More than 50 wounded veterans and supporters entered Ventura as part of the UnitedHealthcare California Challenge. The ride benefits Project Hero, a nonprofit that helps veterans and first responders affected by injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury achieve rehabilitation, recovery and resilience in their daily lives.

The riders began the fifth day of their 400-mile ride to Ventura from the Hadston House located in Solvang and continued at the Crowne Plaza, after a 68.6-mile ride for the day. Local supporters cheered on the cyclists as they road through communities along the route.

The event is a noncompetitive, therapeutic bike tour. It includes stops at historic sites, civic centers and local attractions. The riders make the journey with hand cycles, recumbent cycles, tandems and traditional road bikes.

Founded in 2008, Project Hero is a groundbreaking national non-profit organization dedicated to helping Veterans and First Responders affected by PTSD, TBI and injury achieve rehabilitation, recovery and resilience in their daily lives and increasing awareness of the national mental health crisis posed by PTSD and TBI.

Project Hero programs work by producing positive outcomes at lower costs and reducing drug-based therapies.  Project Hero builds and provides adaptive bikes to physically-challenged and injured Veterans and First Responders and has helped tens of thousands of our Healing Heroes at no cost to participants through cycling events, community-based programs in more than 50 cities throughout the US and by supporting research.  For more information visit www.projecthero.org.

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers.

Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) announced that The Abundant Table, a nonprofit based in Camarillo, will receive nearly $250,000 in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand access to locally grown fruits and vegetables for low-income families throughout Ventura County. The grant, part of USDA’s Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), aims to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products, as well as to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets.

“As a mother of two, and a former school board member, I have seen first-hand the critical role that proper nutrition plays in the success of our children, families, and communities,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “I am so pleased to announce that The Abundant Table will receive this much-needed funding that will help our local, small farms grow and continue to be drivers of our economy and also ensure that they can play a role in the success of our region’s children in school.”

“We thank Congresswoman Brownley for her continued support of the Farmers Market Promotion Program in Congress, and for being an advocate for increasing access to locally-grown fruit and vegetables. The FMPP, along with other government based grant funds for small farms, is critical to the growth and sustainability of community-based farms such as ours. This funding allows The Abundant Table to build upon its longstanding Farm to School efforts in Ventura County, ensuring that our children are not only eating healthily at school, but that our County’s most marginalized families are also able to eat healthily at home. In addition, this grant will allow The Abundant Table to pilot a produce program for farmworker families and ‘prescription’ food box for patients needing to increase intake of fruits and vegetables,” said Nicole S. Janelle, Executive Director of The Abundant Table.

by Elizabeth Rodeno

CAPS Media has been supporting Ventura’s county clerk and registrar to inform you of the upcoming elections. The latest award-winning Ventura County News Channel’s production explains the voting process. Go to their website: www.vcnewschannel.com for helpful information. Your mail-in ballot should be in your post box. Don’t forget you may need extra postage to mail it.

CAPS Media’s website is one of your go to places for non-partisan election information. Go to the video tab on our webpage where we have over 30 videos including statements from all the candidates running for local office and coverage of local forums and ballot propositions.

ECTV, the program created by the El Camino High School students have prepared their own public service announcement entitled Why We Should Vote? You can find it airing on CAPS Channel 6 & 15. It was highly praised by the VUSD at a recent board meeting. They are currently producing a bi-lingual talk show featuring Spanish speaking community members, politicians and artists as guests.

We continue airing the Thomas Fire Stories project every Friday at 6pm with back to back episodes on CAPS Channel 6. CAPS Radio – KPPQ-LP is broadcasting them regularly on 104.1fm and on the myTuner app available on your phone and smart speaker. UC Santa Barbara’s radio station KCSB FM has included our Thomas Fire Stories project in their broadcast schedule every Thursday at 5:30pm. They broadcast at 91.1 fm if you are traveling North.

The Ventura Police Department has been spending time in our studio interviewing community heroes for their upcoming Heroes Among Us Gala. As devoted storytellers, we are thrilled to get to share in yet more stories of the heroic community members who went above and beyond the call of duty during the past tumultuous and tragic year.

We send out a big congratulation to Sheldon Brown and his Ventura Breeze for 11 great years of community engagement. The articles, photos and commentary are vital to our community. We are proud to part of the local media voice along with the Breeze. Congratulations.

Community Member engagement is CAPS Media Center mission. We are here to support members in creating an informed and educated community through electronic media. Both our television channels and radio are venues to share stories and ideas with the community. Become a member, take the Orientation, enroll in classes and create powerful and entertaining media to share with us.

Orientation classes for media makers are held the first Thursday of every month, radio training is held the 4th Wednesday of every month. Go to capsmedia.org for more information.

Triad Properties, an affiliated nonprofit management company of the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura (HACSB), is hosting their 3rd Annual Haunted Housing Run/Walk on Saturday, October 27, at Ventura State Beach (901 San Pedro Street). The event consists of a 5k, 10k, and a free Kids Dash.

This event raises vital funds for the HACSB’S Scholarship Program, which provides six scholarships per year to residents of the HACSB’s public housing and affordable housing communities, and participants/household members of the Housing Choice Voucher Program who are attending/will be attending a four-year college/university, community college, or technical/vocational school in the fall.

Event Sponsors include Henderson & DeJohn, LLC, Pacific Western Bank, S.L. Leonard & Associates, Inc., and Southland Civil Engineering & Survey, LLP.

The Ventura Police K9 Unit and its members are the 2018 Grand Marshals and will kick off the 5k/10k races. The races are professionally timed and awards will be given for top three finishers in each race and best costume.

The course is flat which makes it runner, walker and stroller friendly. There will be a face painter, photo booth, jumper and more at the finish line. Come dressed in your best costume and enjoy a great event benefiting HACSB’s Scholarship Program, we hope to see you there!

Can’t attend? You can still support this wonderful community event by making a donation or becoming an event Sponsor. For more information, including registering to run/walk, please visit: www.hauntedhousingrun.com.

The HACSB is the largest residential landlord in the City of Ventura, with 376 public housing units, more than 1,500 Section 8 vouchers, and over 450 nonprofit affordable rental units. The agency is actively working to increase the supply of affordable housing and to improve the quality of life for many more low-income residents throughout the City of Ventura.

Ventura Land Trust (VLT) was recently awarded $10,000 from Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) for Thomas Fire recovery activities at the Big Rock Preserve in Ventura.  VLT’s Big Rock Preserve, located off Highway 33 in the Ventura River watershed, was hard hit by the Thomas Fire, losing 85% of the more than 1,000 trees and plants the nonprofit had planted on the property. In addition, there was damage to trails, tools and wildlife habitat.

VLT will use the funding to replant many of the trees and plants that were burned in the Thomas Fire. For the past ten months, community volunteers have participated in restoration work days at Big Rock, on Saturday, Sept. 21, a group of Wells Fargo employees volunteered to water newly planted flowers and trees and spread mulch to help prevent the spread of invasive plants and keep the new plantings hydrated.

 “We are very grateful for Wells Fargo’s support of our Thomas Fire recovery efforts,” said Derek Poultney, VLT Executive Director. “Thanks to financial help from companies like Wells Fargo, combined with the efforts of concerned community volunteers, there is lots of regrowth at Big Rock and the preserve is making a beautiful comeback.”

In March, 2018, Wells Fargo committed $800,000 to help in the recovery efforts related to the Thomas Fire and Montecito mudslides. VLT is one of many nonprofit organizations that has benefited from the company’s commitment to rebuilding and revitalization in the region.

Ventura Land Trust (formerly Ventura Hillsides Conservancy) is dedicated to permanently preserving and protecting the land, water, wildlife, and scenic beauty of the Ventura region for current and future generations. Founded in 2003, the 501(C)(3) non-profit organization is supported by over 600 members, local businesses, and government partners. Ventura Land Trust manages 90 acres of land along the Ventura River and is negotiating the purchase of its first hillside property. Ventura Land Trust’s offices are located in the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Rd.

Les Petits Chanteurs France Boys Choir a singing and traveling 19 member choral group from France will offer an afternoon concert on Sunday, November 4, at 2:30 PM at Mission San Buenaventura.  Open to the public, there is no admission fee; a free-will offering will be taken.

This choir, made up of 19 boys age 9 to 17 years, is conducted by Véronique Thomassin-Olivier, and accompanied by François Olivier, who is also the Titular of the Choir Organ at the prestigious church St. Eustache at Paris (France).

Les Petits Chanteurs France gives young boys a special experience of life through singing and community building. Traveling in various countries also provides them the opportunity to discover and experience different cultures. Their choral ministry includes concerts; television appearances, singing tutorials, tours and participation in the liturgy of the Mass. Les Petits Chanteurs repertoire regularly includes (Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, etc.) in sacred places and prestigious music halls, as well as sing for humanitarian causes.

Les Petits Chanteurs de France is on tour in the Western and Southern regions of the United States in the fall of 2018. They will offer concerts including music of the sixteenth century and the well known Hallelujah from Händel, Ave Maria from Gounod, as well as music pieces of the French folklores.

The 3rd annual Loreto Half Marathon starts at 7 am on November 11th in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Ventura’s Sister City!

Caryl Cantrell, Chair of Ventura/Loreto Sister Cities Committee will be at the starting line as she has been training for the past few months to run 13.1 miles to raise funds for Ventura/Loreto Sister Cities. In 2015, Loreto City Council and Ventura City Council voted unanimously to approve a sister city relationship. Loreto and Ventura’s mayors exchanged keys to their cities, expressing enthusiasm about potential opportunities for both cities.

“Join me in supporting Ventura’s Sister City,” Caryl says, “There is still time to make a donation!”  The funds raised will help the Committee continue cultural exchanges such as an artist exchange and community development projects in Loreto. It is so easy to donate by going to the Ventura Sister Cities Cultural Exchange Facebook page and clicking the Donate button or by visiting www.tmre.org, clicking the DONATE link, and scrolling to Ventura/Loreto Sister Cities.

by Kevin O’Connor

Several months ago, one of my neighbors told me a scary story. She and her husband did not know that her very young daughter had made a “friend” of a sneaky little enemy that had invaded their house. The little girl had been feeding a mouse.

The mother said, “I told her, Honey, that mouse could have bitten you. But children are so innocent and naive-she thought the mouse was her friend who would never bite anyone.” Fortunately, the little girl had not been bitten, and the parents immediately called someone like Oregon Insect and Rodent Control to rid their property of mice. Things could have gone much worse and the little girl was lucky not to have been hurt by the mouse!

But let’s find out why this “cute little mouse” (the child’s words) could have been very dangerous. For example, a surprisingly high percentage of the white-footed mice collected last summer in Howard County, Md, in an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Areawide Integrated Tick Management Project, turned out to be infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

The high rate of white-footed mice infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, in Howard County – just over 50 percent of captured mice -was a little surprising to ARS project leadership. Then it was demonstrated that white-footed mice elsewhere in the USA have infection rates as high as 80 percent.

What may this mean for homeowners? Professionals would advise caution on several levels. For example, unwittingly, people often make mistakes. So, which category might you be in when it comes to the most common mistakes homeowners make regarding rodent prevention? Consider:

• 17% of homeowners leave trash bins uncovered.
• 25% of homeowners place trash and recycling bins curbside on non-designated pick-up dates.
• 30% of homeowners do not properly seal pet food stored in garages.
• 30% of homeowners have doors and windows that are not tightly sealed.
• 22% of homeowners are not keeping vegetation trimmed and manicured.

However, the most helpful advice and solution we can offer is to warn families to call the professionals for help as soon as you become aware of a potential pest threat to your family’s health, as did the little girl’s wise parents. These Pest Control services will be happy to help you eliminate these pesky rodents from your home and ensure your family are safe in your own home.

From our family of experienced technicians to your family, please let us be there for you. We are all good neighbors working together in the fight against disease and “the sneaky little enemy in the house.”

Call 1-800-284-7985 for O’Connor Pest Control. www.oconnorpest.com.

The grass at Montalvo park is always brown but grass at other parks is green and looks so much better. Why is that?

Michelle
As always we ask those who know.

Michelle:

The turf at Montalvo Hill, planted before the drought, is Marathon grass which requires more water than some more drought tolerant turf types planted in other parks.  With the drought that we are currently in and have been for the past 6-7 years, Parks also has to abide by the water restrictions for passive, non-athletic turf. Montalvo Hill is a passive turf park, planted with a less drought tolerant turf.  We water athletic turf more to keep ensure that it is playable and safe for users.

Thank you,

Tom Martin Parks Manager
Parks, Recreation and Community Partnerships
City of Ventura

Have a question send to [email protected] and we will try to get an answer?

Opera Santa Barbara welcomed the arriving singers who have been selected as the 2018-19 Chrisman Studio Artists: Ashley Armstrong, Michael Killmorgen, Jennifer Lindsay and Yazid Gray.

They will be in residence from October-November and then January-May 2019. The singers will perform small roles and cover principal artists in the opera’s three mainstage productions this season, La Bohème (Nov. 9-11), Eugene Onegin (March 1-3) and The Crucible (April 26/28). They will also participate in a 25th anniversary gala event (January 26).

The studio artists are the backbone of OSB’s educational outreach programs, performing free noontime concerts throughout the Central Coast from Santa Maria to Thousand Oaks, and serving as the improvisational talent for the popular in-school opera workshop called Opera Lab designed for 3-6th grade classes in schools throughout the area.

Soprano Jennifer Lindsay joins the Chrisman Studio Artist Program for Opera Santa Barbara’s 2018/19 season, covering Tatiana in Eugene Onegin and both Mimì and Musetta in La bohème, and singing Mary Warren in The Crucible. Prior to joining Opera Santa Barbara, she will make her role debut as Mimi in La bohème with Opera Connecticut.

Tenor Michael Kollmorgen, has been performing since he was seven years old as a member of the The Tulsa Boy Singers. He attended Oklahoma State University, where among many productions he sang the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème.  Michael attended the University of Houston for his graduate studies, earning a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance this past May.

Mezzo-soprano Ashley Kay Armstrong makes her Opera Santa Barbara debut as Olga in Eugene Onegin as a member of the Chrisman Studio Artist program. This past season she was a Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre Young Artist, and sang

in Brigadoon and Turandot. She was also an Apprentice Artist with Sarasota Opera and sang in the world premiere of Cosmic Ray and the Amazing Chris with Thompson Street Opera.

Baritone Yazid Gray is a recent graduate of University of Michigan where he received his Master’s in Vocal Performance. While there, he performed in several mainstage productions including the premiere of William Bolcom’s newest opera, Dinner at Eight.

For more information about the studio artist residence program, auditions and schedules for appearances please visit the Opera Santa Barbara website operasb.org.