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Our 166th Year
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T U E SDAY, S E P T E M BE R 21, 2 021
Snowy plovers released at Coal Oil Point Reserve Snowy Plover Rehabilitation Program raises nine threatened birds
Pfizer reports favorable results from vaccine trial Santa Barbara County confirms 236 cases over three days, three deaths By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
ANNELISE HANSHAW / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Santa Barbara Zoo keepers Stephen Haug and Katie Kranda open the wire pen so Western snowy plovers can roam freely Tuesday morning at Coal Oil Point Reserve in Goleta.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Snowy plovers are good at going unnoticed. Their small, light bodies meld with the sand — the substance in which they shallowly bury their eggs. The camouflage that can save them from predators jeopardizes the birds in the presence of unsuspecting beachgoers. A nosey dog or distracted tourist can easily step on a nest. The Snowy Plover Rehabilitation Program, a partnership of the Santa Barbara Zoo, UCSB and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, helps save the threatened species. The program released nine western snowy plovers at Coal Oil Point Reserve Tuesday morning. The nine birds came to the Santa Barbara Zoo as eggs and left ready to bond with wild plovers. Keepers from the zoo brought the birds to the beach hours before the release and let them acclimate to the environment while staying safe inside their cage. So when keepers Stephen Haug and Katie Kranda opened the wire mesh for the birds to fly free, the plovers didn’t seem to be overwhelmed. They didn’t fly out. The snowy plovers strolled out of their cage and paused in the sand. Ellie Cullip, a keeper who has worked in the program since its inception in 2016, said the plovers’ response was “very good.” She describes the releases as “such a cool experience.” “It’s hard not to get choked up and cry because you want them to do so well, and you’ve been watching them this whole time. And you just hope for the best for them,” she said. “And it’s out of our hands now. “That’s a hard part of it is knowing we can’t do anything more. Every time I do this, it reminds me why I do it.” Mr. Haug and Ms. Kranda have worked with the plovers for less than a year. They see at every milestone, from eggs to “lumpy little cotton balls on toothpick legs” to Please see PLOVERS on A4
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Joyce E. Dudley named co-chair of Prosecutors Against Gun Violence
A group of snowy plovers, freshly released to the wild, sit back in their new environment.
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley was named co-chair of the national organization Prosecutors Against Gun Violence Monday. She will be working alongside The Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. They are filling the positions of PAGV founders and former co-chairs Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. “Gun violence claims lives and destabilizes communities across the country,” said Mr. Feuer and Mr. Vance. “As we move on from our roles as co-chairs, we leave PAGV in very capable and experienced hands with Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley and The Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, as the incoming co-chairs. We look forward to this exciting new chapter in the life of PAGV.” Ms. Dudley honored the work of the founders in her acceptance speech. “Mike and Cy did a brilliant job creating, maintaining and growing PAGV,” she said. “I am honored to have been chosen, along with my esteemed colleague DA Darcel Clark, to begin a new era for PAGV in the afterglow of all of their
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley
successes. “Tragically, my county has been devastated by acts of gun violence. Although most gun owners in our communities are both safety-conscious and lawabiding, others, who often possess guns unlawfully, have negatively impacted the lives of many. While in this volunteer position, I hope to reduce gun violence both locally and in our neighboring counties and states.” PAGV is an independent coalition of prosecutors that discuss ways to prevent and confront gun violence. — Annelise Hanshaw
LOTTERY
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Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday results from a Phase 2/3 trial of its COVID19 vaccine that showed safe and effective immune responses in children ages 5 to 11. Pfizer said it plans to submit the results to the Food and Drug Administration for an emergencyuse authorization soon. The study utilized two doses, just like the prescription for adults, but the dosage is smaller at 10 micrograms instead of 30 micrograms. The antibody response at the 10 microgram dose was comparable to the response of those ages 1625 with 30 microgram doses. The side effects were also similar, according to Pfizer. “Over the past nine months, hundreds of millions of people ages 12 and older from around the world have received our COVID-19 vaccine. We are eager to extend the protection afforded by the vaccine to this younger population, subject to regulatory authorization, especially as we track the spread of the Delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a news release. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department recorded 236 COVID-19 cases over the weekend and into Monday. It has tracked a cumulative 41,402 cases of which 473 are still infectious. Public Health also reported
three deaths, bringing the county’s total to 497. Two of the deceased were between 50 and 69 years of age, and one was at least 70 years old. Two had underlying health conditions. Two resided in Santa Maria, and one called Orcutt home. Santa Maria confirmed the most COVID-19 cases this weekend, with 95 new cases. It has a total of 13,660 cases and 162 active cases. Lompoc detected 41 cases, boosting its total to 4,907 cases of which 82 are active. Orcutt recorded 28 new cases. It has a cumulative 2,492 cases and 47 cases still infectious. Santa Barbara claimed 26 cases. It has 7,534 total cases and 66 active cases. The following areas also reported cases: the unincorporated area of the Goleta Valley and Gaviota, 13 cases (1,555 total, 22 active); the North County area containing Sisquoc, Casmalia, Garey, Cuyama, New Cuyama and Guadalupe, nine cases (1,534 total, 16 active); the South County area containing Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria, five cases (1,616 total, 15 active); Goleta, three cases (2,207 total, 23 active); Isla Vista, two cases (1,539 total, four active); the Santa Ynez Valley, two cases (1,377 total, seven active). The geographic locations of 12 of this weekend’s cases are pending. There are 45 COVID-19 patients in Santa Barbara County hospitals, 12 of whom are in critical care.
Sudoku................. b3 Weather................ a4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 3-5-20-36-45 Mega: 25
Monday’s DAILY 4: 3-8-9-9
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 17-32-40-59-61 Mega: 18
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 2-15-27-37-38
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 06-03-11 Time: 1:47.66
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 5-36-39-45-57 Meganumber: 11
Monday’s DAILY 3: 1-5-6 / Midday 8-0-2