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Vol. 10, No. 10 – February 15 – February 28, 2017 – Events

Events by Ana Baker

The Ventura Retired Men’s Group meets on the first and third Tuesdays  at noon at the Ventura Elks Lodge on Knoll Drive. They have a healthy lunch($15), a speaker on a topic of interest and an enjoyable couple of hours together. Call Steve Carroll for details 642-1359.

Free admission stage show, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. First Sunday of every month.  Old Time Country Bluegrass Gospel Music Assoc. Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Rd. For more Information call 517-1131.

Ventura Poinsettia Dance Club meets every Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill. Ballroom, swing, Latin, mixers and line dancing. Members $10, non-members $12. Call Rick at 415-8842 for more information.

DBSA Ventura, the local chapter of the Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) hosts two regular, confidential, peer-led, self-help support groups in the County. Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Bible Fellowship Church at 6950 Ralston Street in Room 301 of Building 300. Email [email protected], visit facebook.com/DBSA.Ventura or call 253-3289 for more information. 1p.m. to 3p.m. at the New Visions Center on the first and third Saturdays of the month. At 1065 E. Main. Email [email protected], visit facebook.com/DBSA.Ventura or 746-3106 for more information.

Audubon events
Feb. 18: 8:30 a.m., Carpinteria Salt Marsh.
Rocky Luddes 208-9648. Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park is an excellent birding location due to the estuary, wetlands, and upland habitats.
Feb. 19: 8:30 a.m., Santa Clara River Estuary. Kay Regester 258-1025.
Walk will be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Hope to see a variety of shorebirds. Meet in the Surfers Knoll parking lot.
Feb.21: 9 a.m., Rancho Simi Community Park Adele Fergusson 415-4304
A 2-3 hour walk by large ponds with birds close up and personal; we will then walk down Arroyo Simi River, and afterwards have lunch together nearby.

Feb. 16: The Assistance League of Ventura County at the Chapter House, 913 East Santa Clara St.  Meeting begins  at 10 a.m., social beginning at 9:30 a.m. Guests and new members welcome.  Assistance League is creating “A Brighter Tomorrow for Today’s Children” through several philanthropic programs.  The Bargain Box Thrift Shop helps fund these programs. Information at assistanceleagueventuracounty.org or Email [email protected]. Monday thru Thursday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 643-2458

Feb.16: The East Ventura Community Council will hear an update on new regulations for granny flats, second units and carriage houses during its monthly meeting. Dave Ward, Planning Manager for the City of Ventura, will present the new regulations governing the use of these dwellings.

City Councilperson Neal Andrews will speak about issues facing the city and will answer questions.

David Krushell will share the latest information on plans for new housing tracts. In addition, other topics may be addressed as time permits.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the First Assembly of God Church, 346 N. Kimball Road. For more information call 804-7558 or check the group’s Facebook page.

Feb. 18: Intimate chamber works by Handel, Schubert and Spohr Saturday at 5 p.m.  Handel’s exquisite duet Ahi, nelle sorti umane and Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock. Patricia Lathrop-McPherson, Deborah Wynne and Maureen DeMaio are featured singers along with David Singer on clarinet.  Helen Farson, piano and director.  Admission is free. 1 hour.  Ventura Seventh-day Adventist Church 6300 Telephone Rd. 641-9646 if more information is desired.

Feb.19: On Sunday members of the public are invited to come celebrate the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura’s formal installation of its minister, the Reverend Dana Worsnop.

The Rev. Bill Sinkford, past president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, will present the sermon.

“I am thrilled to be the next minister of this engaged and passionate church community,” said Rev. Dana Worsnop. Rev. Worsnop joined the congregation in August of last year. Location 5654 Ralston.

Feb. 20: CA Zeta Chi parliamentarians will meet at 7 p.m. and will feature a lesson by Pres. Bruce Rick entitled “Got No Class!”  Main Street Restaurant and Steakhouse, 3159 E. Main St. Those wishing to eat should arrive at 6 p.m.  Non-members are welcome.  Membership is $25 per year.  For information, contact Sharon Hillbrant, 479-6738, or check out zetachi.webstarts.com.

Feb. 22: The College Area Community Council will meet on Wednesday, at 7 p.m.  Council meetings include speakers and discussion on topics of neighborhood and community interest, including public safety and economic development. The Council, which represents citizens between Mills and Victoria bordered by Foothill and Hwy. 126, meets in the Wright Event Center at 57 Day Rd. on the Ventura College campus.  Free parking is available adjacent to the Event Center.

Call  644-8695 for more information.

Feb.23: The local chapter of the Portuguese Fraternal Society of America will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday.  This meeting is open to any person of Portuguese descent or interested in the Portuguese culture.  The meeting will be held at Main Street Restaurant and Steakhouse, 3159 East Main St.  11:30pm. for a noon, no host luncheon / meeting.  For more information and reservation, please call Cora Corella at  483-6285, or Yvonne Westervelt at  483-4168.

Feb. 24: Youth & Family Night Bible Study Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Servants of the Father of Mercy Warehouse Chapel, 1544 Morse Ave. Free homemade bread and soup dinner at 6 p.m.

The last Friday of the month during Lent, February, March and April. Please bring a Bible, pen, an open-mind and note pad. Families, children and teens welcome to this launch of Lent and Easter Season Bible Study. RSVP [email protected].

Feb. 23:  Enjoy the photography of Garrett Parkinson a friend of the Bird Club for many years with a presentation of “The Birds of Balboa Wildlife Refuge”.

Garrett Parkinson was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He attended Humboldt State University in the mid to late 1970’s and graduated with bachelor degrees in Zoology and Wildlife Management.  The Presentation will start at 7 p.m. at the Ventura Moose Lodge #1394, 10267 Telephone Rd.  Attendance is free and all are welcome.  For further information call 488-6244

Feb. 26: Public invited to free 3rd annual concert by The Pelican Chamber Music Series which brings you world class local talent. The Singer Chamber Players, led by David Singer, clarinet, Virginia Kron, cello, and Daniel Newman Lessler, piano. Music of romantic-progressive classicism, and folk-based tunes will be so inspiring you will want to dance in the aisles. About the Singer Chamber Players www.singerchamberplayers.com. Sunday at 4 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal, 3290 Loma Vista Road, 643-5033. www.saintpaulsventura.org. Reception following in Kahler Hall.

 

Vol. 10, No. 10 – February 15 – February 28, 2017 – City classes

City of Ventura Barranca Vista Imagination Center classes. Check out hundreds more on our web-site
Call 658-4726 or 654-7553 to register, if you already have an ACTIVENET account online, visit www.cityofventura.net Classes and events held at the Barranca Vista Center, 7050 Ralston St. unless otherwise noted

Painting Flowers, Bugs, and Trees 7-12 years
2/21-3/21 W 4-5:30 pm $50+$10 materials fee #7972
Paint landscapes with trees, mountains, waves, waterfalls and other details using many techniques. Join artist Jen Livia at 4601 Telephone Rd #112 each week to explore new subjects
and paint them in a variety of styles to discover our own unique style. All supplies provided.

Morning Zumba® 18 years-adult
$40/$65/$80*
2/22-3/29 W 8:45-9:45 am #7880
2/24-3/31 F 7:45-8:45 am #7885
2/27-4/3 M 8:45-9:45 am #7879
Start your day with an exciting and effective Latin dance Zumba® workout.
*Session discounts: one day for $40; two days for $65; all 3 days for $80. Certified Zumba® Instructor Dala Sondors.

Yoga to Unwind 16 years-adult
2/23-3/30 Th 5:10-6:10 pm $65 #7664
Leave the work day behind to relax with simple yoga poses, stretching and breathing. Bring towel, mat and dress comfortably. Instructor Aurora Heinemann.

Friday Fitness Party! 16 years-adult
2/24-3/31 F 6:15-7:15 pm $40 or $7/day #7682
Join us and dance, body condition and cool down to fabulous music. Bring mat and water. Walk in fee of $7 is due at start of class. Certified Zumba® Instructor Dala Sondors.

Friday Night Tap 12 years-adult
2/24-3/17 F 6:30-7:30 pm $40 #8016
Learn basic steps, combinations and routines to upbeat rhythms and music. Classes are progressive but designed for the beginner. Instructor Elli Busch. Classes held at Billy Clower Dance Studio, 75 MacMillian Ave. To register call 658-4726.

Ballroom Dancing 16 years-adult
2/28-4/4 Tu 7:30-8:30 pm $55 #8023
Enjoy the magic of smoothly moving across the floor with the waltz, fox trot, swing and rumba!

Swing and Nightclub Dancing 16 years-adult
2/28-4/4 Tu 8:30-9:30 pm $55 #8025
Swing the night away, East & West Coast style! No partner needed.

Social Security has been a cornerstone of financial security

“This and social security might pay our bills”

by Essie L. Landry Public Affairs Specialist Social Security Administration Sierra West Area

Social Security is constantly evolving to make our beneficiaries lives easier. If a person is currently receiving benefits from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and are reapplying for benefits, or are assisting someone with their application, a trip to the Social Security office is probably not necessary even if verification of Social Security benefits is needed.

When is a Good Time to Start Receiving Social Security Benefits? – Enjoying a comfortable retirement is everyone’s dream. For over 80 years, Social Security has been helping people realize those dreams, assisting people through life’s journey with a variety of benefits. It’s up to each individual when he or she can start retirement benefits. A person could start them a little earlier or wait until his or her “full retirement age.” There are benefits to either decision, pun intended.

Planning Will Help You See Green in Retirement – Social Security has been a cornerstone of financial security for over 80 years. As you might already know, a lifetime of measured discipline can ensure a comfortable retirement. Social Security can help individuals plan, save, and see plenty of green in their golden years.

You, Women’s History, and their Power of Social Security – March is Women’s History Month — a time to focus not just on the past, but on the challenges women continue to face. Nearly 60 percent of the people receiving Social Security benefits are women, and in the 21st century, more women work, pay Social Security taxes, and earn credit toward monthly retirement income than at any other time in our nation’s history. Knowing this, a woman can be the author of her own rich and independent history, with a little preparation.

Your Contributions Make Our Nation Stronger – At first, an individual seeing taxes taken out of his or her paycheck can be a little disappointing. However, the individual can take pride in knowing he or she is making an important impact each week when he or she contribute to Social Security. Understanding how important his or her contribution is takes some of the sting away because his or her taxes are helping millions of Americans — and protecting the individual and his or her family for life — as well as wounded warriors, the chronically ill, and disabled.

 

Vol. 10, No. 10 – February 15 – February 28, 2017 – Professor Scamp Ph.D

From my friends at C.A.R.L.: Canine Adoption and Rescue League (C.A.R.L.) wishes a very happy birthday to longtime volunteer Betty Siegfried. Betty recently turned 80, and has been a fixture at the dog rescue since July 2006. Betty began her volunteer career as a dog walker. Lately, she spends her volunteer time sitting in one of C.A.R.L.’s several enclosed grassy areas. There, dogs can run free, play fetch, and enjoy Betty’s company.

Betty began her volunteer career as a dog walker

As Betty is fond of saying, “it’s never too late to start volunteering. Even a simple visit to the dogs brightens their day and lets them feel loved while at the rescue.”

Betty’s favorite dog at C.A.R.L. is Shady, a senior German Shepherd girl. Shady is very close with Betty, and the two are often seen sitting together.

Canine Adoption and Rescue League (C.A.R.L.) is Ventura County’s largest all-breed, no-kill, non-profit dog rescue and sanctuary. To learn how to adopt, volunteer, or donate, visit carldogs.org or call  644-PETS (7387).

•   Us (or is it we?) dogs are even more wonderful then I thought. Brian Hare, a Duke University professor of cognitive neuroscience, is helping pioneer what he calls “dognition” to explore the mutually beneficial relationship between humans and dogs (I don’t think it takes much research).

He said the abilities dogs have developed over time enables them to understand human instruction so closely (that’s how we know when you are taking us for a car ride before you even tell us). These abilities seem closely tied to human interaction, and corresponding social cues.

“I love reading the Breeze especially Professor Scamp.”

Hare explained that in some ways, canines have the ability to process human behavior better than do chimpanzees, the closest living evolutionary relative to humans. Domestic dogs have the ability to understand so-called cooperative-communicative social cues that allow them to quickly and accurately complete social tasks with only simple guidance from an instructor.

Are certain breeds better a given task than others? For example, do German shepherds and Labrador retrievers make better forensic investigators than bulldogs? (I could help find hidden food in prisons)

Each breed, and perhaps individual, has its own strengths and weaknesses when solving problems. Because there is so much variation between different dogs, this means that every dog can contribute to improving our understanding of dog psychology.

•   An exciting new accomplishment in animal rescue, the Lange Foundation’s Safety Net Program in Lancaster will be celebrating its first anniversary this summer. Since its launch in August 2015, the Safety Net Program has helped approximately 700 families keep their beloved pets during times of need, rather than surrendering their pets to the already overcrowded shelter. To celebrate its one-year anniversary, the Safety Net Program is partnering with the Lancaster Animal Shelter to offer discounts on pet adoptions on Saturday, August 20.

The Safety Net Program’s one year anniversary event will be held all day at the Lancaster Animal Shelter and is focused on finding permanent homes for as many animals as possible. The event features discounted cat and dog adoptions for $35 or less plus a free gift for newly adopted pets. In addition, $50 spay and neuter certificates will be handed out to pet owners who already have animals at home.

The Lange Foundation’s Safety Net Program is a unique relief system that offers resources to pet owners who need assistance with care for their pets. As with many communities, the pet owners living in California’s Antelope Valley can find themselves struggling with practical realities and financial burdens of pet ownership – realities that can often lead owners to surrender pets to public animal shelters.

The Safety Net Program provides solutions and alternatives that help keep pets with their families through these hardships. Assistance comes in many forms including help with landlord issues, spaying and neutering, vaccinations, pet food and supplies, veterinary care, temporary boarding as well as assistance to those who cannot afford the redemption fees to reclaim their impounded pets.

The Lange Foundation’s Safety Net Program is maintained by donations. The Lange Foundation rescues hundreds of dogs, cats and horses each year by placing them into permanent and loving new homes.

•  You, like most, consider pets to be more like family members than furniture. But courts do not. In the eyes of the law, animals are property. So although pet custody battles are often passionate and sometimes truly wacky, courts think of them more prosaically: as part of the “property distribution” in a divorce.

That’s why an amendment to Alaska’s divorce statutes, which recently took effect, is making news in the world of animal law. It makes Alaska the first state in the country to require courts to take “into consideration the well-being of the animal” and to explicitly empower judges to assign joint custody of pets. In a blog post, the Animal Legal Defense Fund called the well-being provision “groundbreaking and unique.”

The Alaska bill also allows courts to include pets in domestic violence protective orders and requires the guardians of pets seized in cruelty or neglect cases to cover the cost of their shelter.

Senior troupe show about avoiding senior scams Feb. 23

Troupe members of the “Stop Senior Scams (SM) Acting Program” ham it up to help others learn how to protect themselves.

In collaboration with the Ventura County Adult Abuse Prevention Council (VCAAPC), please join Cypress Place Senior Living for a fun, free and educational program on avoiding senior scams, so they’re able to know the difference between a scam compared to legitimate and reputable communities like these at Springfield Massachusetts continuing care retirement community Loomis Lakeside has senior apartments, assisted living, and nursing home level of care available.

The Stop Senior Scams (SM) Acting Program uses theater to dramatize senior scams. Members of the troupe, ages 60 – 97, write and perform skits based on their own personal experiences. It is a memorable way to equip those who are vulnerable with the knowledge they need to protect themselves.

Using popular songs like the Rolling Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, “Getting to Know You “, from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I”, Abba’s “Money, Money, Money”, and the Supremes “Stop in the Name of Love”, the troupe brings theatricality, laughter and excitement to a commonly frightening and frustrating topic.

The program was founded in 1997 by director Adrienne Omansky who was a teacher of older adults and adults with disabilities. The Stop Senior Scams (SM) Acting Program has been recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives and the California State Assembly, according to Nancy Cole, an eldercare manager and board member of VCAAPC.

This not-to-be-missed program takes place on February 23 from 1:30p.m. to 3:30p.m. at Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura. Seating is limited so please call to reserve a seat. To RSVP, please call 765-1066.

Cypress Place Senior Living is located at 1200 Cypress Point Lane in Ventura. To learn more about Cypress Place Senior Living of Ventura, visit their web site at www.cypressplaceseniorliving.com.

The Ventura County Adult Abuse Prevention Council is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to the prevention of elder and dependent adult abuse. To learn more about VCAAPC please visit their web site at http://vcaapc.org/.

 

Vol. 10, No. 10 – February 15 – February 28, 2017 – Mailbox

Sheldon @ Ventura Breeze

In response to the guy who took offence with substitution of the word “Dog” for “God” he obviously doesn’t know what dogs mean to people who love them like family!

I think the attached*expresses what God “for those who are religious” would have felt as well!

Sincerely one of your many readers

* Photo of God’s finger touching the paw of a dog with caption “I’ve turned my own name around and have called you Dog, my friend.”

Editor:

The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, saved my life. I had health insurance. I needed brain surgery. My health insurance company kept delaying approvals for necessary MRI and CT scans to find out what was wrong. Because they refused to pay for the CT scan that was needed to confirm a diagnosis, I had to pay for one of them out of pocket. They assigned an RN to my case to reduce costs. But, because of public pressure, when the Affordable Care Act was being drafted, my surgery was eventually approved by the insurance company in 2009.

As Congress moves forward on a path towards repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, it is critical that our nation’s communities retain access to high-quality hospital services we need and deserve. Our hospitals not only provide lifesaving care, but they are also key economic engines, providing jobs and security to the entire community.

I am greatly concerned that legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act could leave in place devastating and historic cuts to my hospital. We need your help to protect access to care and our nation’s local economies.

This means that if legislation is approved that repeals the Affordable Care Act, it is imperative that it either replaces the coverage losses simultaneously or repeals the Medicare and Medicaid hospital reductions embedded in the law, so we ensure our community hospitals have the resources they need to care for American families and communities.

Kathy Miller-Ventura

Hi Sheldon,

I am a huge proponent of private property rights but simply can’t wrap my head around any of the arguments for allowing STVRs to operate in residential districts.

I can’t afford a gardener but believe I am entitled to lawn service whether I can afford it or not. Pygmy goats are the cutest things ever and would keep my weeds at bay, thus improving the aesthetics of the neighborhood. Pygmy goats are quieter and less annoying than the neighbors’ barking dogs.

Pygmy goats need veterinarians, groomers, feed, bedding and whatever else they need to thrive and survive – all services and goods I would never purchase but for the pygmy goats. Thus, I’ll create jobs and bring in revenue for businesses and the city.

To help defray costs, make ends meet, and to keep them from sitting idly by when I can’t use them, from time-to-time I’ll rent the pygmy goats to the neighbors. The children, many of whom would never have an opportunity to interact with pygmy goats, will be thrilled, enlightened and enriched by the experience. My pygmy goats could also provide love, affection and comfort for some of the elderly and lonely among us (which is way more than any STVR could do.)

The only people who would complain are whiny, petty and jealous neighbors who either can’t or didn’t think to buy their own pygmy goats.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to fully fully appreciate that our city can choose which laws to enforce and which to ignore. I also never dreamed that I could actually keep pygmy goats in my small backyard here at the beach. Fortunately, I guess all I need to do is ask the city to not enforce the zoning codes and issue me a pygmy goat permit. It’s a win-win all around!

Did I mention that I’m a huge proponent of private property rights and that pygmy goats are the cutest things.

Sharon L. Rishel
Pierpont Resident

Talk is cheap, except when  Congress does it
~ Anonymous

Vol. 10, No. 10 – February 15 – February 28, 2017 – Movie Review

Split
by Manuel Reynoso 1 palm tree out of 4

Written and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Starring James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Betty Buckley.

Three teenage girls are abducted by Kevin (James McAvoy), an abused suffer of Dissociative Identity Disorder, and are being held in cellar against their will. Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), Marcia (Jessica Sula) and Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) have to work with and against Kevin’s various personalities if they want to make it out alive.

M. Night Shyamalan has struck out repeatedly over the years. While his success was largely built off of the momentum of Sixth Sense, his original works have yet to recapture the world’s imagination since. It’s truly a shame to see Shyamalan take to writing what amounts to nothing more than an exploitation film. However, it’s not a cultural trend or niche genre being exploited, but our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

We face a mental health crisis here in the United States. Limited resources to combating this problem is only exacerbated by the stigma mental health illnesses carry. So to create a film whose entire theme revolves around the demonization of mental illness is simply abhorrent. Repeatedly the film equates the mentally ill and abused as broken or violent, and as such should be labeled as outcasts. Combined with mediocre writing, questionable cinematography, and lackluster acting, we are left with another failure for M. Night Shyamalan to ruminate over what went wrong.

The poor theme would have been enough for me to disregard this film as terrible alone, but I repeatedly came into question of this film cinematography. Far too often do we see the same shots being recycled in this film. I am far to intimately aware of each actor’s facial features, as we get so many close ups of the actors teary eyed faces. It became clear that this became a crutch to help the director easily convey the tension and desperation each character was feeling. What was even more bizarre was the sporadic use of extremely wide angle shots for some of the conversations. There wasn’t enough to create any sort of theme with their use but enough to make it far too noticeable.

However, the one saving grace has to be the acting talents of James McAvoy. In a film brought down by the mediocre acting of the rest of the cast, James McAvoy was far too talented for such a low brow script. His ability to assume the many different personalities of Kevin really was a remarkable thing to watch, and was likely the only thing I found interesting in this movie. He had great range, and I hope to see him shine in a movie more deserving of his talents.

It’s difficult for me to look past the fact this film is taking us in the wrong direction in regards to mental health awareness and understanding. However, even if I was to look past this, I would still only see a half decent thriller with bad cinematography and mediocre acting. McAvoy’s acting may stand out as the one solid part of this movie, it does not make up for much. M. Night Shyamalan continues to be nothing more than a has-been director to me. The truly sad part of all this is he’s made even worse movies, so really this was pretty par for the course all things considered.  PG-13  1H57M.

Vol. 10, No. 10 – February 15 – February 28, 2017 – CAPS

Evan Carpenter with Cathy Peterson and Brad Bauer on KPPQ.

It’s here at CAPS Media
by Elizabeth Rodeno

Lots of things are springing anew at CAPS Media this month! Out with the old and in with the shiny new HD cameras! At CAPS Media we’re saying goodbye to the old SD cameras that have long served CAPS members in our studio and bringing in HD cameras and upgraded equipment. Although the studio will be shut down for upgrades for the month of February, we’re still lending cameras and equipment. Come back in March to check out the new studio!

Also coming up in March are our regularly scheduled classes. Become a member this month, when you take the March Orientation Class, happening Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 6:00 PM. We will also be offering HD Camera Class on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 6:00 PM and Final Cut X Edit Class on Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 6:00 PM. Once the studio is up and running we will schedule studio classes – a 2 session course on Saturdays. More information can be found at http://www.capsmedia.org/events. Registration begins March 1st.

As we do every year, we’ll be covering the St. Patrick’s Day parade live from Main Street on March 11 at 10am with our hosts, Tim O’Neil and Jerry Breiner. If you can’t make it to the parade, tune in and enjoy the festivities from home or your mobile device!

CAPS Media has 6 video programs that are finalists in the the Alliance of Community Media West’s 2017 Western Access Video Excellence (WAVE) Awards and winners will be announced in March. ACMW’s Mission is to promote civic engagement through community media and CAPS Media could not be happier to have these programs nominated. We’ll keep you posted on the results.

And the very most exciting news of all- Ventura’s newest radio station has launched! Thanks to all the staff, in particular Evan Carpenter, with the support of the board, members and the city and local contractor,Eagle Pride Construction Inc., our long preparation and an exciting Friday installing the radio antenna, the “ON AIR” sign is lit up! Have you ever wanted to host your own radio show? Do you think that vinyl sounds better and your old collection hasn’t seen enough use lately? We invite you to share your stories and voice on KPPQ-LP 104.1 FM. Or just tune in! What could be better for your commute than local radio programming, created by and for your community?

As always, you can watch channel 6 to hear what the public has to say and watch channel 15 to experience the city’s vision to provide the best and clearest information for all. All programs are also available to the public via streaming service on our website.Go to www.capsmedia.org to see what our members are creating for you and sign up to be part of the story. A full year’s membership is just $25. Radio memberships are now available! For more information, contact us at [email protected].

The YMCA helping the community in many ways

Matt Stevens, volunteer; Jim Duran, volunteer; Amy Bailey, Ventura Family YMCA Executive Director and Danielle Brinkman, Board of Managers Chair attended Breakfast with Santa.

Volunteers and supporters with the Ventura Family YMCA support local people in need through a variety of charitable drives. About 600 people attended Breakfast with Santa in December, which collected hundreds of toy donations for local low-income families through the ACTION Foundation of Ventura.

The YMCA Adventure Guides, a program designed to strengthen the relationship between a parent and a child, held a food drive and created 10 baskets for families in need and donated the rest of the food to the Food Pantry. The YMCA also held a coat drive in partnership with the Rotary Club of Ventura, which brought in more than 150 coats for children and families in need.

The YMCA is introducing a new swim curriculum that accurately develops children’s swimming skills by placing them in corresponding stages that best match their age and ability.

This new curriculum will detail what stage each child should begin at and give information on what they will learn as well as the pathways they can lead into as they progress.

“The Ventura Family YMCA is proud to offer instruction in a skill that is not only fun, but also saves lives,” said Brie Young, Aquatics Director.

In the “Swim Starters” classes, accompanied by a parent, infants and toddlers will learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills through fun and confidence building experiences.

As a leading nonprofit committed to youth development, the Y has been a leader in providing swim lessons and water safety instruction for more than 100 years. The Ventura Family YMCA offers a variety of programs to help youth and adults experience the joy and benefits of swimming, while feeling healthy, confident and secure in the water.

Registration for the swim classes is open. Cost to join is $30 for YMCA members and $60 for non-members. Financial scholarships are available .  For more information, contact Brie Young, Aquatics Director at  642-2131 or [email protected].

Beyond instruction, the Y also provides recreational, competitive and specialty aquatics programs for all ages and abilities, including parent-child classes, water exercise and therapy, water safety and rescue and water sports.

The YMCA is committed to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. To learn how to get involved with the Ventura Family YMCA, visit http://www.ciymca.org/ventura/ or call 642.2131.