Board President Virginia de la Piedra with Barbara Lemons. Photos courtesy Bob Crum.
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Board President Virginia de la Piedra with Otmara “Maggie” Lofton.
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Tuesday's Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting was beyond standing-room only. Close to 70 people attended the meeting, with half standing and overflowing out the door. Some had come to honor those receiving awards and others to address their employee grievances with the Board.

The meeting began with honoring the FUSD Persons of the Year. First recipient was Classified Staff Employee of the Year Barbara Lemons. Lemons commented that she and other family members were Fillmore High School graduates and how much she appreciated the recognition.

The second recipient was Otmara "Maggie" Lofton, who spoke of her devotion to teaching, humbly stating, "I accept this on behalf of all the other educators." Lofton also received five other recognitions from throughout California including State Senate, Ventura County Supervisors and others.

Mary Williams was honored Administrator of the Year and Misael Ponce, Student of the Year; both were not in attendance.

Next was Public Comments with six FUSD teachers addressing the Board and Administrators. All six addressees read prepared comments that they attributed to writers other than themselves. One of the many grievances was that they had seen an increase in administrative staff, yet not an increase in teaching faculty. It was stated that the teachers had negotiated for two years of training to improve teaching techniques and they were responsible for building the curriculum. They were told teachers would be compensated by the degree of their effectiveness, but now feel they are being asked for more than was being compensated. They also stated that they want the student per teacher ratio lower and an equal number of students per grade in all classrooms.

Teacher Susan Butts read CONTINUED »

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Beef Bourguignon, Chicken Provencal, and Three Cheese Macaroni are just three of the delicious menu items included in this year’s Alumni Dinner menu.

Many of you have been to the annual Alumni Dinner over the years, and we thank the many volunteers who have prepared our menu in the past. Some of you remember the Alumni Dinners being mainly pit barbecue that were put on by Albert Bartels and his crews, Ed Burson and his group, and by K.B. Rogers and Ron Godfrey with the help of the Fillmore Club members. Presently we are happy to be served by Doug Biggs, Owner of DJ’s California Catering out of Ventura. They have put smiles on many Alumni faces with their outstanding food preparation and presentation at our Alumni Dinners.

Happy Hour is from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. DJ’s Catering has the best bar set up this side of the Mississippi. The bar setup will be open until 12:00 Midnight. Be sure to order our signature drink this year, the Blue Lightning Hypnotic Cocktail. Surely a crowd pleaser on a warm summer’s evening.

There are many classes preparing to get together to celebrate their Class Reunions at the dinner. Why don’t you get on the horn and call your friends to meet up for a time of laughter, celebration, and an awesome meal on June 11th. Make your reservations today by visiting the Alumni website at www.fillmorehighalumni.com

Juan Lemus, 29

On March 26, 2016 at approximately 7:52am, Santa Paula police officers were dispatched to the area of the 200 block of March St. for a call of a male subject swinging a rabbit in the air by its ears, and then lighting it on fire. The male subject then fled the area on a bicycle. Officers located a subject matching the suspect's description in the 300 blk S. Steckel Dr. The subject was identified as Juan Lemus, age 29 of Santa Paula. Lemus told officers that he found a rabbit in the street and was already deceased. Lemus told officers that he lit a piece of paper on fire, and not the rabbit. The rabbit was subsequently found in a dirt lot, lying next to a pile of smouldering paper. The rabbit was transported to SPARC for evaluation. The veterinary technicians examined and x-rayed the rabbit. It was determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Lemus was taken into custody for 597(a)PC- Animal Cruelty, 451PC- Arson, and 459PC- Burglary. Upon being taken into custody, Lemus was found to be in possession of a methamphetamine pipe, and was also charged with 11364(a)HS- Possession of Drug Paraphernelia. An evaluation of Lemus was also conducted to determine if he was under the influence of a controlled substance. The evaluation showed that he was under the influence and was arrested for 11550(a)HS- Being Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance. Lemus was later transported to Ventura County Main Jail.

The Santa Paula Police Department would like to thank the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center for their assistance in this case.
If anyone has information regarding a missing rabbit, please contact Det. Sgt. Madison at (805) 525-4474 x220.

Nature of Incident:
Animal Cruelty/ Arson
Report Number(s):
SG1600459
Location(s):
200 blk March St.
Dates & Times:
March 26, 2016/ 7:52am
Unit Responsible:
(S)uspects, (V)ictims
City of Residence
Age
(S) Juan Lemus
Santa Paula
29
Press Release Date:
March 26, 2016
Follow-Up Contact:
Sgt. Cody Madison, (805) 525-4474 x220, cmadison@spcity.org