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Alisos Canyon earns AVA designation
Amber Melgoza overcame dyslexia on her way to pro basketball in Italy’s top division
By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
With more than 275 wineries and impressive terrains throughout, Santa Barbara County is one of the most diverse grape growing regions in the world. On Tuesday, the area located between Santa Ynez and Santa Maria, known as Alisos Canyon, became designated as the region’s newest American Viticultural Area by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. This marks the seventh region in Santa Barbara County to earn AVA status, which is a designated wine grape growing region in the United States distinguishable by its geography. “Congratulations to Santa Barbara and congratulations to Alisos Canyon on their AVA designation. We invite you to come down and explore these amazing regions and the seventh AVA in Santa Barbara County,” said Wes Hagen, the winemaker at J. Wilkes Wines in Santa Maria
Valley. Mr. Hagen was the lead petitioner trying to get Alisos Canyon AVA designated. In fact, he was also responsible for the AVA approvals for three AVA’s in Santa Barbara County — Santa Rita Hills (2000), Happy Canyon (2009) and Ballard Canyon (2013). The other three regions in the county to have AVA status include Santa Maria Valley (1981), Santa Ynez Valley (2013) and the Los Olivos District (2016). According to a press release from the Santa Barbara Vintners, the Alisos Canyon region “has long been revered for its highquality fruit with its unique affinity towards Rhone-style varietals,” helping it earn its AVA status. According to Mr. Hagen’s petition, it also falls “perfectly within the Goldilocks Rhone Zone, a phenomenon that has proven itself true over three decades of winegrowing history in Santa Barbara.” “If you follow any of the major watersheds out of the Pacific Please see wine on A2
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS/PRESS
People enjoy an afternoon at Arroyo Burro Beach Thursday. Access to all county beaches will be restricted during Labor Day weekend.
Beach access restricted
COURTESY PHOTOS
At top, former Santa Barbara High star Amber Melgoza celebrates Senior Day at the University of Washington. Below, Melgoza reacts during a game last season against UCLA, which also took place on Senior Day.
By MARK PATTON NEWS-PRESS SENIOR WRITER
Recess at Vieja Valley School never came too soon for young Amber Melgoza. It’s where life made the most sense. “I’d rush out to play ‘Knockout’ with all the boys, be the first one on the court,” she said, referring to a playground variation of basketball. “And I wouldn’t lose.” Jaime and Robin Melgoza’s little girl grew up to break the girls all-time scoring record at Santa Barbara High in 2016. And by last March, the 5-foot-10 guard had scored 1,717 points at the University of Washington to rank eighth in the school record books. It was enough to earn her a pro contract in Italy’s top division. “I’ve always dreamed of playing basketball professionally, ever since I was a kid,” said Melgoza, who will leave next week for the town of Battipaglia in southern Italy.
But while scoring big numbers came fast and easy, reading words came slow and hard. Dyslexia was the toughest opponent that Melgoza ever had to face. “I had to go to a different classroom when I was in elementary school, which was the most embarrassing part for me,” she said. “I really didn’t even know why at the time. It’s hard for parents to explain that to a kid. “When I was younger, a lot of people didn’t think I’d be able to do the things that I’m doing now at 22. People will always doubt you in life, but that just made me more determined to prove what I could do.” She did that by making Washington’s Dean’s List four times. She was also selected to two Pac-12 All-Academic teams before graduating a quarter early with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in diversity.
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Much like the Fourth of July weekend, county health officials are hoping that foot traffic at local beaches will be at a premium for Labor Day weekend. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department issued a health officer order Wednesday announcing beach restrictions for all county beaches from Sept. 4 to Sept. 7. The official health order, authored by county health officer Dr. Henning Ansorg, states that the closures will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. Sept. 4 to 11:59 p.m. Sept. 7. Activities such as sitting, lying, standing, sunbathing, sight-seeing, picnicking, and all other non-
Please see melgoza on A10
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By BRIAN MACKLEY NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
exercise, passive, or sedentary activities on beach parkways will all be prohibited during the busy holiday weekend. In addition, items used for sitting or lying on the beach are prohibited for use on beaches, such as umbrellas, shade structures, tents, barbeque grills, sand or beach toys, coolers and beach chairs. “Disease transmission rates have been consistently improving in the last few weeks, yet this metric still remains above the threshold outlined by the California Department of Public Health for being removed from the County Monitoring List,” health officials said in a news release. Despite transmission rates Please see access on A2
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L O T T E RY RESU LTS
Comics................. A8 Classified.............. A9 Life.................... A 5-6
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 4-5-6-30-45 Meganumber: 21
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 7-6-0-4
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 8-10-15-17-57 Meganumber: 12
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 10-15-18-19-23
Thursday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-10-08 Time: 1:48.01
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 8-12-19-47-58 Meganumber: 2
Obituaries........... A10 Soduku................. A7 Weather.............. A10
Thursday’s DAILY 3: 0-6-3 / Thursday’s Midday 6-6-8