∙ I wish all a happy, happy New Year. We all thought 2022 would be better with the elimination of COVID, but it appears that it is here to stay. I think going forward receiving COVID shots will be just like getting the flu shot. Just something we do every year.

A special happy new year to our wonderful readers, donors and the amazing Breeze staff who make the paper possible.

∙ The Ventura City Council unanimously voted to extend the downtown outdoor dining program until July. It was set to expire on Jan. 7. Making this closure permanent could take several years. The added time will allow city staff to create a new special permit to address lost parking revenue and other traffic concerns. With the closure extended, the city expects to lose approximately $236,000 in parking fees from downtown meters.

To make the street closure permanent there will be a traffic study, an environmental analysis, approvals needed from the Coastal Commission and other procedures put in place.

The question to many is what negative effect this has on non-restaurant businesses (many would have closed without this) and additional traffic pushed over to Poli and Santa Clara?

Councilman Jim Friedman stated his concerns saying, “I’m starting to see emails and more people checking in saying this is great for the restaurants but it’s really not great for the retail. We can’t turn a deaf ear to that nor can we say it’s a done deal because we have to have a lot more public discussion about it. I’m not being negative about it, I’m being realistic.”

∙ When did the pound sign # become hashtag? And why? Is the & sign next?

∙ From CNN. Never one to understand a filter, former President Donald Trump veered into antisemitism in a recent interview with journalist Barak Ravid. “It used to be that Israel had absolute power over Congress,” he said. “Today, I think it’s the exact opposite, and I think Obama and Biden did that.” The comments were in relation to how Jewish people feel toward Israel, and according to Trump, they don’t seem to care about the Jewish nation. “The Jewish people, in the United States, either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel,” he said before fully blowing the dog-whistle. “I mean, you look at The New York Times—The New York Times hates Israel, hates it. And they’re Jewish people that run The New York Times. I mean, the Sulzberger family.”

The release of Trump’s diatribe comes a day after his on-and-off favorite network, Fox News, got in trouble for posting an antisemitic cartoon featuring billionaire George Soros, who is Jewish, as a “puppet master” controlling Democratic prosecutors.

∙ Robert Palmer, 54, of Largo was sentenced to 63 months behind bars in D.C. federal court by Judge Tanya Chutkan. The sentence equaled what prosecutors had been recommending. It is the stiffest criminal sentence of any Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendant so far.

Palmer admitted during an October court hearing where he pleaded guilty that he was the man photographed throwing a wooden plank at police outside the U.S. Capitol and spraying a fire extinguisher at officers, then throwing the empty device at the line of police.

It will be very interesting when the Jan.6 Capitol commission eventually releases its findings.

∙ Be very careful buying or using interconnected smart products, toys, etc. They might be a threat to your privacy. They may collect huge amounts of data about their users and their surroundings. Your personal information may be worth lots of money because the manufacturers could sell it to advertisers, and you will be inundated with ads that you don’t want and maybe even hackers will get ahold of your information. Its bad enough that every time we research something that information is collected and sold.

∙ I’m very happy the US Food and Drug Administration has made the decision to reduce the requirements that abortion inducing medication be dispensed in person by a healthcare worker at a medical facility. These medications have been available since 2000 and are effective during the first ten weeks of pregnancy, well beyond the six weeks now required in Texas when women won’t even know they are pregnant. Especially for lower income women who might not be able to afford an abortion even if they were to find a facility providing this procedure.

I certainly hope the Supreme Court’s refusal to block the Texas “anti-abortion” law does not signal that it is ready to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

∙ Finally, the government is going to take a close look at identified aerial phenomena UAPs as they call them which we know as UFOs. In November, senator Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY) introduced legislation creating in office to study UAPs and report their findings to Congress. It will investigate only UAPs sited in sensitive military airspace. There has been criticism of this limited role but it’s certainly a good beginning. I hope when aliens land here they give us an ultimatum that we all live in peace or they will blow the earth up. It would seem this is the only way we can have peace, as nothing else has worked or ever will.

∙The Trump administration engaged in “deliberate efforts” to undermine the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic for political purposes, a congressional report concludes. The report, prepared by the House select subcommittee investigating the nation’s Covid response, says the White House repeatedly overruled public health and testing guidance by the nation’s top infectious disease experts and silenced officials in order to promote then-President Donald Trump’s political agenda.

∙ Trump was booed by a portion of an audience in Dallas when he said he had received a Covid-19 booster shot.

The comments by Trump, who, despite championing his administration’s efforts to develop Covid vaccines, rarely discusses his own vaccination and has largely declined to encourage others to get it came during a stop on his tour with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly.

∙ Senate bill 9 and 10 takes effect January 1. They require communities in California to allow duplexes, and in some cases 4 units in most single-family home neighborhoods. A majority of Los Angeles County voters support the new state laws which are designed to spur housing construction and to provide more opportunities for residents to own their own home (the American dream).

∙ Californians will be able to dial a new three-digit number when seeking help for a mental health crisis. After weeks in which funding to make the hotline work seemed uncertain, the state Department of Health Care Services has announced it would spend $20 million to help support the 9-8-8 network.

The money “is a first step towards creating an easier to access system for mental health care. But it’s just a first step,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a statement. The Steinberg Institute he founded had advocated for even more money. “We’re going to continue to fight for sustained funding for a mental health crisis response system that includes mobile crisis teams and appropriate follow-up care. Our jails and emergency rooms can no longer be our primary treatment for people in crisis.”

As the mayor said this is a wonderful first step in handling those that are dealing with mental health issues. Next must be providing them adequate housing and services.

∙ On this issue’s cover we have an article titled “Obtaining construction permits and developmental approvals made easier.” I support this action; it still contains provisions for all of the departments and approvals required to obtain building permits.

Some people felt that the process should be very difficult and cumbersome and time consuming to dissuade people from building. This is like putting speed bumps on streets every 5 feet to slow drivers down. This is not the way to regulate construction. That is the job of planning and zoning restrictions.

∙ The City of Ventura’s City Hall will be closed from Friday, December 24, 2021, through January 1, 2022. Normal business hours resume on Monday, January 3, 2022. Public safety services will continue regular 24/7 operations.

∙ Ventura’s veterans’ affordable housing project has received $74,100 on a unanimous City Council vote. This will help to get construction going early next year. The funds came from the city’s Successor Housing Agency Fund. In May, $545,000 was also approved from the fund.

The “Ventura Springs” project will be home to 122 units with two manager’s units. The project will be located at 10866 Morning Glory Road adjacent to the existing Veterans Home of California and is being developed by Los Angeles nonprofit affordable housing developer, A Community of Friends.

It is wonderful that Ventura is expanding its facilities for our veteran’s – especially for those that are homeless.

∙ We seldom need to deal with officer related shootings in Ventura. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office has found a Ventura police officer was justified when fatally shooting a man after a pursuit ended on Harbor Boulevard last year. The DA’s office routinely investigates officer involved shootings to determine whether the use of force was legally justified.

The shooting occurred on Nov. 5, 2020, involving Officer Joaquin Ortega, a 24-year veteran of the Ventura Police Department, and Javier Magaña, a 32-year-old Oxnard resident.

∙ The chief justice of the United States, John Roberts, warned that the Supreme Court risks losing its own authority if it allows states to circumvent the courts as Texas did with its near-total abortion ban. In a strongly worded opinion joined by the high court’s three liberal justices, Roberts wrote that the “clear purpose and actual effect” of the Texas law was “to nullify this Court’s rulings.” That, he said, undermines the Constitution and the fundamental role of the Supreme Court and the court system as a whole.

I think our Supreme Court system is greatly flawed, changing major laws based upon the president’s political views and ability to replace justices when possible.

∙ President Joe Biden is facing significant skepticism from the American public, with his job approval rating lagging across a range of major issues, including new lows for his handling of crime, gun violence and the economic recovery, a new ABC/Ipsos poll found. As the White House confronts rising and widespread concern about inflation, Americans are especially negative on how the Biden administration is managing this issue.

∙ Guns in The News

Four people have been killed and 8 other people are injured and a suspected shooter is in custody after a shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan. Reportedly the 15-year-old shooter’s father bought the gun used in the shootings, a semi-automatic 9mm Sig Sauer, just 4-days prior to the shooting in spite of the fact that his son has had major disciplinary issues at the school. In fact, the teen posted a photo of the weapon with the caption, “Just got my new beauty today.” Parents James and Jennifer Crumbley are each facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Perhaps they should have given him an iPad for his birthday like other kids receive.

Two people were killed in Elmore in a shooting that officials believe is a result of domestic violence, Vermont State Police said. Troopers responded to a reported domestic altercation at a home on King Road around 7 a.m.

An Ohio man has been convicted in the fatal shooting of two teens he found smoking marijuana inside a vehicle in his garage. Victor Santana, 65, of Dayton will be sentenced later this month after being convicted of murder and felonious assault. Santana shot the two 17-year-olds when he found them inside his detached garage late at night. He wanted to use the state’s new “stand your ground” defense.

Germarcus David, 29, has been arrested in the fatal shooting of his four young children and their grandmother after they were found inside a Lancaster home.

∙ This is too funny not to share. In July of 2020 a Michigan woman came across a website, “Rent-A-Hitman”, that promised to “handle your delicate situation” privately and in a timely manner.

She wanted her husband killed, and now she is in jail.

The site boasted having almost 18,000 field operatives who can do a job anywhere in the United States. It features testimonials from satisfied clients, including a man who wrote that Rent-A-Hitman “handled my disgruntled employee issue promptly while I was out of town on vacation.” So, she filled out a form on the site, seeking consultation for her issue.

I’m starting a site called “Send us $1,000 with a self-addressed envelope and we will send you $5,000 in return.”

∙Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 76% in Los Angeles County last year. This is a trend in many other areas in America as physical and verbal attacks against Asian Americans rose. Human Relations Commission President Guadalupe Montana stated, “It did not help that the former president repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as China virus and kung flu.”

∙One Texas school district advised teachers to present opposing views of the Holocaust.

Perhaps this is what teachers will say to their students?

“Students, you must remember that in Germany some Jewish kids were riding their bikes on the sidewalk nearly hitting some people and this really upset some Germans.”

∙Amazing how quickly times have changed. The California State Fair is returning in 2022 with a new competitive category cannabis. The fair is going to honor the best marijuana in the state. I understand they have had 23,000 people apply to be judges.

∙San Diego County is set to dispatch mental health professionals to respond to people in crisis instead of sending police officers and sheriff’s deputies. Officials hope it will improve the constant struggle that most city’s have in the handling of people struggling with mental illnesses. In a future issue we will have an article on how Ventura Police handle such calls and conditions.

∙ I receive some emails from readers who do nothing but insult me and call me rather unflattering names. Most also make statements like “why would a person with any brains bother reading your article.” Seems rhetorical as they are clearly reading my article. For these readers, I’d recommend that they don’t read my publisher letter since it bothers them so much.

Or, if they do continue to read, send me an email that intellectually expresses thoughts about what I write and why you think I am wrong.

∙ State Senator Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara, and our own Assemblymember Steve Bennett, D- Ventura, have announced plans for a state bill prohibiting gun shows at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

There is some question if this action would be legal. Fair board directors want to talk to lawyers, and Gov. Gavin Newsom, before deciding whether to ban gun shows at the state-owned fairgrounds.

Fairground Directors voted 4-3 to hold a discussion as soon as possible with legal counsel on the liability that could come with ending gun shows held there. They expressed concerns about litigation threats from Crossroads of the West, the gun show operator, who won a $500,000 settlement in a lawsuit over a similar ban at another fairgrounds.

They did vote to prohibit the sale of “ghost gun” kits, which enable people to build firearms that do not contain traceable serial numbers.

You know my position on gun ownership, but you might be surprised to know that I am against prohibiting gun shows at the fairgrounds. There needs to be a fine balance between rights and concerns.

It’s our gun laws that need changing. It should not be legal for a 17-year-old (or anyone else for that matter) to walk down the street carrying a high-powered military rifle for protection. There should be some restriction on the types of guns sold. Perhaps high-powered rifles really don’t belong in the hands of most citizens so should be prohibited.

∙Guns in The News

Three people were shot and three more injured during a shooting at a packed shopping mall in Durham, North Carolina. Responding officers found three people had been shot in an incident between two groups of people who knew each other. Remember when this just became a fist fight?

A 5-year-old boy in Pennsylvania was shot and killed by his 6-year-old sibling after they were left unsupervised in a room with an unsecured firearm. Three children had been left alone in a bedroom with the gun.

A 15-year-old boy was charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a shooting that injured six high school students at a Colorado park. He is alleged to have been the driver of a Chrysler 300, one of two vehicles involved in the shooting that occurred about 12:45 p.m. at Nome Park, less than half a mile from Aurora Central High School.

A passenger was going through the screening process when “somebody recognized that there was a weapon in the bag,” an airport spokesperson stated. “When either the officer went in or when the passenger went in to get it, it accidentally discharged. The passenger “took off and was able to make it outside of the airport.”

Jeffery Lynn Johnson, 58, who appeared in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” died by an apparent suicide during an argument with his wife. Johnson’s wife, Charity, told police her husband killed himself in front of her during an argument in their garage. Their 4 and 5-year-old children were inside the house at the time.

A Thanksgiving dinner turned tragic inside a Pennsylvania home when a 25-year-old man was shot and killed by a stray bullet that pierced through a window.  Edilberto Miguel Palaez Moctezuma, was eating Thanksgiving dinner with his family at the time and had nothing to do with the shooting, according to authorities.

 Metro Police are investigating a shooting in Nashville that left three dead and several others injured. The shooting occurred inside an apartment in the 2800 block of Torbett Street around 9:45 p.m. Police said seven people were shot, and three have died from their injuries.

∙ An estimated 3,000 Chumash Indians were buried on the Ventura Mission grounds in downtown. The church office building sits on top of the land.

The Rev. Tom Elewaut has agreed to memorialize the Chumash as soon as possible. An Indigenous Peoples Day is being planned and a monument to honor the deceased Chumash.

This is certainly needed to honor this tribe who were basically made to work on the mission as slaves.

∙ Does this make sense? We were watching the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera Symphony Orchestra (they were playing Mahler’s Symphony no. 1) on PBS. All the string instrument musicians were wearing masks and the wind instruments (of course) performers were not. I know it’s symbolic, but rather absurd.

∙A federal judge has sentenced the U.S. Capitol rioter known as the “QAnon Shaman” (for his horned headdress) to 41 months in prison for his role in the deadly Jan. 6 attack by followers of then-President Donald Trump. Good keep it coming.

∙The Defense Department is launching the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group, a unit that will be charged with finding and identifying UFOs in restricted airspace, officials said Tuesday.

The new group will replace the U.S. Navy’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. The move comes after the U.S. intelligence community verified a number of unexplained aerial sightings earlier this year and admitted it could not explain the phenomena. The Defense Department said it takes the subject of airborne objects very seriously, whether the objects are identified or not.

I wonder what kind of idiots would want to come to earth unless it is to show the inhabitants how not to run a planet. I hope they show up so we can ask them.

∙A federal judge took aim at former President Donald Trump for lying about voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election, saying that former Vice President Al Gore had a better standing to challenge the 2000 election results but that he was “a man” and walked away.

“Al Gore had a better case to argue than Mr. Trump, but he was a man about what happened to him,” Senior District Judge Reggie Walton said of Gore’s decision to end his presidential bid following weeks of legal battles. “He accepted it and walked away.”

∙Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish abortion, unanimously annulling several provisions of a law from Coahuila, a state on the Texas border, that had made abortion a criminal act.

The decision will immediately affect only the northern border state, but it establishes a historic precedent and “obligatory criteria for all of the country’s judges,” compelling them to act the same way in similar cases, said court President Arturo Zaldívar. “From now on you will not be able to, without violating the court’s criteria and the constitution, charge any woman who aborts under the circumstances this court has ruled as valid.”

If a country that is 83% Catholic can think rationally about abortion why can’t Texas (and others)?

∙ Congratulations to two Breeze staff (we call ourselves Breezers) Sheli Ellsworth is the new President of the Ventura County Writers Club. She is an award-winning short story writer and contributing writer to the Breeze. Mary Thompson is the new President of the Olivas Adobe Docents. She is one of our distributors and sets up our booth at some events.

∙The City Council is still deciding on what the future is for the permanent closing of some downtown streets, which is called “Main Street Moves.” They are still examining how much the city and downtown businesses should pay to keep Main Street closed to vehicular traffic. The closing has kept many businesses (especially restaurants in business) by allowing outdoor dining, but if kept permanent it will very expensive if done right.

The Council has requested staff provide additional information on the proposal.

Even though a majority of residents asked preferred the street closures remain, I wonder if people living on Poli and Santa Clara were asked how they felt about all the additional cars on their streets? And how has this affected business for non-restaurants downtown? Will people walk several blocks to get a cup of coffee?

I assume that eventually this will become permanent, and the streets will be closed. Pavers, planters, fountains should be installed at a great expense. Where will the money come from?

I think it is a great idea, but perhaps should only include three streets, and not all of downtown. Main St. down by the mission has great potential and should be considered when thinking about what to do downtown.

∙ Since I changed our clocks back before I went to sleep on the 7th and not at 2AM as instructed, I hope I don’t get in trouble. I got confused though. Did that mean that I lost an hour of having fun or picked up an hour to have fun? Will I need to wait a year to resolve this?

∙Recently a high school (Inglewood High) football team beat another school 106-0. Inglewood went for a two-point conversion leading 104-0. I think this is awful for both the losers and maybe more so for the players on the winning team. What did this teach them about sportsmanship? The coach should be fired, or suspended, and their football team should forfeit a game. The principal did issue an apology, though that probably wasn’t enough.

∙From George Skelton writing in the LA Times.

“Guns, violence and political extremism are on the rise. And Americans risk disaster, sooner or later. That’s the view of a longtime University of California firearms researcher whose hard-hitting report was published last week in the journal Injury Epidemiology.”

Whom am I to disagree with this?

∙A New Jersey gym owner has been sentenced to more than three years (41 months) in prison for punching a police officer during the insurrection on Jan.6 at the Capitol. Hopefully this will be the guideline for others who face prison terms. Perhaps whomever sparked the insurrections should also go to prison.

∙An Anacapa Middle School history teacher, who was not named, is no longer working at the school. A video of in-class comments made by her stating that Hunter Biden had child pornography on his laptop and was having sex with his niece was made public. I certainly hope that she is also no longer employed by the school district. She also told her students that Donald Trump was currently president.

The teacher is no longer at the Anacapa but is still an employee of the VUSD while the review of the situation continues. If this is all true, I certainly hope that she is eventually fired from the district.

I know that we all hate it when some students use their cell phones during class, but, when they record this behavior, they are serving an important purpose of exposing teachers who shouldn’t be teaching our young people.

∙A new 600-seat music venue, and restaurant is set to open next year on the site of the former Discovery Ventura bowling alley in midtown.

It was an odd mix; a bowling alley, fine restaurant and a music venue, and it just didn’t work. I know several Venturan’s who lost money by investing in Discovery Ventura. I know the owner opened in another city and was accepting investors even as he declared bankruptcy.

I certainly hope this new venue is successful as it would bring new life to mid-town and some well-known musical acts to Ventura.

∙I certainly don’t know much about what is in the new $1.85-trillion social safety net bill (I doubt if those voting for and against also know much about what is in it). I do know there is $390 million provided for early childcare and education. It would provide universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-old children. It would also subsidize the cost of childcare for a large number of parents with children under 6.

I think this is extremely important, as it would help millions of working parents (especially low-income families) to keep pace with the more affluent who can afford to have their children attend private early classes and allow both parents to work.

Many minority children fall behind in school very early and have a hard time catching up.

∙Big Bird has ruffled some feathers by announcing he had been vaccinated against COVID-19. The Muppet tweeted that he had gotten the shot. Even though he has been on TV since 1969, he is officially only 6-years old so only just became eligible to get the shot. He stated, “My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.”

This is, of course, a decision which is not shared by all parents as sensible/necessary. It is not known if Ernie and Bert have been vaccinated.

∙According to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, nearly 80% of California voters are in favor of changing the state’s process for recalling elected officials. The survey comes nearly two months after an unsuccessful attempt to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom. The first-term Democrat defeated the recall with 62% of the vote (the same margin he won when he was elected in 2018).

I’m glad both Republicans and Democrats realize how absolutely absurd this process is, plus it cost “us” almost $300 million.

∙The United States had its hottest summer on record this year, narrowly edging out the previous one that was set 85-years ago during the Dust Bowl.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the average temperature this summer for the contiguous U.S. was 74 degrees. The heat record saw a season full of extremes, with persistent drought, wildfires, record-breaking heat, hurricanes and other extreme weather. If I didn’t know better, I would think this is climate change. As I write this, it is 85 degrees outside.

∙ The Ventura City Council has approved the first step in letting the Players Casino temporarily relocate to the Derby Club at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. The casino was previously located at 6580 Auto Center Dr. It eventually closed and filed for bankruptcy.

With its closing, the city lost about $2 million in taxes. The city is estimated to receive approximately $1.3 million in taxes after the business reopens. A permanent location is being sought.

An interesting aspect of this is that the fairgrounds is located on California agricultural district property which limits the city’s revenue. Many people living in Ventura mistakenly believe that the fairgrounds is city property. There was a rumor circulating a while back that the city was going to sell the property. Ventura police officers that provide security at the fair, etc. are not paid by the city.

∙Scientists have temporarily attached a pig’s kidney two a human body and it began to work. This is a very small step to someday use animal organs for human transplants. My question is if pig parts can ever be used on humans will people who are vegetarians and some religious groups refuse to accept them?

∙The other day I was on the phone, and when I finally hung-up my wife, Diane, asked me “who are you swearing at – you were very rude?” I said “No one, I was swearing at the recording that kept telling me to press buttons that got me nowhere. Strange times when we swear at nobody.

∙At the recent Chamber Expo there were representatives of an online college. I asked them what prevents students from cheating and having others do their work and take their exams. Their answer was not very satisfactory. Now I find out that the question was very valid and cheating with online courses is very rampant. There are actually sites (for a price) that will assist in cheating and even write reports for students. This can greatly influence professions such as engineering, nursing and many more. This can also lose our faith in our educational system.

∙Funny things in the news:

A man who became lost for 24 hours while hiking on Colorado’s highest mountain ignored repeated phone calls from rescue teams because they came from an unknown number. The hiker was reported missing around 8pm after failing to return to where he was staying, Lake county search and rescue said.

This would be an important decision if lost. Is it worth being found if I need to listen to someone trying to sell me life insurance?

∙So, we need to wear a mask entering a restaurant and can remove it as soon as we sit down. Sometimes at a table with 10 people or at a bar where we are shoulder to shoulder. Then we get up to leave and need to put it back on. I think we should need to eat with it on by placing the food into the mask with our hands (kidding of course).

∙I hear Republicans trying to make a point that a member of antifa has done something wrong (like storm the capital). Antifa is a decentralized, leaderless movement composed of loose collections of groups, networks and individuals. Is not an organization. This is like saying a person is a member of pwlc (people who like cats). We can’t be a member of a philosophy, can we?

∙I applaud the California State Assembly for passing Senate Bill 380 (47-14). The bipartisan bill, co-authored by Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) and Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa), would improve access to the End-of-Life Option Act.

The bill now moves to the California State Senate for a final vote, which overwhelmingly passed (26-8) the original measure in May. If the Senate passes the bill and Governor Gavin Newsom signs it into law, it will become effective on January 1, 2022, making it easier for terminally ill Californians to peacefully end their suffering.

The End-of-Life Option Act gives mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live the option to request prescription medication they can decide to take to peacefully end unbearable suffering. The bill would allow for an individual to qualify for aid-in-dying medication by making two oral requests a minimum of 48 hours apart.

We are allowed to make this decision for our pets when their lives become unbearable, because they can not make such a decision. I think people should be able to make this decision decide this when their life will be short and nothing but pain.

∙My wife and I enjoy looking at NOVA on TV especially when scientists-physicists explain the big bang and provide other explanations about how the universe was formed. We never have any idea what they are talking about and when the show is over she asks me, “Do you have any idea what they were talking about,” and I always say, “No, but the computer-generated photos were pretty.”

I have concluded that once a year all the scientists-physicists get together at a secret location and make up a bunch of facts and words that mean nothing so that we can think they are “brilliant” and smarter than us. And by doing this, they can get government grants that allow them to meet again the next year and make up more stuff.

∙Guns in The News:

Boise police responded to reports of “shots fired” at a mall on N. Milwaukee Ave., where at least two people were killed and four people – including a cop – were injured.

A shooting at a Halloween party in Texarkana, Texas, left one person dead and nine others injured. Officers responded to reports of a shooting at Octavia’s Event Center in the 2300 block of Texas Boulevard shortly before midnight and “encountered a large number of people running from the building and several inside suffering from gunshot wounds.”

I liked Halloween better when trick-or-treating meant getting some candy, not being shot.

∙ Two important Venturan’s who helped make Ventura an even better place to live, have passed on. Suz Montgomery contributed more to the overall city of Ventura, whereas the contribution of Reverend McCurtis was more specific to the west side, but still significant. I considered both to be friends’ and will miss them. If you didn’t have the opportunity to celebrate their lives in this issue, please send your thoughts to [email protected] for our next issue.

∙The 9th Annual Ventura Harbor Village HOWL-O-Ween Dog Costume Contest is back. It will take place on Saturday, October 30, from noon to 2pm. I will be one of the judges, so come on out and cheer for your favorite dog and say hello.

∙On Saturday, October 17, I attended the first live performance – in a very long time – of the New West Symphony, “Delights and Dances”. It was held at the Performing Arts Center at Ventura college. I was disappointed at first when I saw it was “only” a string orchestra of about 20. I was certainly not disappointed as the concert continued; it was simply wonderful. Their musicianship and interpretation of the composers was excellent. The director, Michael Christie, involved the audience in a very personal manner.

The good news is that in December the entire orchestra will be performing again. The bad news it will not be in Ventura but in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo (still close enough to attend). Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a real Performing Arts Center in Ventura?

∙Guns in The News:

Police say three men have been arrested in connection with an early morning shootout at a St. Paul bar that left one woman dead and 14 people injured.

Two U.S. Postal Service employees were killed and another, who was identified as the suspected shooter, died from a self-inflicted gunshot. The shooting occurred at the Orange Mound post office.

A Florida man was arrested Tuesday in the shooting death of a woman who was on a Zoom call when her 2-year-old fired a gun, officials said. The toddler found the gun, which went off while the woman was on a Zoom call with co-workers. Veondre Avery, 22, the child’s father, faces charges of manslaughter and failure to securely store a firearm in the killing.

A shooting on Sunday at a homecoming event on Grambling State University’s campus has left one dead and dozens injured. Multiple shots were fired around 1:15 a.m. on the campus’ quad area.

Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said a boy was shot on the side of his face and a girl was shot in her lower leg at Heritage High School. They were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Bobby Gayle is still recovering after being shot seven times this month in California’s Central Valley. The incident took place on Oct. 8 while the 45-year-old man was on the job at a Stockton restaurant. Bobby saw a man driving at high speed through the parking lot and yelled for him to slow down. The man, identified as Michael Hayes, 31, stopped his truck, got out and started shooting and spouting racial slurs.

If manufactured guns aren’t bad enough, homemade “ghost guns” in Los Angeles is believed to have accounted for 21 killings in Los Angeles since January and dozens of assaults in armed robberies. Police expect the problem to get even worse because of weapons typically are made of polymer parts created with 3D printing technology and can be assembled at home using gun kits. They are relatively inexpensive so even more people can own them.

The good news is that California has a new gun control bill that wasn’t even opposed by the NRA or any Republicans. The measure adds ghost guns weapons that can be seized by police from someone who is red flagged by a judge for such crimes as domestic violence. They were among the firearms that could not be seized by police before this bill. How incredibly absurd was that?

∙California just had his driest water year in a century and, sadly to say, experts fear the coming 12 months could even be worse. The total was half of what is considered average during a water year in California. A water year runs from October 1 to September 30.

∙ One strange aspect of the new Texas abortion law is that it also gives private citizens the right to sue anyone who performs, aids or abets an abortion or intends to do so – for $10,000. The polarization in this country is bad enough without financial incentives to divide us even further.

∙When the Pew Research Center surveyed people living in 17 countries, Americans were the most likely to feel that their country was the most split along partisan, racial and ethnic lines. Religious differences were also high on the list.

∙Even though I might agree with what the state wants to spend money on I’m often reluctant to vote for bonds because of the huge over runs after the projects are started. For example, the California bullet train is facing another proposed cost increase of a billion (yes a billion) dollars as contractor’s costs just keep increasing. And the time that was projected to complete the project is many many years over the allotted time.

Apparently, a contract with the state means nothing. Why not just tell the builders to just spend as much as you need and take as much time and send us your invoice for payment?

∙ There was so much news to report this issue that we didn’t have room for your favorite cartoons, crossword and sudoku. But no fear they will return in the next issue.

I once built a ship in a bottle. They had to break the bottle to let me out.
~ Steven Wright

∙ Wow, beginning of our 14th year. Hard to believe. My thanks to our readers, advertisers and amazing staff. It’s been a tough year for all of us but better times are coming.

∙ The amount of time that City Council members can speak at the Council meetings has been limited by a council vote of 6-1. Councilmember Mike Johnson was the no vote. There will be a digital timer in future meetings, so discussions don’t run too long.

I can see this being more of a nuisance, and adding confusion, than anything else. Right now, the mayor can advise a council member when their time is up which seems to work just fine in my opinion.

∙ Ventura Unified School District has nearly $21.5 million in federal COVID-19 funding to help students and teachers make up for lost instructional time as presented at the board’s Sept. 21 meeting. The district is considering improvements in air conditioning and sanitation and providing students with more academic support.

The proposals are in a draft plan that all school systems need to consider in order to receive some of the billions of state and federal relief dollars that have been available since the pandemic shut down schools. A plan must be submitted for federal approval before the end of October.

∙ In this issue we have an article about a fundraiser held for Erik Nasarenko to support his 2022 run for Ventura County District Attorney. Erik was selected to the position by a 5-0 vote of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors on January 26, 2021 but will have to run next year. A Venturan, Nasarenko served on the Ventura City Council from 2013 to 2021. I will support Erik for election to the post.

∙ On this issue’s cover, we report on a rally held in Ventura (and across the country) to ensure that woman can control their reproductive rights as guaranteed by Roe vs. Wade. I am a big supporter of Roe vs. Wade and women making their own very personal decisions. I certainly the Supreme Court doesn’t reverse it.

∙ Over three hundred people participated in this year’s West Ventura County Walk to End Alzheimer’s held at The Collection at Riverpark on Saturday, Sept. 25. Others supported by walking in their neighborhoods. The event raised more than $118,000 to fund research and local services throughout Ventura County, including support groups, education programs, and a 24/7 Helpline 800.272.3900.

∙ The United States reached a pandemic milestone recently passing 700,000 deaths from COVID-19. It took 3 ½ months to go from 600,000 to 700,000 deaths.
∙ Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) has introduced the Gun Suicide Prevention Act to address the prevalence of suicides by firearms. This bill would require firearm manufacturers and retailers to include labels that provide the number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).
“The epidemic of gun violence continues to plague communities throughout our country and forever changes the lives of families who have lost someone to gun deaths,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “In fact, two-thirds of gun deaths in the United States are from suicides.”
“That is why I have introduced the Gun Suicide Prevention Act, which aims to combat the alarming suicide rate in our country,” continued Brownley.
∙ Ventura County Fair Board of directors voted to allow an October gun show at the Ventura Fairgrounds. They did vote to not allow “ghost gun” kits that make it possible for people to build firearms without serial numbers.

Lawyers for the California Department of Food and Agriculture (they own the fairgrounds not the city) advised fair leaders they would have to show a legal basis to not allow the Crossroads gun show (Oct. 23-24).

And, speaking of guns. A 16-year-old boy was killed and two other children were hurt in a shooting at a school bus stop in Louisville, Kentucky.
Thirteen people were shot and one person was killed in a shooting at a Kroger in Collierville, TN. The shooter is also dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

If you’ve been reading my article, you know how I feel about guns so I support anything that might reduce gun deaths. People don’t buy guns to kill themselves, but it sure is easier if they own a gun.

∙ This is too funny to not report. A Turkish man who got drunk and wandered into the forest unknowingly joined a search party to find himself. Beyhan Mutlu, 50, who lives in the northwestern Bursa province, was reported missing after he wandered away from his friends. A search operation was formed to find him. Mutlu joined a group of volunteers not realizing he was the person they were searching for. Maybe he got a reward for finding himself.

Speaking of things funny, some folks who are against getting COVID vaccines, are attempting to obtain over-the-counter ivermectin to prevent COVID, which is used to de-worm horses and cows. I think it is important that more humans will not get worms by taking it. Perhaps there are also drugs that prevent people from getting parvo.

∙ Former President Donald Trump skipped anesthesia for a previously unreported 2019 colonoscopy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center so he wouldn’t have to temporarily relinquish his presidential powers, according to The New York Times.

And speaking about Trump, he could be charged with multiple crimes over election interference in Georgia. A report by the Brookings Institution studied publicly available evidence that shows that Trump and his allies attempted to pressure Georgia officials to “change the lawful outcome of the election.”

A key piece of evidence is the call made by Trump on January 3 to Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger. He told him to “find 11,780 votes” to overturn Biden’s win. The report adds that Trump publicly pressured and personally contacted several other officials in Georgia to ask them to help him overturn his loss in the state.

Trump was correct, the results were false. The Arizona Republican election audit has found an even bigger lead for Biden in 2020 election. There is a rumor that Trump is now going to call for an audit of the audit. And if that fails, he will call for an audit of the audit of the audit.

∙ You might think that I am upset that some Democrats are being critical of Biden ( I agree with some of the criticisms). Actually, I am thrilled, as this is what a democracy is all about. Something that never happened with the previous president because of fear of repercussions from him.

∙ Switzerland has voted by a wide margin to allow same-sex couples to marry in a referendum bringing them in line with many other countries in Europe. Official results showed the measure passed with 64.1% of voters in favor. Switzerland has authorized same-sex civil partnerships since 2007.

Supporters said passage would put same-sex partners on equal legal footing with heterosexual couples by allowing them to adopt children together and facilitating citizenship for same-sex spouses. Certainly, all people, regardless of their sexual preference, should have the same societal rights.

∙ Good news – the Ventura Chamber Fall Business Expo “Haunting at the Harbor” has returned after pausing because of COVID. It is on October 7, 4-7pm at the Four Points by Sheraton Ventura Harbor. Lots of food and vendors and the Ventura Breeze will have a booth there so come by and say hello. You can even buy a genuine Ventura Breeze T-shirt for only $15. Masks will probably be required.

∙ In this issue, we have an article regarding a high school robotics program. I was fortunate to attend this event. It is amazing what these students are accomplishing from fabricating all of the parts to making these robots do wonderful things like picking up balls and shooting them into a high basket.

∙ Apparently Republicans believe in fair elections but only if they win. Otherwise, elections are rigged against them. In California’s Newsom recall, challenger Larry Elder, the leading Republican, started saying unsubstantiated claims that the election was rigged against him even before it was held.

Elder appealed to his supporters to use an online form to report fraud, which claimed it had “detected fraud” in the “results” of the California recall election. Our democracy is being destroyed by this kind of thinking, and response to legitimate and fair elections (where have we heard this before)? If this continues it could be the end of our democracy.

The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board stated, “Fortunately, California voters largely saw through the lies, turning up in relatively large numbers and producing a decisive result. But if every democratic exercise is subjected to baseless distrust, democracy itself can no longer be assured.”

Elvia Díaz writing in the Arizona Republic wrote, “The California recall offers more proof that Republicans will accept elections as legit only if they win. That’s a sure way to destroy democracy.”

I am happy that “no” prevailed, not because I approve or disapprove of Newsom, but the election never should have taken place to begin with. The whole thing was a joke and cost “us” over $275 million. Recall is not meant to be a mid-term election where you replace one party with another without justification. Our recall system is terribly flawed and needs to be completely re-written. Things have changed since 1911 when it was first approved.

If recall (and impeachment) is to be used at all it should be for serious offenses, malfeasance, and crimes, not for one party to have the opportunity to remove the other party prior to the next election (which will take place in less than a year).

In order to put a recall on the ballot in California, voters must submit petition signatures equal to only 12% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election.

And there is in place a succession of leadership. If a governor is removed for any reason then the lieutenant governor relaces them just like when a president is removed the vice-president takes over. The recall process must be reformed.

∙ What is going on in this country? There’s extra security at Carmine’s Restaurant on the Upper West Side of New York after a hostess was attacked by a group of tourists from Texas. They refused to show proof of vaccination in order to eat inside.

The 24-year-old hostess was punched, slapped and her necklace ripped off after she asked the group for proof of vaccination, a new city policy to dine indoors. She was just doing her job. Like I said above, “If this continues it could be the end of our democracy.”

∙ I’ve explained before, don’t blame the city if a 4-unt apartment building goes up next to you on a single resident lot or there is no place to park on the street. Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved two measures to take local zoning ordinances away from city controls. This is meant to solve California’s struggles with soaring home prices and the affordable housing shortage that we have.

He signed the legislation, despite almost 250 cities objecting because it will undermine local planning and zoning regulations.

“The housing affordability crisis is undermining the California dream for families across the state, and threatens our long-term growth and prosperity,” Newsom said. “Making a meaningful impact on this crisis will take bold investments, strong collaboration and political courage from our leaders and communities to do the right thing and build housing for all.”

Also, Newsom also signed SB 10, creating a process that lets local governments streamline new multi-family housing projects of up to 10 units built near transit or in urban areas. That new legislation also simplifies zoning requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act, which developers complain can slow down projects for years.

These laws will basically get rid of most single-family zoning. It is estimated that the state needs up to 2.5 million homes in the coming years to ease the state’s housing shortage. A new state Housing Accountability Unit will watch cities progress in creating new housing.

.Sports column – I look forward to a time when there are more touchdowns than field goals in a pro football game. And speaking of pro-football, the wife of pro-player Raheem Mostert says she was inundated with hateful social media messages after the San Francisco 49ers running back was sidelined in a game with a knee injury.

According to Devon Mostert, fans sent her “hundreds, thousands” of direct messages on Sunday that included telling her that Raheem should “kill himself” and “be cut.” She pleaded with fans to cease the “heartless” commentary.

I would love to see these fans go out there and get pummeled for a few plays.

.Three people were shot and wounded at a baby shower in Pennsylvania after an argument over gifts. Police officers were dispatched to the Kinloch Volunteer Fire Department facility in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania for a shooting inside the facility.

This was not an active shooter event, but rather an isolated family incident during a baby shower. A preliminary investigation showed the incident began as a family argument about gifts at the baby shower. It escalated into a physical fight and then gunfire. At least it was over something important like baby gifts.

. Like the Jurassic Park films using recovered DNA to genetically resurrect an extinct species may be moving closer to be coming a reality with the start up of a new company that plans to bring back woolly mammoths thousands of years after the last of the giants disappeared.

With $15 million of funding, Harvard University genetics professor George Church, known for his pioneering work in genome sequencing and gene splicing is hoping the company can usher in an era when mammoths “walk the Arctic tundra again.”

The rumor that he has obtained DNA from George Washington has not been verified but certainly sounds like a great idea.

∙ Drove to Ojai recently, it was 68 degrees in Ventura and 102 there. So, don’t complain when it gets to be 80 here about it being too hot.

∙ A reader asked about what happened to local radio station KVEN (1450 AM, “SportsRadio 1450”). Truthfully, I didn’t know it existed. Probably because I am not a big sports fan.

Found out that is was a radio station licensed to Ventura, California and had been operating from 1948 to 2021. KVEN last carried sports radio programming from the national CBS Sports Radio network, with no locally originated programming. It was owned by Cumulus Media and broadcast at a power of 1,000 watts.

Cumulus shut down KVEN in July, 2021, and surrendered its license to the Federal Communications Commission. Dodgers’ broadcasts were moved to sister station KVYB on July 23. Nothing about why it shut down but probably because they didn’t generate enough advertising to keep broadcasting.

∙ 5782? Wow, how time goes by it seems as if it was just 5781. Happy New Year!

∙ The California Public Utilities Commission has stopped the upgrades being done at the Ventura gas compressor on the westside while Southern California Gas Company meets the agency’s demands. SoCalGas must also hold future public forums before continuing.

The gas company wants to replace three gas compressors with four new ones. They also want to build a warehouse and office building at the site.

Ventura Unified School District Superintendent Roger Rice has also expressed his opposition to the SoCal plans. He pointed out how close the gas compressor was to E.P. Foster Elementary School and the Boys&Girls Club.

At the moment, however, the Boys&Girls Club has closed after a dispute with the Ventura Unified School District over requirements for state grants. The club’s activities and offerings were deemed not compliant with the California Department of Education after-school program grant requirements.

I certainly hope they can work this out, as the Club provides a great service for the children in the area. It has been there since 1968.

∙ Popstar Britney Spears will not face charges for allegedly striking one of her employees. Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, an ex-city council member, and now Ventura County District Attorney, announced that Spears would not be charged with any crimes related to an alleged incident involving her housekeeper. Spears was accused by her housekeeper of battery last month at the singer’s home in Ventura County.

∙ On August 5, in an attempt to restore flows to the Ventura river, the Santa Barbara Channelkeeper’s advocacy for Ventura River reached a monumental moment when the City of Ventura stopped all pumping at its Foster Park well field. Channelkeeper had filed a lawsuit in 2015 to challenge the City for over pumping the area. Their desire is restoring water flow to the parched river ecosystem. The agreement established a minimum river flow threshold that would result in the stopping of pumping, which has already occurred this summer. I hope this doesn’t make our water even more difficult to obtain.

∙ According to Ventura County Supervisor Matt LaVere (another ex-city council member),

the rules that require Rincon Parkway visitors to pull straight into their parking spaces along the seawall have been extended to include a larger area. The straight-in parking area along the Ventura seawall by Solimar Beach will be extended another 1,000 feet. This will allow many more cars to park.

“We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from the community regarding the straight-in parking rules which were implemented over the Fourth of July weekend at Solimar Beach,” stated Levere.

∙ Feb.29, 2020: The Trump administration and the Taliban reach an agreement to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. As part of the agreement the Taliban agreed to cut ties with Al Qaeda and refrain attacking U.S. forces. In response, the US pressured the Afghanistan government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners.

So, don’t blame Biden for withdrawing U.S. troops after 20 years, it certainly was about time. He can certainly be blamed for the terrible manner in which the evacuation was carried out.

And he was not responsible for the suicide bomber that killed troops and almost 200 Afghanistan’s. Suicide bombers are hard to stop ( remember Kamikaze pilots during World War II.) The Taliban were responsible for making sure a bomber didn’t enter the area but obviously missed this one. There was some speculation that it could have been a female because the Taliban are not allowed to “pat down” women.

This is what made this war so difficult. Because of religious and tribal differences there has been fighting there for hundred of years and (even if we stayed) for hundreds of years to come.

∙ Texas’ new law allowing most people to carry handguns in public without a permit or training came in part from the belief by many that the best way to prevent crime and stop an armed bad guy is to whip out your gun and start firing.

Statistics show that crime actually increases after such laws are implemented. And even some Texas authorities worry that having more people walking around armed will lead to more disagreements being settled through gunfire (the OK Corral returns).

Police in Washington, D.C. were searching for suspects after a Saturday evening shooting that left three people dead and three others wounded in the northwest part of the city.

A former Marine outfitted in body armor fatally shot four people, including a baby, mother and grandmother, at a property outside Lakeland, Florida. The suspect, identified as Brian Riley, 33, then engaged in a firefight with law enforcement officers before surrendering to authorities.

“It’s very frustrating and we’ve been talking about gun violence for a long time,” D.C. police Chief Robert Contee told reporters. “We know this issue is not unique to Washington, D.C., but I think it speaks to the overall sickness that we’re seeing in our community and that sickness being gun violence.”

∙Two weeks after the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, reported Covid infections in the state have risen nearly sixfold. South Dakota counted 3,819 new cases in the past two weeks, including seven deaths, up from 644 cases in the 14 days preceding it.

∙ As previously covered, two 15-year-old students were arrested for starting a fire at Mound Elementary School in Ventura on July 22.

The Ventura Unified School District board unanimously voted to declare an emergency which will expedite the necessary decisions as necessary to quickly resolve the situation. The district will be leasing and installing a portable building and proceed with repairing the fire damage. Demolition has been started.

The moral and legal question remains in terms of what is the appropriate action to take against 15-year-olds? Certainly, they need lots of help. Should they be incarcerated until they are 21? Will putting them in prison help or just make them worse?

I feel for their families trying to deal with this.

∙ Because we have a Sudoku puzzle in each issue, I thought it would be fun to share this.

Maki Kaji, the creator of the popular numbers puzzle Sudoku whose life’s work was spreading the joy of puzzles, has died. He was 69 and had bile duct cancer. Known as the “Godfather of Sudoku,” its name is made up of the Japanese characters for “number” and “single.” There are different levels of difficulty for each puzzle.

It wasn’t until 2004, when Sudoku became a global hit, after a fan from New Zealand pitched it and got it published in a British newspaper.

∙ Question: Regarding Afghanistan, what president said this last year? ‘It had been a long and hard journey in Afghanistan. It’s time after all these years to bring our people back home.”

Answer: Trump.

I certainly agree with Trump and feel that Biden is doing the correct thing. He isn’t doing as well as it should have been accomplished, but after 20-years and an estimated 2 trillion dollars, the time has come to get out.

Of course, some Afghanistan people, especially women will be hurt by this, but there is really no way to deal with religious zealots no matter where, or who, they are. If this had been done with better preparation (as it should have been), eventually the results would have been basically the same.

The Taliban rule will be draconian. But how long would the United States need to remain there to prevent this from happening? Another 20-years, forever?

The basic problem, and miscalculation, was that the Afghanistan military would fight to “save” their country. Maybe we should have known this.

Act 1: Ten Taliban (driving old beat-up trucks and old motorcycles) wearing sandals, head scarfs and civilian clothes approach an Afghanistan military base and declare “we have the place surrounded so give up.”

Act 2: 50% of the military throw down there never-used weapons and give up. The other 50% change into their civilian clothes and go home.

U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan stated, “The Afghan military chose not to fight for their country.” It appears Taliban fighters met almost no resistance from the U.S. trained military.

If they are not willing to fight for their country, I don’t think that we should die for them anymore.

We can no longer be the savior for the entire world. Right now, we have enough of our own serious problems to deal with. We should certainly still provide aid to situations like the one in Haiti.

Those are my thoughts. As always, I would love to hear yours. Publisher @venturabreeze.com

∙ The cousin of a Texas mother of four who died recently following a month-long battle with COVID-19 told news outlets that she asked relatives to make sure her children get vaccinated before she was intubated.

Lydia Rodriguez, who was not vaccinated and whose husband Lawrence also died this summer after contracting COVID-19, was first hospitalized in mid-July. According to a fundraising page set up on the family’s behalf, the couple were both in the ICU at the same time.

“Before she got intubated, one of the last things she told her sister was ‘Please make sure my children get vaccinated,’” Dottie Jones, the woman’s cousin, told the news outlet. “She would be there for her kids right now if she had been vaccinated.”

Most days during the coronavirus pandemic, Cardinal Raymond L. Burke could be found strolling down the streets of Rome mask less and carrying rosary beads. The 73-year-old conservative cardinal was an early critic of social distancing and, later, an unabashed skeptic of the vaccine.

Last Tuesday, Burke announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Now, the cardinal is in a hospital bed in his native Wisconsin, breathing with the help of a ventilator.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive for COVID-19, the governor’s office announced in a release.

Conservative talk radio host Phil Valentine has died following a lengthy battle with COVID-19. He was 61 years old. Recently Valentine voiced skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine.

In December of 2020 he tweeted, “I have a very low risk of A) getting COVID and B) dying of it. If I do, why would I risk getting a heart attack or paralysis by getting the vaccine?”

At least he won’t have a heart attack or paralysis.

I certainly understand that vaccines aren’t 100% perfect, but of the new 10,000 COVID cases in Miami, 98% of the patients were not vaccinated.

∙ Guns in The News:

A 3-year-old girl was killed after a 5-year-old boy shot her in Minnesota. The shooting was reported in a residence in the town of Bena, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. Upon arrival, deputies learned that the victim had been shot inside the home.

An autopsy is pending with the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, and an investigation is ongoing, Burch said. It remains unclear whether criminal charges will be filed in connection with the incident against the gun owner. They certainly should be.

At least 3,371 children and teens in the U.S. were killed with guns in 2019, according to a report this year from the Children’s Defense Fund, a child advocacy nonprofit organization. The group estimates that a child was killed by a gun every two and a half hours during that year.

Three people are dead, and two others are in critical condition after an overnight shooting at an East Side sports bar, according to San Antonio police. The shooting happened around 3:23 a.m., Sunday, after-hours at the Boom Boom Sports Bar (I guess Boom Boom is the sound of guns being fired.)

Police said a fight started inside of the bar between two people before it spilled into the parking lot. A man then went to his car, pulled a long gun, and started shooting rounds in the air, striking five people – two women, and three men.

The two people shot dead at an NHK factory in Frankfort, Indiana, were employees of the company – a grandmother and granddaughter who were arriving for their shift, according to the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office. The alleged suspect, 26-year-old Gary C. Ferrell, an employee at the factory is in custody.