David A. Morales, of Fillmore.

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today, March 12, 2013, that David A. Morales, of Fillmore, was convicted by a jury of the First-degree murder of his sister, Maricruz Morales, who was beaten to death with a variety of objects, including a hammer. The jury also convicted Morales of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury on a second victim, Roselia Morales. The crimes were witnessed by neighbors who confronted David Morales and attempted to help the victims during the assault. Maricruz Morales died at the hospital one hour after the attack.

Sentencing in this matter is set for April 24, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 25. Morales faces a maximum possible sentence of 29 years to life in prison.

Related:
http://www.fillmoregazette.com/front-page/brother-accused-killing-sister
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Rigo Landeros informed the Council that the Ventura County Alert System (VCALERT) had still not received the response from the County residents that they need to have a reliable responsive system in an emergency. To date only 294 Fillmore residents have registered their cell phones. Landeros wanted to remind everyone to sign up.

The City of Fillmore is about to become a Centurion, marking one hundred years since becoming incorporated. That was one of the items discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting. Another was the opening of the City Pool, which in the past drew many to the Council Chambers, but less than ten people attended the short March 12, 2013 Fillmore City Council Meeting which ended after an hour and twenty minutes. Other items on the agenda were the direction of the City of Fillmore Vision 2020 and Ventura County Alert System.

The Aquatic Center (AC) was once again on the Council's agenda. The AC is still running a deficit but has been reduced from $76,000 to $41,000 due to greater usage and more revenue than expected last year. As of February 28, 2013 the AC Fiscal Year 2013 operating expenses were $96,963 with revenue of $82,062 with a deficit of $14,901. The operating costs for utilities are estimated at $960 per week, staffing costs for lap swim and water exercise is $608 per week.

Looking for ways to control the costs Council Member A. Eduardo Gonzalez contacted the YMCA, an organization with a great deal of experience in managing a pool, asking for advice. The YMCA believes they can run the AC from April thru October and break even on revenue and costs, similar to what the City of Santa Paula does by leasing their pool out for the summer. Interim City Manager Rigo Landeros and Annette Cardona, Community Service Supervisor, have since been meeting with the YMCA about contracting the AC out. Besides the negotiations the City continues trying to find ways to open the AC as soon as possible, suggesting April 1st, but some said that was unrealistic due to having to hire staff so quickly. The Council began the evening discussion of what to do about the AC by stating that they were at a crossroads of whether to keep control of or share it. The YMCA is willing to take on the task but does not want a long contract, three years at the most with a 30 to 60 day to reconsider. This would mean YMCA would cover the utilities which ran $25,328 last April thru October. American Water has given a one year extension on covering the cost of chemicals.

Some of the questions CONTINUED »

The March 5, 2013 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting was packed to overflowing capacity with parents wanting answers as to what is being done to fix Fillmore Middle Schools (FMS) mold and leaking roof problems. Every seat was filled leaving many of the parents crowded at the doorways and still more flowing into the hallway.

The leaky roof in the gym and classrooms has plagued the school for over three years and has continually worsened as mold grew creating a serious heath issue along with an unsafe area to teach. The parents of students who attend FMS approached the school back in early December 2012 asking what was being done to remedy the situation. They kept a record of inquiries and felt they were getting the run-around after a number of meetings and phone calls but no answers. Many showed up at the last Board Meeting on February 5th to directly address the Board and others whose responsibility it was to fix the problem. Another meeting was held at FMS on February 7th with Interim Assistant Superintendent Earl Davis present where he informed the parents via a translator, Norma Sanford, that FUSD was aware of the problem. He said as a precaution they would treat the mold in the gym with bleach, and that a FMS teacher had the areas tested. Davis then handed Sanford a camera to take close-up pictures of the parents who attended. Some parents found it disrespectful but didn’t back down, according to the written record kept. They came out in force, wanting answers at Tuesday’s Board Meeting.

Alyssa Calderon told the Board that she meets weekly with the other parents and no one from FUSD had informed the parents of anything that had been done so far, leaving them in the dark. Calderon told the Board, "I feel if it wasn't for our griping nothing would have been done, or maybe it would have.” Then added, "No one told anyone about the tile that fell and hit a student. Make us trust you if you really want to help." Calderon's husband Guillermo Calderon asked the council, "Who’s responsible for this, the builder? What action have you taken?” Then Calderon's son Julian, who is in seventh grade and plays baseball, basketball and football at FMS, spoke to the Board about how important having sports is to him.

One parent came CONTINUED »

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a suicidal man walking on Highway 126 near Atmore Road, Monday.

The man, reportedly a 47-year-old Fillmore resident, is said to have walked into the westbound lane of traffic shortly after 6 p.m. holding his arms in the air before being struck by a compact vehicle. The sheriff’s department is treating the investigation as a possible suicide rather than traffic related.

The Fillmore High School Sports Hall of Fame held their 2nd Annual Golf Tournament on February 22 at Elkins Ranch in Fillmore. The weather was beautiful and the golfers all had a great time this year, and oh yeah, the Hall of Fame had a huge fundraiser at the same time.

The folks at Elkins Ranch did a great job as host to the tournament. The Bar B Q of tri-tip and all the fixins topped the evening off. The Hall of Fame would also like to thank the following sponsorships of the tournament that made the event such a big success; Harrison and Sons, Lexicon Consulting, One Call Logistics, William L. Morris, and Hall of Famer Kevin Gross. The Hall of Fame would like to say thank you to all the Tee Sponsors this year, and all the people and businesses who donated all the awesome door prizes we had this year.

What is a Hall of Fame Golf Tournament without Hall of Famers there? Well, we had a good share this year: Coach Bruce Dempsey, Mike Marostica, John Scoles, David Miller, Chip Bowlin, David Pillado, Kevin Gross, Jim Schleimer, Roger Palmer, Matt Dollar, Jamie Latshaw, Lynn Cole, Matt Mozley, Steve Hope, Steve Dann, and Chris Goodenough, all of them Fillmore High School Sports Hall of Famers.

The winner’s of this year’s 2nd Annual Golf Tournament were the team of Hall of Famers Steve Dann, and Chris Goodenough, along with Tom Dann, and Chap Morris; in 2nd was the team of Hall of Famers David Pillado, Chip Bowlin, David Miller, along with Josh Bond. In 3rd place was the team of Hall of Fame Coach Bruce Dempsey, along with Dan Young, Jerry Rich, and Don Gluyas. The winner of the closest to the pin prize was Don Gluyas, and the winner of the longest drive prize was Hall of Famer David Miller.

The great thing about the tournament is of course the money that the golfers bring in, but even more important is the fun that we all had. Some of the people live far away and do not get to see each other often enough. But when we all get together it is like we never skip a beat.

The Fillmore High School Sports Hall of Fame will be planning the 3rd Annual Golf Tournament for next year and we hope more people will come out and swing a club. It is also that time of year to nominate anyone you think should be inducted into The Fillmore High School Sports Hall of Fame. If you will please send a letter to The Fillmore High Sports Hall of Fame at P.O. Box 697 Fillmore Ca. 93016. Give us the name of the person along with their mailing address and phone number, we will send them a form to fill out. All forms need to be in the Hall of Fame by April 1st, 2013. The person needs to be out of school at least 10 years before they can be inducted into the Hall of Fame. So get us the information as soon as you can.

Thank you to all the Golfers, Tee Sponsors, Donators, the Tournament Sponsors, the Hall of Fame Committee, and to the Elkins Ranch Golf Course for all the time, money, and effort to make the 2nd Annual Fillmore High School Sports Hall of Fame Golf Tournament a big success. Fillmore people helping Fillmore people! That is why Fillmore is the Greatest town in America!