 Lake Piru offers a parking lot and restroom facilities constructed by the Untied Water Conservation District which opened on March 1, 2021 near Pothole Trailhead. Photos courtesy United Water Conservation District. Enlarge Photo By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021
United Water Conservation District’s long-awaited Pothole Trailhead parking and restroom facility in the Lake Piru Recreation Area opens to the public on March 1, greatly expanding hiking opportunities in the Los Padres National Forest. The launch of the new facility gives direct access to the trailhead, thanks to the opening of the gate at the Juan Fernandez Boat Launch Area at Lake Piru by the U.S. Forest Service. The new facility will save hikers a nearly 3-mile trek on Piru Canyon Road from the boat launch area to the trailhead (see attached map). Visitors should be aware that Lake Piru Recreation Area charges a Day Use fee of $14 per vehicle and requires masks and social distancing. “We are excited to be able to increase the incredible recreation opportunities around Lake Piru and introduce more people to the many trails and beautiful scenery of our public lands,” said UWCD General Manager Mauricio Guardado. “When the facility opens, the weather should be perfect for some outdoor fun, so I hope people will lace up their hiking boots, grab their day pack and water bottle and come check it out.” From the trailhead, hikers and backpackers can travel through the Sespe Wilderness, passing a spring and a 19th century homestead cabin with old farming tools still in place. The 4.7-mile hike ends at the Pothole, a natural sink of lush grassland surrounded by willows and cottonwoods. A second path, Agua Blanca Trail, is a long loop route that meanders through a dramatic rock passageway known as Devils Gateway. Hikers can also opt for a path to an upper ridge that provides views of Piru Creek before descending to the road between Lake Piru and Blue Point. “The natural and recreational resources in this area are abundant and the Pothole Trailhead improvements are an important addition that will serve the community well,” said Karina Medina, District Ranger for the Mt. Pinos and Ojai Ranger Districts on the Los Padres National Forest. The Forest Service was instrumental in guiding the project to completion and UWCD is grateful for the agency’s assistance. The District is eager to welcome more visitors to the Lake Piru Recreation Area and Los Padres National Forest to experience the awe-inspiring vistas and wildlife, which includes condors, owls and eagles. About United Water Conservation District |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021
 A 2-car traffic collision involving a horse took place Sunday night, February 28 at 8:30pm, on Highway 126 east of Center Street, Piru. CHP indicated a horse was running in the center lanes of the highway and had been hit. The horse was killed at the scene in the westbound lane. A black SUV and silver Toyota van were involved and came to rest in the eastbound lanes. One critical patient was extricated and transported by ambulance to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital with major injuries; one patient received minor injuries. The highway was closed in both directions, with eastbound lanes opening at approximately 10:00pm, and all lanes opened by 10:30pm. No further information was available. Photos courtesy Angel Esquivel—AE News. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021
 On Monday, March 1st, at 9:59pm, Fillmore Police Department, VCFD and AMR paramedics were dispatched to a multi-vehicle accident in the 1100 block of Ventura Street (SR-126) in front of Tipsy Fox Liquor. A Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy radioed that he was involved in a collision with a white Chevy Malibu. Two ambulances were dispatched to the accident, and four people were taken to an area hospital. The officer was not reported to be transported to a hospital. Fillmore Police Department units shut down SR-126/C Street westbound lanes. Cause of the crash is under investigation. Photos courtesy Angel Esquivel—AE News. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021
 On Wednesday, February 24th, the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley hosted a drive-through backpack and school supply giveaway from 4pm-6pm while supplies lasted! 100 backpacks were to be distributed at the Santa Paula and Fillmore sites, 75 at Piru site. Pictured above are kids from the Fillmore Clubhouse holding up their new backpacks. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021
 Flags were flown at half staff for four days last week to remember the half million Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021
Courtesy Fillmore History Museum Fillmore has many church buildings. Some are old. Some are modern. Some are no longer used as churches. Over several articles, we are going look at the history of some of them. One of the older church buildings in Fillmore hasn’t been in town all than long. Trinity Episcopal, known affectionately as “the Chocolate Church,” was built in 1901 in Hueneme, on the east side of Ventura Road (formerly Fourth Street) between Pleasant Valley Road and Clara Street, by Senator Thomas Bard for his wife, Molly. Senator Bard was Presbyterian and was active in the Presbyterian Church in Hueneme. His wife, Mary Gerberding Bard, was a devout Episcopalian. The small, “English gingerbread, Craftsman style” church was built for her worship. There had been an Episcopal contingent in Fillmore as early as 1892. A traveling minister or the minister at St. Paul’s Episcopal in Santa Paula would hold services in rented space or private homes. Frequently this would be in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Stephens, a prominent businessman. By the early 1930’s the congregation decided it was time for a church of their own. By then the little church in Hueneme was no longer in use and had fallen in disrepair. Mrs. Bard, a widow since 1915, had refused several offers to purchase the building, but when she was approached by Rev. George MacDougall, who was the current minister in Santa Paula, she agreed to donate the building to the congregation in Fillmore. She also donated the altar, a communion service, a chest of linens, the font and other furnishings, a generous gift indeed. Mr. and Mrs. Stephens donated the land on the northeast corner of Second and Saratoga. Now the only problem was getting the building from Hueneme to Fillmore, about thirty (30) miles, and then rebuilding it. A local builder, Bill Yeakle, was awarded the contract to move and rebuild the Church.Under his supervision, Ed Rice, helped by a Mr. Seichert, dismantled the church in Hueneme. Each piece was numbered and brought to Fillmore by pickup trucks. The trucks were so heavily laden that they took back roads to avoid being ticketed for being overloaded. It is estimated that there was close to one million separate, numbered pieces. It was not unlike doing a jig-saw puzzle to reconstruct the building in Fillmore. Eventually the job was done and on Sunday, December 17, 1933, the Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles, Rt. Rev. W. Bertrand Stevens, assisted by Rev. Macdougall, consecrated the little church. The night before the consecration, the first wedding was held in the church. Helen Price and Thomas Powell were married by Reverend MacDougall, the first of many weddings, baptisms, and unfortunately, funerals. Trinity Episcopal has continued to this very day, although due to Covid there are no in person services. The altar and font used by the congregation are the ones donated by Mrs. Bard in 1933. In 2014, Joanna Bard Newton, the granddaughter of Senator and Mary Bard, visited the church. She was baptized in the church when it was in Hueneme in 1917, although she admitted she didn’t remember the occasion. |
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By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
 Guy Olvera, 40, Santa Paula. A Santa Paula man was arrested for attempted murder after stabbing another man on 2/17/2021. On 2/17/2021, deputies from the Sheriff’s Fillmore Patrol Station responded to a call of a stabbing victim in the 14000 block of Foothill Road, in the unincorporated area near Santa Paula. Upon their arrival, deputies located a 31-year-old male victim suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim was transported via ambulance to a local hospital where he remains in stable condition. Investigators from the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau and Gang Unit responded to assist with the investigation. They determined that (S) Guy Olvera stabbed the victim several times over what is believed to be an ongoing dispute between the two men. Additional evidence revealed that Olvera fled the scene in a vehicle that was associated with an address in the 500 Block of 13th Street in Santa Paula. Later in the night, Olvera was contacted at the Santa Paula address when he arrived alone in the suspect vehicle. He was taken into custody without incident. Olvera was booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility for one count of PC 664/187(a) - Attempted Murder. He remains in custody on $515,000.00 bail and is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on 2/19/2021. Investigators are seeking additional witnesses or information pertaining to the crime. If anyone has information, please contact Detective Douglas at 805-384-4732. Nature of Incident: Suspect Arrested for Attempted Murder |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
 On Sunday, February 21st at 2:36pm, a head-on collision occurred at East Pyle Road and Highway 126, killing two. A 2013 BMW Sedan, driven by Eric Anthony Carrillo, 27, of Oxnard, was traveling westbound when Carrillo crossed the double yellow line into eastbound traffic, impacting head-on into a 2008 Smart Fortwo, driven by Susanna Angeles, 34, of Fowler. Both were declared dead at the scene and required extrication. Three other people were injured, one critically; a 25-year-old Fresno man in the passenger seat was thrown from the Smart car. He was transported by ambulance to VC Medical Center. The BMW then continued westbound in the eastbound lanes and hit a third car head-on; a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck that had been traveling eastbound directly behind Angeles’ car. A 62-year-old Santa Clarita woman driving the Avalanche and her passenger, a 57-year old man from Acton, were treated at the scene for minor injuries. All five were wearing seatbelts. Highway 126 was closed in both directions, reopening by 9:30pm. Cause of the crash is under investigation. Photos Courtesy Angel Esquivel—AE News. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
Did you know Fillmore has three successful female athletes, Valerie Tobias (Soccer), Jessie Fontes and Cielo Meza (Softball), who are playing Soccer and Softball at the Division 1 Pac12 level? This week we will feature Fillmore’s Jessie Fontes who is currently a Freshman Pitcher for the University of Arizona Wildcats, a Division 1 NCAA Pac12 Softball team. High School Highlights: Personal Notes: Stay tuned for next week’s feature of Cielo Meza. Player profile courtesy of the team website https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/softball/roster/jessie-fontes/11192 |
 Fillmore High Cross Country Team competed along with three other teams this past Saturday. Pictured above is the FHS Cross Country team. (l-r) Andrea Laureano, Daisy Guerrero, Alianna Tapia, Michael Camilo Torres, Erick Gutierrez, Kobe Lizarraga, Matthew Munoz, Diego Ramirez, and Fabian Del Villar. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the team has not competed since November 2020, but with some special arrangements by all they were able to still be successful. Photos Courtesy of Michael Torres. Enlarge Photo By Epi Torres — Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
 FHS Junior Alianna Tapia had the fastest time of the day for the girls with a mark of 21:35.42. Enlarge Photo On Saturday, February 20th, the Fillmore High School Cross Country teams toed the line as one of four teams competing for the first time since November of 2020. The teams competed over a 3-mile course in and around the Nordhoff High School campus. Other teams competing throughout the day in the first Citrus Coast League meet were Santa Paula, Nordhoff, and Hueneme. Carpinteria and Malibu were unable to compete since they did not fall under the umbrella of Ventura County Schools. To minimize any possibility of COVID transmission, and ensure a safe race, the teams followed practices and procedures agreed to prior to race day. Each team had a separate arrival time and a separate race start time. Each team lined up at the starting line 3 across or less and started 15 seconds apart. Each athlete competed or ran against only their team members. Teams were required to leave the site before the next team arrived. Each team could field a cohort of 14 runners in each race division. A leader board posted online allowed teams to measure themselves against the other 3 teams. Camilo Torres and Fabian Del Villar and Matt Munoz were the first three Fillmore runners off the line with Camilo posting the fastest time of the day for all competitors, with an early season mark of 16:38.36. Fabi posted the second-best time on the day of 17:32.30, and Matt Munoz posted a time of 20:12.62. They were followed off the line at approximately 15 second intervals by Alianna Tapia and Erick Gutierrez. Alianna followed her teammate’s lead by also posting the fastest time of the day for all girls with a mark of 21:35.42. Erick ran a time of 18:26.96. They were followed by freshman Diego Ramirez 21:26.47 and first-time competitor Kobe Lizarraga in 24:37.03. The final two off the line were Andrea Laureano in 28:37.96 and Daisy Guerrero in 32.12.76. Even though this was not a head-to-head team competition, the boys team had the best team placement among all teams that competed, while the girls did not score, since they did not field the minimum number of 5 team competitors. The Fillmore coaching staff was excited to have our athletes compete in this modified cross country meet and proud of our athlete’s performances. It took a lot of work, coordination, and compromise to make the 3-meet season a reality for a much deserving group of athletes. All precautions were taken to assure safety for all those involved. We want to thank all those involved (too many to list). We hope that this first step will be the first of many for our athletes, community, and staff to return to a safe and planned daily routine. Next Saturday, Fillmore High School will host the second meet of the series of three at our school farm. The meet will start at 9 a.m. Our Fillmore event will be closed to the public and spectators at this time. We appreciate the support and look forward to having friends and family cheer us on soon. Epi Torres is FHS Cross Country Coach |
