When it rains it pours - Santa Barbara News-Press

Good morning, Santa Barbara ☀️

Here’s what we have for you today:

Lightning storm, rain pounds Santa Barbara County
Less than two weeks before school board election, Hilda Maldonado announces resignation
No data center at Earl Warren Showgrounds (but we at the News-Press already knew that)

Teamwork makes the dream work

Every day in a newsroom is memorable, but Wednesday we were all vibing, in sync with our news coverage of the storms. Angel Corzo spent most of the day in the field reporting and taking pictures

Sofia Wallace was in the office handling rewrite, taking calls and texts from Corzo and Kaitlin Sweeney, who was covering North County and some of the crashes there.

Wallace pulled the main weather story together, using a combination of reporting, writing and editing skills. I oversaw the process, but it was Wallace, a former editor at UC Berkeley’s Daily Californian and the San Marcos King’s Page, who took the lead, and masterfully so. (Wallace took the lead, while I broke the story on Hilda Maldonado’s resignation).

Aston Smith and I were also posting photos and videos onto our social media channels. Smith ended the day shooting pictures of the lightning and thunder.

It is such a joy to watch this newsroom grow up together and work as a team. I call it the most dynamic newsroom in America, and that’s not hyperbole on my part. I have never seen so much joy among reporters. This is a special group rooted in the community and they are believers in the News-Press’s past, and, more importantly, its future. They are the talk of the town, and they deserve to be. (And Julianna Lozada will be back next week after a vacation). 😊

Joshua Molina

News-Press Editor

Stories you should know about

Thousands of state workers walk off the job, pressing Newsom on raises and flexibility to work from home (Los Angeles Times)
Political campaigns have poured $137 million on AI-made ads ahead of a crucial midterm—after spending virtually nothing last election cycle (Fortune)
U.S. and Israel draw up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after elections (New York Times)

Rainy days

Check out some of our photos from Wednesday’s rainstorm. Our crews were out and about capturing various moments.

Parts of Anacapa Street were flooded on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of Angel Corzo/Santa Barbara News-Press)

Mission Creek is rushing at Oak Park (Photo by Angel Corzo/Santa Barbara News-Press)

A woman walks with an umbrella on State Street as the rain pours. (Photo by Joshua Molina / Santa Barbara News-Press)

From the News-Press archives

Back in the day the Santa Barbara News-Press used to honor individuals with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Our general manager Will Belfiore is a man of history and tradition, and I would not be surprised to see this event return to the News-Press eventually. The individuals below are some of Santa Barbara’s former A-listers. This story was from Oct. 22, 2002.

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