American Red Cross of Ventura County

The American Red Cross urges eligible donors to give blood to support cancer patients and other patients during Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October.

More than 1.6 million new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year and 246,600 of them will be invasive breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer patients may need blood products during chemotherapy, surgery or treatment for complications.

Mary Kay Huppert was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. “I was a nurse for 40 years. I saw blood transfusions save a lot of lives.” She received two transfusions herself while being treated for breast cancer.

The Red Cross must collect about 14,000 blood donations every day to help patients, and volunteer donors are the only source of blood products for those needing transfusions. Donors of all blood types are needed.

To make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Donors are encouraged to make appointments and complete the RapidPass online health history questionnaire at redcrossblood.org/rapidpass to save time when donating.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities: Ventura County

Oak Park
10/19/2016: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Oak Park High School, 899 North Kanan Road

Oxnard
10/25/2016: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Oxnard College, 4000 S Rose Ave

Simi Valley
10/28/2016: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., Simi Valley Rancho Santa Suzanna Community, 5005 E Los Angeles Ave

Thousand Oaks
10/19/2016: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
10/24/2016: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd
10/28/2016: 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Thousand Oaks High School, 2323 N Moorpark Rd

Ventura
10/18/2016: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., EP Foster Library, 651 E Main Street

How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

The League of Women Voters and the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce are hosting a forum this Wednesday evening October 5th. Although two parts are related to Santa Paula, the first forum at 6:30 PM is with the two candidates for Ventura County Supervisor district #3.

A letter sent to Fillmore High School Athletic Director:

Good Morning A.D. Tafoya,
My name is Margaret Lopez I am the Specialized Health Care Tech./LVN at Santa Paula High and the grandmother to Angel Segovia #44. First, I want to commend your athletes on a well-played game on Friday and let you know what an amazing gesture of good sportsmanship occurred immediately following the game.

Fridays game was extremely competitive for both teams (as it is every year) and during the game all athletes were focused on doing their jobs to the best of their ability and while doing so there is an amazing respect they have for one another as in this case. I have worked at the high school for 22 years and have been present during many of the Fillmore vs SP games in which my two sons played when they attend SPHS and there have been many times when players have been so, competitive they lose sight of just how talented they all are. Mr. Leighton should be commended for appreciating the talent of the opposing teams players and for showing that appreciation. Mr. Leighton sought out my grandson Angel after the game and came over to shake his hand and commend Angel on playing a great game, Angel returned that complement right back to Mr. Leighton. Both boys decided to exchange jerseys for a picture and congratulate each other on playing a tough game. Angel commented that Mr. Leighton played hard and even though they had their game faces on during the game Angel was very impressed with Mr. Leighton’s talent. Angel stated that “guys like #50 will have a great future with his attitude alone”.

Mr. Leighton and Angel showed great sportsmanship that night and I hope that other athletes can take away from this game what these two young men saw in one another. Although, both schools are rivals there is respect for each player who gives all they can during the game and as long as they do their job to the best of their ability, they should all be respected and commended for their performance.

Great Job Mr. Leighton and Angel!

Margaret Lopez
Specialized Health Care Tech/LVN
Santa Paula High School

A Camarillo woman was sentenced Tuesday to 300 days in Ventura County jail in connection with a double fatality vehicle last year just outside Moorpark. Rachael Hill, 27, will report to the jail November 4 to start her sentence. Hill pleaded no contest last month to two counts of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. The conviction stems from a September 12, 2015, crash on Moorpark Road south of Tierra Rejada Road. The California Highway Patrol said Hill was driving south on Moorpark Road at 5:19 p.m. when her vehicle swerved to the right and hit Maciek Malish, 53, as he was riding a bicycle on the shoulder. Hill then overcorrected and turned the vehicle into the northbound lanes, where it hit Jesse Cushman, 43, who was riding a motorcycle. Malish, of Simi Valley, and Cushman, of Fillmore, were both wearing helmets but died at the scene. Patrol officials said Hill was "distracted by a portable electronic device" in her vehicle at the time of the incident. (information provided by Ventura
County Star.)

A man with a gunshot wound drove to the Fillmore fire station after an apparent shooting nearby according to the
Ventura County Sheriff's Office. The victim showed up at the fire station around 3:30 p.m. after driving himself and was later transported to Ventura County Medical Center by paramedics.

Although the man appeared in Fillmore, the shooting is believed to have taken place in Bardsdale.

(information provided by Ventura County Star)

SACRAMENTO - California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith today called on the people of California to help reduce the number of mosquitoes by eliminating standing water, especially in areas that have recently had rain and continue to experience warm temperatures.

“Rainy weather can create new breeding grounds for mosquitoes if water is allowed to pool and remain stagnant,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “Mosquito season in California peaks in October, making it critically important that Californians take action to empty even small amounts of water from our gardens and yards.”

To help control mosquitoes, check your yard weekly for water-filled containers. Clean and scrub bird baths and pet watering dishes weekly, and dump the water from dishes under potted plants. Contact your local vector control agency if you detect unusual numbers of mosquitoes or you are being bitten during the day.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito, an aggressive mosquito that bites during the day, has been detected in 12 California counties. This black-and-white striped mosquito has the potential to transmit Zika and other diseases, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. While the mosquito is especially active two hours after sunrise and several hours before sunset, it can also bite during the day. These mosquitoes often enter buildings through unscreened windows and doors and bite people indoors.

While there has been no local transmission of Zika in California, as of September 23, 302 travel-associated cases have been reported in the state.

Zika symptoms typically include a fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. Most people infected with the Zika virus will not have symptoms, but Zika is a major concern in pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. In addition to Zika, West Nile virus, another mosquito-borne illness, continues to concern public health officials.

To prevent mosquito bites, apply repellents containing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 to exposed skin and/or clothing (as directed on the product label). During the times mosquitoes are most active you should wear long- sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and shoes. Be sure window and door screens are in good condition to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.

More information about Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can be found on the CDPH website and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

www.cdph.ca.gov

2016 Ventura County Fair Fillmore FFA Participants were also recognized for their participation at this past years Ventura County Fair. Photo by Bob Crum.
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At Tuesday night’s School Board meeting, Fillmore Unified recognized Rio Vista’s District Staff as heros for taking action during a flood that occurred at Rio Vista Elementary School. Photo by Bob Crum.
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Brian Ricards. Photo by Bob Crum.
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Brian Ricards Statemant:

In the field of education the phrase ‘It’s all for the students’ is often thrown around. It sounds good to the ear and it looks good on paper as well. However when the educators of Fillmore High School step into our classrooms, we often ask ourselves “Is it REALLY all for the students?” And if it is “all for the students,” how do these current conditions of our classrooms benefit the education of these students?

Currently there are 4 teachers at the high school who have class sizes that exceed the 34 student average per class for a total of over 170 students in 5 periods. Our contract states that these teachers will receive $250 for each student, each semester for classrooms that exceed the 170 mark. However, this does not address the daily overcrowding in the classroom which takes away from student learning. In addition to overcrowded classrooms, the lack of resources available to teachers who conduct laboratory activities and projects for over 170 students often leads to costs that far outweigh our compensation. We often have to pay for supplies out of pocket for class activities because our departments have no money to spend on anything that cannot be purchased at Office Depot. For example: having an AP Biology class with 38 students can be extremely costly and time consuming for the teacher to ensure that the students are getting an AP quality education. Also, there are currently 9 periods of classroom instruction at the high school that have student numbers that exceed the 37 students per period cap allowed by our contract. This is a blatant contract violation with no compensation given to the affected teachers. A computer lab with 30 functioning computers becomes much less effective when there are 39 students enrolled in the class. On top of these contract violations, 5 teachers have class size discrepancies of 10 or more students between periods of the same class; another blatant contract violation. When educators such as ourselves live through these conditions every day in the classroom we know that these conditions severely impede the learning of our students. How can having 39 students in a single class be “all for the students?” FUTA has met with the administration at the high school and they have informed us that “This is the best that we can do”.

So I guess the real question we have for the school board and the administration is when will the educational rhetoric match up with the everyday conditions of our classrooms? Because right now there is a huge discrepancy between what is being said in public and what is going on daily in our classrooms. These conditions have existed for many years at the high school with staff members being scared to speak up for fear of retaliation from administrators. Those days are over. So when we see a violation of our teaching contract, especially a violation as important as class size, we will be forced to file a grievance in order to protect our members and most importantly to protect our students if these contract violations are not remedied as soon as possible.

It’s time to back up the educational rhetoric with educational action. Please assist the teachers of Fillmore High School in allowing us to teach in classrooms which create positive learning environments that students need and deserve in order to become productive contributors to our society.

Thank you for your time.
Brian Ricards - Vice President of FUTA