Freemasons and America
‘World of Pinot Noir’
Columnist Robert Eringer looks at the organizations links to the county - A3
Wine aficionados to gather at Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Goleta - B1
Our 167th Year
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S AT U R DAY, F E BRUA RY 18 , 2 023
Falcon 9 rises from Vandenberg Launch puts 51 satellites into orbit
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 soared Friday from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying 51 more Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. The first stage booster supporting this mission has previously launched Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART and six Starlink missions. A small crowd along Harris Grade Road in Lompoc watched as the rocket took off at 11:12 a.m. on a clear day from Space Complex Launch Complex-4. At one minute and six seconds after the launch, Falcon 9 exceeded the speed of sound. At 1:12, MAX Q occurred. MAX Q is the most amount of external stresses experienced by the vehicle while ascending through Earth’s atmosphere. MECO or first-stage main engine cutoff occurred at 2:33 into the mission. This is where all nine of the merlin 1D engines on the first stage shut down. Stage separation of the first and second stages occurred at 2:35. SES-1 or second stage engine start-up occurred at 2:42. The separation of the two fairing halves was confirmed at 2:50. Stage one entry burn startup occurred at 6 minutes, 46 seconds. Engines one, five, and nine were ignited to slow down for re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. Stage one entry burn completed at 7:04. Stage one reached transonic (traveling near the speed of sound) at 7:50. Stage one landing burn started at 8:19. Stage one landing legs deployed at 8:38. Falcon 9 successfully landed on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You at eight minutes and 45 seconds after takeoff, with cheers and applause from the control room. This marks the 172nd overall landing of an orbital-class rocket. Nine minutes after take off, nominal orbital insertion of Starlink satellites occurred. The Starlink mission is to provide internet access to 48 countries. email: kzehnder@newspress.com
More arrests made in Stearns Wharf homicide By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Three juveniles were arrested Thursday on suspicion of involvement with the Dec. 9 murder of Robert Gutierrez at the base of Stearns Wharf. Those are in addition to the Jan. 19 arrest of four other suspects in the Santa Barbara murder. On Thursday, the Santa Barbara Police Department, assisted by several outside agencies, served search-and-arrest warrants at multiple locations in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. That’s when the three juveniles were arrested. Two are in custody for 187 PC (murder), and the third is in custody for possession of a firearm and accessory to murder, Lt. Kasi Corbett said. She added that a firearm was recovered in Thursday’s searchand-arrest warrants. Lt. Corbett said it is not known at this time if the firearm recovered was used in
the commission of this crime. Robert Gutierrez, a Camarillo resident, was an innocent bystander who was in Santa Barbara with his wife walking on Stearns Wharf when he was struck and killed by one of the rounds that were fired during an altercation between two groups of individuals at the base of the wharf, according to police reports Lt. Corbett said one group involved in the altercation has been identified as Santa Barbara area residents with ties to a local Santa Barbara street gang. The opposing group in the altercation has been identified as Ventura County residents with ties to Ventura County street gangs, Lt. Corbett said. Anyone with information regarding this homicide investigation is asked to call the Santa Barbara Police Department Detective Bureau at 805-897-2347. email: kzehnder@newspress.com
Rising costs of healthcare compromises medical care for half of Californians By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket soars high after lifting off Friday from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
(The Center Square) - A recently released survey of Californians by the California Health Care Foundation and NORC at the University of Chicago found that making health care affordable was still a top priority for Californians. In a state that mandated health coverage for every individual starting in 2020, and exempted or subsidized those unable to afford a health policy, the revelation that cost was the number one factor for health care, was eye-opening. Eighty-one percent of those polled said affordability was extremely or very important, placing health care costs as a top concern just below inflation and housing affordability. Californians with higher incomes were less likely to think of items as extremely or very important compared to those with low incomes. Among all ethnic groups 98% of Blacks said that affordability was extremely or very important compared to 87% for Latinos, 88% for Asians and 76% for whites. Fifty-two percent of those surveyed reported skipping or delaying at least one kind of healthcare due to cost this past year. This resulted in a worsening of the condition in half of those who delayed care, but that number
jumped to six in ten (61%) among the low income population with Blacks and Latinos more likely to skip care due to cost. Medical bills and out-ofpocket costs were a concern for 65% of Californians, further demonstrating a gap between affordable health care and state subsidized care. “...in poll after poll, what we see most consistently is that Californians want and need the rising cost of care to be contained,” Kristof Stremikis, director of Market Analysis and Insight at the California Health Care Foundation stated. For Blacks, making sure people with mental health problems can get the treatment that they need was the top health care priority, in agreement with half (50%) of Californians. The greatest concern for Latinos was making sure public health departments had the resources required to respond to emergencies: pandemics, earthquakes and fires in alignment with concerns for 49% of Californians. Asian and white Californians cared mostly about whether there are enough doctors, nurses and other health care providers across California, a concern with a similar proportion at 49 percent. “The percentage of Californians who say funding health care, Please see HEALTHCARE on A4
MarBorg said it will pick up Holiday on Monday trash as usual. At left, the Falcon 9 took off at 11:12 a.m. Friday. Above, a small crowd gathers along Harris Grade Road in Lompoc to watch the Falcon 9 rocket carry 51 Starlink satellites.
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