On March 3, Laura Mae Gish, 52, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs causing injury and the misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine before Judge Patricia Kelly in Santa Barbara County Superior Court. Ms. Gish also admitted that she injured multiple victims and caused “great bodily injury” to one victim. Judge Kelly sentenced Ms. Gish on Wednesday to the maximum amount of prison
time allowed by state law for her crimes. On January 18, 2019, Ms. Gish was driving a 25 passenger Volvo bus south on Highway 101 for American Star Tours. Ms. Gish fell asleep at the wheel just south of Alisos Canyon Road. “This act caused the bus to drift, hit a tree and roll over on its side. It was later determined that at the time of this incident she was under the influence of methamphetamine,” a Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office press release read. Seven people were transported to the hospital from the scene. Six victims were taken to Marian Regional Medical Center and the other was transported to Santa Ynez Valley
Obituaries........... A10 Soduku................. A5 Weather.............. A10
Thursday’s DAILY 3: 6-3-2 / Evening 7-2-6