 Shown are some of the volunteers who helped make the N. Fillmore Storefront remodel a success. Enlarge Photo By Wanda Castel de Oro — Thursday, November 12th, 2009
 Sespe 4-H announced a Sock-Box collection for homeless, battered and needy women. Boxed will be located around town in different business. Watch for locations to be announed in the Gazette. Enlarge Photo Fillmore City Council and Fillmore Redevelopment Agency met Tuesday night. Oral Communications began with Fillmore Police Capt. Tim Hagel announcing a prescription drug turn-in program. Unwanted, unused and expired prescriptions can be dropped into a receptacle at the sheriff’s station, Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM. They will be disposed of at the crime lab free of charge. One benefit will be that the drugs will not affect the city’s sewage recycling center, said Hagel. He thanked Sgt. Dave Wareham for his work in bringing the program to Fillmore. Ray Harper and Michele Morgan of RDF Communities gave a brief update on the Business Park. Harper said they are importing dirt to raise level of the park, which will provide1,300 construction jobs, and 2,600 long term jobs, doubling the employment base in Fillmore, according to Harper. Morgan stated that they worked with Caltrans and the Sheriffs Department to mitigate any problems. Sespe 4-H President Toni Ruiz announced community service, “Sespe Socks” -- a sock collection program to benefit battered and homeless and needy women. The group will provide sock-drop boxes around town for collection of new socks. Box locations will be announced in the Gazette. Councilmember Steve Conaway suggested cash donations also, making a donation along with several others. Sespe 4-H leader Sue Maynard thanked council for the opportunity to announce the program. Proclamations were presented to several business owners and representatives for their CONTINUED » |
 F.U.S.D. Superintendent Jeff Sweeney and the School Board denied the Piru School Charter Proposal. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Press the Play button above to watch the board meeting.
On Monday, November 9th, 2009 the Fillmore Unified School District board rejected a petition to convert Piru Elementary School into an independent charter campus. Petitioners said they plan to appeal the decision to the Ventura County Board of Education. Representatives of the Charter initiative said they would release a response to the decision of the Board in the near future. Following is Superintendent Jeff Sweeney’s response to the charter conversion, presented to the audience at Monday’s meeting. Board Resolution No. 09/10/09 Denying the Petition for Piru Charter School BACKGROUND Pursuant to Education Code 47605, the Governing Board CONTINUED » |
 The City of Fillmore Fire Department in conjunction with the Oxnard Fire Department conducted a live fire training exercise on Wednesday, November 4th, at 46 C Street, by the old sewer plant. The abandoned 900-sq/ ft. garage went up in flames as part of a training exercise for the Fillmore Fire Department. The burn provided fire personnel the rare opportunity to obtain hands-on experience with live fire in a controlled non-emergent environment. The process was supervised by experienced personnel and followed strict safety guidelines set by the California State Fire Marshal and the National Fire Protection Agency. The process provided invaluable training experience for fire personnel while simultaneously reducing the cost to demolish the structure. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Press the Play button above to watch highlights from "The Burn"
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 The Ventura County Sheriff Dept. was just one of many organizations to attend Career Day 2009 at Fillmore High School. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
 U.S. Forest Service and NASA offered career information at Friday’s fhs Career Day 2009-2010 event. Enlarge Photo  Beauticians worked their magic on two willing participants at FHS 2009-2010 Career Day. Enlarge Photo Fillmore High School would like to thank our sponsors Fillmore Sunrise Rotary, and Fillmore Noon-time Rotary for their generous donations and support of our Career Day. Also, we’d like to thank all the following representatives who took time out of their busy day to speak with our students at the 2009-2010 Career Day. U.S. Army *Fillmore High School Graduates |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
The Fillmore Police Department is now hosting a FREE Start Smart Driver Safety Education Class for teenagers and their parents/guardians. Classes are designed to: -Help newly and future licensed teenage drivers understand the responsibilities associated with driving a motor vehicle. -Show how a poor choice behind the wheel can change the lives of everyone involved. -Reduce the number of teen-related injuries and deaths due to motor vehicle collisions. November 18, 2009 For more information or to sign up for the Start Smart Class with your teenage driver contact the |
 The above photographs show the victim, Michael Rudolph, and his 2000 Ford Contour that investigators believe he was driving around the time he was murdered. Michael Rudolph, 2000 Ford Contour, California License Plate 4JVD648. Enlarge Photo By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department Location: Pacific Coast Highway at Mugu Rock (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (W)itnessess City of Residence Age On Thursday, June 22, 2006, Ventura County Sheriff’s Department patrol deputies responded to a missing person call at the Camarillo home of Michael Alexander Rudolph. During the initial investigation, deputies learned that Rudolph’s friends and family had not seen him since Tuesday, June 20, 2006. Deputies continued their investigation into the whereabouts of Rudolph and during the early morning hours of June 23, 2006 they discovered Rudolph’s four-door maroon 2000 Ford Contour parked at the south end of the beach parking lot just north of Mugu Rock. A search of the vehicle and subsequent investigation yielded few clues as to the whereabouts of Rudolph. Neither Rudolph nor his remains have surfaced since he was reported missing. In the late summer of 2009, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Unit received new information into the disappearance of Rudolph. This information has led the Major Crimes Unit to classify the disappearance of Rudolph as a homicide. Investigators now believe Rudolph’s car was driven to the Mugu Rock and staged as a ploy to mislead investigators into believing Rudolph disappeared in the ocean. Based on the new information received, Major Crimes investigators are now pursuing new leads, which they believe will assist them in identifying those responsible for killing Rudolph. The Sheriff’s Department asks anyone with information regarding the murder of Michael Alexander Rudolph to contact the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit at (805) 477-7000. |
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By Dick Diaz — Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
 Ian Gaven Patrick McKeown. (Color photo coming soon) Imagine, or can you remember, being seventeen years old and in your senior year at Fillmore High School (FHS). Your Senior year at FHS means being busy with studies, school activities and stressful long hours trying to figure out what your future will be like! One FHS senior has already decided his immediate future by setting a goal and has taken steps to get to that goal. FHS Senior Ian Gaven Patrick McKeown, 17 years, finds himself in just that position. Although Ian still has nearly seven months until graduation with the class of 2010 he has already enlisted in the United States Army Reserves and this past summer attended United States Army Basic Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma . Ian, now United States Army Reserve Private Ian Gaven Patrick McKeown, attended Piru Elementary School, Fillmore Middle School and was active in the Future Farmers of America. Private Ian McKeown is participating in the CONTINUED » |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
 City of Fillmore The Ventura County District Attorney’s office announced on October 23rd in a letter to Fillmore City Manager Yvonne Quiring its decision not to bring criminal charges or a civil action against the Fillmore City Council for allegedly violating California’s Brown Act. The letter was made available October 30, 2009. Special Assistant District Attorney Michael Schwartz wrote in the letter, “I appreciate that the Brown Act can be complex and that members of public bodies must maintain constant vigilance to insure compliance with its terms. In this case, the City Council and the city Attorney took the alleged violations seriously and took prompt action to remedy any violation s that might have occurred.” Fillmore City Attorney Ted Schneider said the city is pleased with the District Attorney’s opinion, after conducting a thorough investigation. “The DA’s decision not to pursue a civil action against the City demonstrates the inherent weaknesses in Mr. McKee’s case,” stated Schneider, referring to the civil suit brought by Richard McKee, Director of Californians Aware, a California political watchdog group. “The DA has expressed that, CONTINUED » |
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By Carol Wilson — Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
 From the left, Dean of Sierra High School, Cynthia Frutos, Fillmore Middle School Principal Todd Schieferle, and FMS Assistant Principal, Tricia Godfrey, address the Fillmore School District Board at Tuesday’s regular meeting. Fillmore Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Sweeney introduced administrators of Fillmore Middle School, Fillmore High School and Sierra High School to district trustees Tuesday, November 3, 2009. The focus was on student learning for the 2009-2010 school year. Todd Schieferle, Principal of FMS said the focus of the middle school this year is Safety, Learning and Love. He said safety is the highest priority; a zero tolerance for violence and a firm discipline policy is in place. Focus on learning, according to Schieferle, is based on what we want students to learn; how we know each student has learned; and how we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning. He went to to say we use assessments for the state guidelines. He said we use a support system to cover those concepts still needing to be learned. “A 25 minute period for refining skills is available four times a week.” Student-teacher pacing guides help students to master assigned state standards, also. Tricia Godfrey, Assistant Principal said that CONTINUED » |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
 A two car collision occurred at the intersection of Sespe Avenue and Orchard Street Monday about 2 p.m. The Dodge Caravan suffered significant damage while the other vehicle sustained front-end damage. Enlarge Photo  No persons were reported injured and the cause of the accident was undetermined at press time. Enlarge Photo |