Ventura County Star (Ventura, CA) articles from September 2011

Ventura County Star (Ventura, CA) archives from September 2011

Oxnard man found guilty in attack on inmate in Todd Road jail.
September 13, 2011... Sept. 13--After deliberating for an hour and 15 minutes, a jury found David Sinsun of Oxnard guilty today of three gang-related felonies in the beating of a fellow inmate in the jail unit on Todd Road near Santa Paula. Sinsun, who...

Beach lovers horrified to see dunes bulldozed in Pierpont area of Ventura.
September 13, 2011... Byline: Kevin Clerici Sept. 13--Authorities are looking at possible violations by a resident in Ventura's Pierpont Beach neighborhood who apparently took matters in his owns hands, hiring a bulldozer over the weekend to move piles of sand...

BRIEF: Woman, 70, arrested on suspicion of DUI after Fillmore crash.
September 13, 2011... Sept. 13--A 70-year-old woman was arrested Sunday after she hit a motorcyclist while traveling the wrong way on Highway 126 near Fillmore, authorities said. Alicia Gonzalez of Fillmore was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence...

Bakersfield girl, 15, killed in Highway 126 crash.
September 13, 2011... Byline: Adam Foxman Sept. 13--A 15-year-old Bakersfield girl returning from a family visit in the Oxnard area was killed Sunday night when the car she was riding in drifted into opposing traffic and hit a truck between Santa Paula and...

Esseff stands tall for Thousand Oaks girls volleyball.
September 13, 2011... Byline: Rhiannon Potkey Sept. 13--It was always easy to locate Summer Esseff in her childhood class photos. She was the girl on the top row standing in the very center. The annual portraits painted a clear picture of what sport Esseff...

Ledin: Royal faces a lesson in bouncing back.
September 13, 2011... Byline: Loren Ledin Sept. 13--All through the summer, in his "other" job as a Los Angeles County lifeguard, Steve Snyder would use down moments to sort through the disappointment. "I'd sit up there in the tower and ask myself, 'Is there...

Ventura County Star, Calif., Jim Carlisle column.
September 13, 2011... Byline: Jim Carlisle Sept. 13--You know, it occurs to me this whole pro football thing might just be successful after all. That college game might work out too, for that matter. After a weekend with so many strange and wonderful outcomes,...

Pacifica, Nordhoff have points to make.
September 12, 2011... Byline: Loren Ledin Sept. 12--For a moment there, Pacifica High football coach Donnie Rea was tempted to check the calendar. No, it wasn't basketball season. Nope, the track and field season doesn't happen until the spring. "It did seem...

Thousands in county gather to mark 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
September 12, 2011... Byline: Stephanie Hoops Sept. 12--Thousands of people gathered across the county Sunday for events marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that transformed the nation. "I was horrified," said Jeanne Shields, a...

BRIEF: One dead, two injured after Santa Paula crash.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--One person died and two were injured Sunday evening after a traffic collision on Highway 126 on East Telegraph and Toland Roads in Santa Paula, according to the California Highway Patrol. The head-on crash between two vehicles...

Thousand Oaks Council to vote on redevelopment agency's future.
September 12, 2011... Byline: Teresa Rochester Sept. 12--The Thousand Oaks City Council will be asked Tuesday to OK $5.1 million in payments to the state to keep its redevelopment agency open. The other option would be to forego the payments, dissolve the...

Special boards to help oversee three Fillmore schools.
September 12, 2011... Byline: Cheri Carlson Sept. 12--Fresh eyes will study three Fillmore schools this year in an effort to improve their state test scores and raise student achievement. Fillmore Unified School District officials are setting up special boards...

Local sports roundup.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--Village Christian's Amjad Aboul-Hosn rushed for four touchdowns Saturday night in the 41-21 non-league football win over Fillmore at Glendale High. Aboul-Hosn scored on runs of 57, 57, 71 and 9 yards. He finished with 294 yards on...

Ventura Raceway.
September 12, 2011... Byline: Rich Romine Sept. 12--Ventura's Greg Taylor needed a borrowed car Saturday night to steal a Sprint Car victory against Oxnard's Josh Ford on the final lap at Ventura Raceway. After crashing two week's ago in the Vendors Cup, Taylor...

BRIEF: Oxnard College's arts and lecture series begins.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--Presentations on women priests, drug wars and migrant farmworkers will be part of this fall's arts and lecture series at Oxnard College, 4000 S. Rose Ave. Lectures and performances, which are free, will be held from 1 to 2 p.m....

Simi council to consider official city flag.
September 12, 2011... Byline: Mike Harris Sept. 12--Following the lead of some other Ventura County cities, the Simi Valley City Council tonight will consider establishing an official city flag. Mayor Bob Huber proposed the flag at the council's Aug. 8 meeting....

BRIEF: Two people injured in Simi Valley crash.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--Two people were injured in a traffic collsion at the intersection of Madera Road and Cancun Street in Simi Valley Sunday afternoon. The crash was reported at 2:06 p.m. when Joseph Parino, 22 of Simi Valley, was traveling at a high...

BRIEF: Ventura man, 31, injured in stabbing.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--A 31-year-old Ventura man was hospitalized with serious stab wounds this morning, Ventura police said. The man was taken to Ventura County Medical Center about 3:30 a.m. after police found him injured on the side of the road in the...

BRIEF: Port Hueneme woman dies in crash while allegedly fleeing traffic stop.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--A 26-year-old Port Hueneme woman was killed this weekend when she lost control of her vehicle and hit two trees after allegedly speeding away from a traffic stop, the California Highway Patrol reported. The woman was driving near...

BRIEF: Suicide suspected in Simi Valley fire death.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--Police suspect the death of a man in a fire at a Simi Valley home today was suicide. Firefighters responded at 10:34 a.m. to the home in the 3000 block of North Galena Avenue. The Ventura County Fire Department reported that heavy...

Bakersfield girl, 15, killed in Highway 126 crash.
September 12, 2011... Byline: Adam Foxman Sept. 12--A 15-year-old Bakersfield girl returning from a family visit in the Oxnard area was killed Sunday night when the car she was riding in drifted into opposing traffic and hit a truck between Santa Paula and...

Congressman Buck McKeon's wife announces Assembly campaign; contested GOP race possible.
September 12, 2011... Byline: Timm Herdt Sept. 12--A potential Republican contest between the wife of Congressman Buck McKeon of Santa Clarita and one of the congressman's former aides appears to be taking shape in the new 38th Assembly District, which includes...

BRIEF: Simi man gets prison for trying to sell fighter jet to Iran.
September 12, 2011... Byline: Mike Harris Sept. 12--A Simi Valley man was sentenced today to almost four years in federal prison for trying to sell a U.S. fighter jet to Iran and exporting or attempting to export other military items to clients in Russia and...

BRIEF: Ventura man seriously injured in stabbing.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--A 31-year-old Ventura man was hospitalized Monday with serious stab wounds, police said. The man was taken to Ventura County Medical Center about 3:30 a.m. after officers found him injured on the side of the road in the 800 block of...

BRIEF: McGrath beach, North Shore development on Oxnard council's agenda.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--The Oxnard City Council will vote Tuesday on a phase of the North Shore at Mandalay Bay development at its first regular meeting since its summer recess. The decision concerns only perimeter landscaping along West Fifth Street and...

BRIEF: Woman, 70, arrested on suspicion of DUI after Fillmore crash.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--A 70-year-old woman was arrested Sunday after she hit a motorcyclist while traveling the wrong way on Highway 126 near Fillmore, authorities said today. Alicia Gonzalez of Fillmore was arrested on suspicion of driving under the...

Port Hueneme woman dies in crash while fleeing police.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--A 26-year-old Port Hueneme woman was killed in a weekend crash after speeding away from California Highway Patrol officers, authorities said Monday. Stephanie Olivares was pronounced dead at the scene Saturday, said Shasta Gainer, a...

BRIEF: Ojai man appointed to California Gambling Control Commission.
September 12, 2011... Sept. 12--A former Las Vegas casino executive who now lives in Ojai has been appointed to the California Gambling Control Commission, the state entity that oversees legal gambling in the state. Richard Schuetz was appointed to the post on...

CLU loses at Linfield again.
September 11, 2011... Byline: Rhiannon Potkey Sept. 11--Traveling to Maxwell Field hasn't been a pleasant experience for the Cal Lutheran football team. The Kingsmen always begin their trip confident they can emerge with a victory. But they always return...

Lightning ignites fires in county.
September 11, 2011... Sept. 11--Lightning sparked several fires in the Mount Pinos ranger district of Los Padres National Forest Saturday, as thunderstorms are expected to stay in the forecast through the beginning of the week. A low pressure system brought...

Moorpark routs Pierce.
September 11, 2011... Byline: Rich Romine Sept. 11--The Moorpark College football team turned in a dominating defensive performance Saturday night in a 54-7 victory over Los Angeles Pierce at Griffin Stadium. Freshman linebacker Steven Townsley scooped up a...

Nothing goes right for VC in trip to Fullerton.
September 11, 2011... Byline: Joe Curley Sept. 11--FULLERTON -- As the skies darkened and the lights intensified Saturdaynight at Fullerton District Stadium, the missed opportunities turnedinto misplays and missed assignments for the Ventura College football...

Local sports roundup: Hillcrest earns 1st victory in 5 years.
September 11, 2011... Sept. 11--Senior quarterback Gio Hernandez three two touchdown passes and ran for three scores to lead Hillcrest Christian to a 64-8 victory over host La Verne Lutheran in an eight-man football opener on Saturday. It was the first win for...

Day of the Horse draws participants of all ages.
September 11, 2011... Byline: Karen Hibdon Sept. 11--Four-footed fever and everything equine competed with Mother Nature Saturday during the seventh annual Day of the Horse. The horses won. Despite thunder, lightning, a brief shower and at one point wind, the...

Muslim Americans decry violence.
September 11, 2011... Byline: Tom Kisken Sept. 11--School wasn't that different for Shireen Ismail on Sept. 11, 2001. But the next day, none of her classmates in Simi Valley would talk to her because she's a Muslim. She was 9. "They said to my face I was a...

Thousands in county gather to mark 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
September 11, 2011... Byline: Stephanie Hoops Sept. 11--Thousands of people gathered across the county Sunday for events marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that transformed the nation. "I was horrified," said Jeanne Shields, a...

BRIEF: Motorcyclist suffers major injuries after Fillmore crash.
September 11, 2011... Sept. 11--A motorcyclist suffered major injuries after a traffic collision on Highway 126 at Sespe Creek in Fillmore, the California Highway Patrol reported. The crash was reported at 3:23 p.m. and the Ventura County Fire Department was also...

BRIEF: Two people extricated after Simi Valley crash.
September 11, 2011... Sept. 11--The Ventura County Fire Department and Simi Valley Police are responding to an traffic collision at the intersection of Madera Road and Vista Lago Drive in Simi Valley. Two people were extricated after the two-vehicle collision...

BRIEF: Ventura fire extinguished.
September 11, 2011... Sept. 11--Ventura City firefighters spent several hours Saturday evening putting out a vegetation fire in the river area south of Olivas Park Drive and east of Harbor Boulevard. Reports came in about 5 p.m. that smoke was rising in an area...

BRIEF: Thousand Oaks man arrested in possession of illegal fireworks.
September 10, 2011... Sept. 10--A Thousand Oaks man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of possessing illegal fireworks and felony possession of an explosive device. Thousand Oaks police said they got an anonymous tip that explosive and narcotics were possibly...

Young QB guides Camarillo to win.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Jim Carlisle Sept. 10--Camarillo and Buena highs both had to change quarterbacks before they faced each other Friday night. The big difference is Camarillo knew they would have to change last summer. Buena only knew after last week....

9/11 and Pearl Harbor are similar, but impacts are different.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Michael Collins Sept. 10--WASHINGTON -- Michaela Reaves usually gets the same answer when she asks her students to pick an event that shaped their lives or the lives of their families. "It's always 9/11," said Reaves, an American...

Obama's jobs' plan meets with mixed reviews from Capps and Gallegly.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Michael Collins Sept. 10--WASHINGTON -- Rep. Lois Capps sees a number of things she likes in President Barack Obama's $447 billion jobs-creation package. Tax credits for companies that hire unemployed workers, lower payroll taxes...

Taylor's sixth touchdown caps wild night at Pacifica.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Rich Romine Sept. 10--Pacifica High's Dennis Taylor dashed 15 yards for the final touchdown in a wild, 60-56 nonleague victory over visiting Nordhoff Friday night. Michael Maldonado had a 45-yard interception return for the...

Ventura moves ball at will in impressive rout of Agoura.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Loren Ledin Sept. 10--In scoring points on its first six possessions, including long-distance touchdowns drives of 81, 71 and 97 yards in the first half, the Ventura High football team gave its best impression of, say, the Pittsburgh...

VC, Moorpark ready for Week 2.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Joe Curley Sept. 10--Jalen Craver has only been in Ventura a few months, but he's already made himself at home. He took his first touch in Ventura College football's black and orange to "the house" last Saturday night by returning...

CLU opens against familiar foe.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Rhiannon Potkey Sept. 10--For two football programs separated by 950 miles, Cal Lutheran and Linfield have become very well-acquainted. When 16th-ranked CLU plays No. 7 Linfield in the season opener today in McMinnville, Ore., it...

Royal finds the right Mann for the job in opener.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Bob Buttitta Sept. 10--Even though Royal High senior Codey Mann possesses incredible skills as a running back, he is so critical to his team's success on defense that head coach Kevin Flye does everything he can to keep him fresh...

Santa Paula's rally falls short at Crescenta Valley.
September 10, 2011... Sept. 10--Senior running back Marro Lee and quarterback Zac Wilkerson, along with a 21-point first-quarter scoring blitz was just enough to staff off a rallying Santa Paula High, as Crescenta Valley prevailed, 40-32, to open its season with a...

Santa Clara has finishing kick.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Keith Kropp Sept. 10--In a game that featured an outstanding rushing performance and many big plays in the passing game, it was the right foot of Andrew Rodriguez that turned out to be the difference as Santa Clara High defeated...

St. Bonaventure pulls off late win over Centennial.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Joe Curley Sept. 10--St. Bonny pulls of late win over Centenial By Joe Curley jcurley@vcstar.com 805-437-0276 CORONA -- Playing four quarters of football is so last decade. After one year of living in the 10-team...

Electrical outage leaves some 73 people in the dark.
September 10, 2011... Sept. 10--An equipment failure in an underground cable box left some 73 Southern California Edison customers in the dark throughout much of Friday on the east end of Ventura, including about 40 elderly residents at the Chapel Lane Senior...

California gets graded on long-term health care.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Kim Lamb Gregory Sept. 10--Long-term care for seniors and the disabled in California is ranked 15th in the nation, according to a new score card released this week by AARP's Public Policy Institute, the Commonwealth Fund and the SCAN...

BRIEF: Annual dam release into Piru Creek a bonus for kayakers.
September 10, 2011... Sept. 10--Every year, when water is released from Santa Felicia Dam, farmers celebrate because it means water is coming their way. But kayakers and white water rafters can celebrate, too. Any boaters who want to take advantage of the annual...

Lawmakers approve measures to speed up large developments.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Timm Herdt Sept. 10--SACRAMENTO -- Hoping to spur investment in California, lawmakers sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday two bills that would streamline the approval process for $100 million-plus developments that commit to high...

Wildfire-prone conditions return to Ventura County.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Adam Foxman Sept. 10--With tinder dry brush on local hillsides and Santa Ana winds expected later this month, conditions are once again ripe for wildfires in Ventura County, authorities said. The gloomy summer weather and early...

Agencies seek funding for wildlife corridor.
September 10, 2011... Byline: Teresa Rochester Sept. 10--Highway 101 may be a valuable thoroughfare for people, but it also has effectively hemmed in the mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and mule deer that roam the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Valley hills. ...

Ventura County Star, Calif., Lisa McKinnon column.(Column)
September 10, 2011... Byline: Lisa McKinnon Sept. 10--Want beer. Like beer. Beer good. If you're a fan of a certain, long-since-canceled TV series about a vampire-slaying teenager named Buffy, chances are you've heard these words before. But even if you...

Ventura County Star, Calif., Karen Lindell column.
September 9, 2011... Byline: Karen Lindell Sept. 09--Everyone felt every which way but OK after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, cycling through all degrees of the basic "mad" and "sad." And everyone found a way to cope, or not. People screamed,...

Ventura County Star, Calif., Brett Johnson column.
September 9, 2011... Byline: Brett Johnson Sept. 09--bjohnson@vcstar.com 805-437-0242 Jazz saxophonist Mindi Abair came on the line recently from Seattle and blew away any clouds with an infectious, upbeat attitude that's sure to spill out when she puts lips...

Despite big outage, power remains on in Ventura County.
September 9, 2011... Byline: John Scheibe Sept. 09--After an outage knocked out power in a region of more than 5 million people south and east of Los Angeles on Thursday, Southern California Edison officials were relieved and confident the blackout would not...

Santa Paula responds to grand jury report over wastewater treatment plant.
September 9, 2011... Byline: John Scheibe Sept. 09--The Santa Paula City Council approved a letter this week in response to a Ventura County Grand Jury report that said council members failed to adequately explain the financial basis for approving a $149.7...

Local events mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
September 9, 2011... Byline: Karen Lindell Sept. 09--Listen to an "Elegy." Go for a Freedom Walk. Be silent at a fire station. Events to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks are planned throughout Ventura County, including solemn...

Oxnard man charged with assault with deadly weapon will act as own lawyer.
September 9, 2011... Byline: Raul Hernandez Sept. 09--The defendant, an alleged gang member, fired his lawyer and is representing himself in court this week on criminal charges that he allegedly kicked a fellow jail inmate in the head rendering him unconscious...

Metal recycler settles lawsuit alleging hazardous waste dumping at Simi landfill.
September 9, 2011... Byline: Mike Harris Sept. 09--An Anaheim metal recycler has agreed to pay $2.9 million to settle a lawsuit charging it with, among other environmental violations, illegally dumping hazardous waste at the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling...

BRIEF: Ventura man elected to state post for land-use panels.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--Louis Cunningham, chairman of a county panel overseeing land-use issues, has been elected to a state position. The Ventura man was elected to the executive board of the California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions at...

BRIEF: 58-year-old man subdued by K-9 after resisting arrest.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--A 58-year-old-man was taken into custody early today after being subdued by a K-9 for resisting Sheriff's deputies, authorities said. The incident was reported about 4 a.m. in the 100 block of Monte Vista Street in Newbury Park. ...

BRIEF: Authorities seek clues, suspect in small fires.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--Ventura County sheriff's investigators were looking for a man who witnesses said lit several fires along the 5900 block of Casitas Pass Road on Wednesday night. Investigators said a man and a woman stopped a car next to Wiggy Ranch...

9/11 evokes tears, anger and images as vivid as yesterday.
September 9, 2011... Byline: Tom Kisken Sept. 09--Tears streamed down the faces of people as they idled at a pickup window and waited for Egg McMuffins. Crystal Tenorio, then 17 and a manager at a McDonald's on Oxnard's Ventura Road, was working the...

BRIEF: Morning Report: Cooler temperatures expected today.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--Weather: Cooler temperatures are expected today and through the weekend in Ventura County, the National Weather Service reported. An upper level pressure system will make its way through California, bringing cooler temperatures...

Ventura man sentenced to 14 years for domestic violence, threats.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--A 32-year-old Ventura man was sentenced to prison Friday for crimes including domestic violence, prosecutors announced. Javier Murillo was sentenced to 14 years and eight months behind bars for making criminal threats, false...

BRIEF: Authorities seek arsonist in small Casitas fires.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--Ventura County sheriff's investigators were looking Friday for a man whom witnesses said started several fires in the 5900 block of Casitas Pass Road on Wednesday night. Investigators said a man and a woman in a car stopped next to...

BRIEF: Police dog helps subdue 58-year-old Newbury Park suspect.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--A 58-year-old Newbury Park man was taken into custody Friday after resisting sheriff's deputies and being subdued by a police dog, authorities said. The incident was reported about 4 a.m. in the 100 block of Monte Vista Street in...

BRIEF: Moorpark CHP to offer traffic safety program.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--The Moorpark area California Highway Patrol will offer a traffic safety program for teenage drivers and their parents this month. The Start Smart Program is focused on helping new and future drivers become aware of the...

BRIEF: Free mammograms, education at Community Outreach Day.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--Community Memorial Health System's Healthy Women's Program is hosting a Community Outreach Day in Oxnard, which offers free mammograms and health care education to the first 35 women who qualify. The event will be held Sept. 24 at...

BRIEF: Simi Valley Hospital to hold community blood drive.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--Simi Valley Hospital will hold a blood drive Sept. 20 in its Cafe Conference Room. Blood donors must be healthy, at least 19, weigh at least 110 pounds, not have donated blood in the last eight weeks or donated double red cells in...

BRIEF: Critical need for O-Negative blood.
September 9, 2011... Sept. 09--United Blood Services is issuing a critical appeal for blood donors with the rare blood type, O-Negative. Demand over the Labor Day holiday was very high, dropping the available supply of Type O-Negative to critically low levels,...

BRIEF: Blaze contained west of Lake Casitas.
September 8, 2011... Sept. 08--A wildfire that reportedly was set by a male in an orchard along the 6200 block of Casitas Pass Road had spread to more than an acre and a half in size Wednesday night before being contained west of Lake Casitas. The fire was said...

Ventura County Star, Calif., Keith Kropp column.(Column)
September 8, 2011... Byline: Keith Kropp Sept. 08--Perusing the latest USTA Southern California junior rankings reveals a respectable number of Ventura County players well positioned in many of the various age divisions. Upon closer inspection, those rankings...

Weekly fishing report: September 8, 2011.
September 8, 2011... Byline: Jim Carlisle Sept. 08--FRESHWATER REPORT LAKE CASITAS: Summertime may just about be officially over, but the catfish are still jumping at Lake Casitas, along with the trout. The warm weather is bringing the catfish out in...

Perry rallies at airport.
September 8, 2011... Byline: John Scheibe Sept. 08--In a brief rally Wednesday night at the Camarillo Airport, Texas Gov. Rick Perry blasted President Barack Obama's economic policies, saying they've not only failed to create jobs but also have driven the nation...

Second debate breaks out in spin room over who won.
September 8, 2011... Byline: Tom Kisken Sept. 08--Mitt Romney won the debate. No, Rick Perry was the clear victor. Guess again, offered R.C. Hammond, spokesman for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a few minutes after the debate ended Wednesday night. ...

Paul supporters, progressives demonstrate outside GOP debate.
September 8, 2011... Byline: Mike Harris Sept. 08--Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul won the unofficial vote outside the GOP debate at the Reagan library Wednesday afternoon, as his supporters outnumbered those of other candidates and progressive...

BRIEF: Ventura police to hold community event.
September 8, 2011... Sept. 08--Ventura Police Department will hold a Community Law Enforcement Day Saturday that will feature a meet and greet with the department's K-9 unit and other activities. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pacific View...