Lisa Mahony won first place for her entry “The First Time.”
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Tom Sommers, who also won, placed first place for “Nude Blank Document,” second place for “A Cold Beach Cascade,” and honorable mention for “News of Harold’s Passing.”
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The First Time Poetry Contest, sponsored by the Ventura County Arts Council and the Fillmore Library, is pleased to announce two first place winners! Congratulations to Lisa Mahony for her entry, The First Time. Congratulations to Tom Sommers who won in three categories. He received first place for Nude Blank Document, second place for A Cold Beach Cascade, and honorable mention for News of Harold’s Passing. Samantha Mostad also received an honorable mention for her poem, King of the Night. There was a good response from the community of Fillmore. The judges were impressed with the quality of writing submitted.
The winners have been invited to read their works at a special poetry event to be held in January at the E.P. Foster Library in Ventura.

In conjunction with in Ventura County, the American Red Cross intends to close the evacuation shelter at the Ventura Fairgrounds Friday, Dec. 22 at 3:00 p.m.

The shelter opened on Dec. 4 for residents who were evacuating the Thomas Fire. Red Cross workers will continue assisting those affected by the fire. The Red Cross opens and closes shelters at the request of local officials.

The Red Cross plays a critical role in helping families and communities get back on their feet in the weeks and months after a disaster. Trained Red Cross caseworkers connect one-on-one with people to help them navigate what often can be a confusing, complicated and time-consuming world of disaster recovery.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is provided free of charge and is made possible by the voluntary donations of time and money from caring individuals and corporate partners.

HOW TO GET HELP
The Red Cross has a Client Assistance Center open in Ventura for anyone who has suffered damage due to the wildfires. The Client Assistance Center is located inside the Ventura County Credit Union at 6026 Telephone Dr., Ventura from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The facility will be closed Dec. 24 and 25 and will reopen Tuesday, Dec. 26. A pop-up Client Assistance Center will be open Friday, Dec. 22 at the Ojai Public Library located at 111 E Ojai Ave, Ojai, CA from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Red Cross workers will be conducting client casework and distributing cleaning supplies. Residents seeking assistance are asked to bring proof of residency, and if possible, a photo ID. It is not mandatory, but it will help speed up the process.

For more information, contact the Red Cross client casework line at (512) 745-2920.

HOW TO HELP
You can help people affected by disasters such as floods, fires, tornadoes and hurricanes by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. For more information, visit redcross.org/donate.

HOW TO VOLUNTEER
Regardless of where disaster strikes, the local Red Cross is already in place, ready to
respond immediately. Aid is routed and distributed by local Red Cross volunteers with
intimate knowledge of the area and needs. Learn more about becoming a Red Cross volunteer or sign up today at redcross.org/volunteer.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

After serving for two weeks as a one-stop center for fire recovery information and assistance, the Local Assistance Center that was jointly run by the County and the City of Ventura will close its doors on Saturday, Dec. 23, at 5 p.m. Residents still seeking services are encouraged to visit the Center by Saturday, or may obtain services after Saturday at existing local County and City offices.

The County of Ventura and the City of Ventura opened the Center on Dec. 13 at the Poinsettia Pavilion in Ventura to assist residents from all areas affected by the Thomas Fire. It has been staffed by a wide array of County, City, State and Federal agencies, as well as a number of non-profit organizations.

“The Local Assistance Center, which has helped 1,968 households to date, has served as a great example of how County and City government can work together to aid our residents across jurisdictions,” said County Executive Officer Mike Powers.

Residents have used the Local Assistance Center to start their recovery from the fire. Information is available on debris removal, permits, housing, rental assistance, vital records, property assessments, public assistance, crisis intervention and stress management, and even services such as replacing driver’s licenses. Health care resources are available on site to provide assistance, education, and connections to other health services in the community.

“The assistance center provided a very useful service as the County and the City and our partners responded to the substantial needs of our community and those most directly affected. While the use of the center has decreased significantly over the last few days, the City will continue to offer a full array of direct services and assistance to folks at City Hall. Those that still need help can contact us at City Hall or come to City Hall where we have a fire related service counter established”, said Dan Paranick, Assistant Ventura City Manager.

The Local Assistance Center will remain open on Thursday, December 21st and Friday, December 22nd 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturday, December 23rd, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The County has also opened Recovery Information Center trailers in Ojai and Santa Paula which will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Friday, Dec. 22. These two locations offer debris removal and permitting information, public assistance and housing/rental assistance, and connections to Health education, resources and counseling.

“We can continue to serve people effectively and efficiently through our regular channels,” said Barry Zimmerman, Director of the County Human Services Agency, which oversees the Center. Contact information for agencies that have been present at the Local Assistance Center is attached.

To further aid fire victims, Ventura County Recovers (venturacountyrecovers.org) continues to offer a registration feature that allows residents to register their contact information to receive information on specific topics. They can also register the address of their damaged or destroyed property so that officials can proactively provide them with information and official notices related to the rebuilding process.

Written By Heather Furness, Grade 4, Gazette Cub Reporter

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you’re ready for Christmas because it’s one week away!

If you feel you don’t have enough decorations, follow these D.I.Y. steps in order.

1. Get brown, red, white, black, and pink paper.

2. Cut the brown paper to get a round head (It can be an oval, too.)

3. Cut the red paper into a small circle and glue it to the middle of the brown circle.

4. Cut the white paper the same size as the red circle. (Cut two white circles.)

5. Cut the black paper that’s a smaller circle then the white circles. (Two circles for black, too.)

6. Glue the white circles on the head and glue the black circles on the white circles.

7. Cut little ovals for the ears and the same for pink but smaller.

8. Glue the brown ears to the head and the pink inside the ears.

If you followed these steps, you should’ve gotten a Rudolph! Anyways, hopefully you have a Merry Christmas with your friends and family!

I OD’ed over the weekend. But not on the usual pharmaceutical or distilled devices. And not on eggnog, or marshmallow Santa’s or snowman cookies—yet. No, I overdosed on Hallmark Christmas movies. This wasn’t an accidental overdose; I planned it, with weeks of pre-recording maneuvers.

I watched approximately 30 movies, good, bad, ugly and uglier. For comparison I threw in a few Hallmark-wannabes on Lifetime. But Hallmark has the secret formula for success, which I am about to bore you with. Here it is…

*Every female wears bright red lipstick and is underfed. They also have large teeth, think Men In Black.

*Often featured are two college sweethearts who were madly in love until one decided to leave town for a career opportunity and promised to come back in six months to a year but never did. The end. This promise is always made in the airport with TSA officers nowhere in sight. One of them could scream BOMB and they would still be able to board.

*Ten Years Later—that’s usually when they meet up again, past their prime and bitter, and feigning indifference when they—surprise!—reunite over a project they are forced to work on together. There’s a lot of stuttering and huffing followed by long-glances.

*Nobody seems able to clear up a simple misunderstanding immediately. They all go mute, unless one is leaving and the plane is just about to take off, then they won’t shut up.

*They can’t sleep and make cookies at 2am.

*Unemployment must be unusually high in Hallmarkland. People are always heading for job interviews when they run into, literally, a stranger who spills hot cocoa on them. There is a connection between stained clothing and love.

*Speaking of hot cocoa, everyone drinks it with homemade marshmallows and whipped cream, stirred with a candy cane in their favorite Christmas mug that their father/mother/Aunt Mary gave them moments before they died. They probably choked on a marshmallow. I can’t figure out why they are so picky about their hot cocoa—these are the same people who eat takeout Thai for Christmas dinner because their dog died on Christmas Day 28 years earlier and they are still pissed at the world.

*They are always ambushing each other with snowball fights. It’s a little unnerving.

*Sometimes they are single parents. They use their children as an emotional shield. “I’m just worried about little Tommy getting hurt.” If there’s a sidekick nearby they will respond, “Just Tommy?” Fade to commercial.

*All children with single parents are ticklish. This has a bit of a sadistic feel to it, like the snowballs.

*Grown men don’t seem to mind playing Twister or making gingerbread houses with an 8-year old they met just two days earlier after running into mom and spilling hot cocoa on her white blouse while she was on her way to a job interview.

*Snowflakes are miracles, magical and an excuse to kiss. But… the kiss is always interrupted by the 8-year old kid. The only thing that interrupts the moment more than a kid is a cellphone. Turn the damn thing off!

*Every woman is named Holly, Merry, Laurel, Ginger or Poppy. Evidently there was a blackout nine months before they were all born in December.

*There is Mistletoe everywhere but the bathroom.

*The women are clumsy. They fall off ladders a lot while placing their grandmother’s angel on top of the Christmas tree they hated half an hour earlier. The ex who ran off 10 years ago catches them, under the mistletoe, and the cell phone rings. Then they drink hot cocoa.

*The special 108-year old Christmas ornament Grandpa saved from the Nazis always gets broken. This too seems to spark romance.

And there you have 60-plus hours of wasted time compressed into one simple article. Now that I have fulfilled my Hallmark Christmas movie binge, I am going to detox with Law & Order.

The Santa Clara Valley Hospice / Home Support Group is grateful to be the recipient of $4,500 donation from 100 Women who care about Ventura County.

Checks and cash totaling $4,500 were presented to President Rachel Bustillos and other Board Members by Michele Morony and Melissa Mabry representing the generous group.

The 100 Women’s group was founded to meet unmet needs in Ventura County communities through the work of valuable nonprofit organizations. The grant comes in a timely manner considering the state of our community due to the fires. Santa Clara Valley Hospice received and made many phone calls to seniors to verify their safety and well being. The Board of Directors will use these funds to stock their supplies of 4 wheel walkers, wheelchairs, and other medical supplies to better serve the community. “This donation will give the agency a good start for 2018”, said Martha Navarrete, Director.

Rachel Bustillos, Board President, stated “We are so fortunate being in the conditions that our community is due to the fire that these ladies thought about our seniors. We are thankful for their generosity. We take pride that our organization gives 100% of what we receive back to people in the communities we serve”.

Michele Morony stated, “We are grateful to partner with the Santa Clara Valley Hospice and for the invaluable work they do”.

The SCV Hospice is a community volunteer nonmedical hospice serving the communities of Saticoy, Somis, Santa Paula, Fillmore, and Piru. If you have any questions about the services or to make a donation, call 805.525.1333. They are a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization and all donations received are tax deductible.

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Perfect for the holidays, the Fillmore Civic Pride December 2017 Yard of the Month offers lots of beautiful lights and sounds! Ron and Rosa Howard, the owners of the home, would like to invite the community on Saturday, December 9th, to their 2nd Annual Toy Drive at their home (408 Edgewood Drive) starting at 6:00pm. Then, the Fillmore Fire Department will make their way to the festivities at around 7:00pm for photos and to shed some light on the Luv2Dance group, who will be dancing to a favorite Christmas hit. Join them for some hot cocoa and cookies with Santa! They recommend dressing warmly!

Says Ron Howard: “The show consists of over 49,000 RGB lights. 28,672 are used in our P10 Panel Matrix that looks like a TV. Each pixel is capable of millions of colors. There are 22 power supplies, 6 RGB Pixel controllers, and many cables to tie it all together. Our Mega Tree is 20 feet tall and uses 2,600 RGB pixels with fascinating designs and movement to complement each song. I use xLights to sequence the show for all songs. With 27 songs, there is a variety: some classics, some upbeat, and a few surprise songs you would never expect. ‘Despacito’ has been a crowd favorite!” The show runs Sunday through Thursday (5:30pm to 9:30pm), and Friday and Saturday (5:30pm to 10:30pm).

When asked what their motivation was for all the work and effort they put into the decorations, Ron and Rosa said they wanted to give back to the community. They said Fillmore is a special place for them, and they wanted to thank all of the community, municipal, and local business support they received to make the event possible. Special thanks to: Fillmore Rental, Fillmore Building Supply, Fillmore Fire Department, Fillmore Sheriff and Explorers, and the City of Fillmore.