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By Jean McLeod — Wednesday, March 5th, 2014
 Nick Johnson, who was not in attendance, was awarded Student of the Year  The Teacher of the Year award went to Esperanza “Hope” Chavez, who teaches kindergarten at San Cayetano Elementary. Enlarge Photo The March 4, 2014 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board once again began the first half of the meeting in the auditorium due to the size of those attending. Over 70 attendees had come to address the Board and/or observe the honors presented to Teacher of the Year, Classified Employee of the Year, Administrator of the Year and Student of the Year. The second half of the meeting was conducted in the Board Room where the Annual Budget was explained along with this year’s new student testing program. The Teacher of the Year award went to Esperanza "Hope" Chavez, who teaches kindergarten at San Cayetano Elementary. She was nominated by San Cayetano Principal Trisha Gradias. Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson announced Chavez's name will be submitted for consideration as Ventura County Teacher of the Year by the Ventura County Office of Education. Administrator of the Year was awarded to Sierra High School Principal Cynthia Frutos. Sierra High has received numerous rewards and honors the past school year which included the Golden Bell Award. Frutos responded to her success by stating, "It wouldn't have happened without the support of the Board and staff." George Negrete was honored as Classified Employee of the Year and nominated by Mountain Vista Principal John Wilber. Nick Johnson, who was not in attendance, was awarded Student of the Year. During the Public Comments, just as they did during the last board meeting, many FUSD teachers addressed the Board concerning salary increases. Mountain Vista Elementary Teacher Sandy Butts addressed the Board stating, ".....the negotiating process is not working. At the last board meeting members described dates that the FUSD team had rescheduled, was unprepared to negotiate, or did not provide requested specific information. These delays continue....Are you aware that this is a repeated pattern of what occurred in Morgan Hill under (FUSD Supervisor) Dr. Nishino's leadership?" Butts provided several newspaper articles regarding prior problems at school districts, including Morgan Hill, under Nashino's supervision. Donna Wojciechowski, who has taught for 23 years and is now a 4th grade teacher at Rio Vista Elementary, spoke to the Board adding, "There was a time when teachers were compensated for making the effort to become bilingual, to the tune of $1,500 per year. There was a time when 20, 25, 30-plus years of service were recognized and celebrated, but these things have fallen by the wayside." San Cayetano 3rd Grade Teacher Tammy Ferguson addressed the salary increase stating, "Although we are not at the bottom, we are not at the top." Rebecca Ruskin, a senior member on CONTINUED » |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, March 5th, 2014
02/25/14 to 03/03/14
 City of Fillmore 02/25/14 |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
The Ventura County Transportation Commission is seeking to shut down the Fillmore & Western Railway due to a lease dispute. The Commission has given the railway until the first week of March to halt operations. Dave Wilkerson, the railroad’s president, claims the lease is still valid. The VCTC claims the railroad has not fulfilled its maintenance obligations. The VCTC owns the rail corridor which runs 32 miles from Ventura to the Los Angeles County line. Wilkerson hopes to reach an equitable compromise to assure that the trains continue to run. The train is said to bring in up to 50,000 tourists per year. A more complete up-date will follow next week. |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
 Fillmore Chief of Police Monica McGrath was honored at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, the last one she will attend. VC Sheriff Geoff Dean has promoted the current acting Chief of Police, Captain Monica McGrath, to Commander. As a result of the Captain McGrath’s promotion, she will be fulfilling a new assignment within the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. McGrath served Fillmore for three years and was well-respected by the community. Fillmore Fire Chief Rigo Landeros is pictured presenting her with a bottle of ‘Fillmore wine’ as a thank-you for helping make Fillmore a safe community. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
 Lifetime Achievement Citizen, John Scoles, of Taylor, Scoles, and Bartels Law Office. Community awards are given each year to outstanding citizens, businesses, law enforcement, Fillmore Fire honorees, teachers, and students by the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce. No biographies were submitted by the Chamber this year. Enlarge Photo |
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By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department During the early morning hours of February 7, 2014, the Fillmore and Western Railway Company was burglarized. The suspect got away with thousands of dollar’s worth of tools and equipment. Video surveillance captured one suspect in the act. Fillmore detectives provided a still photo from the video to the law enforcement community seeking the identity of the suspect. Within hours, deputies from the Moorpark Police Department identified the suspect as Leonard Hatcher who has a long history of similar crimes. It was discovered Hatcher had been arrested two days after the burglary on unrelated charges. Detectives interviewed Hatcher regarding the burglary and subsequently booked him for second degree commercial burglary. Nature of Incident: Burglary Suspect Arrested |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
02/18/14 to 02/24/14
City of Fillmore 02/18/14 |
 Faculty and parents attended Tuesday’s school board meeting to express concerns about the District’s leadership. Enlarge Photo By Jean McLeod — Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
Over seventy faculty, parents and concerned citizens attended the first half of the February 18, 2014 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting which was held in the auditorium. Most had come to support those who spoke during the Public Comments. They addressed the Board on a variety of issues from concern over lack of leadership, questionable funding, English translators and teacher salary increases. During the second half of the meeting there were two presentations on the Common Core State Standards. Site Council Members addressed the Board stating no confidence in the Fillmore High School (FHS) Principal Russom Mesfun. There were complaints that during Site Council Meetings Mesfun showed little interest and would often leave early having stayed less than 15 minutes. Site Councils are a group of teachers, parents, classified employees and students (at the high school level) that work with the principals to develop, review and evaluate school improvement program and school budgets. They have an obligation to make decisions that will best serve the whole school community and advise the principal on the school’s academic or school improvement plan and evaluate the school’s progress. There were accusations of Mesfun not following legal requirements and distorting information on funding that was available while also leaving meetings early therefore not being available to discuss the budget. One of those that addressed the Board was Karen Ashim, who worked as head counselor at FHS and the Site Council for two years. Ashim stated, "Mr. Mesfun either lied or misled the Site Council" adding that Mesfun, after being asked about funding, sent an email six weeks later dated February 18, 2014 stating; "This is to ask you to get a wish list from team members for individual and/or departmental use. I would like to request the School Site Council to fund much needed materials and resources for classroom use. Please send me your items by Friday (2/28)." [See Letter to the Editor www.fillmoregazette.com/letters/february-20-2014 ] These concerns about Mesfun are CONTINUED » |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
 A 13-year old Fillmore girl was found lying in the 100 block of Sespe Avenue on Friday evening around 7:30pm. Initial reports indicated she was unconscious and not breathing with a head injury. She was airlifted our of the Vons parking lot area, conscious and breathing, in stable condition. Apparently she jumped out of a moving vehicle and hit her head. The car, driven by her father, was going between 20 and 30 mph. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
 Wesley Brecheen Wesley Brecheen, a Fillmore High School Junior, has won the 77th Annual Fillmore Lions Club Student Speaker Contest. The contest was held on Monday, February 3rd at the Scout House at the end of Sespe Avenue, as part of the Fillmore Lions regular meeting. There were around 60 people in attendance. The topic this year was "Community Service-What Does it Mean and Why Does it Matter?" There were six speakers this year; they were Rachael Pace, Wesley Brecheen, Jacob Brooks, Misael Ponce, Hope Wilcox, and Jovanny Bravo. Wesley received $75 for winning the contest and will go on to compete March 13 at the Lions Zone #8 speak-off in Camarillo at the Camarillo Boys and girls Club. If Wesley keeps winning he will have won over $21,000 in college scholarships. The judges for this year's contest were Mrs. Sue Cuttriss, a former Sespe School teacher, Dr. Cynthia King, a Cal State Channel Islands Professor, and the Rev. Dr. Harvey Guthrie a retired Episcopal Priest and Seminary Dean. Ms. Jennifer Fitzpatrick, a Fillmore High English teacher was the high school liaison and speech coach. Lion Bill Edmonds is the Lions student speaker chairman. |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) will utilize social media to provide real-time emergency information directly to Ventura County residents. Emergencies are dynamic situations and the Ventura County Sheriff’s OES is dedicated to providing the public with accurate and timely information. Facebook and Twitter are two excellent platforms will be used to provide timely information, such as evacuations locations, shelter information, road closures and school closures, to the public. The Ventura County Sheriff’s OES is responsible for countywide disaster planning, mitigation, response and recovery activities. Ventura County Sheriff’s OES works with all County departments, ten cities, public and private organizations and community and civic groups. In the event of a disaster, Ventura County Sheriff’s OES is responsible for the County’s Emergency Operations Center, coordination of the County’s Emergency Management Team and for recovering the County’s disaster response costs from state and federal governments. The public can obtain more information about Ventura County Sheriff’s OES at www.vcsd.org/oes. The public can begin to follow us on Facebook at (www.facebook.com/Venturaoes) and Twitter at (www.twitter.com/Venturaoes) “@Venturaoes”. Prepared by: Gil Zavlodaver, Program Administrator |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
02/11/14 to 02/17/14
City of Fillmore 02/11/14 |
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By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, February 12th, 2014
 Dave Wareham Captain Dave Wareham has been selected as the new acting Chief of Police in the city of Fillmore. Captain Wareham will be formally introduced to the City Council on February 11 and begin his assignment in March. Sheriff Dean has promoted the current acting Chief of Police, Captain Monica McGrath, to Commander. As a result of the Captain McGrath’s promotion, she will be fulfilling a new assignment within the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Captain Wareham is a 28 year veteran with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. His extensive experience includes assignments in patrol, jail operations, investigations, administration, and professional standards. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice from Penn State University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Cal Coast University. Captain Wareham is well acquainted with the Fillmore community. He has lived in Fillmore with his wife for over 25 years, where they have raised their two children. Nature of Incident: New Acting Police Chief in Fillmore |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 12th, 2014
The Chandler Police Explorers hosted their 16th Annual Tactical Explorer Competition. Several explorer posts from throughout the United States competed in a variety of SWAT scenarios. This year, three explorer posts from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office participated in the competition: Fillmore, Camarillo, and a combined team from the Headquarters and Ojai Stations. The explorer scouts from the combined Headquarters and Ojai team earned a fourth-place award for the armored vehicle pull. The Fillmore Explorers earned a fourth-place award for the tactical relay race, and Adrian Mejia earned an individual award, second place, for the three-mile run. The Camarillo Post earned one team award in the vertical assault competition, and Deputy Mario Molina earned an individual advisor award for the three-mile run, in which he had a first place finish. Law enforcement exploring is open to young men and women ages 14 through 20 with an interest in learning more about the field of law enforcement. Law enforcement exploring provides educational training programs for young adults on the purposes, mission, and objectives of law enforcement. The program provides career orientation experiences, leadership opportunities, and community service activities. The primary goals of the program are to help young adults choose a career path within law enforcement and to challenge them to become responsible citizens of their communities and the nation. Each explorer post is affiliated with a law enforcement agency and Learning for Life, which is a branch of Boy Scouts of America. Many law enforcement agencies support the explorer program which provides an opportunity for youths to have a positive impact on their communities as well as develop future peace officers, good citizens, and leaders. For more information about the Explorer Program for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, please contact one of the listed advisors. Nature of Incident: Explorer Posts Compete in National Competition |
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By Jean McLeod — Wednesday, February 12th, 2014
 Incoming Chief of Police, Captain Dave Wareham was introduced at Tuesday night’s council meeting by City Manager David Rowlands. On Tuesday the Fillmore City Council introduced Captain Dave Wareham as the new Chief of Police. He will be replacing the present Police Chief Monica McGrath who has been promoted and reassigned to Commander West County Patrol Service, which covers Fillmore, Ojai and County areas of Ventura. Wareham was recommended for the position by both Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean and City Manager David W. Rowlands, and endorsed by the Fillmore City Council. Originally from Pennsylvania, Wareham has worked in Ventura County law enforcement for 28 years with six years as Fillmore's Assistant Chief of Police. He has lived in Fillmore for 25 years with his wife Diane, son DJ and daughter Liz. His sister-in-law, Leslie Warren, has also served as Fillmore's Chief of Police. Wareham, who has a teaching credential, graduated from Penn State and received his Masters from Cal Coast University; he often serves as a substitute teacher for the Fillmore Unified School District stating that staying close to the youth is necessary to be successful and, "I've always believed if I can make a difference in one persons life" which he equates with success. He usually wears his officer's uniform when substituting and prefers to work at both Fillmore Middle School and Fillmore High School. He returns the teaching pay he receives to the District which is a win for everyone. Wareham will assume the position of Chief of Police on March 2, 2014. McGrath, who has worked as Fillmore's Chief of Police for three years, will help through the transition and attend her final Council Meeting February 25, 2014. An agenda item that has long been waited for is the awarding of the contract for the Central Avenue Overlay Project. The $355,081.60 contract was awarded to Toro Enterprises out of Oxnard. The overlay of asphalt and concrete will be for portions of Central Avenue, Santa Clara Street, A Street, B Street, C Street and Sespe Avenue. The bulk of the cost will be paid for from a Federal Surface Transportation Project Grant of $267,410.00 and the Street Transportation Fund of $120,000.00. There will be a remaining balance of $350,000 in transportation funds after the project is completed. Another agenda item CONTINUED » |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 12th, 2014
 A 4-vehicle accident took place on Saturday, February 8th, at 2p.m., on D Street at Hwy 126. One car was heading south on D Street as a second car was exiting the El Pescador parking lot onto D Street. The other two cars involved were parked at the D Street curb on the west side. It appeared that the two cars collided, involving the parked vehicles. No information was available as to the specifics of the crash. All cars sustained significant damage, no serious injuries reported. Enlarge Photo |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 12th, 2014
02/04/14 to 02/10/14
City of Fillmore 02/04/14 |
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By Anonymous — Wednesday, February 5th, 2014
Two motorcyclists collided at the Piru Motocross track on Sunday, killing one and injuring one. A second solo accident also injured a rider. At approximately 12:30pm Ventura County Fire responded to a head-on accident at the popular motorbike track, located at the 4300 block of Center Street, Piru. One of the injured was airlifted to Los Robles Hospital, Thousand Oaks, via Air Squad 8; the second was transported by AMR Ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center. Tommy Aquino, former factory Yamaha rider who most recently raced in the British Superstock Series, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 21. According to Road Racing World, Aquino started his AMA Pro Road Racing career at the age of 16 in 2008. He raced five AMA Pro seasons. He achieved one win in the Daytona SportBike class in 2011, when he finished third in the Championship, the highlights of his AMA Pro career. He also earned four Daytona SportBike pole positions during his career and led many races. In 2013, Aquino rode for Team WD-40 in the 1000cc Superstock class of the British Superbike Championship series, and he won a race, finished on the podium three times and placed seventh in the Championship. Tommy Aquino is survived by his father Tom, his mother Carrie and his younger brother Michael. |
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By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, February 5th, 2014
 Carlos Beltran, Fillmore, 36 of Fillmore, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine for sale. Sheriff’s narcotics detectives completed a 7 month narcotics investigation with the arrest of Carlos Beltran of Fillmore for possession of methamphetamine for sale. In June, 2013, Sheriff’s narcotics detectives received information of a large scale methamphetamine dealer operating in the City of Fillmore. In association with the local office of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, detectives identified Carlos Beltran as a person involved in the methamphetamine sales. During the investigation, it was discovered Beltran was bringing methamphetamine directly from Mexico to sell in Ventura County. On January 30,2014, investigators from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Oxnard Police Department and the DEA, served a signed search warrant at Beltran’s residence in the 1100 block of Ventura St, Fillmore. At that time, detectives located 3 pounds of methamphetamine. Beltran was taken into custody for possession of methamphetamine for sale and booked into the Sheriff’s Main Jail. The methamphetamine had an estimated street value of approximately $81,720.00. Nature of Incident: Narcotics Arrest |
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By Jean McLeod — Wednesday, February 5th, 2014
Last Tuesday the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting started with a packed room of over 70 teachers who came with a message for the Board; salary raises. The main agenda item was once again the implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and its enormous cost. The State Budget is providing for a one time funding amount of $766,070.00 that can only be spent on the initial implementation of professional development, instructional material and technology equipment. When asked if that amount will cover all cost associated with CCSS implementation, Superintendent Dr. Alan Nishino and Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson both responded that if they are lucky the monies provided in this one time funding will cover about 50% of what is needed. This huge cost of implementation of the CCSS is becoming a problem for many school districts throughout the country. Forty-five states plus the District of Columbia have signed on to CCSS; many without doing any cost assessment. With the deadline of a January 1, 2014 for implementation having passed, many states are experiencing buyer’s remorse. According to a report on Foxnews.com California is "...estimated to spend approximately $35 million per year, or about $30 per student in testing costs alone." FUSD's proposed expenditures regarding the one time State funding are: Infrastructure $27,008.60; Site Specific Technology $389,230.91; Staff Development $200,000.00; Instructional Materials $149,830.49. A total of $292,000 which is a little less than half, has been spent so far: $3,000 on Infrastructure, $248,000 on Site Specific Technology, $20,000 Staff Development, $21,000 on Instructional Material. Throughout the country there CONTINUED » |
