Candidate for sheriff wants to make a difference
Hear that? It’s the sound of SOhO reopening
Lt. Juan Camarena says his goal is to build trust between law enforcement and the community - A3
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13 troops killed in Kabul explosions
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President Biden condemns attack and vows to find those responsible
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Two suicide bombers struck a crowd outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least 13 U.S. service members and dozens more Afghans. The attack came as the U.S. continued its evacuations out of the airport in Kabul, where thousands of Afghans and several hundred U.S. citizens are waiting to be airlifted. The Islamic State Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, took responsibility for the attack
late Thursday. The Pentagon confirmed that one bomb was detonated near the Abbey Gate and another occurred near the Baron Hotel, both of which are located in close proximity to the Kabul airport. According to U.S. officials, 15 U.S. service members were among the scores injured in the attack. Afghan health officials estimated Thursday that there were between 40 to 60 Afghans killed and 120 to 140 injured in the attack. The American troops killed in the attack were among the 5,800
President Joe Biden deployed to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans after the country fell to the Taliban. Of the 13 U.S. troops who died, the majority were members of the Marines, U.S. officials said. “Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement Thursday. “We mourn their loss. We will treat their wounds. And we will support their families in what will most assuredly be devastating grief.”
President Biden spoke at the White House on Thursday, condemning the violence and vowing to hunt down those responsible for the attack. The president said he would direct commanders to target those in ISIS-K who caused the attack. “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive,” the president said. “We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.” Addressing the nation from the East Wing of the White House,
Mr. Biden held a somber moment of silence in honor of those who lost their lives in the attack. Following Thursday’s attack, Gen. Frank McKenzie, who is overseeing the Afghanistan evacuation, told reporters that the U.S. is monitoring additional “active threats to the airfield.” The night before Thursday’s attack, officials were warned by an affiliate of the Islamic State of a “credible” threat to the airport, according to national reports. Despite Thursday’s violence, U.S. officials remained confident that the evacuation efforts would
NEWS-PRESS SPECIAL REPORT
Vaccinating the homeless County continues efforts to provide shots and COVID-19 education
continue in the four days leading up to the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline. “We will not be dissuaded from the task at hand,” Mr. Austin, the secretary of defense, said as an indication that the U.S. would continue its efforts on the ground in Afghanistan. “To do anything less — especially now — would dishonor the purpose and sacrifice these men and women have rendered our country and the people of Afghanistan,” he added. email: mhirneisen@newspress.com
$11.9 million proposed for Central Coast projects Local funding included in House-passed appropriations bill By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is continuing its efforts to vaccinate a vulnerable population of homeless individuals. As of July, 57% of the county’s homeless population is vaccinated, according to the department.
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Throughout the pandemic, the Public Health Department has taken a multi-faceted approach to providing vaccines and COVID-19 education to homeless individuals across Santa Barbara County. When the pandemic began in March 2020, public health officials across the nation began voicing concern about the threat of the virus to vulnerable communities. In Santa Barbara County specifically, one particularly vulnerable segment of the population are homeless individuals. According to the most recent point in time count conducted in January 2020, about 1,900 individuals are experiencing homelessness in the county. In order to protect and vaccinate this vulnerable population, the county’s Public Health Department formed partnerships with community organizations and used mobile clinics to offer shots to homeless
individuals. By utilizing various partnerships and deploying mobile clinics, the Public Health Department has vaccinated 57% of the county’s homeless population as of July 20, according to Dana Gamble, interim deputy director of the department’s Primary Care and Family Health Division. This vaccination effort began in February, when the county’s Public Health Department started deploying mobile clinics to reach underserved populations across the region. In total, the county has completed about 21 clinics to serve homeless individuals in both north and south county. The majority of these mobile clinics were completed through a partnership with Doctors Without Walls - Santa Barbara Street Medicine, a nonprofit hat delivers free health services for some of the county’s most vulnerable. Through partnerships with DWW-SBSM, the county was able to conduct 16 vaccine clinics on the South Coast, according to Mr.
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Mr. Gamble said the nurses perform outreach with homeless individuals on a five-day a week schedule, entering shelters in Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Barbara. He said this regular connection with homeless people has built trust among hesitant populations and encouraged many to get their shot in the arm. “The nurses are phenomenal at building trust, and because of the relationship that they’ve built over time, they are able to talk about the vaccine and when people are hesitant they can encourage them,” Mr. Gamble said. “In many cases, they are able to administer the vaccine after a few attempts or requests to ask if people are interested.” The challenge now is overcoming barriers to administering the vaccine, which Mr. Gamble said are largely synonymous among the general population and unhoused population. After the vaccine effort peaked in the spring, vaccine interest Please see HOMELESS on A2
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“I am proud to have secured over $11 million for local projects that will make our community safer and stronger,” U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal said about the House’s fiscal 2022 appropriation bills. The legislation is awaiting consideration in the Senate.
The center has between 90,000 to 120,000 visitors each year, including an average of 250 seniors participating in programs at the Goleta Valley Senior Center. More than 90 nonprofits and more than 50 commercial establishments use the facility on a monthly basis. “The $3 million for the Goleta Community Center is critical to allowing the community center to continue to provide wonderful services to Goleta in an upgraded, resilient, and safe facility,” said Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte in the news release. “We truly appreciate this funding that will enable us to fully reopen this ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of Goleta much sooner than otherwise possible.” — $1.3 million for Santa Barbara County’s Veterans Building. The Santa Barbara Veterans Memorial Building is owned by Santa Barbara County and serves veterans, nonprofits and Please see PROJECTS on A3
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Gamble. The county has also doled out vaccines to homeless individuals at five of its eight Health Care Centers. The clinics, which have locations in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Lompoc and Santa Maria, allow homeless people to walk in and receive the vaccine without an appointment, Mr. Gamble said. In addition to these methods, the vaccination effort is furthered by nurses from the county’s longstanding Health Care for the Homeless program, who have played a big part in the Public Health Department’s efforts to serve the homeless during the COVID-19 crisis. Throughout the pandemic, Public Health Department nurses have entered encampments and shelters to deliver care and education pertaining to COVID-19. Their outreach expanded in July when the nurses began carrying vaccinations with them to provide shots on-site for unvaccinated individuals.
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, announced Thursday that he secured $11.9 million for Central Coast projects in the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills. The legislation passed in the House and is going forward to the Senate. According to the congressman’s office, the bills fund 24th Congressional District projects such as those designed to protect the water supply, make housing more affordable and update community buildings to be more resilient and accessible for people with disabilities. “I am proud to have secured over $11 million for local projects that will make our community safer and stronger,” Rep. Carbajal said in his news release. “With these funds, we will be able to make long overdue improvements to community centers, create more affordable housing units for families and protect our water supply. “These projects will go a long way toward improving quality of life on the Central Coast, and I will continue fighting for our district as the spending bill progresses through the Senate,” he said. The projects include: — $3 million for the Goleta Valley Community Center. This project would help the city reopen the center, which has been partially closed since January because of a critical need for seismic upgrades. The improvements include but are not limited to accessible entrances, accessible routes to the improved areas, accessible restrooms, telephones and drinking fountains. The 2013 ADA evaluation found several areas of needed improvements. The city will work to complete these improvements, which include but are not limited to making all areas of the building ADAcompliant, according to Rep. Carbajal’s office.
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