Our 165th Year
‘Some sense of normalcy’ Junior Lifeguards program allows kids to be active again
By BRIAN MACKLEY
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NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
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fter being cooped up for a long three months, kids and teenagers in Santa Barbara are finally burning all the energy they’ve built up at home, at the beach. To many kids’ (and parents’) delight, the Junior Lifeguards program at East Beach was cleared to take place even during the coronavirus pandemic, alongside numerous strict regulations. What typically was a seven-week long session from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with around 300 participants turned into two four-week sessions from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-4 p.m., with space for roughly 1,200 kids. According to Tony Sholl, the recreation supervisor of aquatics for the city of Santa Barbara, the high demand is proof that the camp “is something that was wanted.” “A lot of these kids have been quarantined for just their parents or, if they’re lucky, siblings for three months,” Mr. Sholl said. “This is a great opportunity to give them some sense of normalcy. The kids are excited to just be outside and with other kids.” To safely hold the program, the directors had to restructure. They broke the groups down into “pods” of 10 kids. Each pod is several feet away from other pods, and kids within each pod sit a safe enough distance apart when they’re not exercising. The instructors wear masks the entire time they’re on the beach, and the kids wear them when they’re not running or swimming. Any time the participants have to form a line, they’re told by instructors to hold their arms straight out like a “T” and make sure they can’t touch anyone else. “Kids are kids and they’ll forget (the rules),” Mr. Scholl said. “But it’s day three of (the program), and they’re getting a good handle on it.” He added that the nice part of the new system is that each pod of 10 stays in that pod for the four
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Hana Facenda, 10, tackles the waves as she finishes the “Run Swim Run” exercise at the Junior Lifeguards program.
weeks, and they don’t closely interact with other pods. They do, however, hold competitions with each other at a distance. “The instructors have gotten really creative, and they do competitions against other pods,” he said. “This pod will be here, then 20 feet away is going to be another pod that’s doing that same challenge.” Kids ages 7-17 compete with swimming, paddling, cardio, sprints and various other relays to cover both the land and sea challenges of lifeguarding. Mr. Sholl said he’s seen all the instructors, parents and kids not only buy into but rise to the challenge of dealing with the restrictions. Jackson Wright, an instructor and second-year student at California Polytechnic State University, said he believes the program has been going “really well” and that it’s encouraging for the rest of the summer. “It’s going to be a long eight weeks, but we prepared for it and we prepared well,” he said. “(Kids) are definitely excited to be out of Please see lifeguards on A8
At top, the Junior Lifeguards program is still able to be held despite COVID-19 concerns. Here, kids are distancing while still getting to exercise and learn what it takes on land and sea to be a lifeguard. Above, from left, El Icarmaghe, 12, and Hazel Heckes, 13, paddle their boards across the water in a relay.
Ex-boyfriend sentenced to life for murdering DP alumna By PAUL GONZALEZ NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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28-year-old man who murdered a Dos Pueblos High School alumna in her Winnetka apartment in 2016 will spend the rest of his life in prison. Brian Gonzalez was sentenced to life in state prison without the possibility of parole on Tuesday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Van Nuys. In February, Mr. Gonzalez was convicted of the murder of his exgirlfriend Emily Fox, 22, and her friend Jerrad Cardae Scott, 24, of La Mesa. The charges carried special allegations for murder during the commission of a kidnapping and multiple murders. At 4:20 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2016, Los Angeles Police Department officers found Ms. Fox and Mr. Scott in her Winnetka apartment with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body, according to an LAPD report. Investigators say Mr. Gonzalez showed up at her apartment with a handgun and instigated a
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From Stargate to Vandenberg Maker of world’s first 3D-printed rocket plans launch facilities
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
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NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTOS
Emily Fox
Brian Gonzalez
confrontation with the pair. Mr. Gonzalez ran down a fleeing Mr. Scott as Ms. Fox called 911, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. “While Scott attempted to escape, Fox dialed 911. Gonzalez then caught up to Scott and brought him back at gunpoint to Fox’s location before shooting
them both, according to evidence presented at the nine-day-long trial,” the statement read. The LAPD’s Valley Bureau investigated the case. Police Detective Efren Gutierrez said Mr. Gonzalez was arrested on Jan. 19, 2016 in Santa Ana on a Greyhound bus bound for Tijuana, Mexico. Ms. Fox graduated from Dos
Pueblos High School in 2011, where she was a standout golfer, and was just months away from graduating from Cal State Northridge with a degree in sociology. She attended Foothill Elementary School and La Colina Junior High. At Dos Pueblos, Ms. Fox was a three-time All-Channel League golfer and helped lead the Chargers every year during her career. She earned an award for photography her during her senior year. After high school, Ms. Fox attended Santa Barbara City College and was awarded a scholarship to attend California State University, Northridge. She was pursuing a degree in sociology at the time of her death. Mr. Gonzalez, also known as Brian Hammons, attended Santa Barbara High School for three months over a two-year period as part of his sophomore and junior years in 2007 and 2008. He played junior varsity football during that time. email: pgonzalez@newspress.com
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
he creator of the world’s first 3Dprinted rocket, Relativity Space, has announced it will develop rocket launch facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Relativity Space makes the rocket, called the Terran 1, at its Stargate factory. If all goes according to plan, Terran 1 will eventually launch at Vandenberg. Located near Lompoc, Vandenberg is the headquarters of the 30th Space Wing, which manages the Department of Defense’s space and missile testing, as well as satellite launches into polar and sun-synchronous orbits from the West Coast. “The 30th Space Wing takes great pride in supporting the next generation of leaders in space,” Col. Anthony J. Mastalir, 30th Space Wing commander at Vandenberg Air Force Base, said in a statement. “We are impressed by Relativity’s innovative approach to reinventing aerospace manufacturing via 3D metal printing and robotics paired with an executive team of seasoned aerospace leaders. We look forward to working with Relativity as its West Coast launch partner for many years to come.” According to Relativity’s news release on Wednesday, “The Right of Entry (RoE) allows Relativity and the 30th Space Wing to assess the viability of conducting launch operations at a location currently comprised of Building 330 and adjacent land area.” If the B-330 launch site at Vandenberg is approved, it will be capable of supporting the world’s first and only fully 3D-printed rocket, Relativity’s Terran 1. The new rocket has 100 times lower part count than traditional rockets and a maximum payload of 1,250 kilogram (or about 2,750 pounds). Because it is entirely 3D-printed at Relativity’s state-of-the-art Stargate factory, Terran 1 has a radically simple supply chain, and it can be built from raw material to flight in less than 60 days. Relativity announced this year that it plans to operate from new headquarters in Long Beach. “We’re honored to begin this partnership with the 30th Space Wing and join the exclusive group of private space companies able to conduct launches at Vandenberg,” Relativity CEO Tim Ellis said in a statement. “The West Coast launch facilities allow Relativity to provide affordable access to polar and sun-sync orbits that are critical for both government and commercial customers. The geographic southerly position of COURTESY PHOTO B-330 at Vandenberg offers schedule certainty Relativity’s and increased launch frequency that will be Terran 1 launch advantageous to our Terran 1 customers.” vehicle is the In addition to the Right-of-Entry agreement world’s first 3DPlease see relativity on A7 printed rocket.
Film festival to be held in spring By JOSH GREGA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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he Santa Barbara International Film Festival usually happens in the winter, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the event to be postponed until spring. The 36th annual event scheduled to be held in late January will now take place from March 31 to April 10 of next year, according to the festival’s website. The 2021 festival will feature more than 200 films, more than 120 of which will be having their world and United States premieres, as well as industry panels, celebrity tributes, and screenings held at local venues like the Arlington Theatre and Lobero Theatre. In a post on the festival’s Facebook page, SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling remarked that this time amid the pandemic is the perfect time to appreciate film
as something that can get people through this difficult period. “There has never been a more critical time to celebrate cinema and its ability to get us through extremely challenging circumstances, whether on a personal level or on a global scale by keeping us entertained, informed and inspired,” he said. The change of date it turns out is not the only impact COVID19 has had on SBIFF. Funding cuts that had to be made to the city of Santa Barbara’s recently adopted budget included a reduced sponsorship for the festival. According to Nina Johnson, senior assistant to the city administrator, the $72,630 grant SBIFF is receiving from the city is $8,070 less than initially budgeted. “All city departments reduced their budgets by 5%, so we similarly asked all the City’s partners and grantees to reduce their grants at a similar level,” Ms. Johnson said. SBIFF attracts the biggest Please see SBFF on A8
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L O T T E RY R ESU LT S
Comics................. A6 Classified.............. A7 Life.................... A 3-4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 8-11-19-31-42 Meganumber: 22
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 3-8-4-5
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 6-20-37-40-48 Meganumber: 15
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 9-14-16-20-37
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 09-03-12 Time: 1:48.38
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 15-22-27-33-46 Meganumber: 23
Obituaries............. A8 Soduku................. A5 Weather................ A8
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 5-1-9 / Evening 0-5-5