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By Gazette Staff Writers — Saturday, February 25th, 2023
 Congratulations to Fillmore’s Mock Trial Team which competed at the 2023 Ventura County Mock Trial competition where they competed against 21 high schools. The Mock Trial competition is coordinated annually by the Ventura County Office of Education. The event brings courtroom drama to life as students take on the roles of participants in a criminal case, including attorneys, witnesses, bailiffs, and journalists. Students present their cases in real courtrooms before actual local judges who volunteer for the competition. Local attorneys serve as coaches. This year’s fictitious case is People v. Franks, which is about an altercation between two actors who are performing on a cruise ship. Although they competed well, they fell short this year in placing. Awards were given to the following Flashes team members: Most Valuable Player - Henry Hurd; Commitment to Excellence - Henry Hurd and Ayden Sanchez; Best Witness - Rosalyn Diaz. Photo credit FHS Blog. Enlarge Photo |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Saturday, February 25th, 2023
 With the next big storm set to hit Ventura County this weekend crews were busy clearing out mud and debris at Chambersburg Road, Bardsdale. Strong winds, rain and snow at higher elevations are predicted Thursday through Sunday. Freeze warnings may be in place, expected to drop as low as 1,000 to 1,500 feet. Elevations above 6,000 feet could see two to three feet of snow, with lower elevations receiving 6" to 2 feet. Rain: 1.75" to 3.5" are expected Wednesday through Sunday. Enlarge Photo |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Saturday, February 25th, 2023
On Wednesday, February 15, at 1:00am, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office was involved in a westbound SR-126 pursuit from Hallock Drive, Santa Paula to Wells Road, Ventura. The 15-year-old female subject (of Fillmore) crashed into a guardrail near the Wells Road offramp. The subject was taken into custody by CHP-Ventura and arrested for DUI, felony evading, and reckless driving. Information credit Angel Esquivel-AE News. |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Saturday, February 25th, 2023
 On Saturday, February 18, at 4:08am, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, Ventura County Fire Dept., AMR Paramedics, and California Highway Patrol were dispatched to a three vehicle accident on SR126 / Hopper Canyon Road, Piru. Arriving Ventura County Sheriff's Deputies located the vehicles involved, with a grey Honda Accord sustaining major front-end damage. Edison wires and a power pole were reported down. The collision did not affect any traffic during this investigation, and no additional information was provided during the incident. Photo credit Angel Esquivel-AE News. Enlarge Photo |
 Above is the newly donated Advanced Rescue Vehicle Medevac (ARM) Vehicle by Direct Relief to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Photo courtesy Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Enlarge Photo By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Saturday, February 25th, 2023
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department On February 7th, 2023, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors accepted the donation of an Advanced Rescue Medevac (ARM) vehicle donated by Direct Relief to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. In January 2023, shortly after the devastating floods and rain throughout the Tri-Counties area, Direct Relief contacted the California Office of Emergency Services seeking to make a donation to purchase equipment which could be used in a wide range of rescue scenarios. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office had already been working with CalOES to find something similar. CalOES put Direct Relief in contact with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office to coordinate our efforts. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and the Ventura County Fire Department worked together and concluded the Lenco Advanced Rescue Medevac (ARM) was what would serve the citizens best. Direct Relief agreed and purchased the vehicle. On February 7th, 2023, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to accept the gift from Direct Relief. The Lenco ARM is a fully armored vehicle. It has 36-inch run-flat tires, is 4X4, a turbo diesel engine, can drive through mud and water up to 44 inches deep, can endure direct flame for a short period of time, can climb 60-degree slopes and take winds up to 200 miles per hour. The vehicle also has a full medical interior, complete with onboard oxygen and a litter system like the equipment in an ambulance. Because the vehicle is armored, it will be supervised and operated by members of the Sheriff’s SWAT team, but will have Ventura County Fire Department paramedics on board as part of the regular staffing for the vehicle. The purpose of the vehicle is to rescue citizens, officers and deputies in any kind of situation, whether tactical or natural disaster, and provide advanced life support to those victims until they are out of harms way and transport them to a safe location. No other vehicle in the county fleet has this capability. Direct Relief is a world-wide humanitarian aid non-profit organization. Their mission is to improve the lives of people everywhere by providing lifesaving resources. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and the Ventura County Fire Department are hosting an event for Direct Relief on February 21st, 2023, to say thank you and demonstrate the capabilities of the new vehicle. The media are invited to attend. Please contact Capt. Cameron Henderson for further details of the event. Nature of Incident: Donation of New Armored Rescue Vehicle |
 Pictured above is a Youth Arrangement entry from grades 3 – 6 from last year’s Flower Show. Photo courtesy Jan Lee. Enlarge Photo By Gazette Staff Writers — Saturday, February 25th, 2023
Courtesy Jan Lee April 15 and 16 are the dates for the Fillmore Flower Show for 2023. The theme is “Garden Treasures”. It should be a beautiful event again this year. Plan to enter some of the lovely treasures growing in your yard. If you go to fillmoreflowershow.org you will see all the rules to enter as well as the many divisions of plants and flowers. The Flower Show committee, a group of volunteers who appreciate the garden treasures growing in the yards of the Fillmore community, has broadened the eligibility for youth this year. We want to encourage young people to go outside and discover the fun of growing, arranging and displaying plants and flowers. There are three divisions specifically for youth: Division IX Youth Arrangements, Division X Youth Composition and Division XI Youth Art, which is a non-competitive division. Ordinarily, youth must live within the boundaries of the Fillmore Unified School District to enter. But, starting this year, any youth may enter no matter where they live. Youth are age 3 up through 12th grade. All youth entries are FREE. Of course, youth may compete with the adults in any division. At the Flower Show there will be a plant boutique where you can get some plants to grow in your garden. There will also be a table where children can participate in a gardening activity. While strolling around looking at the displays, you will be entertained by live music. From 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday the Flower Show will be open to the public. Admission is free. See you there! |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, February 16th, 2023
City Council voted 5-0 to approve all agenda items: 7-A PUBLIC HEARING: CONSIDERATION OF THE ADOPTION OF THE CITY’S 2020 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN AND WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLAN 7.B GRANT OF EASEMENT AND AGREEMENT FOR EL DORADO ESTATES ANZA STREET GATE ENTRANCE 7.C DISSOLUTION OF CITY’S ACTIVE ADULT AND FILM COMMISSIONS FILLMORE - STAFF REPORT DISSOLVING ACTIVE ADULT AND FILM COMMISSION. 7-D 308 CHAMBERSBURG ROAD/SH-23 PROPERTY UPDATE AND REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION TO RECORD A DEED RESTRICTION EQUESTRIAN CENTER STAFF REPORT - DEED RESTRICTION. 7-E FIRST AMENDMENT TO CONTRACT SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR WATER QUALITY ADVISORY SERVICES STAFF REPORT MAGDALENO CONTRACT AMENDMENT 2023 7.F RECEIVE AND FILE DOWNTOWN STRATEGIC VISION REPORT PREPARED BY RETAIL STRATEGIES AND HAVE STAFF DISSEMINATE THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND ITS PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION SR - DOWNTOWN STRATEGIC VISION. 7.G CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION AND ADOPTION OF KEY RESULTS AREAS AS THE CITY COUNCIL’S 2023-24 GOALS KEY RESULTS AREA - STAFF REPORT. |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, February 16th, 2023
 (above) (l-r) Fillmore Police Chief Eduardo “Lalo” Malagon and Rotary President Elect Scott Beylik. The Fillmore Rotary speaker last week was new Police Chief Eduardo “Lalo” Malagon. Chief Malagon began his career as a Sheriff’s Cadet in 2000 and has worked his way up as an Investigator, Patrol Officer, Special Crimes, Gang Enforcement and Swat Team. He also worked at the jail and in dispatch. All this experience has now led him to Fillmore. The Chief is working on ways to engage Fillmore students with officers in positive ways and stresses that law enforcement wants to build friendship with the community. He suggested that we all engage with the Fillmore officers and just talk and get to know them. Photo courtesy Rotarian Martha Richardson. Enlarge Photo |
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By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Thursday, February 16th, 2023
Ventura County Sheriff's Department On February 8, 2023, deputies assigned to the Fillmore patrol station contacted and arrested William Krol of Santa Cruz for making criminal threats against a female victim. On February 7, 2023, the victim was walking her dog and was confronted by Krol. Krol aggressively approached the victim and threatened to kill her and seriously injure her dog. A diligent and unidentified citizen intervened and assisted the victim by escorting her to safety. The victim was not injured as a result of the confrontation. The victim was able to call 911 and report the incident. Patrol deputies responded and were unable to locate the suspect. After the incident, Fillmore patrol deputies and detectives began an investigation and identified Krol as a possible suspect. On February 8, 2023, a sergeant working patrol contacted and detained Krol at a local shopping center in Fillmore. After further investigation, Krol was positively identified as the suspect who made the criminal threats toward the victim. Krol was arrested for PC 422- Criminal Threats and was booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is committed to maintaining the safety of all residents by continued community partnerships. The Fillmore Police Department encourages citizens to immediately report suspicious people and vehicles, and to promptly report any crime they come across by calling 911. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of the public for their on-going support and due diligence in providing information to assist our agency in solving crimes. Report Number: 23-16986 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 800-222-TIPS (8477). |
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By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, February 16th, 2023
 On Sunday, February 12, 2023, at 7:48pm, Fillmore Police, Fillmore Fire Department, and AMR Paramedics were dispatched to a traffic collision involving a motorcycle in front of Best Western Hotel on SR-126/Ventura St., Fillmore. Arriving deputies reported two vehicles involved with the motorcycle. The injured motorcyclist was reported in the center divider. Fillmore firefighters and paramedics rendered aid to the driver and transported the patient to Ventura County Medical Center; Fillmore PD was following up for a blood draw. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Photo credit Gazette photographer Angel Esquivel-AE News. Enlarge Photo |
