• Happy New Year to all our wonderful readers, our vital much-needed advertisers and the dedicated Ventura Breeze staff. Without any of these we wouldn’t exist.
• This will be any interesting year in Ventura watching our “new” City Council and new City Manager dig in to the many issues facing the city. A great opportunity for Venturan’s to contact them or to speak at City Council meetings.
What are your thoughts about legal marijuana stores, building development, freeway access, tourism, water use and rates? With the new districts you know who to direct your thoughts to.
• I have been accused of printing letters from readers only condemning Trump. This is not at all true. We can only print what we receive and are happy to print opinions praising him. We want to hear from Trump supporters and Republicans at [email protected]. Please limit to about 300 words and tell is why you support him.
• I’m happy to say that Farmers has reinstated my homeowner’s insurance. In the last issue, I explained that they cancelled it for – what I found out later – was too many claims. These were $12,500 for damage from a fallen tree, $2,000 clean up from the Thomas Fire and zero from an auto claim that I cancelled. They reconsidered and basically said, “We didn’t realize that the $2,000 was from the fire so we aren’t counting it.” Does this mean if I only had one $600,000 fire claim they wouldn’t have cancelled?
I’m happy but not satisfied. I never received a letter (or call) that they were considering cancellation so that I could respond, just got a letter one day saying I was cancelled.
• Recently, I was at the new CMH and ate lunch in their dining room. It was very good. Fresh made sandwiches, a salad bar plus other food made on the spot. Really nice outdoor (and indoor) seating. It closes at 8pm so don’t go after that. Who would have thought eating at a hospital could be so good? And if you get sick while dining, help is right there.
• I have received several emails complaining about the condition of the parking lot behind the 99c Store on Main. This lot is owned by the City and leased to the building owners. The City has 3 companies bidding on re-paving the lot. It is a very complex project because the entire lot can’t be shut down at once since it is always full and delivery trucks need to be able to deliver goods. It will probably be done this year, we hope.
• A recent Saturday printing of the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune (plus many other papers) was affected by a computer virus. Most papers were delivered later in the day. The Times said in a statement that Sunday’s newspaper might also be impacted but most were delivered on time.
The suspected malware is thought to have come from outside the USA and the reason is not known. Perhaps it was because of all the “fake news” (except for the content in the Breeze of course).
• For those that say athletes should just keep their mouths shut and play, consider this. Former Wake Forest guard and NBA All-Star Chris Paul is donating $2.5 million in support of the Demon Deacons’ basketball team. The donation, announced Tuesday, is the school’s largest by a former Wake Forest basketball player.
He is not alone, as many athletes support multiple causes with their time and money. They have every right to speak their minds the same as any profession in America.
• A teenager in Melbourne pleaded guilty after hacking into Apple’s corporate computer network, where he accessed customer files and downloaded 90 GB of data. He probably also changed all his high school and college grades to A’s, if necessary.
• The new reservation system for camping spots along the scenic Rincon Parkway is working as planned. Officials and campers say that disputes have plunged.
Each camper can only have possession of one site per stay. Those stays are limited to 14 days for the Hobson and Faria parks. They’re cut off at 14 days at the Rincon in the off-season which runs from Nov. 1 to March 31, and five days the rest of the year.
• According to the annual America’s Health Rankings report, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Utah are 2018’s five healthiest states (California was 12th, which ain’t too bad). The five least healthy were Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi and, coming in last, Louisiana.
• A statement posted on Facebook by the Alabama Opp Police Department blames an increase in area homicides on the idea that young people have turned away from God and “embraced Satan.” The post followed two gunshot killings in as many days in Covington County, located on the Alabama-Florida line. The murderer’s defense on trial will be “The devil made me do it!” Case dismissed.
• For two decades, adolescent smoking has been on the decline, but thanks to vaping products like Juul (which has 75% of the market), teen smoking just jumped by levels not seen for 43 years. Almost all the kids who vape are vaping nicotine: a toxic and highly addictive substance. And, to further validate the growth, Altria (formerly Phillip Morris Companies) acquired a 35% stake in JUUL Labs for $13 billion on December 20.
• Recently, one of my most prolific writers quit. Her main reason was because of the way that I treat Trump. At first, I was shocked then disappointed. Disappointed because she, of all people, should believe in the freedom of the press. She never expressed her feelings to me in person and certainly had the opportunity to express it in the paper. And, I always thought that she was a liberal. Maybe the devil made her do it.
