Great quotes in 2020
Sports in 2020 Our Mark Patton looks back at the year - A7
Everyone from a contortionist to a typewriter collector had something to say - A3
Our 165th Year
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2020: Year of the pandemic World and county experience roller coaster of challenges By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The coronavirus pandemic took the entire world by surprise in 2020. It impacted every individual, family, business and aspect of life as we knew it. The outbreak of COVID-19 infected more than 76 million people worldwide, took the lives of at least 1.6 million and spread to nearly every country in the world. From event cancellations to lockdowns to surges in cases to mask mandates to, finally, the most rapidly developed vaccination to date, the unfolding of COVID-19 has been a rollercoaster. It all started in a Chinese seafood and poultry market at the end of December 2019. On New Year’s Eve in 2019, the government in Wuhan, China, confirmed health officials were treating dozens of cases of an unknown pneumonia. Mere days
later, researchers identified the new virus, but said there was no evidence it was readily spread by humans, according to a New York Times report. The first COVID-related death was reported on Jan. 11, 2020 in China, from a regular Wuhan market customer. Throughout January, more and more countries reported COVID-19 cases, such as Japan, South Korea and Thailand. Jan. 21 marked the first case in the U.S. A Washington state resident had just returned from a trip to Wuhan, which was subsequently closed off to all traveling. On Jan. 30, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency, and the day after, the Trump administration suspended entry into the U.S. by any foreign nationals who had traveled to China in the past 14 days. The second day of February 2020 was the first reported coronavirus death outside of
China, and a few days later, a Chinese doctor who tried to ring the alarm of the virus’s severity died from the virus. On Feb. 11, the name “COVID19” was officially attached to the new virus. Also in early February, Dr. Henning Ansorg, the Santa Barbara County public health officer, told the News-Press, “I do take it seriously. Everybody does … Knock on wood, so far it hasn’t exploded into anything disastrous at all … I am concerned about this, but I actually remain perhaps even more concerned about influenza and its impact on human health year after year.” In late February, Italy’s first major outbreak spun out of control, marking the beginning of widespread cancellations and lockdowns. Finally, the pandemic made its way to the U.S., with the first COVID-19 death (known at the Please see pandemic on A7
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS
A Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shot is administered to a medical worker Dec. 17 at the Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria.
Legends we lost
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara County said goodbye to many legends this year. Award-winning actor, worldrenowned director, philanthropist and former Montecito resident Kirk Douglas was one of the legends who left us in early February. Mr. Douglas passed away at his home in Beverly Hills at the age of 103. He owned a home with his wife in Montecito for nearly two decades, frequenting Trattoria Mollie at its previous Coast Village Road location. From his career-defining role in “Spartacus” (1960) to his roles in “Champion” (1949), “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1953) and “Lust or Life” (1957), the golden-age actor won three Best Actor nominations at the Oscars, and received an honorary Oscar in 1996 for his role as a “creative and moral force in the movie industry.” He also wrote a series of bestselling books, including “The Ragman’s Son,” “Dance with the Devil,” “The Gift” and “My Stroke of Luck.” Mr. Douglas was commonly spotted at the Montecito YMCA rooting on his grandchildren during coed basketball season. He’s remembered as a family man, where he appeared in an HBO documentary with his son Michael Douglas and asked his son if he had been a good father. His son’s response was, “Ultimately.” The actor was also humanitarian with a commitment to justice. He founded the Douglas Foundation in 1964, raising
nearly $118 million in donations. The foundation assisted in the funding of the reconstruction and renovation of Cottage Hospital, and endowed four playgrounds in Israel and one in honor of the Oklahoma City bombing victims. Mr. Douglas also worked with his wife, Anne, at the Los Angeles Mission for the Homeless and the Anne Douglas Center for Women. Together, they helped improve playgrounds all over the Los Angeles Unified School District. He left a legacy much deeper than his on-screen talent, showing many his down-to-earth, genuine approach to life. More recently, last month, Santa Barbara bid farewell to Ernest “Ernie” Brooks II, a Santa Barbara local known for his breaktaking photos taken from under the sea and his service as president of Santa Barbara-based Brooks Institute of Photography. He touched many with his photos, which captured the majesty of sea life in dramatic monochrome, and took classes of Brooks Institute students on photographic dives. Mr. Brooks II grew up in Santa Barbara and raised his kids in Santa Barbara, eventually being inducted into Santa Barbara High School’s Hall of Fame in March 2019. He also received “The 1996 Partner’s Award” from the American Oceans Campaign honoring his lifelong commitment to the community. Also in November, the community mourned the parting of Barbara Tellefson, the Unity Shoppe founder, president and Please see legends on A8
Nonprofits step up during pandemic By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
STEVE MALONE/NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
Award-winning actor, world-renowned director, philanthropist and former Montecito resident Kirk Douglas was one of the legends who left us this year in early February 2020.
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS
In November, the Santa Barbara community mourned the parting of Barbara Tellefson, the Unity Shoppe founder, president and director of operations, who died from a terminal illness at 84.
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RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS
Erica Kent assists student Andy Alarcon, 6, with his homework, as part of the Turner Foundation’s new remote learning centers, which help neighborhood kids navigate online classes.
L O T TE R Y RES U L TS
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During 2020, nonprofits stayed true to their missions of helping others, but rapidly pivoted to the needs of local residents during COVID-19, all while adhering to COVID-19 regulations and safety requirements. Nonprofits in Santa Barbara County repaired homes to shelter in place, provided aid to wildfire victims, held free food pantries, assisted students with remote learning, supplied personal protective equipment to the public, gave small business loans, cared for seniors and their caregivers and so much more. The Santa Barbara Foundation, United Way of Santa Barbara County and the Hutton Parker Foundation collaborated in March to launch the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort, which provided assistance to individuals and families impacted by the
coronavirus and state emergency orders as well as nonprofits actively assisting them. As of Oct. 31, between 34 local funders, more than $18.9 million in funding had been mobilized to support communities during the pandemic. The effort provided grants to 158 nonprofits in the county and awarded 2,362 Individual Assistance and Rental Assistance grants through the COVID-19 Joint Response Effort and CARES Act to some of the most vulnerable community members. In March, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County changed its model to serve the rapidly increasing need of local residents. Because the surges caused unemployment and food stamp offices to respond slower, many more individuals relied on food banks to put dinner on the table. The food bank opened two new
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