On Tuesday, September 13th the County Board of Supervisors approved responses to five of the 2010-2011 Ventura County Grand Jury Reports. The reports were:

1. Bullying in the Workplace
2. Inmate Processing and Suicide Prevention in the Ventura County Jail
3. Emergency Communications Interoperability
4. Election Process
5. Under-Enrollment in Proposition 36

The Grand Jury is a body of citizens mandated by the California State Constitution, and various laws, to serve as a voice of the people and a conscience of the community.
The 2011-2012 Grand Jury that was impaneled on July 1, 2011, by Judge Vincent J. O’Neill, Jr., has had to replace four jurors because of health issues and relocation out of the County.

The current members of the 2011-2012 Grand Jury are:

David Gale (Foreman) Camarillo
Gail Bianchino Westlake Village
Martin Bolger Newbury Park
Eva Cisneros Camarillo
Ronald Cameron Camarillo
James Delgado Camarillo
Donna Gaier Oxnard
Walter Gause Thousand Oaks
Lidia Harrison Ventura
Richard Hawley Thousand Oaks
Donald Hunt Simi Valley
Bud Locker Camarillo
Henry Norton Oak View
Joyce Overbaugh Oak View
Benjamin Saiz Santa Paula
Michael Templin Oak View
Steven Weiss Simi Valley
Jay Whitney Westlake Village
Martin Young Ojai

Go to the Grand Jury website to review the entire report and responses: http://grandjury.countyofventura.org

UPDATE:
There has been a change to the distribution of the Brown Bag Program and the USDA Commodities Program. The programs will both be administered at the Fillmore Police Storefront located at 642 Lemon Way, Fillmore. This change has been difficult for some seniors to obtain their much needed food. .There have been arrangements made with the Vista Bus to pick up seniors at the bus stop located next to the senior center at 8:00AM, 9:00AM, and 10:00AM . The seniors will then be transported to the Fillmore Police Storefront free of charge. Once a senior receives their food they will be transported back to the senior center when the next bus arrives. The Vista Bus Service will commence on Wednesday October 5th, 2011 for the Brown Bag Program and on Wednesday October 12, 2011 for the USDA Commodities Program. The bus service will also be available for seniors who participate in the USDA Commodities Program. the next date scheduled for the USDA Commodities Program is October 12, 2011. The Vista Bus Service is free of charge to Senior Citizens and is being donated by Wm L Morris. Please tell your senior friends and family about this new service. Any questions please contact Max S. Pina at the Fillmore Police Storefront, (805)524-2982 Mrs Raelene Chaney at (805)407-5759.

WHAT: Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County and sponsors, St. Maximilian Kolbe’s “Habitat to the Max” Ministry, Houweling Nurseries Oxnard, Inc., and the County of Ventura teamed up to build two Habitat for Humanity homes in Piru, CA. These dedications mark the 53rd and 54th homes built since groundbreaking on the first new home in Ventura County in 1994. To-date, 24 Habitat homes have been built in Piru and all of the original homeowners still reside in their homes.

Through a donation of funds from the County, Habitat was able to acquire the parcel of land at 550 Temescal, which included an abandoned hotel. In partnership with more than 60 volunteers from the community, Habitat immediately improved the neighborhood through the demolition and removal of this structurally unsafe, debris-filled hotel.

WHEN: Sunday, September 25, 2011. The event will begin at 2:00 p.m. with introductions and opening remarks, followed by a formal house dedication and blessing, a tour of the new home, photos, and refreshments.

WHO: Participants will include Supervisor Kathy Long, Brian Beggs from Houweling Nurseries, St. Maximilian Habitat to the Max Ministry, Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and friends of Habitat. The Habitat partner-family will be available for interviews.

WHERE: 550 Temescal Street, Piru, CA 93015. Directions: Take Highway 126 East to Piru. Turn left onto Main Street at the traffic light. Continue to the stop sign and turn right. Take the 2nd right onto Temescal and travel 1 block. Parking is on the street.

Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing organization that builds homes in partnership with people in need of adequate shelter. Homeowners are selected based on their need for housing, ability to repay a zero-interest, no-profit loan, and willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity. Because Habitat’s loans are no-profit, they are affordable for low-income family partners. Homeowners’ mortgage payments build additional houses through the Fund for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County, a locally-run and locally-funded affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, has provided homeownership opportunities for 54 Ventura County families and repaired over 500 homes since 1983. www.habitatventura.org.

Habitat to the Max Ministry
Habitat to the Max is one of the outreach ministries at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake Village. The ministry’s mission is to sponsor affordable housing, working in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County, and to provide safe and decent housing for low-income families living in substandard housing. The first Habitat to the Max house was completed by volunteers in 2007, followed by a duplex dedicated in 2009. Both are in Oxnard. The ministry has just completed their fourth home in Piru and is currently raising funds for their sixth house, located on Stroube Street in Oxnard.

Build sponsors
(House Sponsors; donated and/or discounted goods and/or labor)
St. Maximilian Habitat to the Max Ministry, Houweling Nurseries Oxnard, Inc., County of Ventura (Major Sponsors); Alladin Air Conditioning, Geske’s Hauling Service, Gold Coast Erectors, L K Services, Inc.(In-Kind Sponsors)

After a successful trial run that helped push ridership to new heights, the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) is working to keep the free transfers coming. VCTC unanimously voted to extend its free transfer program between Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority (VISTA) lines at last Friday’s Commission meeting, while also requesting continued participation from other bus services countywide. The nine-month pilot project introduced earlier this year has translated to increased ridership for VCTC’s popular VISTA bus service as well as robust usage on all participating transit operators.

“The bus is a key and vital component of a sustainable local transportation system for Ventura County,” noted Cameron Yee, spokesman for the Ventura County Bus Riders Union. “Therefore, we strongly support this recommendation.”

The countywide bus transfer program allows local transit riders to pay a single fare at the time of initial boarding, and to make a single transfer onto a second bus in order to complete their trip. The free transfer is issued at time of fare payment and is valid in a single direction and for a specified time period. Operators participating in the trial program include Camarillo Area Transit, Gold Coast Transit, Moorpark City Transit, Oxnard Harbors and Beaches Dial-A-Ride, Simi Valley Transit, and Thousand Oaks Transit, as well as Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District.

While ridership growth varied by individual operator, VISTA ridership skyrocketed more than 12 percent in May and more than 21 percent in June. In fact, VISTA, which marked its seventeenth anniversary this year, exceeded the one million-rider mark.

More information about VCTC and VISTA bus can be found by visiting www.goventura.org or by calling (800) 438-1112.

On Tuesday September 27th the Fillmore Ebell Club will begin their 97th year of programming, fellowship and delicious lunches. This month they will be featuring "The Gypsy Folk Ensemble " who will be celebrating Oktoberfest with traditional dance, costumes and culture. The ensemble is based in Los Angeles and was formed in 1978 to preserve, perform and teach traditional folk dances from around the world.

Our lunches are catered by Dustin Andersen of the Double A Cafe. To join us this month for a delicious lunch and a fun program for only $12.00 please call Lavonne Deeter @524-2090 or Glenda DeJarnette at 524-4949 by Friday September 23.

We are still accepting applications for membership to our fun organization for more information please call Melodie at 521-1400.

Join the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week (October 9-15, 2011), with a hike on Saturday, October 15. The guided nature hike is a rare opportunity to see California condors and other wildlife on the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, a refuge normally closed to public use.

Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located along Cerro Noroeste Road, between the towns of Maricopa and Frazier Park. The hike will be from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Space is limited, so interested parties should e-mail michael_woodbridge@fws.gov to reserve a spot and receive further information, including detailed directions.

The Refuge belongs to a nationwide network of federal lands–the National Wildlife Refuge System–dedicated to the protection of wildlife habitat and wildlife species. The nation’s 553 national wildlife refuges and 38 Wetland Management Districts not only protect the nation’s natural resources, but also offer a range of wildlife-dependent recreation.

National wildlife refuges play a critical role in preserving America’s rich wildlife legacy. Without the important conservation work taking place on national wildlife refuges, the country would lose many species of plants and animals that help clean the air, filter the water, pollinate crops and help people understand their place in the natural world.

National Wildlife Refuges across the country will be holding events for National Wildlife Refuge Week. If you are traveling during Refuge Week, you can find an event near your destination by going to the Refuge System events calendar online: http://www.fws.gov/refuges/SpecialEvents/FWS_SpecialEvents_Search.cfm

Each year, more than 44 million Americans discover the wonders of nature by visiting a wildlife refuge. There is at least one wildlife refuge in every state and one within an hour’s drive of most major cities. For more information about national wildlife refuges, to go: www.fws.gov/refuges.

More information about the California Condor Recovery Program is available by contacting the Hopper Mountain NWR Complex, at (805) 644-5185 or visiting the Refuge Complex website at: www.fws.gov/hoppermountain.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov/cno. Connect with our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/usfwspacificsouthwest, follow our tweets at twitter.com/USFWSPacSWest, watch our YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_pacificsw/

“Humans seem to be having more encounters with bats this year than at any time in recent memory,” said Kim Kandarian, Communicable Diseases nurse for Ventura County Public Health. “A day doesn’t go by when I don’t get a call.”

Aside from an increase in phone calls, there is no objective way to confirm an increase in Ventura County’s bat population. With the rainy season we just experienced, there appear to be more insects around which would tend to increase the bat population. Bats live throughout Ventura County. Many of our residents have never seen one. Those that have are most likely to have seen a colony of bats flying around the sky just as the sun sets.

Bats are a major predator of night-flying insects, including pests that cost farmers billions of dollars annually. They eat insects by the hundreds, consuming about half their body weight in bugs each day. Studies of bats have contributed to medical advances, including the development of navigational aids for the blind. Unfortunately, many species are now endangered. Other than their appearance, which some find frightening, there is very little one can find wrong with a bat.

What most humans do not ever get to see is a bat up close and personal. There’s a reason for this: what sane bat goes out in the daytime or enters a person’s home or flops down on a side walk in front of a human? Avoiding humans is one of the ways that bats survive.

So when you do run into a bat during the course of your everyday life, there’s a pretty good chance there’s something wrong with that bat. And one of the chief things that cause a bat to behave abnormally is rabies.
Unlike humans, it’s not clear whether all bats that get the rabies virus are destined to die. Scientists know that about 1% of the bats in a normal, healthy bat colony do have rabies. But it’s still not known if some bats can remain alive as healthy rabies carriers. We do know, however, that many bats that become infected with the rabies virus get sick and die. And during their illness they often behave abnormally. They fly through people’s homes, dive bomb swimming pools and wind up on garbage can lids or in the mouths of rambunctious dogs.

Since encountering a bat up close in your daily life is not normal behavior for the bat, you should call Animal Services if you do. Experience tells us that bats that you stumble across have about a 10% chance of being rabid. Do not handle the bat. If you wish to both detain the bat and keep it away from curious children, pets and yes, even other adult humans, cover it with something like a waste paper basket. Animal Services can be reached at 388-4341. If a bat bites someone, or is handled by a person or a pet, or if you come across one that is unable to fly, or if you awaken from a sleep and find a bat in your bedroom, do your best to contain the bat (such as by closing the bedroom door) and call Animal Services. The bat will be turned over to the Ventura County Public Health Laboratory and studied for rabies. If the bat tests positive, it will mean that a doctor is going to need to make the decision whether the person who handled the bat or awakened to find it in their room will need to receive the rabies vaccine. The rabies vaccine consists of a series of 5 shots given over 1 month as well as another shot called rabies immune globulin (RIG). Tens of thousands of people are successfully vaccinated each year after being bitten by an animal that may have rabies. However, a few people die of rabies each year in the United States, usually because they do not recognize the risk of rabies from the bite of a wild animal and do not seek medical advice. Any wild mammal, like a raccoon, skunk, fox, or bat, can have rabies and transmit it to people.

People who have been bitten by a bat while sleeping or inebriated won’t know that they’ve been bitten, and the bite of a bat may leave no marks whatsoever.

The time between a person’s exposure to a rabid animal and the development of symptoms can be anywhere from days to years, though usually it is 4 to 6 weeks. Usual symptoms include anxiety or fear, difficulty swallowing and seizures. Once symptoms develop, death is almost inevitable.

Because there is no guarantee that a rabid bat will behave any differently than a normal one, it is best never to handle any bat.

Ventura County residents can also protect themselves by making sure that their pets are up to date on their rabies vaccine.

Some bats live in buildings. There may be no reason to exclude them if they will not come into contact with people. However, bats should always be prevented from entering rooms of your home. To learn how to “bat-proof” your home, call an animal-control or wildlife conservation agency. It’s not that difficult to “bat-proof” your home yourself. Examine your home for holes that might allow bats to enter into your living quarters. Any openings larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch should be caulked. Use window screens, chimney caps, and draft guards beneath doors to attics, fill electrical and plumbing holes with steel wool or caulking, and ensure that all doors to the outside close tightly. Additional “bat-proofing” can prevent bats from roosting in attics or buildings by covering outside entry points. Observe where the bats exit at dusk and exclude them by loosely hanging clear plastic sheeting or bird netting over these areas. Bats can crawl out and leave, but won’t be able to reenter. After the bats have been excluded, the openings can be permanently sealed. During summer, many young bats are unable to fly. If you exclude adult bats during this time, the young may be trapped inside. Thus, if possible, avoid exclusion from May through August. Most bats leave in the fall or winter to hibernate, so these are the best times to “bat-proof” your home.

VENTURA, CA - The Board of Directors, Staff and Volunteers of the Ventura Family YMCA and Barristers of the Ventura County Bar Association invites members of the community to participate in the 3rd Annual “TAKE it to the COURT” 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament on October 8, 2011. Proceeds from the event funds the YMCA's Open Doors Program which provides scholarships to individuals and families in need.

The basketball tournament will take place at Ventura College and will start at 8 a.m. The event will include a full day of tournaments, music and food. The “Take it to the Court” Basketball Tournament is a great way to come together to strengthen our community while spending a fun, active day playing and watching some exciting basketball games.

The tournament will include a men’s open, boy‘s high school and girl’s high school division, which are all open to the public. Team registrations are being accepted until October 3rd. Registration to enter the tournament and additional information can be found online at www.ciymca.org/ventura or at the Ventura Family YMCA Welcome Center. Each participating team will receive three complimentary Ventura Family YMCA Basketball Tournament t-shirts. The grand prize for each participant of the winning teams will be a free three month membership to the Ventura Family YMCA.

The Ventura Family YMCA would also like to thank their event sponsors; Rabobank, Chumash Indians Foundation, ZestNet, Inc. and Ferguson, Case, Orr, Patterson for their ongoing support and dedication the YMCA.

“We are very excited to host the tournament again this year and appreciate the support of the local business community, individuals and especially the partnership we have formed with the Barristers organization. It’s a great day of basketball for all levels of players and a fun way to give back to the community,” said Margo Byrne, Executive Director at the Ventura Family YMCA. The “Take it to the Court” Basketball Tournament is one of two yearly fundraisers that the Ventura Family YMCA holds. The funds from the event ensure that the YMCA can continue the Open Doors scholarship program. The Open Doors program which provides scholarships to individuals, children and families in need and allows everyone to have the opportunity to participate in YMCA programs such as youth sports, child care, wellness classes and more. If you would like more information about the basketball tournament please contact Amy Bailey-Jurewicz at Amy.Bailey@ciymca.org or about the Ventura Family YMCA please call 805-642-2131 or visit www.ciymca.org/ventura.

About the Ventura Family Y
The Ventura Family YMCA serves over 20,000 individuals annually through facility memberships, before & after school childcare, day & resident camps, youth sports, swim lessons, teen programs, and many more healthy lifestyles and community enriching programs throughout Ventura, Oxnard, Ojai, Santa Paula, and Saticoy. Through the Open Doors program the YMCA ensures that no one is ever turned away due to their inability to pay and facility memberships without contracts or join fees makes the Ventura Family YMCA accessible to everyone. The Ventura Family YMCA is located at 3760 Telegraph Rd., Ventura, CA 93003. log on to www.ciymca.org/ventura.

Ventura, CA - Community Memorial Health System broke ground Wednesday, September 14th, for the new Community Memorial Hospital. The celebration drew about 500 community members, including CMHS medical staff and employees as well as city and county dignitaries.

“This is the single most important thing to happen in my two years as mayor,” Ventura Mayor Bill Fulton told the crowd, adding the new hospital also will boost the city’s economy and turn midtown into a “second downtown.”

“Your children and grandchildren will look on this day as the greatest day in the history of Ventura,” Fulton said.

The six-story, 325,000-square-foot hospital will be built next to the current hospital at 147 N. Brent St, and is scheduled to open in 2015. It will have 250 private rooms, comfortable space for families and a healing garden on the grounds.

The new CMH, which meets seismic demands, also will have a larger Emergency Room and greater imaging capability than the present hospital. It also will have additional Heart Catheterization labs, expanded Intensive Care and Cardiac Care Recovery Units, and a larger Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The hospital’s 10 surgical theaters will have leading-edge medical technology.

“We will provide state-of-the-art care in a facility that is truly state-of-the-art,” said Gary Wilde, President and CEO of CMHS.

The new hospital will meet the needs of the community for the next 50 years, Wilde said, and will feature environmentally friendly “green” components such as triple-paneled glass windows that will reduce heating and air-conditioning costs.

The current 242-bed hospital was built in 1962. Previous hospitals in the 110-year history of Community Memorial Health System were the Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital, built in 1901, and Foster Memorial Hospital, built in 1930.

Wilde thanked the Ventura City Council and City Manager Rick Cole for partnering with CMHS on the project that is being financed through $350 million in tax-exempt bonds. “We could not have had a more supportive city,” Wilde said.

The ground-breaking ceremony also featured 14 speakers representing different segments of the Ventura community – “stakeholders, not stockholders” as Wilde described them – including former Ventura County District Attorney Michael Bradbury, a member of the CMHS Board of Trustees for 15 years and chairman of the CMHS Campaign to build a new hospital.

“I’m here because Community Memorial Hospital saved my life,” said Bradbury, sharing with the audience the day that his heart stopped beating during a routine medical procedure.

Joseph and Lynn Bova, parents of CMH’s first quintuplets born in 2001, represented the families of children cared for in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Although the family no longer will be requiring the services of CMH’s Maternity Department and NICU, Lynn Bova joked, “With six active children I’m sure we’ll be spending time in the new Emergency Room.”

Dr. Doug Woodburn, chairman of the CMH Physician Campaign representing active and retired physicians with CMHS, said members of the medical staff look forward to practicing medicine, “in an environment that will allow us to work together to offer the best quality of care.”

Dr. Woodburn added that the new hospital, “will attract and recruit future generations of physicians to care for your children and your grandchildren.”

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and 10 family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

A special Diabetes presentation, “Separating Fact From Fiction”, will be held October 5th, @ 6:00 pm at Alma Via of Camarillo, 2500 Ponderosa North, Camarillo.

Presented by Linda Hampson, RN Diabetes Nurse Specialist from Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association, this free presentation will focus on Type 2 Diabetes. Individuals with pre-diabetes, recent onset diabetes, a family history of diabetes, or anyone who is interested in a better understanding will benefit from attendance. Complimentary refreshments and a raffle! RSVP to: Alma Via by October 3, to Amanda or Caitlyn @ (805) 388-5277. For more information contact: Barrie @ (805) 797-7699.

The Vision 20/20 committee pick a beauty this month. Congratulations to Peggy Alsup, and Gary Mourett of 1011 Ortega Street in Fillmore, for winning September Yard of the Month. The residence is on the corner of Burson, and Ortega. Their yard was picked for the care and work they put into it. The house is lined with Rose Trees of different colors, and Rose sizes. Also in the front yard are two beautiful White Birch Trees and a couple of Palm trees. On the side yard you will see a couple of citrus trees, and a nicely shaped cactus. There is a story behind all their planting. A very good friend of Gary’s, by the name of Derek DeJarnette gave him the Lemon tree years ago. For the longest time it barely grew, and gave one or two Lemons yearly. Sadly, his friend Derek past away many years ago and Gary said that after he past, the Lemon Tree just flourished, and now its just big, and beautiful, and gives fruit yearly, much to the delight of both Gary, and Peggy.

Terrie Metzler accepting a donation of toys by Milan Boyanich of A Street Self-Storage. The toys destined for the Shriner's Hospital for Children, Los Angeles.
Enlarge Photo

A treasure trove of dolls, stuffed animals, children's books, games, action figures, blankets and lots of baby toys were donated to the Shriner's Hospital for Children by Milan Boyanich of A Street Self-Storage located in Fillmore. The donation was made through Terrie Metzler and the Jamil Court of Oxnard, of The Ladies' Oriental Shrines of North America.

Gratefully accepting the donation Metzler said: “The children will greatly enjoy all the new toys we will be taking them.

The Shriners Hospital for Children, Los Angeles, delivers the highest quality of care to children with a host of orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal disorders and diseases, as well as cleft lip and palate.

Ventura, CA - Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing during sleep, will be the focus of a free seminar Community Memorial Health System is holding on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Dr. James Jacobs, a Ventura oral and maxillofacial surgeon, will lead the seminar that will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in Community Memorial Hospital’s eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium.

Dr. Jacobs will discuss the diagnosis and causes of sleep apnea, a disorder affecting up to 18 million people in the U.S. that can lead to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, heart attack, stroke and excessive daytime sleepiness. Dr. Jacobs also will cover available treatment options, the risks and benefits of non-surgical and surgical techniques as well as the benefits and outcomes of maxillomandibular advancement.

Dr. Jacobs is a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and an active member of the Community Memorial Hospital medical staff. He received his doctor of dental surgery from the University of Washington and his oral and maxillofacial surgery training at Ohio State University.

Admission is free, but space is limited, and reservations are required. Call (805) 652-5436, or visit www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp. Community Memorial Hospital is located at 147 N. Brent St. in Ventura.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and 10 family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

The city of Fillmore is holding their annual fall City-Wide Clean Up Day! Saturday September 24. The residence and small business owners of Fillmore may bring their unwanted items to Well # 4 on Goodenough Rd between A & B St. Across from Ameron.. They will be open between the hours of 8am to 2 pm.

Are you concerned about the safety of your community? Are you interested in knowing how your law enforcement can help you?

If the answer to one of these questions was yes, Soroptimist International of Fillmore welcomes you to join them on Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 to hear Captain Monica McGrath speak about safety and concerns of our community. Soroptimist International of Fillmore meets at noon at El Pescador Restaurant in Fillmore (1305 W. Ventura Street) across the breeze way in the over flow room. Cost for lunch is $10 and may be paid at the door.
Soroptimist International of Fillmore is a women’s group that works to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. We also raise money to give scholarships to students in our area.
If you have any questions, please call Jane David / Vice President of Soroptimist International of Fillmore at (805) 727-1145 or E-Mail to Jane.David@ventura.org.

Celebrating International Day of Peace, Wednesday, September 21, 2011; Time: 3:30pm-4pm; Location: Ventura County Library – Fillmore Branch; Address: 502 Second St. in Fillmore; Book: Let There Be Peace on Earth: And Let it Begin with Me. By Jill Jackson, illustrated by David Diaz.

Presented by Soroptimist: Sarah Hansen (Chair of the Fillmore Soroptimist Peace Pole) and Ari Larson (President of Soroptimist International of Fillmore). Join us as we celebrate International Day of Peace at this special event! We will read the book, sing a song and make a special peace bracelet to take home!

The at 6pm the community, including families and businesses are invited to attend a short International Day of Peace ceremony at the Fillmore Soroptimist Peace Pole located in front of the Fillmore City Hall.

Soroptimist International of Fillmore is a women’s organization. Mission Statement: To improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. For more information on being a member please contact Jane David (Vice President of SI of Fillmore) at Jane.David@ventura.org

…where the history, myth, and romance of Old California still linger… Docent-led public and group tours are offered at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 on Saturday, and Sunday from February through November and by appointment year round. Special group tours and school tours are available by appointment. It is a perfect place to take out of town guests or have an outing with your group. The suggested donation is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children and students.

This non-profit museum is a National Historic Landmark where the early Californio lifestyle is preserved in its original rural environment. What began as part of the 48,000 acre Mexican land grant, Rancho San Francisco, deeded to Antonio del Valle in 1839 is still a 1,800-acre working ranch. Rancho Camulos was also a setting for "Ramona," an 1884 novel by Helen Hunt Jackson that generated national interest. The museum is a portion of the ranch containing an 1853 adobe, cocina, chapel, schoolhouse, and beautiful grounds. There is a museum gift shop. Details at www.ranchocamulos.org On Highway 126, 2 miles East of Piru and 10 miles west of the I-5 at Santa Clarita. 805-521-1501. Since the museum periodically closes for private activities, please call or check website before visiting.

"It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a community to save shelter animals."

On September 24th and 25th, two community groups are doing their part to help Ventura County Animal Services promote shelter adoptions and save animals.

As part of the shelter's Rub-A-Belly Adoption Weekend, the country western group "Cari and the Black Rose Band" will be playing at the shelter on September 24th from noon to 4pm.

On September 25th, "Mari and the Gypsydancers" will be "dancing for the dogs" at 1pm.

Both Cari and Mari contacted the shelter and asked how they could lend their particular talents to help rehome the shelter's many adoptable dogs, cats, rabbits, and other pets.

"We're hoping the music and dancing will get folks in the mood to find their next best friend", says Director Monica Nolan.

To add to the excitement of the weekend, all dog and cat adoptions will be discounted. A large wheel, called the "The Wheel of Fortune" because any animal that gets adopted is fortunate, has been set up in the shelter lobby. Adopters spin to see how much of a discount they will get. No matter what the discount, in the end everybody wins because a family gains a new pet and the pet gains a new home.

Dogs and cats adopted this weekend come already spayed/neutered, with a license, rabies shot, microchip, a free set of obedience lessons (dogs only), complementary exam at the vet of your choice and a $20 gift card to Petco.

A house is not a home without a pet. And Ventura County Animal Services believes that shelter pets are the best home improvement you can make. Visit the shelter's web site at www.vcas.us for more
information and to preview the animals.

Fire Chief Rigo Landeros, Police Chief Monica McGrath, Rotary Club President Sean Morris.
Enlarge Photo

The Rotary Club of Fillmore Sun Risers heard an update on the Fillmore Fire Dept. and the Fillmore Police Department from Fire Chief Rigo Landeros and Police Chief Monica McGrath on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. Both chiefs spoke about the effect on their departments from the current budget cuts and answered questions from the Rotarians. The Sun Risers also honored and recognized the VC Sheriffs Dept. Explorers programs by presenting a
President’s Certificate to Fillmore Explorers advisor Deputy Leo Vazquez, Senior Explorers Josefina Fernandez and Briana Vazquez and Explorer Brandon Pina. The Rotarians thanked the Explorers for all their hard work in our community and for helping the Sun Risers with the Heritage Valley 5K Run/Walk this past May.

The Rotary Club of Fillmore Sun Risers meets weekly at El Pescador Restaurant at 7 a.m. Upcoming speakers include: September 13, will be Barry Fisher, VC Public Health Director; September 20, Katy Hadduck RN, for the VC EMS agency. Upcoming event for the Sun Risers in September is participating as a team in the Relay for Life on September 17 and 18 at Shield Park. For more information about attending a meeting and about the Rotary Club
of Fillmore Sun Risers, call Sean at 796-0276.