County 9-11
Third District Supervisor Brooks Firestone, who will step down at the end of his term later this year, underwent pacemaker implantation surgery on 9/8, according to his staff. After monitoring his heart rates over the weekend, doctors at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital determined Firestone’s heartbeat was irregular. Jimmy Swanson, Firestone’s administrative assistant, said on 9/9 that his boss was “in good spirits” and was back at his home recovering. (/firestone911)
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Santa Barbara County officials anticipate that, by the end of the month, services will be cut due to the state’s failure to pass a budget. Money will stop coming to schools, healthcare services, childcare providers, and others, Supervisor Salud Carbajal said at the 9/9 board meeting. Carbajal suggested the county send another letter to the state, whose budget was supposed to be passed in June, expressing “outrage and concern” at the lag and ensuing difficulties.
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Santa Barbara County Fire Department stations planned to honor the 2,998 people who died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks-including 411 emergency workers who died responding to them-with 6:58 a.m. flag-lowering ceremonies at their stations and a request that drivers turn their lights on from then until 10 a.m., the hours marking the time from when the first plane hit the first World Trade Center tower to the collapse of the second tower.
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The GeoEye-1, touted as the world’s highest-resolution commercial imaging satellite, capable of imaging 700,000 square kilometers of territory per day and distinguishing objects as small as 16 inches in size, was launched into sun-synchronous orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 8/6 on a Delta II rocket. Sponsored in part by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the satellite’s images will also be available for GeoEye, Inc.’s business customers.
