Amber Nozzi served as this year’s Irish Belle for the 2017 County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade..
Amber is a senior at Buena High School. She is a scholar-athlete who played volleyball at Buena all four years and will be graduating in June with summa cum laude honors. Nozzi is involved in her school’s Renaissance Leadership program that recognizes and rewards students for their academic achievements and improving school culture and climate. She also is active in the California Scholarship Federation and Habitat for Humanity.
Nozzi is a teacher in the children’s ministry at New Life Community Church in Oxnard and in the fall will attend Westmont College and major in business and economics.
Her duties as the parade’s 6th Irish Belle were to attend promotional activities supporting the parade and to ride in the convertible that leads the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee entry.
The Ventura County 2016-2017 Grand Jury has issued a report on the accreditation status of the Ventura County Medical Center. At the Joint Commission’s last full survey in June, 2014 the hospital was approved for 3 years, the maximum allowed. Subsequent follow-up reports have demonstrated satisfactory performance.
The Grand Jury report commended the Ventura County Medical Center for its performance and dedication to improving the quality of patient care.
Ventura County Jewish Film Festival wound up its 14th annual season this month with a screening of the award winning short film “A Children’s Song” a heartwarming story that delved into the history of Jews fleeing from Nazis at the outbreak of World War II, and settling in Shanghai.
Stars of the film showed up for a Q and A, included actor comedian Lee Lawrence, ten year old ViviAnn Yee, and 11-year-old Adam Chernick, with Ventura Temple Beth Torah compere Ivor Davis.
The whimsical art of Jane Peterson can be seen at her studio-gallery located at H Gallery+Studios located at 1793 E. Main. Peterson holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, and her work can be seen in collections from coast to coast. She works in an assortment of mediums, ranging from paint, oil, watercolor, wood, ceramic (mixed-media), sculpture, and photography.
That’s Jennifer with her arm around the birthday boy.
by Jennifer Tipton
The Ventura Harbor has several top picks for dining out for my husband’s birthday we chose Brophy Bros. one of his favorites. Sunday, March 5th was my husband’s 60th birthday.
Part of the charm of Brophy’s is certainly the ambiance. You can choose to sit inside in a cozy booth or the bar and enclosed outdoor patio both which have beautiful views of the harbor.
I reached out to Brophy’s several weeks ago to arrange a surprise birthday dinner. Kerry was amazing at communicating with me via email. She put a special menu together and offered suggestions for my vegan friends. Kerry wanted to be sure all food would come out at the same time for such a large group. A special table was set up for us out on the patio and there were heat lamps as the evening was a bit chilly.
Two servers split the table down the middle. The service was outstanding! The drinks kept coming, waters were refilled and bread baskets replaced (which wasn’t easy because the sourdough is super yummy and at least one friend is a “breadie” ).
Brophy Bros. is primarily a seafood restaurant however there are a variety of choices on the menu. My husband’s favorite is the shrimp and crab salad. Kerry added that to our custom menu.
Back to our party … yes, all the food came out at the same time. They did a plate of grilled veggies for our vegan friends. The servers knew who ordered what even though some of us were trading places at the table not in an effort to confuse them but to visit with those at the opposite end of the table. The servers kept up! A special shout out to one of our servers, Tyler. He presented the cake with candles lit and sang with us. Although it was more work for them, checks were separate as we requested.
Hard work must pay off because Kerry tells me Tyler is now the weekend manager Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
As part of Arts & Eats held in downtown Ventura on Saturday, March 18 from 6 – 8pm. over a dozen galleries, restaurants and shops open their doors for art receptions and complimentary tastes. Visit Downtown Ventura ,stroll Main Street and explore over a dozen galleries, restaurants and shops during this free event! Between the galleries stop for tasty bites at participating shops and restaurants. This event goes from 6pm till 8pm.
There is convenient free parking at two city lots. Visit www.foxfinejewelry.com/event/article/arts-eats/ for map of locations and parking.
Joe Cibere and Margy Gates will display their art in “H2O Watercolors” at Fox Fine Jewelry from March 16 – May 14 with an Art Reception on March 18 from 6 – 8:00pm. Musician Corinn Conant will sing and play guitar during the reception.
Joe Cibere has been a commercial artist for forty years. He has worked as a designer, illustrator, photographer and creative director for many top U.S. brands.
A native Californian, Margy Gates holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Claremont Graduate University.
Very Ventura Gift Shop & Gallery is pleased to present a Plein Air art exhibition inspired by “City by the Sea.” Group exhibition featuring Kay Zetlmaier, Ray Harris, Christine Beirne and Sparkle Taylor.
Fox Fine Jewelry; 560 E. Main St. 652-1800; Foxfinejewelry.com
Very Ventura Gift Shop & Gallery; 540 E. Main St. 628-3540; very-ventura.com
College staff members met to share best practices for serving veterans on college campuses.
The Ventura County Community College District Veterans Resource Center Coordinators from Moorpark College, Oxnard College and Ventura College met with managers from California Lutheran University, California State University, Channel Islands, and National University to discuss best practices for helping student veterans achieve success. Leading the discussion was VCCCD Trustee Larry Kennedy, Chancellor Bernard Luskin and Vice Chancellor of Educational Services Rick Post, all United States Navy veterans. The meeting included all of the cooperating higher education institutions in Ventura County that have a veteran’s center.
The VCCCD is leading a state-wide effort to expand and improve veterans’ services on college campuses. Kennedy, Co-Chair of the Community College League of California Veterans Caucus, shared the Caucus goal to increase the organization’s membership of individuals and institutions to advocate on behalf of veterans and encourage state and federal support in funding for counselors and other needed services for student veterans. “Things were different when I returned from Vietnam,” stated Kennedy. “Today’s students need more than VFW halls. In addition to academic support, they need re-entry and transitioning support. We would like to see a Veterans Resource Center on every community college campus in the state,” Kennedy added.
Chancellor Luskin and members of the Board of Trustees, including Chair Bernardo Perez and Trustee Stephen Blum, attended the Association of Community College Trustees National Legislative Summit in Washington, DC, Feb. 13-16 to connect the CCLC Veterans Caucus with ACCT and national legislative staff. Meetings are scheduled with representatives from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Senate and other legislators to address issues specific to student veterans.
“With an estimated 1.8 million veterans residing in California, the state’s veteran population is the largest in the nation. Many of the increasing number of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will look to one of the 113 community colleges as the most easily accessible and affordable educational options available. In fact, more than 61,000 veterans, and active duty service members, enrolled at a community college in 2013-14,” said Kennedy.
“The California Community Colleges are urging Congress to fund more counselors for veteran students and fund the Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success in the Higher Education Act,” explained Chancellor Luskin.
Enjoy watching the gentle giants of the sea and dolphins too! Photo by Doug Mangum
Winter whale watching off the beautiful Central Coast of California runs from December to mid-April. An Island Packers whale watch is a perfect way to gather with family and friends to view the Pacific Gray Whales as they migrate through the Santa Barbara Channel on the way between their feeding grounds in Alaska and their breeding grounds in Baja.
Other possible sightings include humpback or fin whales, and occasionally Orcas, all of whom visit the productive waters of the Channel to feed on rich resources found in the majestic waters.
The Half Day Whale Watch Cruise provides stunning views of the Ventura coastline or the Channel Islands, wherever the whales may be sighted.
The Island Wildlife Cruise Half Day tours the north shore of Anacapa Island where visitors will see the historic lighthouse, view the highly photographed Arch Rock, enjoy a closer look at the California sea lion, spotted harbor seals and other wildlife.
Annual mammal sightings often seen also include minke whales, and sometimes the largest animal ever on the planet the majestic blue whale. Common dolphin populations often appear on the scene to delight passengers as they frolic with the boat, and ride the bow and stern waves.
Rates for half-day trips are $38 for adults, $34 for seniors and $28 for children age 3-12. Children 2 and under are free.
“All year long, we invite visitors to come aboard our boats for an exciting and educational Nature Discovery Tour of the Channel Islands National Park,” stated Cherryl Connally, Office Manager at Island Packers.
Island Packers is the authorized concessionaire the Channel Islands National Park, family owned since 1968. The main office is located at 1691 Spinnaker Drive in theVentura Harbor Village. For more information visit the user-friendly website or to book online at www.islandpackers.com or call 642-1393.
Anahi Morelos, Marta Y. Alvarez and Alexandra Alamillo at the local premiere of Dream Big.
Recently Ventura-based YCE, Inc. a woman-owned engineering and surveying firm, hosted the local premiere of Dream Big – Engineering Our World at the Collection’s Century Riverpark 16 theater. Over 400 enthusiastic guests were greeted by YCE, Inc. owner Marta Alvarez who then viewed Dream Big, a larger-than-life movie celebrating engineering wonders of the world through the telling of heartfelt stories of human ingenuity.
In conjunction with the premiere, YCE, Inc. awarded scholarships to two deserving young women. A three-member judging panel read over 50 applications before selecting Anahi Morelos, a Lompoc High School senior who was awarded the $750 engineering scholarship and Alexandra Alamillo, a Camarillo resident & Cal Poly SLO Agricultural and Environmental Plant Sciences student who was awarded a $750 agriculture scholarship.
The Society of Women Engineers 2016 Engineer of the Year, Marta Alvarez was named one of three national winners in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Dream Big contest. Alvarez strongly believes in giving back to her community and to the fields of engineering and agriculture. “I saw this as an opportunity to really celebrate women in engineering and agriculture,” stated Alvarez. “That’s why we decided to incorporate two scholarships for local, tri-county female students.”
YCE, Inc. is a full-service civil engineering and land-surveying firm located in Ventura. Founded in 1986 by Marta Y. Alvarez (PE/LS/MASCE), civil engineer and land surveyor. YCE is a nationally recognized Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) employing engineers and land surveyors.
Marta was just announced by NAWBO-VC as their Bravo Innovator of the Year!
The scenario: You and your spouse are a two income household, engaged in steady employment, possess strong credit scores, yet your savings falls a bit short on that large down-payment needed to purchase the proverbial house with the white picket fence.
Well a little secret is about to be revealed. Banks are now offering a down payment assistance of 5% of a maximum loan amount up to $424,100 for closing costs, or towards the down payment. That is approximately $21,000, rounding down to the nearest thousandth dollar. And, believe it or not, this is truly a grant. No strings attached. Unlike other grant assistance programs, you do not have to pay this back. Even let’s say down the road, you choose to refinance the loan to leverage the equity, it is yours to keep. This program is available to anyone who qualifies, and not necessarily first-time homebuyers. However, it does need to be your primary residence. With this piece of knowledge and speaking to a professional realtor Maureen Megowan for example, owning a house or even a condo may not be as far off as you initially thought.
Spring is in the air, and summer is just around the corner. With this type of a generous assistance program, a family could find themselves in a home with backyards large enough for barbeques, or surfing millennials eyeing those condos in Port Hueneme. It may not be your dream home this time around, but very well a home, you can call your own.
The whimsical art of Jane Peterson can be seen at her studio-gallery located at H Gallery+Studios located at 1793 E. Main. Peterson holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, and her work can be seen in collections from coast to coast. She works in an assortment of mediums, ranging from paint, oil, watercolor, wood, ceramic (mixed-media), sculpture, and photography.
