‘The Nutcracker’ at The Granada
Justices rule for SB Unified, Just Communities
Audrey Messer and Amara Galloway (pictured) will take turns playing Clara this weekend in the State Street Ballet production - B1
Decision favors school district over Fair Education Santa Barbara - A2
Our 166th Year
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F R I DA Y, D E C E M B E R 1 7, 2 0 2 1
New TSA technology
Inflation estimated at $3,500 per family
Agency plans upgrade to expedite checking luggage at Santa Barbara Airport
Business school releases report By CASEY HARPER THE CENTER SQUARE SENIOR REPORTER
(The Center Square) — A new report estimated the annual cost of elevated inflation this year will be around $3,500 per household. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s leading business schools, released the report, which estimated much higher costs for American families because of inflation that has risen this year at the fastest rate in decades. “We estimate that inflation in 2021 will require the average U.S. household to spend around $3,500 more in 2021 to achieve the same level of consumption of goods and services as in recent
previous years (2019 or 2020),” the report said. “Moreover, we estimate that lower-income households spend more of their budget on goods and services that have been more impacted by inflation.” Inflation means a range of goods and services are more expensive for Americans. Federal economic data released Tuesday showed the producer price index, a leading marker of inflation, rose to 9.6% in the previous 12 months, the highest level on record. Meanwhile, recently released data on the consumer price index, another indicator of inflation, showed the fastest increase in nearly 40 years. “The monthly all items Please see INFLATION on A2
PHOTOS COURTESY U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Nipomo Mesa lupine is a high-risk, low-resiliency species only found in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex.
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes home to endangered plants
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
TSA agent Sarah Brooks scans a driver’s license at a security checkpoint inside the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. The airport will soon receive new technology to expedite checking luggage.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The Santa Barbara Municipal airport will soon be receiving an upgrade in TSA security technology. The Credential Authentication Technology is one of two new security technologies that will be coming to Santa Barbara by the spring. A computed tomography scanner has also been recently installed, for use in scanning carryon luggage. The CAT assists in the process of checking travel documents. The CAT scans the photo ID and confirms the traveler’s identity on screen. It is also able to verify that the traveler is ticketed for travel that day, due to the CAT being linked to the secure flight database through a secure internet connection. CAT also displays the pre-screening status (such as TSA PreCheck) the traveler is eligible for, all without the traveler presenting a boarding pass to the Transportation Security Administration officer. The CAT enables the TSA officers ability to accurately authenticate a traveler’s identification. CAT also has enhanced capabilities to detect fraudulent documentation. According to the TSA, the use of CAT addresses vulnerabilities with photo ID and boarding pass fraud. “The technology is designed to detect anomalies in the credential, fake IDs, IDS that have been
tampered with,” TSA spokesperson Lori Dankers told the News-Press Thursday. “Officers are trained to spot fake IDs, but they are pretty sophisticated now,” Ms. Dankers said. “A database of photo IDs is scanned into CAT unit, compared to traveler’s ID. An ID showing an anomalies is flagged for the security officer,” The News-Press asked about the database of photo IDs. “TSA has access to every type of ID travelers would use: state, driver’s license, passports, etc.,” Ms. Dankers said. “All IDs accepted by the TSA are loaded into a CAT unit. The CAT unit can read Real ID and standard ID.” In addition to spotting fake or tampered IDs, the new CAT addresses boarding pass fraud, “because people do not need to show boarding pass, when ID is scanned,” Ms. Dankers explained. “The CAT pulls the biographical information of a traveler, and compares it to what is shown on the screen when the ID is scanned. The CAT then tells the officer if additional security screening is needed for that passenger. “The CAT is an added tool which helps TSA verify that the traveler is who they say they are, and that they are ticketed for travel,” Ms. Dankers said. In addition to the CAT, the TSA has introduced the computed technology scanner, which is used Please see TSA on A4
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Recovery efforts under way for high-risk species By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A new item scanning machine is used at a security checkpoint at the airport.
Two endangered plant species are only found in the distinctive coastal dune ecosystem of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released its plans to grow and eventually delist La Graciosa thistle and Nipomo Mesa lupine. “Recovery plans are based on the best available science on what species need to persist into the future,” Kristie Scarazzo, a botanist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ventura office said in a news release. “These plans outline strategic and systematic recovery actions aimed at reducing threats and promoting long-term viability.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognized La Graciosa thistle as endangered in 2000. In 1990, the species claimed the “endangered” title through the California Endangered Species Act of 1984 and was named a threatened species under California’s Native Plant Protection Act of 1977.
It is in the Asteraceae family, making it kin to daisies and sunflowers. But looking at La Graciosa thistle, one may want to avoid its path rather than give a bouquet of its prickly leaves and pale, pom-pom-like blooms to a loved one. The species, of which there are only eight surviving locations remaining, is dependent on wetlands but sensitive to flooding. Its main threat is groundwater decline, though invasive species and snacking herbivores can damage the plant’s potential. The Fish and Wildlife Service said La Graciosa thistle has a “high potential for recovery” but will require community engagement — which has already begun. The California and Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens bank the seeds in case staff want to propagate and plant them in the future. The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County has been growing seeds and planting them; it planted a successful Please see ENDAGERED on A4
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 5-8-9-19-39 Meganumber: 9
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 0-7-0-1
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 33-35-44-55-69 Meganumber: 20
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 5-10-14-18-29
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-02-11 Time: 1:44.40
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 19-20-40-42-59 Meganumber: 15
Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A4
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 3-6-0 / Wednesday’s Midday 9-0-5