Submitted by Evelio Arriaga

The Fillmore Condors concluded their 2018 cross country season by participating in the USA Track and Field National Cross-Country Junior Olympic Championships on Saturday, December 8th. Fillmore Condors Cross Country is a non-profit organization under Heritage Valley Blazers Inc. Thirteen athletes ranging from ages 7-12 traveled to Reno, Nevada where they encountered various challenging factors in this competition. The first challenge was the cold temperatures ranging in the low 20s to the mid-30s. There was snow that had turned into solid ice in some sections of the trail and this also made it difficult to maintain a good steady pace for the athletes. The last dare that this beautiful trail tested our athletes with, was the altitude of about 4500 feet above sea level. It was difficult to come up with the best strategy on how to properly run the race because our runners do not train for these conditions. Despite all the demands placed, they enjoyed competing at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.

USATF is the highest level of competition with athletes from all over the U.S. Top eight athletes in each division from Valley Youth Conference joined forces to create an all-star team, The Valley United Striders. The Fillmore Condors which included, Abel Arana, Emily Arriaga, Leah Barragan, Paola Estrada, Carolina Garcia, Niza Laureano, Ayden Marquez, Lindsey Ramirez, Diego Rodriguez, Kailey Theobald, Kistern Theobald, Kristen Theobald, and Lucy Zuniga, who is a first-time cross-country runner and our youngest to advance, were joined by other top runners.

The first race of the day began with the 7 and 8-year-old girls competing in the 2000-meter race. Condors runners were, Emily Arriaga, Kirsten Theobald, Kristen Theobald and Lucy Zuniga. The top runner for this Striders team was Emily Arriaga with a time of 9:27.4 finishing 28th overall, less than 3 seconds away from earning the All-American individual award. Right behind was teammate Kristen Theobald in 35th, Lucy Zuniga 55th, and Kirsten Theobald in 70th. This group of girls were able to earn 1st place and become the back to back Jr Olympic champions.

The second group to run were the 7 and 8-year-old boys. Abel Arana from the Fillmore Condors was part of this group. He finished the 2000 meters race in 9:11.6 earning him the 56th place, helping his team win 1st place in the team competition to become the Jr Olympic champions.

Following, was the 9 and 10-year-old girls, which include Condor runners Paola Estrada, Leah Barragan, and Kayley Theobald. The highest finisher in this 3000-meter race for this team was achieved by Paola Estrada, finishing at 21st and earning the individual recognition as All-American award, which is only given to the top 25 finishers of each race. The next Condor was Kailey Theobald finishing strong at 112th, and Leah Barragan finishing at 118th. It was a very close team race and they missed the podium by one spot finishing as a team in fourth place.

In the 9 and 10-year-old boys race, Ayden Marquez competed hard and finished the 3000-meter race in 92nd place with a time of 13:09.3 helping his team earn a 2nd place overall finish in the competition.

The 11 and 12-year-old girls 3000-meter race was made up of three of our outstanding Fillmore Condors; Niza Laureano who finished 57th with a time of 12:40.6, Lindsey Ramirez placed 108th, and Carolina Garcia finishing in 184th place.

Fillmore Condor, Diego Rodriguez ran the 11 and 12-year-old boys 3000-meter race. Diego was able to finish his race in 11:41.9 earning 33rd place, 7 seconds shy of earning the All-American individual recognition. Diego was the top runner for his team finishing in 5th place.

The Condors are coached by Temo Laureano, Phillip Ramirez, Isrrael Estrada, Evelio Arriaga, Rafael Laureano and Victor Rodriguez. “We are extremely proud of our athletes. They physically and mentally endure so much during the season. We began training in the July summer heat, to the December cold dark evenings with headlamps. They raced with resilience, heart and grit in a harsh and competitive environment.” Condors President Erika Arana, would like to thank the following Fillmore community for always sponsoring our athletes: El Pescador, Baskin Robbins, Bank of the Sierra, Lions Club, Rotary Club and Heritage Valley Blazers Inc. GO CONDORS!

Schoolchildren, local clubs and groups, churches. businesses and families are all invited to choose a tree to decorate. Show all that the Christmas Spirit is still alive and well in Fillmore - the last, best, small town!!!

How?

Find an undecorated tree, try to use homemade or recycled ornaments (please no glass, sharp edges or electrical), leave a 'Christmas Card' in permanent marker on the card staked in the pot telling Fillmore who you are and something you want to say...watch over your tree for the next few weeks to see if it needs to be "spruced up" (especially after a rain or winds)... and that's it!!!

When?

Anytime now, as long as the trees are up...

Why?

Because Christmas is about sharing our love with the people around us!!!

Questions still?

email: reginastehly@gmail.com.

Thank you to the Lions Club for setting the trees up and to Rotary Club which will be taking them down.

Bob Crum

Health is still a tad precarious. Loyal readers will recall I'm experiencing the effects of a nefarious bug (disease) that invaded my lungs. On top of asthma and COPD, it makes breathing difficult.

I had to go to Ventura last Saturday for a refreshing breathing treatment. Afterward, feeling a little better, I sashayed over to nearby Channel Islands Harbor. Well, actually I drove. The reason? View the Channel Island Christmas boat parade for the first time. After all, as y'all know, I relish a challenge. Boats fitted with Christmas lights in the dark of night! Challenge indeed! Remember my previous discussion about excess noise when respectable exposure requires an extremely high ISO? Yesireebob, déjà vu all over again.

After driving around for 20 minutes without finding a parking space within 150 yards of the waterfront, I was about to give up and return home. I haven't sufficiently recovered such that I can walk long distances. Then, by happenstance, I came upon a short spur where two porta johns sat about 10 feet apart. An ideal spot being close to the waterfront. However, not enough room for my F-350 to park between them. So, I slowly backed to one of the johns and cautiously started pushing it further back to make room for me to park. I should have first made sure that no one was in it. As I was pushing it, I heard a scream. The door swung open and I saw a lady fleeing the scene! Oops! Before I could apologize, she continued screaming running through the parking lot disappearing into the night. Her porta john ghost story probably went virile. Anyway, after recomposing myself, I parked my truck now that I made enough room.

I don't know how many parade spectators heard the scream, but I grabbed my camera and nonchalantly mosied down to the sidewalk below bordering the waterfront. After a short walk I found a small opening in the crowd and took my position thinking this boat parade better be good!

Naturally it was nighttime, but I didn't expect a nightmare. Adjust either aperture or shutter speed to compensate for bright lights and the boat was either dark or the highlights blown. OK, why not try the “P” (Program) mode and let the camera figure it out? HA! Except for the parking lot lights behind me, it was darker than black. Thus the camera slowed the shutter speed down to 3 seconds to increase the exposure. WHOA! Think blur! Back to manual mode.

A few boats were brightly lit. Others not so much. Because of the enormous differences, I quickly realized that aperture priority mode might be best. Because depth of field was not important, I opened the aperture to the widest setting. As usual, put ISO on auto knowing it would soar to 16000. Anyway, now I only needed to adjust the shutter speed to compensate for the lights, or lack thereof, on each individual boat. I could do this fast enough as the boats approached and passed by. It usually took only two test shots before nailing the best shutter speed. Thank goodness for slow boats!

The photo of the week is one of the boats with bright lights in the boat parade. Santa is on board but standing next to a very bright X. Look closely and you'll see him.

Next, the Ventura Harbor Parade of Lights and fireworks Dec. 14 & 15, 6:30 p.m., 1583 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura. Fireworks at 8 p.m. Remember: auto ISO, aperture priority, shutter speed between 1/60th and 1/320th. Happy photoing.
Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, together with the California Attorney General’s Office and 24 other prosecutorial agencies, reached a $7.4 million statewide settlement with Minnesota-based Target Corporation in an environmental enforcement action. The settlement resolves allegations that Target violated state laws, and violated injunctive terms from a 2011 stipulated judgment, regarding the company’s handling and disposal of retail hazardous waste. The civil complaint alleges that between 2012 and 2016, Target improperly disposed hazardous waste into landfills. The waste included electronics, batteries, aerosol cans, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and medical waste including syringes, over-the-counter and prescribed pharmaceuticals, as well as confidential medical information from its customers.

Under the terms of the judgment, Target is required to pay $3.2 million in civil penalties and $900,000 for fees and costs. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office will receive $319,819 under the settlement. In addition, Target was ordered to pay $300,00 to fund Supplemental Environmental Projects. Target was also ordered to expend at least $3 million to conduct three annual inspections and

audits of 12 facilities and provide reports to the Attorney General and local prosecutors to ensure ongoing compliance with environmental laws.

The District Attorneys of the Counties of Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Fresno, Humboldt, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare and Yolo, and the City Attorneys of Los Angeles and San Diego also participated in this action.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.
Follow the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office on Twitter @VenturaDAOffice

Fillmore High Principal John Wilbur addressed the Unified School District Board.
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Fall 2018 High School Sports Review
Governing Board received a presentation on the Fall 2018 High School Sports Review. Superintendent, Dr. Adrian Palazuelos introduced John Wilber, Principal and CIF Representative, who delivered the presentation.

Fall 2018 Sports Medicine Report
The Governing Board received a presentation on the Fall 2018 Sports Medicine Report. Superintendent, Dr. Adrian Palazuelos, introduced Breanna McLain, Director of Sports Medicine, who delivered the presentation.

2018-2019 First Interim Report Presentation
Governing Board received a presentation on the 2018-2019 First Interim Report. Assistant Superintendent, Andrea McNeill, delivered the presentation.

Public Hearing and Receipt of Initial Proposal
The Governing Board conducted a public hearing and receipt of initial proposal of the Fillmore Unified School District to the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association (FUTA) and second public hearing and receipt of initial proposal of the Fillmore Unified School District to California School Employees Association (CSEA) #421.

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