A Camarillo woman was sentenced Tuesday to 300 days in Ventura County jail in connection with a double fatality vehicle last year just outside Moorpark. Rachael Hill, 27, will report to the jail November 4 to start her sentence. Hill pleaded no contest last month to two counts of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. The conviction stems from a September 12, 2015, crash on Moorpark Road south of Tierra Rejada Road. The California Highway Patrol said Hill was driving south on Moorpark Road at 5:19 p.m. when her vehicle swerved to the right and hit Maciek Malish, 53, as he was riding a bicycle on the shoulder. Hill then overcorrected and turned the vehicle into the northbound lanes, where it hit Jesse Cushman, 43, who was riding a motorcycle. Malish, of Simi Valley, and Cushman, of Fillmore, were both wearing helmets but died at the scene. Patrol officials said Hill was "distracted by a portable electronic device" in her vehicle at the time of the incident. (information provided by Ventura
County Star.)

A man with a gunshot wound drove to the Fillmore fire station after an apparent shooting nearby according to the
Ventura County Sheriff's Office. The victim showed up at the fire station around 3:30 p.m. after driving himself and was later transported to Ventura County Medical Center by paramedics.

Although the man appeared in Fillmore, the shooting is believed to have taken place in Bardsdale.

(information provided by Ventura County Star)

SACRAMENTO - California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith today called on the people of California to help reduce the number of mosquitoes by eliminating standing water, especially in areas that have recently had rain and continue to experience warm temperatures.

“Rainy weather can create new breeding grounds for mosquitoes if water is allowed to pool and remain stagnant,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “Mosquito season in California peaks in October, making it critically important that Californians take action to empty even small amounts of water from our gardens and yards.”

To help control mosquitoes, check your yard weekly for water-filled containers. Clean and scrub bird baths and pet watering dishes weekly, and dump the water from dishes under potted plants. Contact your local vector control agency if you detect unusual numbers of mosquitoes or you are being bitten during the day.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito, an aggressive mosquito that bites during the day, has been detected in 12 California counties. This black-and-white striped mosquito has the potential to transmit Zika and other diseases, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. While the mosquito is especially active two hours after sunrise and several hours before sunset, it can also bite during the day. These mosquitoes often enter buildings through unscreened windows and doors and bite people indoors.

While there has been no local transmission of Zika in California, as of September 23, 302 travel-associated cases have been reported in the state.

Zika symptoms typically include a fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. Most people infected with the Zika virus will not have symptoms, but Zika is a major concern in pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. In addition to Zika, West Nile virus, another mosquito-borne illness, continues to concern public health officials.

To prevent mosquito bites, apply repellents containing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 to exposed skin and/or clothing (as directed on the product label). During the times mosquitoes are most active you should wear long- sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and shoes. Be sure window and door screens are in good condition to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.

More information about Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can be found on the CDPH website and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

www.cdph.ca.gov

2016 Ventura County Fair Fillmore FFA Participants were also recognized for their participation at this past years Ventura County Fair. Photo by Bob Crum.
Enlarge Photo

At Tuesday night’s School Board meeting, Fillmore Unified recognized Rio Vista’s District Staff as heros for taking action during a flood that occurred at Rio Vista Elementary School. Photo by Bob Crum.
Enlarge Photo

Brian Ricards. Photo by Bob Crum.
Enlarge Photo

Brian Ricards Statemant:

In the field of education the phrase ‘It’s all for the students’ is often thrown around. It sounds good to the ear and it looks good on paper as well. However when the educators of Fillmore High School step into our classrooms, we often ask ourselves “Is it REALLY all for the students?” And if it is “all for the students,” how do these current conditions of our classrooms benefit the education of these students?

Currently there are 4 teachers at the high school who have class sizes that exceed the 34 student average per class for a total of over 170 students in 5 periods. Our contract states that these teachers will receive $250 for each student, each semester for classrooms that exceed the 170 mark. However, this does not address the daily overcrowding in the classroom which takes away from student learning. In addition to overcrowded classrooms, the lack of resources available to teachers who conduct laboratory activities and projects for over 170 students often leads to costs that far outweigh our compensation. We often have to pay for supplies out of pocket for class activities because our departments have no money to spend on anything that cannot be purchased at Office Depot. For example: having an AP Biology class with 38 students can be extremely costly and time consuming for the teacher to ensure that the students are getting an AP quality education. Also, there are currently 9 periods of classroom instruction at the high school that have student numbers that exceed the 37 students per period cap allowed by our contract. This is a blatant contract violation with no compensation given to the affected teachers. A computer lab with 30 functioning computers becomes much less effective when there are 39 students enrolled in the class. On top of these contract violations, 5 teachers have class size discrepancies of 10 or more students between periods of the same class; another blatant contract violation. When educators such as ourselves live through these conditions every day in the classroom we know that these conditions severely impede the learning of our students. How can having 39 students in a single class be “all for the students?” FUTA has met with the administration at the high school and they have informed us that “This is the best that we can do”.

So I guess the real question we have for the school board and the administration is when will the educational rhetoric match up with the everyday conditions of our classrooms? Because right now there is a huge discrepancy between what is being said in public and what is going on daily in our classrooms. These conditions have existed for many years at the high school with staff members being scared to speak up for fear of retaliation from administrators. Those days are over. So when we see a violation of our teaching contract, especially a violation as important as class size, we will be forced to file a grievance in order to protect our members and most importantly to protect our students if these contract violations are not remedied as soon as possible.

It’s time to back up the educational rhetoric with educational action. Please assist the teachers of Fillmore High School in allowing us to teach in classrooms which create positive learning environments that students need and deserve in order to become productive contributors to our society.

Thank you for your time.
Brian Ricards - Vice President of FUTA

20-year-old Isaac Gonzalez of Fillmore was killed in a three-vehicle crash on Hwy. 126. Photo by Sebastian Ramirez.
Enlarge Photo

The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the victim of last week's crash on Highway 126 as 20-year-old Isaac Gonzalez, of Fillmore.

Gonzalez died as the result of a 3-car collision that occurred at approximately 4:00 a.m. Friday, west of Fillmore. His vehicle was headed eastbound when he suddenly veered into the westbound lane and collided with the rear of a westbound pickup, according to the CHP.

The CHP said Gonzalez' vehicle then headed towards the north shoulder of the roadway, causing a broadside collision with a second westbound vehicle. He was taken to the Ventura County Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the pickup, his female passenger, and the driver of the second vehicle suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene. All three vehicles received major damage.

Joey Herrera received his award at Elkins Ranch this past weekend.

Local Junior Golfer Joey Herrera recently earned 2015/2016 Ventura County Junior Golfer of the Year Honors. The award was presented at the annual awards barbeque during the first golf tournament for the 2016/2017 VCJGA event calendar. Fittingly this event was at Elkins Ranch Gold Course last weekend. Elkins Ranch has been Joey’s home away from home for the last few years. In a recent Fillmore Gazette article Joey said “My first aspiration is to play golf at USC. This was something I wasn’t sure was possible a couple years ago, but I know now that I can get there if I keep working”. If Joey is unable to get a chance at USC, his next goal would be to play Division 1 golf somewhere in the Western United States.

Joey had 10 top 10 finishes during the 2015/2016 campaign, including 4 wins, a second and a fourth place finish. His low tournament score of the year was the Play it Again Sports Tournament at Olivas Park Golf Links where he shot 68-68 for an 8 under par total of 136. Joeys low round for the year was 65 and had an tournament scoring average of 73.2 Joey would once again like to thank the Elkins Ranch Golf Course and staff, especially Joel Pyron and Colby Hartje. He would also like to thank Tierra Rejada Golf Course and their TRAP program and Saticoy Country Club. Last but certainly not least he would like to thank VCJGA’s Mark Wipf for providing him a platform to play in a competitive environment.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On Saturday September 17, 2016, at approximately 9:40 PM, a family member contacted the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and reported her mother was overdue from a day hike in the area of Sisar canyon. Patrol resources located the hiker’s vehicle on Sisar Road at the trailhead. The Sheriff’s Aviation unit conducted an aerial search of the area using night vision goggles with negative results. The Upper Ojai and Fillmore Search and Rescue teams were activated and conducted a ground search.

On Sunday, September 18, 2016, at approximately 1:00 PM, the lost hiker was located by two people who were hunting in the area. One of the hunters was able to contact Sheriff’s dispatch and report the lost hiker’s location. The Sheriff’s Aviation unit conducted a hoist operation and transported the hiker to a landing zone where she was released to her family. After speaking with hiker, it was determined she made a wrong turn and became lost. The hiker had minor cuts and scratches but was in good spirits.

The hiker is to be commended for contacting a friend prior to hiking about her planned route and return time. This information assisted patrol resources in quickly locating the hiker’s vehicle and establishing a starting point for the search.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind anyone enjoying the back county to be prepared for even the easiest of hikes. The “Ten Essentials” to take when hiking are Map, GPS, Sunglasses and Sunscreen, Extra Clothing, Flashlight, First-Aid Supplies, Fire Starter, Matches, Knife, and Extra Food and Water. Also file a hiking plan with someone who will be able to contact rescue resources in the event you do not return at your planned time. A hiking plan can be found at www.ojaisar.org