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The best of 2021
New York City’s private sector vaccine mandate beginning - A3
A look back at some of the more memorable films of the past year - B1
Our 166th Year
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T U E SDAY, DE C E M BE R 2 8 , 2 021
Holiday sales explode Sales surpass 2019 numbers, rose at fastest pace in 17 years
More than 850 U.S. flights canceled Monday after holiday weekend By DAN MCCALEB THE CENTER SQUARE EXECUTIVE EDITOR
(The Center Square) – Monday began with thousands of more flight cancellations globally and
nearly 5,000 delays as airlines continued to struggle with staffing issues during this holiday travel season. Domestically, 956 flights within, into or out of the U.S. Please see FLIGHTS on A2
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
A Southwest Airlines passenger jet rolls into Santa Barbara Airport on Wednesday.
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Shoppers stroll in Paseo Nuevo shopping center in downtown Santa Barbara on Wednesday.
Sarah Weddington, Roe v. Wade lawyer, dies at 76 By KATHERINE ZEHNDER
By FORREST MCFARLAND NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Holiday sales rose 8.3% since 2019 according to data released by the National Retail Federation, rising at the fastest pace in 17 years. Despite higher prices and concern with supply-chain issues, consumers clung to the gift-giving season and spent a record amount on presents like clothing and jewelry. Online and other non-stores were up 23.9% respectively, driving overall sales upwards. “Faced with rising transmission of the virus, state restrictions on retailers and heightened political and economic uncertainty, consumers chose to spend on gifts that lifted the spirits of their families and friends and provided a sense of normalcy given the challenging year,” president and CEO of the National Retail Federation Matthew Shay said in a statement, according to CNBC. This is a higher rate than NRF previously predicted in November, where they anticipated more shopping would be done earlier to avoid supply-chain problems. The rise in sales is noteworthy Please see SALES on A4
Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who successfully argued for “Jane Roe” in the landmark Roe v. Wade case before the Supreme Court, passed away Sunday morning. News of her death first broke in a tweet posted by her close personal friend Susan Hays, who is a Democratic attorney currently running for Texas Ag Commissioner. Ms. Weddington’s death has also been confirmed by cousin Pete Weddington, who said “the cause of death has not yet been determined,” in a statement. “With Linda Coffee, she filed the first case of her legal career, Roe v. Wade, fresh out of law school. She was my professor at UT, the best writing instructor I ever had, and a great mentor,” said Ms. Hays in a tweet. Ms. Weddington argued Roe v. Wade, at the age of 26, making her the youngest lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court. Ms. Weddington was born in 1945 to a Methodist Minister in Abilene, Tex. She earned her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, where she was among 40 women in a class of 1600. According to what Ms. Weddington’s book, she traveled to Mexico in 1967 during her third year at law school to receive an illegal abortion. Ms. Coffee and Ms. Weddington attended law school together but did not become close until after they graduated. Following law school, Ms. Coffee and Ms. Weddington joined forces to represent Norma McCorvey, a pregnant woman in Dallas seeking an abortion and known by her alias, “Jane Roe.” According to Fox News, Norman McCorvey reversed her position and became a pro-life advocate later in life. “Would you consider being cocounsel in the event that a suit is actually filed. I have always found that it is a great deal more fun to
Wet weather to continue through Thursday By FORREST MCFARLAND NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
After Monday’s rain, a wet and unsettled weather pattern will continue through Thursday according to the National Weather Service. Santa Barbara and most surrounding areas had light rain Monday, with the lightest being .11 inches in New Cuyama and the heaviest being .69 inches at the Santa Barbara Airport and Goleta. Lompoc saw .2 inches while .35 inches fell in Santa Maria.
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Temperatures were seasonally cold on Monday. The highs were a cool 49 in New Cuyama, 55 in Lompoc, 54 in Goleta, 52 at the Santa Barbara City Fire Department, 55 in Santa Maria and a cooler 50 in Santa Ynez. Some areas approached freezing temperatures Monday with a low of 32 in New Cuyama and Santa Ynez. The rest of yesterday’s lows were 35 in Lompoc, 35 in Goleta, 40 at the Santa Barbara City Fire Department and 37 in Santa Maria. All numbers are from the National Weather Service.
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i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-4 Obituaries............. A4
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Though the rain mainly tapered off in the evening, another weather system is expected to move through between Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures are expected to remain significantly below average for this time of year. After the weather system moves through on Wednesday and Thursday, dry weather is expected Friday through the upcoming holiday weekend.
work with someone on a lawsuit of this nature,” Ms. Coffee wrote to Ms. Weddington in a letter dated Dec. 4, 1969, reported the Dallas Morning News. Ms. Weddington first argued the case before an all-male supreme court at the age of 26, on December 13, 1971. The case was argued for a second time by Ms. Weddington almost a year later on October 11, 1972. The case came down 7-2 in favor of Ms. Weddington on January 23, 1973, in a landmark case that effectively legalized abortion. After winning Roe V. Wade in 1973, she was elected to the Texas house of representatives, where she served three terms. Ms. Weddington continued her career in politics serving in the Department of Agriculture in 1977 and later served as assistant to President Jimmy Carter from 1978-81, directing the administration’s work on women’s issues. Ms. Weddington’s death comes amidst the Supreme Court’s consideration of Thomas Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health, which has the potential to reverse the landmark Roe v. Wade case. Dobbs v. Jackson focuses on the question of “whether all previability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional,” reports Fox News. “I am sure when my obituary is written, the lead paragraph will be about Roe v. Wade. I thought, over a period of time, that the right of a woman to make a decision about what she would do in a particular pregnancy would be accepted — that by this time, the thirtieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the controversy over abortion would have gradually faded away like the closing scenes of a movie and we could go on to other issues. I was wrong,” Ms. Weddinton told Texas Monthly in 2003.
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 5-8-9-29-43 Mega: 27
Monday’s DAILY 4: 8-3-2-5
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 16-17-25-36-37 Mega: 16
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 7-11-16-19-39
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 11-07-03 Time: 1:40.18
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 27-29-45-55-58 Meganumber: 2
Monday’s DAILY 3: 6-7-2 / Midday 9-6-8