CAMPUS
The University of California,Santa Barbara will host the NCAA College Cup — the final four tournaments of men’s Division I soccer — in 2018 and 2020, the NCAA announced last week. The games will be held at Harder Stadium from Dec. 7–9, 2018, and Dec. 11–13, 2020. This will be the first time UCSB has hosted the College Cup since 2010. “We are excited about the opportunity to host the NCAA College Cup at Harder Stadium,” said UCSB Director of Athletics John McCutcheon. “We look forward to engaging our community and to have a first class event that the participants and fans will remember.”
Local philanthropist and UCSB alumna Diane Dodds recently donated funds to improve student safety on campus and in Isla Vista, the UCSB Alumni Association stated in a press release. The funding provided 12 new bicycles to the UC Police Department for CSO officers, who provide free personal safety escorts to students throughout campus and Isla Vista. These additional bicycles have increased the CSO fleet to 25. “It gives me particular joy to know that this money has been used for bikes to patrol the area that was once my home,” Dodds said.
ISLA VISTA
Two burglary suspects were arrested in Isla Vista last Tuesday at approximately 1 a.m. The two suspects, Darian Duchett and Brandon McClellan, are allegedly associated with several other recent burglaries in Isla Vista, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
The lawsuit over the death UCSB student Sierra Markee-Winkler will continue, as ruled by a judge last Tuesday, according to the Independent. Markee-Winkler’s parents filed the lawsuit in response to her May 2014 death, caused by a fatal cliff fall at Sea Lookout Park in I.V. Markee-Winkler’s parents are currently suing the County of Santa Barbara, the I.V. Recreation and Parks District, the Regents of the UC, the State of California, and the California Coastal Commission for not ensuring park safety. While the defendants claim that the risk of standing near the cliff was “obvious,” the judge remained unconvinced, and Markee-Winkler’s parents argued that there were no safety regulations or warning signs in Sea Lookout Park to prevent their daughter’s fall.
The I.V. Community Services District discussed public safety, including trash collection services and police presence, at the fourth meeting last Tuesday. Board member Jay Freeman presented a proposal that would give the IVCSD jurisdiction on trash collection (currently managed by the county), thereby restricting littering and improving the safety of residents. While some supported Freeman, others argued that this decision would be a financial burden, and some were in favor of the current trash collection system. The item was tabled until it becomes a “going concern” for the district, the Independent reports.
Local nonprofit education association Isla Vista Youth Project has secured a permanent location on Phelps Rd. in Goleta, almost 13 years after the loss of its former home in I.V., Noozhawk reports. This new property will allow IVYP to continue year-round education and daycare programs for children in the community, and the organization hopes to continue to expand to help 100 more children who are currently waitlisted for the program.
COUNTY
Two kayakers were rescued offshore from Goleta Beach Park and Campus Point on Monday, Noozhawk reports. The kayakers were transported to Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital and treated for hypothermia. Two paddle boarders were also rescued on Monday, approximately one mile offshore from Goleta Beach, although neither was injured. Wind conditions may have caused the distress, and the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory shortly after the rescues, effective until Wednesday.
Two small earthquakes shook up the Montecito and Santa Barbara areas on Sunday, with magnitudes of 3.6 and 3.1, the Independent reports. The first minor quake was located approximately two miles south by southwest of Montecito at approximately 10:55 a.m., while the second occurred at 11:56 a.m. 1.2 miles south-southwest of Montecito.