Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement. A Baptist minister by training, King became a civil rights activist early in his career, leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott. His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, raising public consciousness of the civil rights movement and establishing King as one of the greatest orators in American history.

In 1964, he became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a United States federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King’s birthday, January 15.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Martin Luther King Day was established as a national holiday in the United States in 1986. In 2004, King was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

On Dec.11, at 2pm, Ventura fire crews responded to a reported structure fire in east Ventura in the 9900 block of Basswood Ct. . The first arriving unit discovered a single-family residential structure with smoke emitting from the attic. Fire crews initiated a rapid interior fire attack coordinated with firefighters performing vertical ventilation on the roof. Simultaneously, firefighters performed a search for occupants inside the structure. Additional fire crews were assigned to protect adjacent structures being exposed to the fire and protect interior furnishings with salvage operations. One civilian was treated on scene and transported to a local hospital.

On Thursday, December 13^th, a lone suspect broke into and robbed the Namba Performing Arts Space, 47 So. Oak St. The entire crime was captured on security cameras. The suspect smashed the front glass door, entered directly to Namba’s box office area and left with a small donation box with less than $30 in it.

Namba is a non-profit organization serving our community with performing arts including music, dance, comedy, theatrical performances as well as community and civic events.

Police have not yet identified suspect. If you know who the individual is in the photo, please call Ventura Police at 805-339-4400 ext. 1169.

Jeffrey Willerth, Namba Director, said “While a smash and grab isn’t in the spirit of our December holiday programming, we’re thrilled nobody was hurt. Yes, only a few bucks were stolen but, like most local non-profits, we work really hard to raise every dollar to serve our community and it feels so unjust.”

Keith Barnard, vice-president of sourcing at Mission Produce, has joined the board of directors of the Ventura College Foundation.

“The VC Foundation Board of Directors is excited to welcome Keith to the board,” says Rob van Nieuwburg, foundation board chair. “Keith brings an agriculture industry voice to the table. We are looking forward to partnering with Mission Produce and the local farming industry to expand programs for Ventura College students in agriculture.”

Barnard was born and raised in Ventura County. He attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where he obtained his BS in Agriculture Business. After graduating, he joined his father’s company, Mission Produce. As vice-president of sourcing, he focuses on securing avocados for input primarily from countries in North, Central and South America. Barnard’s family has been in agriculture for four generations.

“Agriculture is one of the top employers in Ventura County,” says Barnard. “I would like to help introduce more programs at Ventura College that get young people excited about potential careers in the industry.”

The Christmas and New Year’s holidays are ways to spend time with family and friends ringing in another year, but also a time when people can make poor choices that put themselves and others at risk on the road.

To help spread the message about the dangers of drunk and drugged driving, the Ventura Police Department is partnering with the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to get impaired drivers off roads.

During the high-visibility enforcement campaign Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, which runs until Jan. 1, the Ventura Police Department will have more officers on the road conducting saturation patrols looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

In addition, a DUI checkpoint will be held on December 28, 2018 between the hours of 8:00 pm and 3:00 am at an undisclosed location within the city limits. Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, as well as checking drivers for proper licensing.

“Whether you are home with family or at the bar, it is important that you find a sober ride home after drinking,” said Corporal Al Gomez. “As an adult, it is up to you to make adult decisions and drive sober or use a ride share service. There are no excuses for driving impaired.”

DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze. Marijuana, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs.

During the 2017 Christmas (Dec. 22-25) and New Year’s (Dec. 30-Jan. 2) holiday periods, 25 people were killed and 643 injured on California roads, according to data from the California Highway Patrol Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.

“Drunk driving continues to be a huge problem in this country, and more recently, marijuana and drug- impaired driving,” said Sergeant Michael Brown. “People are out and about shopping for the holidays and going to or hosting parties, so it is important that everyone acts responsibly behind the wheel.”

Funding for impaired driving enforcement operations are provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The new Ocean Tower at Community Memorial Hospital opened to patients on Sunday, Dec. 16, when all the patients were transferred from their rooms in the old Mountain Tower to their new ones in the Ocean Tower.

The transfer of CMH patients to the new building took the bulk of the day on Sunday and was completed without incident. Overall 130 patients were moved.

“The transfer of our patients into their new rooms is a final and much anticipated step in opening our new hospital to the community. We’ve been waiting a long time for this day and are thrilled it arrived and all went well as expected,” said CMH President and CEO Gary Wilde. “We remain grateful for the community’s ongoing support of our new hospital.”

Community Memorial Health System built the new Ocean Tower to meet seismic requirements that the state of California mandated after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, to replace an aging structure built in the 1960s, and to attract the next generation of physicians. The new CMH will better meet today’s needs and expectations for high-quality care and patient privacy. All 250 rooms in the six-story Ocean Tower are private rooms.

The Ocean Tower is adjacent to the current/old hospital, now called the Mountain Tower. The Mountain Tower will remain in use and serve a variety of functions, including housing rehabilitative services, the GI Laboratory, respiratory therapy, laboratory services, nuclear medicine, physiology, nutrition services, the growing Graduate Medical Education Residency Program and administrative offices, among other uses.

A redesigned and expanded California School Dashboard is now available to the public at www.caschooldashboard.org. The Dashboard, which debuted in 2017, has a new look that makes it easier to see how individual schools and districts are performing in six statewide measures of student success. For the first time, the Dashboard is providing data on chronic absenteeism and college and career readiness along with the four other state measures that were reported previously. The six measures are:

• Academic Performance
• Chronic Absenteeism (new for 2018)
• College/Career Readiness (new for 2018)
• English Learner Progress
• High School Graduation Rate
• Suspension Rate

The Dashboard also shows how particular student groups are performing in each of the six measures. In addition to racial and ethnic categories, the Dashboard reports results for these groups:

• English Learners
• Foster Youth
• Homeless
• Socioeconomically Disadvantaged
• Students with Disabilities

“The Dashboard is part of a larger state effort to continuously improve public education and is a visual representation of student performance across multiple indicators. As a County Office of Education, we benefit from data being presented in a manner that assists us in understanding strengths and areas for growth among our districts and schools,” says Dr. Antonio Castro, Associate Superintendent for Educational Services at the Ventura County Office of Education.

The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.

For the first time, Ventura County’s major educational institutions have combined their resources to create a report that encompasses educational programs and achievements from elementary school to graduate school. The 2018 Ventura County Education Report to the Community is now available to view and download.

California Lutheran University, CSU Channel Islands, the Ventura Community College District and the Ventura County Office of Education jointly produced the 20-page publication. The report highlights the innovative ways Ventura County’s K-12 schools, community colleges and universities are expanding educational opportunity and achievement. The report also takes a look at the growing effort by educators to prepare students for the working world by providing the knowledge and skills sought after by local employers.

The report is being released by the Ventura County P-20 Council, which is a group of local education, business, government and nonprofit leaders who collaborate on educational issues.

The report is available to view as a digital magazine or download as a PDF document at www.vcp20.org/report. Printed copies are available at the Ventura County Office of education at 5100 Adolfo Rd. in Camarillo.

Both shoppers and California farmers are benefitting from the Market Match and the Cal-Fresh (SNAP) food programs offered by the Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association (VCCFM). Market Match is California’s healthy food incentive program, which uses grant dollars to match or double a portion of the customers’ federal nutrition assistance benefits, like Cal-Fresh (SNAP), for the exclusive purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables at their certified farmers’ market.

The Market Match program is available at two Ventura Markets including the Midtown Ventura Certified Farmers’ Market held on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pacific View Mall and the Downtown Ventura Certified Farmers’ Market held on Saturday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon held in the City Parking Lot, at Santa Clara & Palm Streets. All Cal-Fresh SNAP and Market Match benefits are administered through a token system available at the VCCFM Market Information booths.

The markets also accept the WIC (Women, Infants and Child) food programs at each of their locations. “This is a win-win for both our famers and shoppers who benefit from the program,” stated Karen Schott, Operations Manager for the VCCFM. “We are so delighted to join together in this public awareness health program,” she added. For more information, call the Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association at 805-529-6266 or visit the website at www.vcfarmersmarkets.com.

On November 20, at 9:50pm the Ventura City Fire Department responded to a report of smoke and flames at Golf N’ Stuff. According to the city of Ventura Fire Department the fire was determined to be arson,The fire was to the western themed façade used for one of the putting holes . The blaze was put out within 30 minutes.