Courtesy Heather Furness, 5th grade

I hope you have a great New Years! It may not be New Years when you read this, but I still want to wish you a Happy New Years. People could celebrate New Years in lots of ways. Some examples are parties and just staying up and then going to sleep. You don’t have to celebrate big. I mean, if you want to, you could have a huge celebration. If you have a party and you don’t have any decorations (if you want some), just do DIY decorations. Like, you could get string, glue the number 2019 to the string, and hang it up somewhere. You could find more ideas online. Well, even if it’s past or before New Years, I still want to wish you a Happy New Years!

Ventura County Sheriff's officials, firefighters and paramedics responded to reports of a gunshot victim in Fillmore on Monday, December 24th at 9:30pm near the 800 block of 4th Street between A and B Streets. Multiple people called in to report the incident as well as the possibility of two victims. Once on scene police found one victim with multiple gunshot wounds to the face, and was taken to a local hospital in serious condition. Authorities blocked off the area to investigate the crime scene. Policed originally thought there may have been a second victim who had fled the area. The victim showed up later at a Ventura hospital, but had not been injured. Suspects are still being sought.

Bob Crum

It's that time again. New Year's resolutions! I'm on it. 1. Make a budget and stick to it. Yep, that'll work if my computer is forbidden to visit amazon.com. 2. Forgive myself and move on from past mistakes. You know, I once thought I made a mistake, but it was only a thought. 3. Take a frequent break from all screens. Stop watching reruns of The Little Mermaid on the telly. Forget it! 4) Drink more water. Oh sure, and have to pee every 30 minutes. 5) Stop hitting the snooze button. Impossible!

Let's simplify: Save money, enjoy life, drink less, take a trip, lose weight, help others, find love, get fit. Do these make and break resolutions sound familiar? How soon do you break them? January 3rd? With a smidgen of willpower maybe January 10th. Well, you tried.

Enough. Here's my one, authentic, genuine resolution for January 1: I hereby resolve not to make any stupid New Year's resolutions. There! That's specific, measurable, attainable realistic and relevant. Sweet success is assured. How many will join me in this resolution revolution? Forget the gym... pass the eggnog!

Photographically speaking, I've been considering Project 365, shooting at least one photo every day for the coming year... 365 photos by next Jan 1. Perhaps just photos made only in and around Fillmore. Anyone else interested in this project? If enough Fillmore photographers express an interest, I'll set up a Facebook page to add photos from participants. Your thoughts?

Speaking of photos, Santa left you a new camera, right? After reading the manual, you commenced photoing the Christmas festivities with jolly abandon. I am so proud of you! Now, what to do with all those precious photos? Digital images floating around Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are fleeting at best. Worse, technology constantly evolves making all the so-called digital social platforms unstable and risky. There's no guarantee your digital photos will be up on the Internet five years hence. A photo book/album is an excellent alternative and sure to become a family heirloom. Offload your best photos from your flash card or smartphone to a folder on your computer. From there, upload to a photo book/album printer. What's more, the tactile feel of the pages of a photo book/album full of precious memories is an indescribably pleasurable experience. Enough said?

As promised, the following is a partial list of photo book/album printers. Prices vary because of options. User friendliness varies. Persevere. Check the printer's website for details. The following are some of the most popular photo book printers: Costco Photo Centers, https://www.costcophotocenter.com/ProductDetails/Photobooks. I have had a photo book printed by Costco picked up at Oxnard and was very pleased. Another printer is Adorama Pix: https://www.adoramapix.com/app/products/photo-books. Mixbook is relatively new but already known for quality with lots of options and simple to use... https://www.mixbook.com/photo-books. A very popular quality photo book printer is Snapfish. Lots of templates and Snapfish actually guides you through the process. A standby printer is the classic Shutterfly. Lots of add-ons and plenty of options for a beautiful photo book... https://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books. Another great printer is Amazon Prints, great pricing, a trustworthy brand, easy to use... https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Prints/b?ie=UTF8&node=14866317011. Last but not least, Nations Photo Lab. At their website, they discuss the difference between a photo book and a photo album. Worth the read, here... https://nationsphotolab.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006144354-Top-8.... Go online to cut & paste. Persevere! Happy booking!

Photo of the week is a gorgeous rose to ring in the New Year with beauty. My trained insect on the flower assures focus. His name is Bug.

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

Annual Organizational Meeting of the Board of Education: Election of Officers
The Governing Board conducted an election of officers at the December 18, 2018 Annual Organizational Meeting.
President: Kelli Couse
Vice President: Lucy Rangel
Clerk: Virginia de la Piedra

Presentation and Approval of Single Plans for Student Achievement
The Governing Board received a presentation and approved the Single Plans for Student Achievement for all seven Fillmore USD schools.

Board Policy Updates (Second Reading)
The Governing Board approved Board Policy 0000 Mission, Vision, Core Values and Board Policy 0200 Strategic Goals.

Approve License Agreement with Gourmet Specialties, Inc.
The Governing Board approved a License Agreement with Gourmet Specialties, Inc. for use of a parcel of land at the school farm for the purpose of operating an herb and vegetable farm.

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

Eduardo Robles, 30, of Fillmore

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Eduardo Robles (DOB 10/29/87), of Fillmore, was sentenced to 34 years to life in prison by Judge Ryan Wright. On October 22, 2018, Robles was convicted of first-degree murder of motorist Benjamin Brown and attempted murder of his passenger Jose Gaspar.

On May 31, 2018, Robles was driving his vehicle on Highway 126 when he intentionally rammed the car in front of him, which was being driven by Mr. Brown, in a premeditated attempt to kill his passenger, Mr. Gaspar. The impact of the collision caused Mr. Brown’s vehicle to veer across the highway and collide with a tractor-trailer. This sentencing, as well as Robles’ convictions, followed a jury trial that lasted several weeks and included testimony by numerous witnesses concerning the crash scene, the death of Mr. Brown, the injuries to Mr. Gaspar, and Robles’ own statements about his intent to kill using his vehicle.

The prosecution of this case was based upon an extensive investigation by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the Ventura Police Department and Simi Valley Police Department.

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.

Submitted by Rebecca August, Public Lands Advocate, Los Padres ForestWatch

After months of contention over conservation, food assistance, and forestry provisions, Congress yesterday passed a final version of the Farm Bill. Several loopholes that appeared in early versions of the bill would have facilitated massive commercial logging across national forests with minimal environmental review and public input.

Typically reauthorized every four to five years, the Farm Bill directs agricultural programs like subsidies to farmers, food stamps, rural development, and research and marketing. Other programs managed by the Department of Agriculture, such as National Forests, are also included in the bill.

Tucked away in the House version of the Farm Bill, passed in June of this year, were multiple provisions that would have fast-tracked logging and other development in forests throughout the country, including Los Padres National Forest. The Senate passed their own version of the bill containing none of these provisions.

The House bill’s hidden riders would have fast-tracked landscape-scale logging projects up to 10 square miles in size, enabling tens of thousands of acres National Forests to be logged. The bill would have permitted bulldozing new roads up to three miles long in pristine roadless areas, removed restrictions on aerial spraying of herbicides that could pollute waterways and harm pollinators, and encouraged the Forest Service to ignore federal wildlife experts, disregarding decades of established development procedure.

The forestry provisions became a major point of disagreement as the two versions of the legislation were reconciled in conference committee, aggravated by White House tweets about forest management and raking. Ultimately, the House riders that would have affected the Los Padres National Forest — where the Trump Administration is currently fast-tracking two large commercial logging projects — were left out of the final 807-page bill after intense public pressure brought on by conservation organizations such as Los Padres ForestWatch. Hundreds of residents throughout the central coast region wrote their members of Congress to demand that the forest loopholes be removed from the Farm Bill.

“This year, the House launched an unprecedented effort to undermine bedrock environmental laws that have been on the books for decades to protect our forests and encourage robust public input,” said Los Padres ForestWatch Public Lands Advocate Rebecca August. “We will continue to monitor new legislation that could negatively impact local public lands, and work with local congressional representatives to protect the Los Padres National Forest.”

All four Congressmembers whose districts cover the Los Padres National Forest voted in favor of the final version of the Farm Bill. Congressmembers Salud Carbajal (D-24), Julia Brownley (D-26), and Jimmy Panetta (D-20), voted against the House version’s forestry loopholes. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-23) voted in favor of the logging provisions.

About Los Padres ForestWatch
Protecting the Los Padres National Forest, the Carrizo Plain National Monument, and other public lands along California’s
Central Coast. Join us today at LPFW.org

Bob Crum

Let's suppose for just a moment that you are fed up with your sedentary lifestyle... wasting away watching Netflix? Reruns of Friends put you to sleep? Ready to put some adventure in your life? Hark, photography will enrich your life in ways you can't even imagine. Just sayin'.

After a breathing treatment last Saturday, I elected to view the Parade of Lights at Ventura Harbor. I arrived an hour early this time hoping to find a parking space quickly. I knew which dock I wanted to shoot from so I turned into Parking Area 1. Whoa! A mirage? Right in front of me, a pickup was pulling out of a parking space. I parked without having to create a parking space. Imagine that!

Gear in hand, I slowly walked over to the nearby dock. The dock is positioned at the far east end of the harbor, where I anticipated the boats would make a 180° turn offering several perspectives.

While there were several hundred spectators spread out across the promenade above, I was surprised that no one was on the dock. Could I be so lucky as to have the whole dock to myself? Wishful thinking!

I locked the camera onto the ball head on my tripod at the end of the pier. As I was busy taking a few practice shots, I heard him: “YOU CAN'T ARREST ME... I HAVEN'T DONE IT!” He slowly staggered towards me. I became concerned about what might happen. As he approached, he reached for my camera. I knocked his arm down. He staggered back and it happened... SPLASH!

Even before I knelt to help assist him back onto the dock, help was rapidly approaching. Harbor employees, hearing the splash, came running down the pier and promptly pulled the boozer back up onto the dock. Once on the dock, they wasted no time whisking him away. Excitement aplenty!

As the start time drew nigh, I felt the dock wiggle. Looking back, I saw a large group approaching. They finally stopped about 10 feet away. Fine Christmas carolers all but I did not appreciate their dancing and prancing. As the dock heaved up and down, I grabbed the tripod and hung on. Thank goodness they settled down as the parade began.

As anticipated, my location was perfect. But, as y'all now know, nighttime photography is wrought with conundrums. But this time I brought my tripod. Why? To stabilize the camera when shooting at slower shutter speeds. If I can slow the shutter speed, when appropriate, it will allow a lower ISO. A lower ISO means less noise in the digital image. Less digital noise means less work in post-processing. It helped somewhat. But there's a limit to how slow the shutter speed can go and not get motion blur of the subject. Because every boat moved at different speeds, and lit differently, every shot had to be quickly evaluated and settings adjusted.

Another great stimulating learning experience. Gotta love photography! I'm pleased with the photos I made with the tripod although the parade was underwhelming. C'est la vie.

Photographers, and phonetographers, be READY! Batteries (phone) fully charged? Uncountable photo ops Christmas morning. Note: Facial expressions, jumps of joy, are spontaneous and fleeting. Miss them and they're gone forever! BE READY! It's counter-intuitive but don't get involved in the happening in front of you until after you've got the shot. Then hoot & holler. Again: Make the photo then celebrate! Afterward, consider a Christmas album of awesome photos! I'll discuss photo albums next time. In the meantime, make awesome holiday photos!!!

To you and yours, with love and gratitude, I sincerely wish y'all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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

The Oath of Office was administered to Lynn Edmonds, Fillmore's new City Council Woman. Certificates of Election were also presented to Edmonds and Diane McCall. McCall took second place and will return to her seat on the Council. Incumbent Carrie Broggie will not be returning to the Council. According to the Ventura Star, "Edmonds raised far more than her competitors. .... Edmonds also got money from political committees of two unions: the Southern California District Council of Laborers and the AFL-CIO. And she received contributions and endorsements from the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee and the Santa Clara Valley Democratic Club." (Tony Biasotti, Ventura County Star). Neither Diane McCall nor Carrie Broggie sought money outside. Fillmore Mayor Manuel Minjares praised Carrie Broggie for her exceptional work on the Council. This marks the first time in Fillmore election history that outside political parties and associates contributed significant money to the Council race.

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