At last night’s School Board meeting concerned parents addressed the bullying atmosphere in Fillmore schools, particularly middle school.

Board meeting highlights for the Fillmore Unified School District:

Winter 2018 High School Athletics Update
Information was presented to the Governing Board by Fillmore High School Principal, John Wilber.

Winter 2018 Sports Medicine Report
Information was presented to the Governing Board by Director of Sports Medicine, Breanna McLain

Revision to the Single Plan for Student Achievement, Mountain Vista Elementary School
The Governing Board approved the revision to the Single Plan for Student Achievement, Mountain Vista Elementary School.

Personnel Recommendations
The Governing Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations, retirements, and leaves.

Source: Fillmore City/Police

The City of Fillmore and the Fillmore Police Department have received numerous complaints about residence placing objects in the street in front of their homes to reserve parking spaces. The placing of any object in any public roadway is an encroachment into the public right of way. Encroachments within the City are only allowed with a permit issued by the city pursuant to Fillmore Municipal Code Section 11.12.020. Any resident found placing objects into the streets without first obtaining a permit is in violation of this section. The City of Fillmore and the Fillmore Police Department will begin issuing citations for violations of this section beginning on May 1, 2019. The Penalty for violating this section is a fine up to $100 for the first offense.

Submitted by Jan Lee

The Fillmore Flower Show is just around the corner, April 13 & 14, 2019 at the Active Adult Center, 533 Santa Clara Street. Plan to enter something and attending during public viewing from 1:00 t0 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The beautiful blooms, dish gardens, plants, music, cafe and plant boutique are well worth the effort. Admission is FREE! You can buy a ticket to enter a silent auction with prizes donated by local businesses. This year there will be an activities table for children. Also enjoy a display of 100 years of flower show photos.

The divisions for adults to enter are listed on the website: fillmoreflowershow.org. There is a $5 fee to enter no matter how many entries you have. The judges will select the top representation of each category. Bring your entry to the Center between 7:30 and 10:00 a.m. Saturday, April 12th.

While Youth are allowed to enter any division and be judged with the adults, there are a few divisions especially for Youth who reside within the boundaries of the Fillmore Unified School District beginning at age 3. Division IX—Youth Arrangements - This is a flower display, limited to 20” X 20” to be arranged at the show without adult help. Arrangement should reflect the theme of the show, “100 Years Celebrating Flowers”. Division X— Youth Composition - An original poem or short essay on a single page with or without illustration on the theme of the flower show. Division XI— Youth Art (Non-Competitive) - Original artwork reflecting the flower show theme.

Think of all the celebrations in your life where flowers play a significant role: birthdays, Valentine’s Day, weddings, graduation, love, promotions, baby born, etc. Isn’t it time to celebrate the flowers that always bring joy to the special moments in our lives? Come on you creative people! Let’s see how you can join the fun by sharing the beauty of you garden with your neighbors. We are counting on all of you to make this the best show ever!

See you at the Fillmore Flower Show!

Bob Crum

Upon awakening, I rolled out of bed and dashed to the computer for an Antelope Valley weather report: Temperature in the low 70s with a moderate breeze of 6-9mph. Great! Poppy bloom is short-lived so quickly dressed, grabbed my gear and headed north for another exciting photographic adventure.

Fake weather report! At my first stop, the weather was horrific! Not only very cold, but also very windy! What to do?

I've experienced this condition – cold and windy - before so I was prepared for gloom. I donned a winter coat, grabbed the camera and grudgingly began the short walk to the poppies. As expected, the poppies were closed tighter than a gnat's chuff! Nyctinasty! Nevertheless, I shot some photos of closed poppies for future purposes.

Nature devised a mechanism whereby plants, like poppies, protect themselves against unfavorable weather conditions by closing the flowers. The process is called nyctinasty (nĭk′tĭ-năs′tē). Wind and/or cold temperature trigger nyctinasty. Speculation suggests that cold temperatures cause the cells of the underside of a poppy to swell up more than those on the top causing the flower to close. When the temperature rises, the swelling subsides and the flower opens. Wind also triggers nyctinasty to protect the poppy's petals from blowing away.

I recall a bed of poppies on an east-facing hill about three miles up the road. Perhaps situated leeward and sheltered, I might get lucky. Though cold and windy, many sheltered and sun-warmed flowers were open and shouting TAKE MY PICTURE! So many glorious poppies without, ahem, a phonetographer in sight!

The little grove of Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) was about five miles down the road. I previously made a quick cursory trip around the area making only a few photos. This trip I spent more time in the grove. Aberrant, irregular growth patterns, and in full bloom, make the tree-like succulents interesting and very photogenic.

Moving on, I turned south on 170th Street West. A couple of miles down the road I was surprised to see thousands of poppies that weren't there previously. On the east side of 170th Street, up a dirt road, poppies filled a hillside. These too were on the southeast leeward side of a hill shielded from the wind and sun-warmed. With so many luscious photo ops, endorphins flooded my head making me giddy! Such are the joyous experiences of a wildflower photographer.

Later, I moseyed down Lancaster road, past the busy Poppy Reserve on to Munz Ranch Road. Within a few miles another southeast-facing hill full of sheltered poppies. A delightful ending to a fulfilling day of photoing poppies. Perseverance rules. Also delighted to be legally allowed to have so much fun!

One fantabulous adventure deserves another. So, last Saturday, the last day of Mermazing Mermaid Month, I went to Ventura Harbor Village. There I met Kristen, a beautiful mermaid with a lovely tail. In between Kristen meeting & greeting a line of children eager to meet a real mermaid, we made plans to meet afterward, in a kayak-for-two, under the Ventura Pier. We enjoyed shrimp scampi, champagne & great conversation. When time for her to return to her watery home, I asked for her, ahem, phone number. HA! The laughter was rollicking and hearty. Cell phones don't work underwater! However, she told me that she resides in Section 9 of Kelp Village in Seaweed County and whispered the GPS coordinates!

Photo of the week is another image of gorgeous poppies with a backdrop of fiddlenecks.

Send suggestions, comments or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

Esteban Reyes, 20, Fillmore

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office concluded a lengthy investigation into two separate gang related shootings that occurred in the City of Fillmore. The first incident involved a suspect who shot two victims as they sat in a parked vehicle in the 800 block of 3rd Street on 12/17/2017. The second incident involved a suspect who shot a victim in the 800 block of 4th Street on 12/24/2018.

Through continued collaboration between the Fillmore Police Department, Sheriff’s Gang Unit, Sheriff’s Special Crimes Unit and the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit, detectives identified Esteban Reyes as the suspect in both crimes. On 03/12/2019, Reyes was arrested for three counts of 664/187 PC – Attempted Murder and 186.22(a) PC- Street Terrorism. Reyes was in Sheriff’s custody for an unrelated case involving criminal threats and brandishing of a weapon at the time of the arrest. Reyes’ bail has been set at $4,120,00.00 and he is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court today.

Report Number: 17-193071 & 18-198582
Location: Fillmore, CA
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Police Department
Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit
Sheriff’s Special Crimes Unit
Sheriff’s Gang Unit

(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent, City of Residence Age
(S) Esteban Reye, Fillmore 20
(V1) Adult Male Fillmore 30
(V2) Adult Male Fillmore 22
(V3) Adult Male Fillmore 26

Prepared by: Detective Sergeant Carlos Macias
Approved by: Captain Jeff Miller