The Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting was held May 5, 2009. The audience was smaller than at previous meetings, but the teachers' union (FUTA) President Theresa Marvel attended, as did staff union (CSEA) Executive Board Member Sheila Duckett. The FUSD Board heard a report on the District-level English Learner Advisory Committee, approved the calendar for the 2009-2010 School year, approved a 3-year Technology Plan, and discussed a recent hearing regarding some of the layoffs.

The Board approved the school calendar for 2009-2010. The Board had two choices, and, after expressing regret over the 2nd Quarter ending after Winter Break, chose Calendar B to avoid having a short first semester and long second semester. School will start August 26th (avoiding conflict with this year's County Fair August 5th-16th), and end June 17, 2010. During the discussion, FUTA President Theresa Marvel and Assistant Superintendent Evalene Townend fervently disagreed on whether the calendar development process had differed from previous years' methods. They agreed that FUTA had submitted a list of prioritized elements to be incorporated into the calendar, but Marvel claimed that in past years the calendar had been developed at the negotiating table. Townend said that FUTA's and CSEA's requests had been incorporated to the best of her ability. Marvel said that more teachers disapproved of both choices than in previous years. CONTINUED »

Statement provided by Fillmore Teachers Association (FUTA)

The Fillmore Unified School District Board of Education is currently considering a set of budget reductions recommended by the District Administration to balance the budget deficit that the District currently faces due to the State fiscal crisis. When the Board first started meeting this year at special Budget Study Sessions to begin this process, it was the stated goal of both Board members and the District Administration to keep the necessary cuts as far from children and the classroom as possible. This goal made sense, inasmuch as it is the purpose of the School District is to educate the children of Fillmore, Piru and Bardsdale.

As the Budget Study Sessions got underway, a series of recommendations for cuts were made. Theresa Marvel, Fillmore High School teacher and President of the Fillmore Unified Teacher’s Association (FUTA), which represents the teachers and other certificated employees of the District, regularly attended these sessions and noted which cuts were being recommended. As the weeks passed, and the recommendations mounted, it became apparent to Ms. Marvel that in contrast to the stated goal of the Board and the District, the vast majority of the cuts being recommended directly impacted children and their education. CONTINUED »

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Enrique (Erick) Boelcke (DOB 08/17/44), formerly of Santa Monica, was sentenced to serve five years and four months in state prison for embezzling from his former employer, Santa Clara Organics.
An internet search shows a Fillmore PO Box for Boelcke.
On March 6, 2009, Boelcke pleaded guilty to three counts of felony grand theft. The matter was investigated by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.
Boelcke worked for Santa Clara Organics in Santa Paula for approximately ten years. Eventually, the company entrusted him to run the day-to-day operations of the business, including bookkeeping tasks. In 2007, it was discovered that Boelcke had been stealing from the company since 2003. Boelcke stole cash and company checks. He also used company credit cards for personal gain and paid large amounts of company money to his ex-wife and his ex-wife's business. In total, Boelcke stole $556,995.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Bruce Clark ordered Boelcke to pay $556,995 in restitution to the victim. Property seized from the defendant's home, including cash, computers, electronics and cameras, was also ordered returned to the victim. Since Boelcke took full responsibility for the thefts and exonerated his ex-wife, Diana DeCastro, charges against DeCastro were dismissed.

Ventura, CA. - The Ventura County Public Health Department announced the fifth probable case of swine flu on Monday. This new case is the first case in the east county, identified as a high school student from Newbury Park High School. Due to the contagious nature of this virus, the Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Levin, has decided to close the high school, for an undetermined amount of time, as well as call for the cancellation of the school's annual prom, set for this Saturday.
Additionally, the Public Health Department announces that the state lab has tested two of the first four cases and has confirmed that they are swine flu. Over the weekend the CDC referred all probable cases to the state lab for confirmation.
The remaining three cases will be tested for confirmation in the next few days.
The Public Health Department wants to remind the community that the virulence of this flu has not clearly been established and the best way to keep yourself healthy is to heed the following guidelines:
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever possible.
• Businesses can increase safety for employees by wiping down commonly used devices such as telephones, daily.
• If you're sick stay home from work or school.

For more information please call Sheila Murphy at 805-677-5274 or 805-637-4955.

Ventura, CA. - The Ventura County Public Health Department today identified a fourth probable case of swine flu. This new case is the third school-aged child, and the second identified as a student at Art Haycox Elementary School. “This is the second student from this school to be diagnosed as having this virus,” said Dr. Robert Levin, Public Health Officer for Ventura County. Dr. Levin called for the closure of Art Haycox Elementary school last Thursday, April 30th, as well as Blackstock Junior High, where a third student attends school. Another case, an adult who resides in Ventura, was identified late Thursday afternoon.
The Public Health Department will conduct an on-site visit to Haycox Elementary School prior to it re-opening next week.
While it has been reported in the media that two nurses who had contact with two of the Ventura County probable cases were hospitalized, an investigation by the Public Health Department found this to be false.
One nurse was hospitalized but was tested twice for swine flu and was negative both times. The second nurse was seen in an emergency room for symptoms unrelated to swine flu and was discharged and sent home.
“Both nurses’ health conditions appear to be unrelated to the swine flu,” assured Dr. Levin. He added, “It is important to correct the perception that contact with individuals with swine flu in Ventura County sickened two nurses and led to their hospitalization. This is not borne out by the facts.”
For more information please call Sheila Murphy at 805-677-5274 or 805-637-4955.

Ventura, CA. - The Ventura County Health Care Agency and the Public Health Department announced late today that it has identified two probable cases of swine flu in Ventura County. The Public Health Laboratory identified the two positive results early Wednesday evening. These are the first cases of swine flu to be identified in this county. Elsewhere in California, 14 cases have been confirmed as well as another 28 probable cases. Swine flu has now affected 91 people in the United States.

According to Dr. Robert Levin, Public Health Officer for Ventura County, these cases are not entirely unexpected, as the Public Health Department has been aggressively seeking out potential cases since the swine flu outbreak was first made public last week. The Public Health Department has been diligently practicing surveillance on patients treated throughout the county with flu-like symptoms, especially those who have had recent travel to or from Mexico.

“This is not a surprise that we would identify swine flu in our county,” said Dr. Levin. “We’ve been expecting it. But it’s not a time for panic, either. We have an adequate supply of Tamiflu available for these patients and are well-prepared to care for them as well as any potential patients who may be in our community.”
This is what is known about the cases identified today in Ventura County:
• An elementary school child from Oxnard became ill at school and was brought to a local emergency room. He has not been hospitalized and is recovering without treatment.
• A middle school child from Oxnard as well, who was seen in a local clinic, was treated with Tamiflu and is also recovering.

In order to minimize the spread of disease, the county health officer asked the superintendent of the two involved schools, Art Haycox Elementary School and Charles Blackstock Junior High School, to close down for approximately one week beginning the April 30. Health officials are asking that any children who attend these schools who develop a fever and flu-like symptoms should see their physician. Also, while these children are out of school, they should avoid group activities.

County health officials today activated the JIC (Joint Information Center) to coordinate information that will be sent to area school districts and community members. Residents are encouraged to use good health habits, such as frequent hand washing, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, coughing and sneezing into the crook of their arms or into their shoulders, using and then disposing of Kleenex, and staying home from school or work if they are ill.

The county’s Department of Public Health will continue to monitor reports of patients treated throughout the county and will make information available regarding any additional cases of swine flu.

People suffering from flu-like symptoms should seek medical care from their regular health care provider and should stay at home if they are feeling ill to prevent the spread of any illness. Those who feel ill but cannot afford to see a health care provider are encouraged to seek treatment at any county clinic for low, or no cost treatment.

The national Center for Disease Control has advised against any non-essential travel to Mexico, where the swine flu is believed to have originated. Anyone returning from recent travel to any county or country with reported cases of swine flu should monitor their health for 7 days and seek immediate medical attention if they develop a fever along with flu-like symptoms, including cough, sore throat, loss of appetite, fever and fatigue.

For more information about swine flu and the county’s response to this serious health threat, visit the public health website at www.vchca.org/ph. For additional information please call Sheila Murphy at 805-677-5274 or 805-637-4955.

Fire Chief Bill Herrera

“It is with mixed emotion that I announce to the Community of Fillmore, that on April 13th; I submitted a letter to Bill Bartels to step down as the Fire Chief for the City of Fillmore. I want to make it clear that my decision to step down has nothing to do with the city, the council or any one member of the council. I am stepping down for professional, personal and family reasons. I love the Fillmore Fire Department of which I will continue to be a member of and I love being part of this community. The City has treated me with great respect, they have been very flexible with my time and they have allowed me to lead the department in the best way I saw fit. I took leadership of the department at a very difficult time in its history. With the help of some of the most unselfish people I have ever met; our department members, I am proud of the accomplishments over the last year. The department is strong and providing first class service to the citizens of Fillmore. Mr. Pennell and I are working together to create a seamless transition plan for the next Fire Chief; this plan will also include my last official day. It has been an honor to lead the City of Fillmore Fire Department over the last 11 months. I want to thank all the members of the department and the community for all that they give to the citizens of The Last Best Small Town in Southern California. I want to also thank my wife Kathy and my two kids Megan and Joey who over the last year probably gave the most. I love you guys!”

Pictured (l-r) Jonathon Richmond and Mayor Patti Walker. Richmond named the new city park, Two Rivers Park and won $50.
Enlarge Photo

Fillmore City Council met Tuesday, April 28, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall to cover a brief agenda. The Council congratulated Jonathan Richmond in person for winning the Park Naming Contest.

The Council made several appointments. It appointed Aude Barragan to fill the vacant seat on the Parks & Recreation Commission, and Elizabeth Wareham to serve as Student Advisor on that Commission. It appointed Todd Gernheuser to serve on the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District Board. It appointed Nancy Bowlin and Catherine Frias to fill vacant seats on the Film Commission.

Norma Amaro spoke out against people-bashing in a short impassioned plea to the entire community of Fillmore. She asked that people support one another, disagree like polite adults when necessary, and refrain from nasty comments, negative asides, and casting blame, but give praise where it is due. CONTINUED »

Our web site is updated frequently per day with national and local news and advisories. We are fully supporting the leadership of Ventura County Public Health and have links to their information as well.

www.arcventura.org

Here’s a great link to a brochure on Pandemic Flu Preparedness:

http://www.arcventura.org/pdf/pandemic_flu_home_care_brochure(1).pdf

also in Spanish:

http://www.arcventura.org/pdf/pandemic_flu_home_care_brochure_sp(1).pdf

and some answers to frequently asked questions

http://www.arcventura.org/pdf/SwinePandemicFluFAQ.pdf

An Update

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 — The recent documented cases of swine flu in several states across the U.S. and in a growing number of other countries may cause many people to wonder what they can do to better protect themselves right now.

As health experts around the world seek to better understand the scope and severity of the swine flu outbreak, this is a good time for individuals, families, businesses and organizations to review and update their emergency preparedness plans.

Stay Healthy
The Red Cross and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are offering the following tips to ensure you stay healthy:

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective when soap and water aren’t available.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. Try to avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Influenza (flu) is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing.
If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Consult your healthcare provider if you develop symptoms of the flu, such as:

Fever
Cough
Sore throat
Body aches
Headache
Chills
Extreme tiredness
Vomiting and/or diarrhea
For more information, see www.arcventura.org .

Prepare for Potential Flu Outbreak
Stocking extra food, water and supplies at home will reduce the need to go out should swine flu become more widespread, thereby limiting potential for exposure to the virus. If a person does get sick and has extra supplies on hand, they will help reduce the spread of the flu by staying home.

Store a two-week supply of food, water and household necessities (such as laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc.). Select foods that are easy to prepare and store.
Store one gallon of water per person per day in clean plastic containers. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles.
Insure that formula for infants and any child’s or older person’s special nutritional needs are a part of your planning. Store an extra supply of food for your pets.
Make sure you have an adequate supply of essential medications and medical items for all family members.
The Red Cross recommends you take this opportunity to prepare your family for any disaster by getting a preparedness kit, making a plan and being informed.

As always please don’t hesitate to call us. Thanks as always for your support.

The Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board held its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. The Board had already approved budget cuts to Certified personnel (Teachers), Classified personnel (Instructional Assistants, Library Clerks, etc.), and would conclude the third major round of cuts by approving program cuts and cuts to the District office staff. Many District employees were present. FUTA President and Teacher Theresa Marvel, CSEA Executive Board Member Sheila Duckett, and CSEA Member Luanne Brock made carefully planned presentations on the budget reductions. Board President John Garnica consistently stretched protocol to allow for comments when requested by the audience. At one point, Marvel started to ask detailed questions regarding FUSD’s monthly list of purchases and accounts payable, and was told that she was out of order, but the Board explained that Board Clerk Liz Wilde goes over that list with Assistant Superintendent Mike Bush each month.

Brock thanked Board Member Tony Prado for asking questions and requesting budget-cutting options from the District Office staff. He had been overruled by other Board Members and never received any options. Brock mentioned the Board’s refusal to take questions from the audience at last week’s Budget Study Session, and thanked Garnica for taking questions after he arrived. She said, “Denying the audience an opportunity to ask questions or provide input during a study session is not in the best interests of the public that you serve.” She quoted a School Services article on the current financial crisis, saying, “People will remember how they were treated during this difficult time.” CONTINUED »

Enlarge Photo

Last year we wrote about the new Copper only bullet laws implemented to purportedly protect wild condors. The following is some important follow up information on the ammunition and it’s locally reported performance.
Probably the oldest “all-copper” bullet manufacture in the US is the Barnes bullet Company (http://www.barnesbullets.com/about-us/company ) out of Mona Utah. Owners Randy and Coni Brooks have been operating this business since its’ purchase from Mr. Fred Barnes in 1972. They offer some of the best customer service around. A phone call to one of their readily available, free of charge, bullet technicians will answer any question you may have, (1-800-574-9200). Other manufactures such as Hornady, have now also designed legal copper bullets, such as their GMX bullet line, here are some links to their information; http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/condor/certifiedammo.html , http://www.hornady.com/story.php?s=792 .
This writer made the switch last year from traditional lead based bullets to all copper bullets in my hunting rifles, and honestly for awhile it was an experience that ran the gamut from pure frustration, to delight, back to perplexed, and finally too comfortable satisfaction.
I am a hand-loader, and typically load from raw components my own ammunition. This is for the purpose of custom tailoring the ammo to an individual rifle in an effort of achieving perfect bullet performance, stability and accuracy. It is rare that a firearm will perform as well with factory ammunition as it will with carefully and safely loaded specific hand loaded ammunition. There are exceptions, but on average few and far between. You see a bullet is no different than a rocket, airplane, baseball, football, or for that matter of aerodynamic principal theories, a Condor! They are all things that fly. And their “launch pad” (i.e., barrel) has a lot of how they take off and fly. CONTINUED »

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On April 17, 2009, at approximately 8:20 PM, three suspects entered the Rite Aid Pharmacy at 600 Ventura Street, Fillmore, and stole electronics merchandise with a value of approximately $260.00 (Suspect 1 Hispanic male, 5-6, 130 pounds, bald, tattoos on chest, blue Dodger blazer, black pants, Suspect 2 Hispanic male, 5-8, 170 pounds, short dark hair, black long sleeve shirt, blue pants, suspect 3 Hispanic female, 5-3, 140 pounds, long blond/brown hair, green shirt, dark pants).

Rite Aid Loss Prevention Officers confronted the two male suspects, as they left the store with the stolen merchandise. S-1 pulled out a knife and told the Loss Prevention Officers to leave his wife (S-3) alone. S-1 then threw some of the stolen merchandise back into the store and ran to a parked, older model, gray, Dodge, van with a brown or burgundy horizontal stripe, bearing handicap license plates. One of the Loss Prevention Officers followed the suspect to the vehicle and saw the suspect retrieve a handgun from the vehicle. The Loss Prevention Officer obtained the license plate of the vehicle and returned to the store to report the crime. S-2 was driving the vehicle when it left the parking lot.

A search of the Fillmore and Piru area to the Los Angeles County line resulted in negative results for the suspects or vehicle.

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 494-TALK (Thousand Oaks / Moorpark) or 385-TALK (Camarillo / Oxnard / Port Hueneme).

Courtesy VCSD.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On April 19, 2009 at about 6:15 a.m., Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to Piru Market and Liquor in Piru to investigate a commercial burglary that occurred earlier in the morning. When a store employee arrived to open the business, she discovered someone had forced entry and took cash, lottery tickets, cigarettes, liquor and other merchandise. The total loss was estimated at about $6,500.00.

Later that same day, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) was investigating a traffic collision that occurred near Lake Piru. During their investigation, they discovered one of the drivers was in possession of some of the items stolen from the market. A coordinated investigation between CHP, Piru Lake Rangers and Sheriff’s Deputies resulted in the identification of two additional suspects at a Lake Piru campsite.

Most of the stolen property was recovered. The three suspects, Bennett Nevin 18, Joseph Avelino 19 and Sean Dominique 19, all from Simi Valley, were arrested for felony commercial burglary and felony conspiracy to commit a crime. They were booked at the Ventura County Jail with bail set at $20,000.00 each.

The public is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (805) 654-9511 or 524-2233 if they have any information on the case.

Courtesy of Fillmore Police Department Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.