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Vol. 15, No. 24 – Aug 24 – Sept 6, 2022 – Police Reports

by Cindy Summers

Police reports are provided to us by the Ventura Police Department and are not the opinions of the Ventura Breeze. All suspects mentioned are assumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Stabbing with Arrest

On August 17, at 7:00 am, the Ventura Police Command Center received a 911 call of a stabbing victim in the 200 block of Poli St. Responding officers arrived on scene within three minutes of the call and located the victim suffering from a stab wound to the lower extremities.

The ensuing investigation revealed that the victim and suspect, 46-year-old Ventura resident Billy Fields, were acquaintances and attended a party at the suspects residence. The suspect woke up in the morning and accused the victim of stealing his property. He began to punch and kick the victim and threatened him with a knife.

The two were involved in physical confrontation when the victim was stabbed in the lower extremities.

The victim was transported to the Ventura County Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect was located inside his residence after a brief stand off and was arrested without further incident. The suspect was taken to the Ventura County Jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and making threats.

Lewd Acts with a Minor/Furnishing Marijuana to Minor Arrest

In March of 2022, The Ventura Police SVU (Special Victims Unit) began investigating a report of 33-year-old Fillmore resident Matthew Stanwood performing a lewd act on a minor. Throughout the investigation, SVU learned that Stanwood had also provided the minor with marijuana.

On August 17, SVU learned Stanwood would be back in Ventura after working out of state. On August 18, at approximately 4:00 pm, Detectives conducted an operation to locate and arrest Stanwood. Stanwood was located at Marina Park in The City of Ventura. He was arrested and taken into custody without incident. Stanwood was booked at Ventura County Jail for Lewd Acts With a Minor and Furnishing Marijuana to a Minor both are felonies.

SVU has information that there may be additional victims. Anyone who believes they are a victim should contact Detective Hume at (805) 339-4472.

The DRC

The purpose of the Design Review Committee (DRC) is to review, consider approve or deny applications for approval of design of architectural, landscaping, aesthetics for public and private projects, applications for sign variances, and proposed design elements or components of specific plans, historic districts, or other special areas.

DRC is now a recommending body only, meaning they only provide comments and a recommendation to Planning Commission which is the final decision making body for larger projects requiring design review. DRC members do not need to agree on all recommendations, but they try to organize their comments and recommendations based on whether a majority of the board agrees. Ultimately, they pass motions which include comments and/or requests for revisions that are passed along to Planning Commission to deliberate and act on.  Many minor projects are reviewed and receive design approval at the Director’s level.

They serve 4-year terms.

Committee Members
Albert Antelman, Chair
William Growdon, Vice Chair
Anthony Tomasello
Jack Kiesel, Member
Curtis Cormane, Member

William A. Growdon is a licensed architect with more than 30 years of experience in architecture, design, and building (with hands-on experience in every construction trade). ​

​William has designed and directed hundreds of projects from conception to fruition — from new homes and remodels to mixed-use and commercial buildings (offices, retail shops, studios, and restaurants) to city planning and architectonic designs and fabrication.

Having served as a member of the local Planning Commission, William has an in-depth understanding of policies and processes and knows how to successfully navigate related challenges and create new opportunities. During his time serving with the City of San Buenaventura Planning Commission, William participated in creating and writing the City General Plan, the downtown-specific plan form-based code adopted by the city.

A California native, William was born in San Diego, raised in Manhattan Beach, and has spent most of his life in the beach towns along the Southern California coast. When he’s not working or traveling, William enjoys a simple beach town life with his family – surfing, camping, hiking and coaching his daughters’ soccer teams.

Anthony C. Tomasello received a Bachelors in Environmental science and economics from UC Santa Cruz, and a Masters in Urban Planning and Real Estate Development from USC. His professional background is in land development and entitlements, urban design, and construction management.

The New School of Architecture    Bachelor of Architecture Degree (1989)
​Registered California Architect
Member American Institute of Architects (AIA)
City of Ventura
Planning Commission (2003-2005)
​ Public Art Commission (2015-2020)

Albert Antelman, RA has spent 46 years as an architect, facility management researcher, business executive, government official and private consultant.  Since 2010, he has been a Senior Fellow with the Institute of Responsible Infrastructure Stewardship, Fairfax Station, VA. The Institute is a not-for-profit “think tank” that conducts research and promotes responsible stewardship of existing infrastructure assets as a way to safeguard public safety and limit service impairment caused by failure of aging infrastructure.

Prior to retiring from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in 2010, he was the principal investigator for facilities management and sustainment issues at the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center, Port Hueneme, California. He is a Registered Architect in the State of California, and holds both a bachelor’s and master’s of science in architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Jack Kiesel is an award winning landscape architect who has over 25 years of experience in landscape architecture, native plant restoration & enhancement, urban renewal, art and planning. His project list is extensive and includes many successful collaborations involving master planning of parks and civic spaces, plazas, open space enhancement, campus master planning, resorts and residential design.

Jack Kiesel’s work has been featured in Dwell, Green Magazine, Apartment Therapy, Central Coast Magazine and other publications.

Curtis Cormane has a B Arch from the University of Notre Dame.
He has been an instructor of architecture at Ventura College since 1996.

Under the umbrella, “Life Cycle,”

Tamiko Jordan taps into the cyclical flow of life.

Under the umbrella, “Life Cycle,” three artists’ solo exhibits tap into the cyclical flow of life, whether it’s the changing nature of an artist’s style and interests over time or the rhythms of nature itself.

These BAA artists are Bonnie Quan of Ojai, with “Tiny Paintings: A Mini-retrospective”; Tamiko Jordan of Ventura, who titled her show “Ebb and Flow”; and Michelle Nosco of Ventura, who chose the theme, “Portals: Sacred Sites and the Circle of Life.”

At Studio 99 @ The Bell Arts Factory

Location is around the back of the building off of Wall St.

Now thru October 1, 2022.

Open Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 4pm

View or purchase all of these artworks and more on our website at BuenaventuraArtAssociation.org

Third Annual Marvelous Mug Marketplace Ventura Pottery Gallery

Please join us for the third annual Marvelous Mug Marketplace featuring mugs from over 40 local artists at the Ventura Pottery Gallery in Ventura Harbor. The Marketplace will take place during the Harbor’s popular Chalk and Art Festival on September 10 and 11.

Not only will you be able to choose from a vast array of mugs at our outdoor display, gallery artists will provide clay demonstrations throughout the weekend.

Come and meet the makers as you mingle with the mugs.

The Pottery Gallery is located at 1567 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105 in Ventura Harbor and is open daily from 11-6. For more information visit venturapotterygallery.com. Can’t make it to the gallery? Visit our online store at www.venturapotteryonline.com

Newly painted public art mural “Matilija Poppies”

When in midtown, keep your eyes open for the newly painted public art mural “Matilija Poppies” by local artist MB Hanrahan. A new addition to Ventura’s impressive public art collection, “Matilija Poppies” is just one of over 200 remarkable public art pieces you can find throughout the city. Take a moment to appreciate the mural’s glamor at 1548 E. Main Street. For a full list of Ventura’s public art mural locations visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/1778/Public-Art-Murals

Loss of smell linked to Alzheimer’s cognitive impairment and biomarkers.

“I can hardly smell these flowers.”

Decline in sense of smell is connected to faster buildup of Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology seen in brain scans, according to new research focused on older adults who live outside of nursing homes. The findings provide additional evidence that loss of smell (known as anosmia) is a key early sign of Alzheimer’s-related cognitive impairment and the accumulation of associated harmful proteins, such as amyloid-beta and tau. The research, led by NIA scientists, was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Decline in sense of smell had previously been confirmed as an early warning sign for Alzheimer’s in both human and animal studies, but its connection to the uptick of dementia-related brain imaging biomarkers over time had not been as closely studied in larger populations of older adults. For this study, the team tracked 364 participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) over an average period of about 2.5 years. The NIA-led BLSA is the longest running study of healthy aging in America.

The participants were initially cognitively normal and given baseline cognitive and odor identification tests and PET scans, a type of brain imaging that can detect amyloid-beta and tau deposits associated with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Over the study period, 17 participants, or 5% of the total tracked, were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), of which 11 cases were associated with Alzheimer’s, three with vascular dementia, and one with frontotemporal dementia. Two were unspecified based on clinical characteristics.

The research team found that each point of lower odor identification test performance was associated with a 22% higher chance of developing MCI. This relation remained similar even after the investigators adjusted for age, sex, race, education, olfactory test version, apolipoprotein E gene (APOE ε4) carrier status, smoking, elevated depressive symptoms, and vascular disease. The PET brain scans of this subset of participants showed that lower olfactory scores were associated with higher levels of Alzheimer’s pathology in the brain, particularly in regions associated with the sense of smell, including parts of the orbital frontal cortex, and regions important to memory and learning, such as the temporal lobe. Further, participants with greater olfactory decline over time had higher levels of amyloid and tau in some regions related to both smell and memory function.

These results indicate that loss of olfactory function is closely tied to both the level and progression of neuropathological damage seen in Alzheimer’s. The study provides new evidence that may explain why poorer sense of smell is an early warning sign for Alzheimer’s-related MCI. The researchers hope to follow up on this work to look deeper into whether olfaction can predict other types of dementia-related neurodegenerative changes.

This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program grant Z01-AG000015-57 and NIA grant P30AG066507.

These activities relate to NIA’s AD+ADRD Research Implementation Milestone 9.M, “Develop diagnostics/biomarkers in asymptomatic individuals.”

Vol. 15, No. 24 – Aug 24 – Sept 6, 2022 – A View from House Seats

by Shirley Lorraine

Fractured Actors Take on Space and Time

Looking for something a little different to do? You might want to experience the current Speakeasy Project: Area 22 that Fractured Actors Theater Company has devised.

This year’s annual speakeasy production is the brainchild of organizers Jeff and Shannon McNally Ham, who also wrote and directed the pieces. The evening consists of four original one-act offerings, some out-of-this-world live music by The Conspiracies, and a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek by-play by all involved. The atmosphere is very X-Files meets Ziggy Stardust meets Ripley’s. Quite quirky and fun. I had a blast.

The company operates out of Suite J of Liminal Church of Ventura at 1956 Palma Drive in an industrial park. Their productions are tagged as #NotAChurchPlay, and they are certainly not.

Park in the back. The entertainment begins the minute you approach the door. Be prepared to be asked for credentials and verification of human existence. Just to ease your mind, all life forms are welcome. Guests are seated at tables and chairs facing the black-box stage. All seats are up close and personal. Libations and light snacks are available. The ambiance is mysterious, dark, casual and comfortable.

The Conspiracies, under the musical direction of James Dorward (who also plays drums) features Rachael Lynde on lead guitar and vocals, Chris Gwaltney on guitar and vocals, Ashley Gwaltney on keyboard and vocals and Lauren Sexton on bass guitar and vocals. Each has assumed a delightfully otherworldly persona A dynamic band with outstanding chemistry and audience appeal, they play before, between and after the acts, keeping the audience (at least me!) bobbing and moving.

The large cast manages the works well. Cast members range in age from 7 to well above 80. All are enthusiastic, willing to go along with the set-up and clearly having fun. What a terrific setting for actors of all levels, techs and audience open to trying something new and different. The company advertises “inspiring and thought-provoking theatrical experiences for a non-traditional theater audience.” The one-acts presented, for the most part, did do just that.

Of note to me were performances by Erica Connell, Anthony Contreras, Bryan White, Benjamin Wilson and Hudson Ham.

I enjoyed perusing Sweet Jay’s Museum of Oddities, a collection of fascinating objects scattered throughout the location. A lot of work went into placement and display and are worthy of discovery. As one who has lent personal furniture and props to many a theatrical production over the years, I had to wonder – were these decidedly strange things just hanging around the Hams’ house? Did the items spark the theme or were they gathered to fit? I wonder about odd things.

There is only one more weekend to enjoy this unique theatrical experience. I highly recommend it. Performances are Friday & Saturday, August 26, 27 at 8 p.m. and Sunday the 28th at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at fracturedactors.com. Check out the website for more information.