Both shoppers and California farmers are benefitting from the Market Match and the Cal-Fresh (SNAP) food programs offered by the Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association (VCCFM).

Market Match is California’s healthy food incentive program, which uses grant dollars to match or double a portion of the customers’ federal nutrition assistance benefits, like Cal-Fresh (SNAP), for the exclusive purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables at their certified farmers’ market.

The Market Match program is available at two Ventura Markets, the Midtown Ventura Certified Farmers’ Market held on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pacific View Mall and the Downtown Ventura Certified Farmers’ Market held on Saturday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon held in the City Parking Lot, at Santa Clara & Palm Streets.

All Cal-Fresh SNAP and Market Match benefits are administered through a token system available at the VCCFM Market Information booths. The markets also accept the WIC (Women, Infants and Child) food programs at each of their locations. “This is a great time for qualified shoppers to utilize these programs and expand their food benefits during the holidays with all of the celebrations taking place,” stated Karen Schott, Operations Manager for the VCCFM. “We are excited to offer this grant program, working together with our farmers, to add more food accessibility in our community” she added.

For more information, call the Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association at 805-529-6266 or visit the website at www.vccfm.org.

Applications are now being accepted for Ventura Police Volunteers! Volunteers are an essential component to the Ventura Police Department’s community problem oriented policing efforts. Volunteers have an opportunity to learn about policing and help improve community safety. Volunteers come from many different professional backgrounds with the common goal of wanting to make a difference by giving of their time and talent to serve our community.

There are two volunteer programs offered at the Ventura Police Department:

The In-House/Administrative Volunteer position reports to designated supervisory personnel within the Police Department and performs routine to moderately complex administrative and clerical work to support efficient and effective office operations. Volunteers work along with Ventura Police staff to assist in various projects. The Department often utilizes the talents of volunteers by giving tasks that best suit the volunteer skillset.

Volunteers in Policing (VIPs). VIPs help with vacation house checks, extra foot patrol, parking enforcement, traffic control, report writing and special events. They are paired with a buddy and drive a marked minivan throughout the community being the extra eyes to report suspicious activity and to respond to special call types as needed. VIPs create their own schedule with their partner and are given various assignments during their shift. Ventura Police VIPs do not carry weapons, they wear uniforms, are equipped with police radios and drive marked vehicles.

In 2018, VIPs responded to 553 calls for service, took 108 reports and contributed more than 5,600 hours of service. They have been a valuable partner in crime reduction and community policing efforts.

“Ventura Police Volunteers are special people who truly care about our community and want to give back in an exciting way! Many of our volunteers had careers here in our community, raised their families here and are now retired wanting to make a difference in a new way. We appreciate their dedicated service, professionalism and the life experiences they bring that enrich our department and Ventura. They make a difference and are appreciated,” said Assistant Police Chief Darin Schindler.

Volunteers are provided with training after an application, interview and background process is conducted. They are also required to attend a Volunteer Academy. Those interested in this exciting opportunity are encouraged to apply online at  www.cityofventura.ca.gov/1647/Volunteer or by calling Police Services Officer Natalie Wiles at 805-477-3747.

From severe injuries to arthritis, shoulder replacement surgery can be used to treat a variety of conditions. For some patients, less invasive treatments provide relief but for others, shoulder replacement surgery provides the best path to a healthy, pain-free life.

The latest developments in shoulder replacement surgery will be the focus of a free seminar at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, in Ventura. Titled “Is Shoulder Replacement Right for You?” the seminar is hosted by Community Memorial Health System as part of its 2019 Speaker Series. At the seminar, guest speaker Dr. Stephan Sweet will discuss advances in shoulder replacement surgery and the types of patients most likely to benefit from surgery.

Dr. Sweet is a member of the Community Memorial Hospital medical staff and specializes in orthopedic surgery. He received his medical degree from Georgetown University, completed his orthopedic surgery residency at USC, and completed a fellowship at UCLA in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery. Dr. Sweet is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

The Nov. 14 seminar will begin at 6 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main Street. Registration is free but reservations are required. For reservations, visit www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp or call Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.

California Humanities has announced the recent round of Humanities For All Quick Grant awards, and the Ventura County Library has been awarded $5,000.00 for its One County, One Book Community Reading Program.

The Humanities For All Quick Grant is a competitive grant program of California Humanities that supports locally-initiated public humanities projects that respond to the needs and interests of Californians, encourage greater public participation in humanities programming, particularly by new and/or underserved audiences, and promotes understanding and empathy among all our state’s peoples in order to cultivate a thriving democracy.

One County, One Book unites the Ventura County community around a common narrative, spreading interest in and facilitating discussions about the selected book. People across the county have a chance to attend a variety of events related to the themes of the selection, including lectures, workshops, film screenings, and more. One County, One Book 2019 is truly a countywide initiative, and aims to spark community discussion, foster a stronger sense of community, and promote a love of reading and literature.

One County, One Book is also supported through a primary sponsorship from California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI), and additional sponsorships from a host of other organizations including California Lutheran University, Ventura College, the Museum of Ventura County, the Museum of Ventura County’s Docent Volunteer Council, the Camarillo Public Library, the Calabasas Library, the Ventura Friends of the Library, the Ojai Valley Library Friends & Foundation, and the Ventura County Library Foundation.

“These projects will bring the complexity and diversity of California to light in new ways that will engage Californians from every part of our state, and, will help us all understand each other better,” said Julie Fry, President & CEO of California Humanities. “We congratulate the grantees whose projects will promote understanding and provide insight into a wide range of topics, issues, and experiences.”

A complete list of all Humanities For All Quick Grants can be found on the calhum.org website here.

California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment of the Humanities, promotes the humanities—focused on ideas, conversation, and learning—as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect us to each other in order to help strengthen California. California Humanities has provided grants and programs across the state since 1975. To learn more visit calhum.org, or follow California Humanities on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

All events associated with One County, One Book are free and open to the public. For more information about the 2019 One County, One Book program, visit www.vencolibrary.org/OCOB or contact Ron Solórzano at [email protected] or 805-218-9146.

The Ventura County Library is available 24/7 at www.vencolibrary.org. Please visit our website for information on the location and hours of the library closest to you.

Former Ventura Fire Captain John Van Mannekes passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 30, from ALS.

Captain Van Mannekes joined the department in May, 1996 and retired in July, 2017.

He leaves behind his wife Rebecca and his children Jonathan and Jamison.

“Living the Best Mortal Life Possible” is brought to you as a local collaboration by Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) Palliative Care Team, Ventura County Palliative Partnership & Ventura County Coalition of Compassionate Care

Ira Byock, MD is a leading palliative care physician, author and public advocate for improving care through the end-of-life.

He is Founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Institute for Human Caring of Providence Health and Services based in Torrance, CA. The institute advances efforts to measure, monitor and improve person-centered care system wide and supports culturally diverse communities in expanding models of care.

Dr. Byock is Professor of Medicine and Community and Family Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He served as Director of Palliative Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire from 2003 to 2013

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 6:30 to 8:00 pm at Ventura High School, Auditorium, 2 North Catalina St.

Free and Open to the Public

On Nov.6, at 4:30pm, the Ventura County Fire Communication Center received a report of a small bush on fire on the right shoulder of the N/B 101 Frwy near the E. Main St on ramp. A single fire engine from the Ventura City Fire Dept was dispatched to the area and was unable to locate the initial incident. Additional 911 calls were being received about multiple vegetation fires along the right shoulder of the N/B 101 Frwy between the E. Main St exit and the Sanjon Rd exit and included a vehicle fire. Additionally, fire resources were dispatch to those areas and upon arrival they found multiple vegetation fires and a vehicle fire which threatened two residences. Fire resources initiated a quick and aggressive fire attack which kept the fires to the areas of origin. Upon further investigation, it was determined that a malfunction in the vehicle’s fuel tank was causing fuel to spill along the freeway shoulder and causing the vegetation fires and the vehicle fire.

Traffic along the 101 Frwy was impacted for approximately one hour due to the fires. CHP provided traffic control along the N/B 101 Frwy until fire resources were able to extinguish the fires