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By Gazette Staff Writers — Friday, May 24th, 2024
 On Friday, May 24, at 9:12am, Ventura County Fire Department, AMR Paramedics, and California Highway Patrol were dispatched to a reported traffic collision westbound SR126 near Hopper Canyon Road. A semi-tractor trailer loaded with sand rear ended a truck trailer and overturned, spilling its load onto the roadway. Arriving firefighters reported that both occupants of the trucks were uninjured. Both westbound lanes were closed for more than two hours while the debris was cleared. Photo credit Angel Esquivel-Firephoto_91. Enlarge Photo |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
 On Tuesday, May 21, at 3:45 p.m., Fillmore Police, Fillmore Fire Department, and AMR Paramedics responded to a two-vehicle crash on Sespe Avenue and Orchard Street. A total of three patients received minor injuries; no ambulance transports were made. Enlarge Photo |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
The Bardsdale Cemetery will hold its Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 27th at 11AM. The featured speaker this year is local resident, Ernie Villegas. Ernie is the principal owner of Villegas Public Affairs. He currently serves on the Board of the Fillmore/Piru Veterans Memorial District. Recently he was the Special Projects Manager for the City of Fillmore, responsible for Economic Development. While attending school he served in the U. S Army Reserves from 1970-1976. Ernie has more than 30 years in local government. He was Mayor and Councilman for the City of Fillmore from 2002-2006 and is the former District Director for California State Assemblyman, Jeff Gorell, having served from 2010-2014. He is a retired Public Affairs Manager for Southern California Edison, having served for 30 years. Ernie serves on various boards including the Fillmore/Piru Veterans Memorial District, the Fillmore-Piru Veterans Day committee, Ventura County Vista Real Charter Schools, the Santa Clara Valley Boys & Girls Club and El Concilio Family Services. He is also a member of American Veterans United. He and his wife Chris have three grown sons and 10 grandchildren, all living in Ventura County. The Reverend Bob Hammond of St. Stephens Anglican Church will give the Inspirational Message. Also assisting in the ceremony will be VFW Post 9637, Boy Scout Troop 406, Cub Scout Troop 3400 and Bill Morris. The Boy Scouts & Bardsdale 4H will put out the flags on Friday, May 24th and they will be picked up by the Bardsdale 4H on Tuesday, May 28th. After the service water and cookies will be available. Cookies are provided by Fillmore PEO. The Board of Trustees of the Cemetery District: Greg Taylor, President, Lynda Edmonds, Secretary, Lisa Hammond, Bill Morris and newest board member Aileen Wokal would like to invite the community to this special event. |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
The Bardsdale Cemetery will hold its Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 27th at 11AM. The featured speaker this year is local resident, Ernie Villegas. Ernie is the principal owner of Villegas Public Affairs. He currently serves on the Board of the Fillmore/Piru Veterans Memorial District. Recently he was the Special Projects Manager for the City of Fillmore, responsible for Economic Development. While attending school he served in the U. S Army Reserves from 1970-1976. Ernie has more than 30 years in local government. He was Mayor and Councilman for the City of Fillmore from 2002-2006 and is the former District Director for California State Assemblyman, Jeff Gorell, having served from 2010-2014. He is a retired Public Affairs Manager for Southern California Edison, having served for 30 years. Ernie serves on various boards including the Fillmore/Piru Veterans Memorial District, the Fillmore-Piru Veterans Day committee, Ventura County Vista Real Charter Schools, the Santa Clara Valley Boys & Girls Club and El Concilio Family Services. He is also a member of American Veterans United. He and his wife Chris have three grown sons and 10 grandchildren, all living in Ventura County. The Reverend Bob Hammond of St. Stephens Anglican Church will give the Inspirational Message. Also assisting in the ceremony will be VFW Post 9637, Boy Scout Troop 406, Cub Scout Troop 3400 and Bill Morris. The Boy Scouts & Bardsdale 4H will put out the flags on Friday, May 24th and they will be picked up by the Bardsdale 4H on Tuesday, May 28th. After the service water and cookies will be available. Cookies are provided by Fillmore PEO. The Board of Trustees of the Cemetery District: Greg Taylor, President, Lynda Edmonds, Secretary, Lisa Hammond, Bill Morris and newest board member Aileen Wokal would like to invite the community to this special event. |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
 On Saturday, May 18, Rotary Club of Fillmore hosted a 5/10K Run & Fitness Walk. The run & fitness walk began at 8am in front of the Fillmore Unified School District. After the run, awards were given. This race is in memory of our fallen Rotarian, John Scoles, dedicated in his honor. John was an influential member of the Fillmore community, a long time Rotarian, and a former high school and collegiate athlete. He could be seen daily running throughout town. Our t-shirt design includes a runner with a J & S design to commemorate his memory. Photo credit Angel Esquivel-Firephoto_91. Enlarge Photo |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
Fillmore Unified School District Superintendent Christine Schieferle said, “We are delighted to share that as a result of action taken at the April 2, 2024 School Board meeting, Dr. Isaac Huang was appointed as the Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services commencing on July 1, 2024. Dr. Huang’s previous role was Director of Expanded Learning, where he spearheaded the development of innovative programs and expanded learning opportunities for all students in our district. In October, Dr. Huang was asked to fill an interim appointment as Assistant Superintendent of Education Services where he quickly transitioned to fill that vacant seat. His transition was smooth as he quickly acclimated to keep all functions of Education Services key initiatives successfully moving forward. He has proved to be a valuable leader in FUSD where he is dedicated to supporting our educational programs. Dr. Huang is a strong advocate for instilling growth mindsets and fostering a culture of active learners rather than passive students. He places a significant emphasis on equity and diversity, exemplified by his participation in the Inaugural Equity Task Force of the Conejo Valley Unified School District. In his free time, Dr. Huang dedicates himself to serving others through his involvement with the CALSA (California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators) Mentoring Committee. He also holds the position of Past-President and is a founding member of CAAPLE (California Association of Asian Pacific Leaders in Education). Furthermore, Dr. Huang is an active board member of the California Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (CASCD), an organization committed to promoting exemplary practices that ensure all learners reach their fullest potential. His dedication to educational leadership extends beyond his professional duties, reflecting his commitment to driving positive change in education. Dr. Huang’s educational achievements include a Doctor of Education degree from USC, a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration from California State University Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development from California State University Northridge. His professional journey commenced as a preschool educator and progressed to become an elementary school teacher. He subsequently served as a Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) with a focus on curriculum and second language acquisition. Dr. Huang has also contributed his expertise by teaching at Rose City Continuation High School in Pasadena and instructing post-secondary candidates in the MAT Program at the University of Southern California as an Adjunct Professor. We look forward to Dr. Huang’s continued leadership as Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services.” |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
 The Fillmore Unified School District and the City of Fillmore hosted a Health & Wellness Fair on Saturday, May 18, from 10am-1pm, in front of the school district office, 627 Sespe Avenue. The event offered many different booths promoting health and wellness tips, tricks and resources for all who may have needed them. Thank you to all who came out to support! Photo credit Angel Esquivel-Firephoto_91. Enlarge Photo |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
 It was Homerun Derby Day at the Fillmore Little League fields on Saturday, May 18, 2024. It’d been a fantastic year for Little League Baseball; so much mighty talent, and drive for hometown baseball. Pictured, Shane Morger, of Fillmore’s Bunnin Chevrolet, who drove up to the field sporting a $500 check to help continue in their sponsorship with the league, along with extra-large boxes full of equipment to help keep the costs down. Chevrolet and Little League Baseball have a long relationship of supporting youth. Prior to driving over to the fields, Shane made a stop to support the Rotary 5k, 10k run and last weekend we saw him at FWSC Casino Night. He was having a blast at the roulette table! Fillmore Little League and their sponsors work hand-in-hand to ensure the program continues to run smoothly and grow, just like our little hometown. Thank you, Bunnin Chevrolet, Leo Bunnin and Shane Morger, along with the rest of the team, for continuing to help support your community! Photo/article courtesy Brandy Hollis. Enlarge Photo |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, May 16th, 2024
 On Wednesday, May 8th, at approximately 2:15pm, deputies were dispatched to the Sespe Creek area just north of Old Telegraph Road with a reported unresponsive male subject who had possibly drowned in the creek. Deputies arrived and began CPR on the subject until they were relieved by paramedics from the Ventura County Fire Department. Despite life-saving efforts, the 36-year-old Fillmore resident was pronounced deceased at the scene. There was nothing suspicious noted at the scene and the cause of death is pending an autopsy by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office. Photo credit Angel Esquivel-Firephoto_91. Enlarge Photo |
 On April 13, 2024, police responded to a call at Fillmore’s Dollar General on Ventura Street to a reported theft by two subjects, but no arrests were made at the time. On May 8, 2024, police arrested suspects Daniel Garcia and Destiny Beserra for an unrelated incident and found probable cause to arrest them in connection to the Dollar General theft incident. Enlarge Photo By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Thursday, May 16th, 2024
A joint effort by Fillmore Patrol Services and the Fillmore Bureau of Investigations resulted in the arrest of two subjects believed to be responsible for the theft of highly sought-after merchandise from the Dollar General store in Fillmore. On 04/13/2024, Fillmore patrol deputies responded to the Dollar General store located at 1154 Ventura Street in Fillmore for a report of two subjects who committed a theft from the store. From the investigation, deputies learned a female acted in concert and conspired with a male to steal a shopping cart full of merchandise by leaving through an emergency exit of the store without paying for the items. After the initial investigation, Fillmore patrol deputies collaborated with Fillmore detectives and were able to identify the male and female involved in the theft. On 05/08/2024, Fillmore patrol deputies contacted (S) Daniel Garcia and (S) Destiny Beserra in the city of Fillmore for an unrelated incident. As a result, Garcia and Beserra were arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance. Incident to arrest, detectives developed probable cause to arrest Garcia and Beserra for the organized retail theft from the Dollar General store on 04/13/2024. Ultimately, they were supplementally booked for a violation of Penal Code § 490.4 – [Organized Retail Theft]. Both subjects were later booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura pending court proceedings. Nature of Incident: Organized Retail Theft Arrests (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent Prepared by: Senior Deputy Wendell Cambell |