GOLETA — A wildfire burning Tuesday on Southern California mountains north of Santa Barbara forced as many as 6,300 people from their homes, but an approaching storm offered hope that the flames would be doused, authorities said. The fire was a threat to an estimated 2,400 structures, Santa Barbara County...
California's Dive Boat, Ghost Ship Fires Share Legal Lessons
LOS ANGELES — One was a ship in name only, an artist commune set up in an Oakland warehouse. The other was a bona fide boat afloat on the ocean off Santa Barbara. Both became fiery death traps for a combined 70 souls, two of the worst disasters in modern...
Snoozing Crew Raises Specter of Criminal Charge in Boat Fire
LOS ANGELES — Federal investigators identified a violation of Coast Guard regulations that could trigger criminal charges in the California dive boat disaster that killed 34 people. The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that all crew members on the boat Conception were asleep when the pre-dawn fire broke out...
Search Warrants Served in California Boat Fire Investigation
SANTA BARBARA — Authorities served search warrants Sunday at the Southern California company that owned the scuba diving boat that caught fire and killed 34 people last week. Agents with the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies searched Truth Aquatics' offices in Santa Barbara...
Searchers Look for 9 Missing in California Boat Fire, 25 Die
SANTA BARBARA — Divers and search crews were still looking Tuesday for nine missing people after at least 25 were confirmed dead when a boat packed with scuba divers caught fire near an island off the Southern California coast. The dive-boat Conception became engulfed in flames before dawn as the...
Gigantic Sharks Make Big Comeback off California Coast
They’re freaking huge. They’re harmless. And, it appears, they’re making a comeback. After all but vanishing five decades ago, the humongous basking shark — some measure up to 30 feet long — has been spotted along the Southern California coast. Unlike their fearsome cousins, basking sharks have tiny teeth and...
Oprah the Politician? Run for County Supervisor First
Dear Oprah, You might become a fine president. But you and your state, California, would be better off if you ran for Santa Barbara County supervisor instead. That’s no joke. If you want to tackle some of our nation’s greatest problems, there’s no need to trudge through the D.C. swamps....
Oprah the Politician? Run for County Supervisor First
Dear Oprah, You might become a fine president. But you and your state, California, would be better off if you ran for Santa Barbara County supervisor instead. That’s no joke. If you want to tackle some of our nation’s greatest problems, there’s no need to trudge through the D.C. swamps....