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Via Maestra 42 legacy lives on under new ownership
Biden stands behind Afghanistan withdrawal By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
ANNELISE HANSHAW / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Nicole and Georges Bitar, the new owners of Via Maestra 42, took over Aug. 9 with a dedication to Renato Moisio’s vision.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Via Maestra 42, a North State Italian restaurant and deli, is serving its authentic Italian favorites under new ownership. Well, somewhat new. The restaurant’s now-retired owner Renato Moisio wasn’t going to let his legacy go to just anyone, so he called someone the restaurant’s regulars are likely to remember. Nicole Bitar worked as Via Maestra 42’s general manager nearly 22 years ago, when the business was new.
Notes of gratitude adorn the doorway thanking previous owner Renato Moisio for providing authentic cooking.
She helped Mr. and Mrs. Moisio launch their ideas, and she fell in love with the business. During a trip to see her mom in Houston a few years later, she met and married her husband Georges Bitar. (They met at an Italian restaurant, by the way.) She was unable to return to Santa Barbara until around nine years ago, bringing her Italian husband and two sons (now three). Returning to Via Maestra 42, with her family, is a “full-circle moment,” she told the News-Press. The restaurant has always given her a sense of community. Please see VIA MAESTRA on A4
President Joe Biden said in a national address Monday that he “stands squarely behind (his) decision” to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The Taliban took the nation’s capital, Kabul, Sunday. “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces. That’s why we’re still there,” Pres. Biden said. U.S. withdrawal began May 1, and the country is working on flying its last citizens out of Afghanistan as well as Afghans eligible for special immigrant visas. “We have made it clear to the Taliban. If they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation, the U.S. presence will be swift, and the response will be swift and forceful,” Pres. Biden said. “We defend our people with devastating force if necessary.” Pres. Biden compared fighting the Taliban with fighting ISIS. “We conduct effective counterterrorism missions against terrorist groups in multiple countries where we don’t have permanent military presence. If necessary, we’ll do the same in Afghanistan,” he said. Armed forces have been training and equipping the Afghan military over the past 20 years, spending over “a trillion dollars.” “We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future,” he said, later adding, “It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan’s armed forces would not.” He acknowledged the gruesome images circulating through social media. “I also want to acknowledge how painful this is to so many of us. The scenes that are seen in Afghanistan, they’re gut wrenching, particularly for our veterans, our diplomats, humanitarian workers, for anyone who has spent time on the ground working to support the Afghan people, or those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan.” email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
President Joe Biden
NEWS-PRESS FILE
Back to school Students return to class with new rules By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
NEWS-PRESS FILE
Santa Barbara High School, above, and the rest of the Santa Barbara Unified School District are returning to in-person learning five days a week starting today.
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Students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District begin a five-day-per-week, in-person school year today. The district is also offering an independent study option, as mandated by the California Department of Public Health. CDPH also requires that teachers and students wear masks indoors. Last week, the district met with
its board to discuss district-wide COVID-19 surveillance testing. SB Unified’s goal is to begin antigen testing next week. All students will swab their own noses with the direction of an instructional video. “Even our six year olds will be able to do this,” Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Dr. Frann Wageneck said. Each school will have a staff of Please see SCHOOL on A3
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