Santa Barbara County

Vending machines to get healthy

Take a look at the beverage vending machine in your child’s school to see if it is one of the few to have switched to healthier drinks, county health officials recommended Friday.

Several Santa Barbara County school districts already have implemented a 2009 state requirement that public schools may only sell water, low- or non-fat milk, and fruit or vegetable drinks with at least 50 percent real juice, health officials said.

They may also sell electrolyte replacement beverages that contain no more than 42 grams of added sweetener per 20-ounce serving.

Sodas and drinks high in sugar have been found to be a major contributing factor in childhood obesity and will be no longer permitted by 2009.

To see if your child’s school beverages comply with the

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law check out californiaprojectlean.org/calculator.

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Carpinteria

Possible murder, suicide leads to arrest

A Carpinteria man accused of attempting to murder his wife and commit suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning remained in Santa Barbara County Jail Friday afternoon, with bail set at $1 million.

James Wheeler, 84, was found by sheriff’s deputies Wednesday with a hose running from a vehicle’s tail pipe to his residence in the 4700 block of Third Street in Carpinteria, according to Sgt. Alex Tipolt.

Wheeler and his 85-year-old wife were taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for medical treatment, Tipolt said. After he was released from the hospital, Wheeler was booked into county jail, Tipolt said.

Wheeler’s wife was found lying in her bed in a rear room, and was still conscious when deputies arrived, Tipolt said. She was still in the hospital this afternoon but recovering well, according to Tipolt.

No other details were available as the investigation is ongoing.

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Solvang

Highway roadwork be done in daylight

Work on the Highway 246 repaving project between Solvang and Highway 154 will change to daytime work Monday, weather permitting, according to Caltrans officials.

Motorists on Highway 246 from Hill Haven Road just east of Solvang to Via Juana Road near the Chumash Casino, and from Edison Street in Santa Ynez to Highway 154, can expect delays of about 15 minutes, officials said.

The work will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and is expected to be completed by mid-October.

There will be one-way reversing traffic control and electronic message boards to remind motorists of the repaving work, Caltrans officials said.

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Vandenberg AFB

Airman released from hospital

An airman from Vandenberg Air Force Base was discharged from the hospital Friday after a single-vehicle accident early Thursday evening, according to Marian Medical Center officials.

William Rafter, 38, of Santa Maria was treated for unspecified moderate injuries when his red Ford Taurus overturned on Highway 1 near Firefighter Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The airman was alone in the car heading north on Highway 1 when his vehicle drifted off the road into a dirt median, the CHP said, and the vehicle overturned, landing against the west guardrail. CHP officials said neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor.

VAFB’s emergency teams, including fire, security forces and medical officials, responded about 5:15 p.m. along with the CHP.

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Santa Maria

Stabbing sends man to hospital

A Santa Maria man was in fair condition Friday afternoon after being stabbed in the abdomen the previous night in the 100 block of East Donovan Road, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.

Officers were called to Marian Medical Center at 12:39 a.m. because a stabbing victim had just entered the emergency room, police said.

Julio Pantoja Partida, 35, of Santa Maria was walking in a parking lot when he was approached by the suspect, described as a clean-shaven Hispanic male in his early 30s, about 5 feet, 5 inches and 150 pounds with a shaved head, according to police. He was last seen wearing a dark blue shirt and dark pants.

The suspect reportedly asked Partida for his money, and when he was refused stabbed Partida in his lower left abdomen, police said. After hitting the suspect, Partida was stabbed a second time, resulting in a small cut to his left arm. The suspect then ran away.

The wound didn’t appear to be life-threatening, police said.

— From staff reports