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Paddle out honors pandemic victims
Community mourns death of I.V. pastor By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Father Jon-Stephen Hedges, a longtime volunteer chaplain for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and assistant pastor at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Isla Vista, died last week. He was 73. Father Hedges, known by many simply as “Father Jon,” suffered kidney failure resulting from amyloidosis and died Thursday while in hospice care. While he considered Colorado as his home, Father Hedges came to Isla Vista in 1968. The son of a Navy officer, he moved around during his youth before settling in I.V. He graduated from UCSB with a bachelor of arts degree in
Local nurses organize event to celebrate, mourn those lost to COVID-19
cultural anthropology, and also completed a Masters in Orthodox Theology from St. Athanasius Academy. He served as a volunteer chaplain with the Sheriff’s Office, the Isla Vista Foot Patrol and several other agencies. He also served as assistant pastor at the Isla Vista church, in addition to his work within the local community. “He collaborated and consulted with several Santa Barbara County agencies on crisis, trauma, and disaster issues; was deployed by Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina as a Disaster Mental Health worker; helped develop the St. Brigid Fellowship of St. Athanasius Church which Please see pastor on A6
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Father Jon-Stephen Hedges, a longtime volunteer chaplain for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and assistant pastor at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Isla Vista, died last week.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine gets emergency use authorization
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Paddle boarders and kayakers glide through the Santa Barbara Harbor during a paddle out on Saturday dedicated to nurses and patients who lost their lives to COVID-19.
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
Jose, left, and Paulina Tierrablanca toss roses into the ocean in memory of their grandmother, who died in July 2020 due to COVID-19, during Saturday’s event.
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A group of several nurses, community members and family members who lost loved ones to COVID-19 took part in a paddle out at the Santa Barbara Harbor Saturday morning to let the ocean heal them. A nurse from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital organized the event to give nurses and family members close to COVID-19 patients a place to mourn and reflect on the time they spent with their patients. Nearly 20 participants gathered at the boat launch at 11 a.m. Nurses handed out sunflowers to the paddlers, and put signs on their kayaks and stand up paddle boards. One read, “Nurses are Earth angels.” They even organized acupuncture and hot stones services for the nurses after the paddle out. “It’s a little bit different for us nurses,” said Nichol Please see PADDLE on A6
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As Santa Barbara County prepares to expand its COVID-19 vaccination efforts, a new vaccine could soon be on the way. On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the Johnson & Johnson singleshot COVID-19 vaccine. The EUA allows the vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. for use in individuals 18 years of age or older, according to the FDA. “The authorization of this vaccine expands the availability
of vaccines, the best medical prevention method for COVID-19, to help us in the fight against this pandemic, which has claimed over half a million lives in the United States,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner, said in a statement. “The FDA, through our open and transparent scientific review process, has now authorized three COVID-19 vaccines with the urgency called for during this pandemic, using the agency’s rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality needed Please see vaccine on A6
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ins id e Classified............... A8 Life..................... B1-4
By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Obituaries............. A4 Soduku................. B2 Weather................ A4
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Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 3-8-22-28-34 Meganumber: 22
Saturday’s DAILY 4: 5-3-2-4
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 11-15-37-62-64 Meganumber: 5
Saturday’s FANTASY 5: 5-6-9-22-32
Saturday’s DAILY DERBY: 01-11-02 Time: 1:48.86
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 2-28-31-44-52 Meganumber: 18
Saturday’s DAILY 3: 7-6-6 / Sunday’s Midday 5-8-1
PHORUM 2021
PERSPECTIVES IN HEALTHCARE
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25% of event sales will be donated to VNA Health 6990 Market Place Dr, Goleta 805.685.2039 thenaturalcafe.com
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*For RNs and LVNs earn 2.5 CE Credit Hours when you attend. CE Form will be given upon arrival. Attendees submit CE Form at the end of the event. * Provider, Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care Santa Barbara DBA VNA Health, approved by the California Board of Registered Nurses, Provider #CEP5310 for 2.5 contact hours.