The Santa Barbara Independent’s associate editor, Jackson Friedman, shares some of his favorite reads of the year, which covered everything from ketamine therapy and great whites to tattoos and sonic booms.
Callie Fausey’s vulnerable, humorous, and elucidating firsthand account of trying ketamine therapy is one of my favorite cover stories of the year (and is complemented in print by Ben Cicatti’s wonderful, Alice in Wonderland–inspired cover illustration ). Here’s the story — Down the Rabbit Hole — in which Callie takes a psychedelic trip into the world of ketamine therapy.
Callie’s story on the Indy news team’s freewheelin’ but whale-free whale-watching trip aboard the Condor Express led to a hot tip about a great white shark sighting during the following day’s cruise, resulting in our most-read story of the year: ‘Huge’ Great White Shark Spotted Eating Elephant Seal in Santa Barbara Channel , in which Condor Express passengers get a front-row seat to a brutal buffet.