VENTURA, CA. — Microsoft is making free training vouchers available for its online Microsoft E-Learning courses and certification classes. Offered through the Workforce Investment Board of Ventura County (WIB), vouchers are available on a first-come, first-served basis at local Ventura County Job & Career Centers.

Courses range from basic skills development in Microsoft Windows Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) to advanced training for IT Professional to Microsoft certification exams.

"Microsoft's generosity gives Ventura County’s workforce a valuable opportunity to learn or brush up on skills that are often essential in the workplace," says Cheryl Moore, WIB executive director. "The courses are self-paced making them ideal for both job seekers who want to fast track their learning and those in the workforce who must budget their time."

The Ventura County voucher distribution is part of Microsoft's Elevate America program. The software company is donating 1 million Microsoft E-Learning vouchers nationwide in an effort to strengthen the workforce skills necessary for 21st Century jobs.

"Elevate America is an excellent example CONTINUED »

Fillmore artist Wana Klasen (pictured above right), donated her painting entitled “Lullaby” to the fundraising efforts of Angels Over Africa Mission. Wana is pictured with Ferdae Garami, Founder and Director of the Mission. The cultural evening included live music, a slide presentation and art auction. Proceeds from the auction of art are being used to provide biodegradable diapers to the children of Haiti following the disastrous earthquake there. The event, held at the Clarion Hotel in Bakersfield, was organized through the combined efforts of the Angels Over Africa Mission and the African Association of Kern County.

More than a whistle stop, Piru Railfest 2010 is a great opportunity to enjoy some high quality family time that is both affordable and just a short hop down the 126. Take a break form the hum-drum rat-race and track to Piru Railfest 2010 where you can breathe the fresh air as you enjoy the small town warmth and charm of Piru.

Lots of fun Free things to do like our Free trackless train rides. Plus many other activities that range from free to modestly priced such as our Horseshoe Tournament (cash prizes 1st,2nd, and 3rd, please contact Rusty at (805) 432 6388).

Entertainment by Dan Torres and the Piru River Band, great music from our local hit sensation and DJ Momo Mix Jerry Rubio, Folklorico Mexican Dancers, Youth Mariachi, Model Train Exhibit.

Crafts, Home made jewelry, Heritage Valley Studio's T-shirts. After all this activity you will be hungry, and happy to know what a fabulous line up of food, beverage & desert vendors we have! Plenty of homemade tasty food, salsa by Andriana's tamales and carne asada , Ponchos Mexican food, Whatz Up doggie, Paradise Hut shaved Ice, Elva's BBQ chicken, ribs and Tri Tip, Railway Cafe, Dorothy’s Asian Cuisine veggie rolls, BBQ Pork, U Scream Ice Cream & more, Ida E's Kettle corn, Funnel cakes, Strawberry short cakes and Fried twinkles.

Remember to check out our Historical landmarks like the Piru Mansion, or visit Rancho Camulos or Bennett's bee farm off HWY 126 or Take a drive to beautiful Piru Lake.

Come enjoy Piru for just the day or make an overnight stay at the upscale Historical Heritage Valley Inn, for reservations call (805) 521-0700.

Please donate to our Soldiers, bring letters cards or supplies to show our appreciation. Bring your donations to our drop off booth at Piru Railfest. For information, please call (805) 521-0527.

The City of Fillmore advises all local non-profit organizations that applications will be available April 14 for 2010 firework booth permits.

Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Friday, May 28 in the City Clerk's office at Fillmore City Hall, 250 Central Avenue. The fee is $400.00; all organizations must provide proof of non-profit status and complete a “no fee” business license application.

The City’s Municipal Code (Section 15.38.030) requires applicants to be a non-profit association or corporation organized primarily for veteran, patriotic, welfare, city betterment, religious or charitable purposes, having on file with the City of Fillmore proof of non-profit status from either the IRS, California Secretary of State or the State Attorney General, having its principal and permanent meeting place in the City, and having been organized and established in the City for a minimum of three years continuously preceding the filing of the permit application.

A maximum of 25 permits will be issued, and priority will be given to organizations that were issued permits in 2009 and continue to be eligible. If necessary, a lottery will be held in early June to randomly determine which organizations will receive permits in addition to the qualified organizations.

Fireworks sales may occur in the City from Monday, June 28 at twelve o’clock noon through Monday, July 5 at twelve o’clock noon.

Questions regarding applications or eligibility should be directed to Angela Mumme at Fillmore City Hall between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by calling 524-1500, extension 214.

Kenneth Fine’s book, "An Ancedotal History of Fillmore," is now back in print. The first printing in 2002 sold out and Marie Wren recently ordered a second printing. This book is full of stories about Fillmore from the early days until about 1958. Everyone who knew Booger Red Fine enjoyed his stories about growing up in Fillmore, the things all kids did, the things all grownups enjoyed in deer camp and opening day of fishing season, with a lot of other things thrown in for good measure. Kenneth Fine was a great storyteller.
If you enjoy local history, you will enjoy this book. It is sort of like sitting under a tree and listening to your own grandpa remember things while taking to his friends. This book is priced at $25 to cover the cost of printing. You may call Marie Wren for details, 524-4044.

Enlarge Photo

Behind the Scenes:

Today we’d like to thank the Sheriff’s Special Services Crime Analyst Unit. Karen Brown supplies Farm Watch with all our crime data. Karen and others in the Unit work hard to keep our rural community safe. The Unit has included some new farm maps and charts in this email that include the entire county.

Farm Worker Alert:

This just happen last week: A group of four criminals stole money from Ventura County farm workers and Spanish speaking residents in a California lottery scam. Theses criminals single out Ventura County residents who use Spanish as their strongest language. They prefer female victims of adult or elderly age, but on occasion will prey on males.

They are excellent actors and you will never know that all four are connected. When you read the story, remember they change it up once a while mixing in fictitious IRS Agents, Fictitious Notaries and Fictitious Attorneys.

Here is the scene:

They hit while your farm workers are in a shopping center, parking lot, picking up kids from school or public building, they are approached by a Spanish-speaking female.

On occasion they use a male. The male or females are actors, and will tell the farm worker that he or she just found a State Lottery ticket and that they think it was the winning number.

Next, a passerby will approach as a random person and CONTINUED »

Rental Scams Issue Date: February 18, 2010 v1

Summary: Unscrupulous people find homes listed for sale and post those same homes on a community posting board, like CraigsList, for what seems like an incredibly reduced rental price. The posting may have statements that sound credible to a would-be renter (i.e. Last minute job relocation, Death in the family, etc.) and urge them to send their reduced price deposit and first month’s rent to a specified address or wired to a specified account - the lease agreement to be signed later. In exchange, the key to the home will be left where the would-be renters can find it. Would be renters then send the money thinking they have rented a home.

Occupied homes for sale: Homeowners may be faced with a stranger(s) showing up to move into their home.

Vacant homes for sale: Would-be renters may not realize they’ve been scammed until a potential buyer or real estate agent shows up to view the home they’ve “rented”. In some cases, neighbors or contractors may notice that someone is on the property that shouldn’t be there and law enforcement is called to investigate.

Homeowners and would-be renters are urged to contact local police to report the crime.

Homeowners are also encouraged to notify the community posting board (i.e. CraigsList) if there is an unauthorized posting of their home for rent. They will expediently remove any unauthorized or disputed posting.
Would-be renters are encouraged to review CraigsList information on Avoiding Scams & Fraud:
DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist. NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer. CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification" NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.) AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

If you suspect that you, a family member, or friend has fallen victim to real estate fraud and don’t know where to turn, call Ventura County’s 2-1-1 hotline to get the referral you need to the appropriate agency. Cell phone users dial: 800-339-9597.

We Know You're Busy.....but make this month count by saving lives! This month marks National Volunteer Month. Please take a moment to volunteer your time to give blood. You'll not only save lives, but you'll see the true value of volunteering. Volunteer blood donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health.

Our Ventura Center is open Monday-Tuesday from 10am-6pm; Wednesday-Thursday 10am-7pm; Friday 8am-2pm and is located at 2223 Eastman, Suite A (Near McGrath St) in Ventura. Call 1-800-715-3699 today or make an appointment on-line at www.Blood4Life.org

"Discover why some of the richest people in the world are not millionaires, they are volunteers."

Have you missed the Peace Crane Workshops so far? Now you have another opportunity to learn to fold origami cranes and send on your wishes for peace at the same time. This Tuesday, March 23 from 5-7 p.m. at the Fillmore Library, crane-making will again be 'on the table.'

Bring a dollar donation for the Peace Pole, learn about the worldwide Peace Crane movement and have fun with your friends as well. Supplies and instructions will be provided. Call Claire or Janine at 524-2520 for further information.

Grad Nite Live’s “Sandwich Meals” fundraiser is almost finished. This Wednesday, March 31st is the last day to purchase tickets and/or have lunch at Central Station to help Grad Nite Live. Watch the papers for our next fundraiser which will be coming together soon. Also if you want to be a financial sponsor for a 2010 Senior call Mrs. Chaney at 524-4909 or 407-5759. The cost is $85. per student for their Harbor Cruise Graduation night.

In response to the growing need to provide young women with the necessary skills to “say no” to drugs, alcohol and premature sexual activity at an early age, the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley is introducing SMART Girls.

The goal of the SMART Girls program is to help girls develop healthy attitudes and lifestyles. To accomplish this, the program addresses health and social issues that are specific to female Club members. SMART Girls is designed for two age-group levels, 8 to 12 and 13 to 17, according to their physiological, mental and emotional needs. In addition, the program is intended to help girls make positive decisions at this critical stage in their development.

“SMART Girls is exactly the kind of program we’ve been looking for to reach our younger female members,” said Buddy Escoto, Site Director of the Boys & Girls of Santa Clara Valley, Fillmore Clubhouse. “We have a great deal of confidence in the effectiveness of SMART Girls because it’s based upon the award-winning SMART Moves program that has been developed and tested for many years by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and is currently in use in several of the Boys & Girls Clubs in Ventura County.”

SMART Girls takes the skills, mastery and resistance training concept even further by providing gender- and age-specific information to help young women develop the necessary skills to have a long and healthy life. The specific curriculum for SMART Girls teaches young women how to do the following:
• understand and appreciate the CONTINUED »

The Artists Guild of Fillmore is presenting its first Show and Sale at Giessinger Winery located at 365 Santa Clara Street in Fillmore. The Show is scheduled for Saturday, March 27, 2010 and Sunday, March 28, 2010 from 11am – 4pm both days. Members of the Guild are all local artists and will be showing original art work selected from their respective repertoires. Visit the Guild’s website: ArtistsGuildofFillmore.org The Guild also has plans for future events that will support and focus on art and artists within our community. All are invited to come and enjoy the art work, meet the artists, and stroll the grounds of the Winery.

Grades 5 – 12 Invited to Illustrate “Western Nights and Carnival Lights”
The 2010 Ventura County Fair Poster Contest is accepting entries. The contest is open to young artists in grades 5 – 12, who reside in Ventura County. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, March 13.
The theme of the 2010 Fair is “Western Nights and Carnival Lights” and will serve as the guideline to the imagery. Artwork may be created in any medium but may not be 3 dimensional.
Rules, deadlines and other information can be found on the Fair website, www.venturacountyfair.org. For more information about the contest call 648-3376 x 110 or send an email to contest@venturacountyfair.org.
The Ventura County Fair will begin its annual 12-day run Wednesday August 4 and continue until Sunday, August 15.
For more information about the Fair, or the poster contest, please call the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 648-3376 x110 or visit www.venturacountyfair.org.

Beverly Haase was pleased to receive the Vision 2020 Civic Pride Committee “Yard of the Month” award for March from Linda Nunes, committee member. She has lived in her home on Mallard for 10 years and only began removing the front yard and side yard grass two years ago with the help of her gardener, Arnaldo Salazar of Arnaldo Salazar Landscaping.

Mature White Birch trees, a fruitless pear, pink & yellow mature hibiscus were left to frame the xeriscape design and then the earth was mounded and surrounded with a mixture of fake boulders along with real river rock from a friend’s ranch to form a dry stream bed. A bridge over the “stream” was built by Arnaldo.

Decomposed granite with a barrier underneath covers the exposed areas and flagstone forms a small patio with inviting wooden bench to observe birds visiting a birdbath nearby. Large and small cacti specimens were obtained from a grower on Grand Avenue.

Bronze flax, purple Dutch Iris, pink & purple marguerites and lavender plants add bright touches of color.
Beverly says the landscaping has dramatically lowered her water bill to a minimum.

Otto & Sons Nursery has generously donated a $25 gift certificate to be enjoyed by the award recipient.

Local artist, Wana Klasen, will be exhibiting select pieces of art from her collection, EARTHSONG, at the Proverbs Coffee House during the month of March. The gallery is located at Peace Lutheran Church, 71 Loma Drive in Camarillo, and will be open Fridays and Saturdays of March from 1-4PM. Admission to the exhibit, entitled "Embellished Reflections", featuring the work of four artists, is free, and all are invited to the Opening Reception on Saturday,March 13, 2010 from 1-4PM.