Lion President Bill Dewey (left) presents a gift to installing PCC Bill Dunlevy.
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Story Courtesy Lion Jim Austin

On Monday evening, the 21st of June, we began our annual installation celebration with introductions and welcoming on the beautiful, quiet Elkins Golf Course patio. The Fillmore Lions Club members along with their spouses shared dinner with several guests in attendance, among them IPCC, PDG Bill Dunlevy and wife Margaret. IPCC refers to Lion Bill serving on the council of governors at the multi-district level. PDG is another stat referring to Lion Bill being a Past District Governor of our local 4A3 district.

Recognition Awards were bestowed on many Fillmore Lions. The coveted Melvin Jones Fellow was awarded to Lion Bill Dewey. A Melvin Jones Fellow is special honor, equated to the “hall of fame” for Lions. It’s the backbone of Lions Club International for recognition and humanitarian efforts. Lion of the Year was awarded to Lion Steve Gardner for his exemplary contributions. A Donald Snyder Fellow was awarded to Maggie Snyder in honor of her late husband PDG Donald Snyder, who was instrumental in establishing the Lions Club Student Speaker contests. Last but not least, if your name was “Bill” you were among the lucky indeed. Bill Edmonds, Bill Dewey and Bill Baumgartner all received awards for Perfect Attendance. Current and soon-to-be Immediate Past President Bill Edmonds passed out thank yous and gifts to the cabinet and fellow Lions that supported him this past year.

IPCC, PDG Bill Dunlevy continued the evening program by installing the new cabinet members for the 2010-2011 year. Installed were President Bill Dewey; 1st Vice, Jim Austin; 2nd Vice Jorge Herrera; 3rd Vice Victor Gongora; Secretary Scott Lee; Admin Treasurer Dorsey Smith; Project Treasurer Walter Gonzales; Lion Tamer Bill Baumgartner; Tail Twister Paul Schifanelli; Membership Chair Bill Edmonds; Board Directors Mary Tipps, Brett Chandler, Bob Klittich & Jack Stethem.

Immediate Past President Bill Edmonds was awarded a plaque for his service for the 2008-2009 & 2009-2010 years along with much appreciation.

Newly installed President Bill Dewey shared comments with the group referencing his goals, ideas, and hopes for the new year. His theme being the “Ginkgo Tree”, an old, solid tree of Chinese origin. Known for it’s endurance, stamina and referred to as “the living fossil”, I’m sure he wasn’t referring to the Lions members.
The evening had a casual flavor with colorful leis and Hawaiian shirts, good food and of course good company. It ended on the chilly side with the shadows of evening peacefully upon us. A big thank you to all who attended. If any of you are interested in contributing to a very worthy cause, both on our city front as well as the global service network, please feel free to contact any Fillmore Lions Club member, President Bill Dewey 524-4457, or Membership Chair Bill Edmonds 524-4839. Our motto is “We Serve” and it’s very rewarding to part of something so worthwhile.

Irma Rodriguez, President, Fillmore Sunrise Rotary. Picture taken by Eric Vigil of Timeless Images Photography.

Irma Rodriquez was installed as president of the Fillmore Sunrise Rotary Club on Monday evening. The group met a 6:00 pm for dinner. Reports wre given of the past year’s accomplishments by Joe Aguirre, outgoing president.

The club recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with many former members in attendance.

The first Rotary Club was formed in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois and became involved in international service over the years. In 1985 Rotary announced the PolioPlus program to immunize all children against Polio.

The club has several fud raisers each year. The current is the safe fireworks booth beginning June 28, Monday – Sunday, July 4.

The group meets every Tuesday morning at 7:00 am at the El Pescador Restaurant in Fillmore.

Other committee members: Sean Morris, President Elect and Club Service Chair, Tim Gurrola - Treasurer, Kyle Wilson – Secretary, Tim Hagel – Foundation. Don Gunderson – Grant Chairman, Community Service Chair -Bob Hammond, Vocational Service – Cindy Blatt, International Service – Joe Aguirre and Todd Gernhauser, Club District Hugger – Ruthe Gunderson, Interact Chair and Youth Act Chair – Irma Rodriguez, Song Leader – Joe Aguirre, Media Chairman – Eric Vigil, Club Awards – Bob Hammond, Public Relations – Marge Le Bard.

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Saturday, June 26th was the annual Melinda Bishop/Bruce Smith Memorial Horseshoe Tournament sponsored by the Piru Petroleum Club.

This is a major fundraiser for the Scholarship Fund. Competition started at noon with 21 teams and finished about 5PM. 1st place winners were Andrew Vaiz and Doug Harback; 2nd place went to Tory Cabral and Gene Cabral and 3rd place team was Stacy Gunter and Jeff Stevenson. Trophies were presented by Betty Bishop, mother of Melinda Bishop and Helen Smith, wife of Bruce Smith. There was a water slide for the kids.

This year's tournament was well attended with many spectators. Scholarships are awarded every year to graduating Seniors. This year's recipients of $500 each were Elizabeth Wareham, St. Bonaventure High School, daughter of Dave & Diane Wareham; Tanner Carpenter, Fillmore High School, son of Shelly Carpenter Huerta, Brianna Martinez, Fillmore High School, daughter of Brenda Martinez and Jessica Palacio of Piru, Fillmore High School, daughter of Cynthia Chessani.

Piru Petroleum holds a lunch on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month and a Thursday night dinner which is open to the public on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Cost is $10 for food and drink.

Recently the Club also donated to the Fillmore Band Boosters Uniform Fund.

Piru Petroleum Club membership consists of people throughout Ventura County and welcomes new members. The next fundraiser will be a dinner-dance on Saturday, July 31st. A Fishing Tournament is scheduled for September 11th at Lake Piru and a Golf Tournament on October 29th at Elkins Ranch Golf Course.

Anyone interested in becoming a member or wanting information on upcoming events should call Gil @ 231-5817 or Lynda @ 340-0154.

Three candidates with the courage to make changes, the intelligence to learn how to run a successful school system, the willingness to stand up for the children and the staff of FUSD, and the belief that all children can succeed academically (not simply 25% of them!).

We need candidates who care for the children of Fillmore and are willing to clean up the substandard effort the current board has been allowing for too long. A district seemingly ruled by nepotism and pay backs, the present Board and administration has made FUSD famous not for achievement, but for its suspensions, expulsions, and dropout rate. In all of these categories, Fillmore is #1 in Ventura County!

Are you pleased with these results from the Board in place and with the present administration? How many more promotions, and high administrative salaries, and questionable spending will you accept from this culture of incompetence before acting? The time is Now. Please join Reform FUSD Now to identify the three best candidates for this November’s election!

Once a proud district with superior results, Fillmore can rise again, but we need true leaders. Please email us your ideas, suggestions or candidate names! We’ll invite you to our next meeting and communication circles! This is an SOS. We need Leaders NOW!

Email: iscs@sbcglobal.net or phone Marie at (805) 654-8774.

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) is considering establishing a limit on the amount of bacteria allowed in the Santa Clara River. Meeting this requirement is going to touch almost every owner of a home or business in the valley. The cost will be significant and there is no funding source from the State to meet this new requirement. The full financial burden of compliance will likely not hit the property owners until we draw closer to the compliance deadlines in 2018 and 2024.

The regulatory process the Board would use to regulate bacteria is called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) which would limit the concentrations of bacteria discharged into the river and the quantity of bacteria living in the river. Bacteria can come from many sources including sewage treatment plants discharging to the river, farm animals, horses, septic systems, wildlife and storm drains from urban areas.

The TMDL includes recommended strategies and treatment measures to control bacteria. The measures include picking up pet waste, increased street and storm drain cleaning, constructing vegetated filter strips, storm water planters/rain gardens, cisterns, treatment wetlands, media filters and diverting storm drain flow to sewage treatment plants. According to the TMDL Public and private properties would have to be retrofitted with these storm water treatment measures.

Fillmore storm drains have never been CONTINUED »

We filled 4 buses, 187 students. Reports from the students were: "the pasta was great and lots of it, the Magician was terrific, definitely keep the Cruise going forever". We truly appreciate everyone that helped us this year and the last minute help and money we received paid for the 4th bus. Every student that wanted to go (even the 6 last minute students) had a seat. Class of 2011 next year will see some changes. Annette Arroyo Fox is retiring from Grad Nite Live after 13 yeas of dedicated and hard work. April Tipps Hastings and her husband Sean will be taking over and putting together their committees for the different fund raisers they are planning. They will be looking for parents and interested parties that want to help the sophomore, junior and senior classes. They can be contacted at 317-9002 or 317-9196. Mrs. Chaney will still be assisting them and can be contacted at 407-5759/524-4909

All are welcome to preview the new Fillmore's Health and Wellness Center at 448 Santa Clara Avenue from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. on this Sunday July 4th. You will have the opportunity to check out the (almost) finished facility and to meet the co-owners, Valerie Brinton, Maggie Garrett and Janine Rees.

Valerie will unveil some of the classes, workshops and therapies she will be offering through her business, Shared Field Healing Arts. Maggie will present her acupuncture treatment programs available through her "The Power of Chi" Acupuncture Clinic.

And Janine will be taking pre-sign-ups for her yoga classes through The Scented Path Yoga.

Come meet all three members of Fillmore's Health and Wellness Center and learn what we can offer for your continuing good health and well-being. Light refreshments will be served.

Sespe 4-H is taking sign-ups for 2010-2011 beginning July 2 thru July 15th. If you have an interest in learning to raise and show an animal, our club offers projects in swine, lambs, goats, beef and poultry. In addition to animal projects we will offer arts and crafts and CPR/First Aid projects. We also plan to continue several community service projects again this year such as “Sespe Sox Box” at Christmas time, food share in October, and Rescue Mission in November.

Members must be 9 yrs. of age to take a large livestock animal. Partial sponsorship is offered in some projects.

Our club meets the 3rd Thursday of every month, 7:00 pm at the Memorial Building. Please stop by for a visit if you are interested in joining. If you have questions please call 524-6916.

The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley is pleased to welcome two Girl Scout troops to the Club. Sheila Tate, CEO for Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley has been meeting with Sally Knight, Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast, with the goal of bringing troop meetings to the Club so that female Club members would be able to participate. The meetings are scheduled to begin Monday, June 21st at the Fillmore Clubhouse and Monday, Tuesday, July 6th at the Santa Paula Clubhouse. In Fillmore, the girls will meet every Monday for 8 weeks, from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. In Santa Paula the troop will meet on Tuesdays 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. Both troops will work on earning ‘badges’ during their meetings.

Guided by the Girl Scout Law: “I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout,” the Club’s girls will learn skills and tools to help them grow into responsible caring adults. Funding for the Girl Scout program is being provided by Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast.

The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley is open for the 2010 Summer Season and accepts children ages 5 to 18 yrs. The annual membership is $25 per child per calendar year, allowing members’ access to the Club and its programs from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm Monday thru Friday. Early Bird program is available from 7:30 am to 12:00 noon at a rate of $10 per day, which includes a free snack and lunch.

Edith Smith and her crew are proud to announce plans for an official “Grand Opening” of her downtown Piru restaurant with a menu full of specials and events for all ages on Saturday, July 24th. The day’s celebration kicks off at 8 am with incredible breakfast specials. In addition to their famous biscuits and gravy, the home style cooking will include a variety of tasty offerings throughout the day.

The menu then changes to lunch time meals including free hot dogs and lemonade for the kids. At noon they start serving bar-b-q specials hot off the grill. Shredded beef burritos and pulled pork sandwiches are just two of the other planned specials. The delicious summer desserts prepared fresh daily by colleague Joy Zavala will surely tempt your belly and will feature local produce, including fresh strawberry treats.

Beginning at 2 pm a local DJ will spin crowd favorites and live music for dancing under the stars will be to the tunes “Ice”, a popular local area band. Door prizes and other activities will be offered throughout the day. No alcohol will be sold.

This longtime Piru establishment, CONTINUED »

Thursday, August 5 - Resumes that Sell, 9 am – 4 pm - workshop providing hands-on assistance in completing a resume, cover and thank-you letters. Walk away with a portfolio that shows off professional skills and experience. Career Shops are offered at no cost to Job Seekers. Space is limited. Prior registration required by calling the Santa Clara Valley Job & Career Center at 805-933-8452 to enroll.

Thursday, August 12 - Winning Interviews, 9 am – 1 pm - supplies the tools to make a lasting first impression when interviewing. Career Shops are offered at no cost to Job Seekers. Space is limited. Prior registration required by calling the Santa Clara Valley Job & Career Center at 805-933-8452 to enroll.

Thursday, August 19 – Workplace Essentials, 9 am – 1 pm - Start your journey to successful employment, identify your transferable skills, learn the importance of attitude and self-esteem, how to balance work and family, and the basic strategies for keeping a job. Space is limited. Prior registration required by calling the Santa Clara Valley Job & Career Center at 805-933-8452 to enroll.

Monday, August 30 - Power of VOS (Virtual OneStop), 9 am – 11:30 am – Learn about the Virtual OneStop website and how you can use the various tools in the system to build your resume and customize your job search to a specific location and occupation. Must have basic computer skills. Career Shops are offered at no cost to Job Seekers. Space is limited. Prior registration required by calling the Santa Clara Valley Job & Career Center at 805-933-8452 to enroll.

Spanish language workshop:
Monday, August 9 - Tecnicas para la Busqueda de Trabajo (Job Search Techniques), 9 am – 1 pm - Esta diseñada para personas que estan buscando empleo. Los temas incluyen donde y como buscar empleo, como crear una red de comunicacion, tecnicas de como usar el teléfono apropriadamente para buscar empleo y como usar la red del internet para buscar empleo. Tambien aprendera tecnicas apropriadas para hacer un entrevista. También aprenderá técnicas apropiadas para hacer una entrevista. 805-933-8452.

Career Shops are presented in partnership with Ventura County Job & Career Centers and are sponsored by the Human Services Agency and the Workforce Investment Board. Equal opportunity Employer/Program/Service – TDD/TT Inquiries call 1 (800) 735-2922. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individual with disabilities.

Victorian wear will be the featured entertainment at the storied Teague Mansion in Santa Paula where the latest fashions-"latest" as in the early 1900s-will turn heads and maybe even offer a glimpse of ankle in a unique show staged by Santa Paula resident Carol Beckerdite and friends. Proceeds from the festivity and fashion of the event, as well as a boutique and ‘Silent Auction’ of the table decorations, will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley.

The “Tea at the Teague” is Saturday, July 10th from 1 pm to 4 p.m. Tickets are $35 each and include luncheon, a Victorian Wear fashion show and a boutique at the historic mansion, a setting befitting the display of period clothing. Seating for the event is limited and advance reservations are required.

Built in 1924, the Teague Mansion was the second home of the Charles Collins Teague family. The stately home was carefully situated to take advantage of the sweeping views of the valley and distant Pacific Ocean, and features lush gardens and expansive lawns. Designed by Roy Wilson in collaboration with Edwin Thorne and designer Peter Ficker, the style was called Old English Manor House. Teague Mansion has been recognized as Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 54. The Mansion doubled for the fabled "Pickfair," home of silent stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Sr., in the 1990s film "Chaplin." The Mansion as been generously opened to the public by current owner Jackie Hamilton for this event.

A modern shuttle will be stationed at the Mill parking lot at Railroad and Tenth Streets to transport guests to the hillside setting of the Teague Mansion.

For more information and tickets, call Tammy Hobson, Boys & Girls Club Board Member, at 805-320-5370. Tickets must be purchased by July 2, 2010.

Santa Paula, Calf. – June 29, 2010 – Considering the current economic state of the country, feeding your family for a week on just $30 sounds like a dream…but could it soon become a reality? Thanks to local community efforts and a program called The Treasure Box, it already is.

Spirit of Santa Paula, a 501 (c) (3) organization that provides meals to homeless and at risk families in the Santa Paula area, is pleased to announce that it has partnered with The Treasure Box, an economical meal program developed by Good Source Solutions in Carlsbad, Calif. The Treasure Box contains 21 -28 lbs of well-known and popular food brand items to provide a family of four nutritious meals for up to a week or an individual for almost a month. Each Treasure Box contains $75 - $100 worth of delicious, high quality food offered to individuals and families for just $30 per box. The program has no income qualifications or restrictions, and is available to everyone in the community.

Kay Wilson-Bolton, project coordinator at Spirit of Santa Paula, said the organization’s goal is to continue to tap into resources that can help it accomplish its mission to provided meals for homeless and hungry families at risk. To date, Spirit of Santa Paula has provided more than 20,000 meals to individuals and families in Santa Paula.

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Thousand Oaks, CA July 8, 2010 - The Alzheimer’s Association, Ventura County Regional Office will be hosting a Kick-Off Party Thursday, July 8th for the 2010 Thousand Oaks Memory Walk at Conejo Creek North Park next October. Funds raised from the Memory Walk support the free programs and services offered by Alzheimer’s Association throughout Ventura County. This year’s goal is $71,000.
At this Kick-Off, people interested in participating in the 2010 Thousand Oaks Memory Walk on Saturday, October 2 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon will receive information about the Walk, how to start a Team and/or how to join a Team. The event will take place at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery at 3955 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd from 5:30 – 7 p.m. with light refreshments, non-alcoholic drinks and great raffle prizes! For more information, please call (805) 484-6028.

About the Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association signature event, Memory Walk is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research — and it calls on people of all ages to take action in the fight. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's disease.

For more information, please contact Angie Rosen at (805)484-6028 or visit www.alz.org/cacentralcoast.

Community Memorial Hospital is offering free blood pressure screenings in its main lobby every Monday, from noon to 2 p.m., beginning in July through its HeartAware and StrokeAware programs.

No appointment is necessary; walk-ins are welcomed.

The American Heart Association recommends routine periodic screening for high blood pressure since the condition does not have any symptoms and is often known as the “silent killer.” In fact, many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing that it may be causing damage to your arteries, heart and other organs. The AHA reports that many people assume that high blood pressure is related to high levels of stress, tension and nervousness, but the truth is relaxed, easy-going people can still have it.

The only way for people to know if they are hypertensive is to have their blood pressure checked. High blood pressure can develop over time, and there are many treatment options available to manage the disease. Prompt treatment can reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, angina and congestive heart failure. Andrea Ricketts, MSN, NP, CMH’s HeartAware/Stroke Aware Program Manager states “with regular tracking of your blood pressure, along with knowledge of potential consequences and participation in programs such as StrokeAware can help motivate individuals to better care for their arteries and live a heart healthy lifestyle.”
The screenings are provided free of charge through Community Memorial Hospital ’s HeartAware and StrokeAware programs. For more information, call 805/667-2818 or visit www.cmhshealth.org.

Community Memorial Hospital is a member of Community Memorial Health System, a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and nine family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

Bert Rapp, the City of Fillmore Public Works Director will lead an engineering bicycle tour of Fillmore on Sunday June 27th. The tour is intended for High School or Junior College students looking for a career choice and might be interested in Civil Engineering.

The tour will begin at City Hall at 1:00 and travel to the various public infrastructure facilities around the city and return to City hall about 5:00. Participants will see how we get our drinking water and deliver it to the customers. They will learn how the Foothill Pressure Zone saves the water customers $40,000 a year in electricity costs and how water reservoirs are designed for seismic forces.

Pole Creek will give up some of its hydraulic secrets and the mighty Santa Clara River’s geomorphology will be uncovered. Participants will learn how the city engineers design environmentally friendly flood protection along the river and how the sidewalks can be constructed to be root resistant to street trees.

Keeping streets safe in a small town is essential, so as we ride we will discuss traffic calming techniques and look at some of the improvements the City of Fillmore has made.

The bike riders will stop by the CONTINUED »

On Thursday, June 17, 2010, Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. joined the California Department of Real Estate and the State Bar of California to warn homeowners about an alarming rise in short sale fraud across California in a field "rife with scam artists".

A short sale is an arrangement in which a homeowner sells his or her home for less than the outstanding mortgage, with the consent of the lender.

"While short sales can provide homeowners with a last-ditch alternative to foreclosure, this market is rife with scam artists," Brown said. "Homeowners and buyers, agents, and lenders should beware of short sale negotiators who operate without licenses, use straw buyers or charge illegal fees."

With so many homeowners now considering short sales, an entire industry of so-called short sale negotiators has emerged. These individuals solicit homeowners by promising to expedite the process and help coax lenders into taking part in the transaction.

The Department of Real Estate is investigating more than 40 complaints of short sale fraud, up from "virtually zero" cases only three months ago, a spokesman said.

In April, the Obama administration CONTINUED »