Ventura resident Linda Freeny, who has two very well reviewed crime mysteries, changes course in this story of a third unnamed arm of the political system, too blind or biased, to recognize a plot to take over the USA from within by Russians planted here a long time ago. She researched the material to make the story believable for two years before putting a word on paper. She still likes her crime/mystery stories with another coming out later this year, but this one just begged to be written.

The Dogs Of Lenin   involves the story of the doomed love affair of Lisa Danton and Grant Chandler. From the moment they met they knew that each would follow a different path but tried to keep it together because their love was real and obsessive. They spoiled themselves to ever love anyone again. Lisa wanted to be a journalist, net work TV her goal. Grant, an activist, hated the media and its biases and the fact that they were unwittingly helping the Russians take America without a shot or a missile.

It takes place in the sixties and ends in the nineties, for this is where media bias truly began, not recently as so many believe. While Lisa climbs in her chosen field, Grant joins an underground group whose ideals and beliefs are the same as his own. Through them he meets a secret government organization of patriots, left over from the last administrations that were never disbanded.

He helps a Russian escape from East Berlin, the key to all the Russians planted here ever after WW2 ended.  He has the names of all the Russian plants, most of them in very important positions including Lisa’s own network. With all the information in hand now, and ready to reveal it to the American public, the organization needs a conduit to expose it. This is where Lisa comes in because of her past association with Grant. But will she help them and can she be trusted, because she is now one of them.

The Dogs Of Lenin can be bought online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Linda will sign books upon request.

Linda Freeny [email protected]

Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Resource Management Dan Reineman will visit the Ojai Library at1 p.m. on Saturday, October 6, and the E.P. Foster Library at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10, to deliver a presentation “Managing (the Waves on) Our Coasts.” Reineman comes from CSU Channel Islands (CI) and is presenting as part of the Ventura County Library’s One County, One Book program.

California’s coast is full of important resources, from fisheries and oil to tourism destinations like the Channel Islands. To manage any resource well, we need information—data—about it. Waves for surfing are among the most important resources in coastal California. They support the recreation of millions and shape the economies and cultures of many coastal communities; surfing is now our official state sport.

But where will we get the data we need to ensure that waves and surfing can continue on our coasts? In this talk, Reineman will expand on some of the key themes William Finnegan develops in Barbarian Days and connect them directly to contemporary coastal management challenges in California and right here in Ventura. Surfers might be at the heart of the issue, but they share that space with anyone else who enjoys visiting the coast in California.

This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at (805) 218-9146, or Irma Morales, Senior City Librarian, at (805) 648-2716.

The Ojai Library is located at 111 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai. Hours of service are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

The E.P. Foster Library is located at 651 East Main St. Hours of service are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The Ventura County Library is available 24/7 at www.vencolibrary.org.

Can’t remember which trash cans to put out? A good way to remember which trash cans go out on trash day is to simply always move the next two that go out either on the left or right.

The grading for the 231-unit apartment project on the “triangle lot” (off Sanjon) is proceeding and palm trees have already been planted.

The Ventura Police Department is supporting efforts by the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to help parents and caregivers make sure their children ride as safely as possible every time they get in the car. If you feel your car is not safe for yourself to drive it and also to have your child present, it may be time to get a new vehicle, through leasing. A spokesperson for Intelligent Car Leasing expressed how leasing has become a popular opinion amongst car buyers and saves people money doing it this way.

“Using car seats properly that are age and size-appropriate is the best way to keep your children safe,” said Commander Rick Murray. “Car seats matter. They save lives when used the right way.”

In passenger cars, car seats reduce the risk of an infant being killed in a crash by 71 percent, and toddlers by 54 percent. While many children are buckled in properly in the correct car seats for their age and size, more than half (59 percent) are not.

Sadly, car crashes are the leading cause of death for children. In 2016, 35 percent of children under 13 killed in crashes were not restrained in car seats, booster seats or with seat belts. NHTSA data also shows that as children get older they are less likely to want to buckle up. Over the past 5 years, 1, 552 kids between the ages of 8 and 14 died in a car, SUV and van crashes – of those who died, almost half were not buckled up. Whilst the cause of the crash can be challenged by a personal injury attorney, the loss of life is irreplaceable.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to review important safety tips to assure that every child is safely secured:

Get the right car seat: Rear-facing, forward-facing or booster seat depending on your child’s age, weight and height, and the manufacturer’s recommendations on the seat. Make sure you check out which car and booster seats are the most highly recommended and reviewed too.

Know the Law: California law requires a specific child restraint system based on child’s age, weight and height.

Read the manufacturer’s instructions and vehicle owner’s manual: Pay attention to how you adjust the car seat’s harness for a proper fit.

Register your seat right away: Mail in the registration card that came with the seat or register online to receive important safety recall updates.

Rear-facing as long as possible: Keep a child in a rear-facing seat up to the top height or weight allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer. Research shows that children are safest when rear-facing.

Forward-facing car seats: Once your child outgrows a rear-facing seat, keep your child in a forward-facing seat with a harness and tether as long as possible before transitioning to a booster seat. Tethers should always be used for forward-facing car seats. This reminds me of the accident my friend recently had, she hadn’t correctly fixed her car seat in her business vehicle and ended up in a car crash. Good thing she found a service in the US similar to motor trade insurance uk. Because of this, they got the support they needed.

Back Seat Safety: Children under 13 should always ride in the back seat and always be buckled up.

Car seat safety checks are available at every California Highway Patrol Office. The Ventura CHP Office offers installation on Tuesdays by appointment. Parents and caregivers can call 805-662-2640 to schedule.

Having been the longest serving Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) Board Member has been a privilege for John Walker. During those 29 years he has seen many changes to the district. For the most part, he says, “I think I have met my mother’s admonition to leave things better than when you found them.” During his tenure he has seen two new schools built, school modernizations, moving and consolidation of the district office, a focus on the arts, hiring four superintendents and well documented student academic growth among other things. However, as he nears his exit time in November, there are things that he says he worked to accomplish, but never quite made it due to budget constraints, political climate or simply lack of board consensus.

Having served on the Board of Directors for the California School Boards Association for eight years, he was fortunate to be at the state forefront, seeing new education reforms, legislation and the ever-changing budget climate. Those meetings inspired him to want the best for the children of VUSD. John is now hopeful that the new VUSD board will at least visit some of those things the board has previously discussed that he felt were important to the district and the community.

One of John’s highest priorities was the nationally touted International Baccalaureate program. It is a rigorous, high achieving program embraced by the county’s largest school districts, but not yet in VUSD. This academic program offers a wide range of options for students to succeed, while developing students who want to create a better and more peaceful world. The board and district studied the program about five years ago but funding waned.

Secondly, Walker believes that “employee salaries are important to attracting and retaining the best.” His experience in human resources taught him the importance of employee retention. “Districts often promote and train their best employees only to lose them to neighboring districts who can pay more. This is particularly true now with the recently implemented state-wide school funding formula which provides significantly more money to districts with higher at-risk populations” he says. Our salary norm over the years has been to be in the 40 to 60 percentile county-wide. “I believe we need to be continuously in the top third to retain our best teachers and support employees. We were never quite there over my tenure, in spite of how hard we tried. This is going to take prioritization of resources and some creativity.”

Lastly and most importantly, equal learning opportunities for all VUSD students should be a high district priority. Most pointedly, one of the district’s high schools Foothill can offer a student seven periods per semester or 56 courses in a typical four-year high school career. Conversely, the remaining two traditional high schools offer less with six periods per semester for most students, or 48 courses in a typical four-year span. That means some district students have more options than others for courses such as additional academic electives, leadership and the arts. Walker believes it gives those students a competitive advantage in applying for college. “As a district we need to bring all our high schools to the same standard as Foothill Technology HS. All students deserve the same opportunity.”

John wishes the board well in its future endeavors but vowed to remain active and involved in the district whenever opportunities arise.

Hikers enjoying the view at the hilltop of Two Trees. Many volunteers hike with you at different intervals for safety. The hike is difficult but you can take as much time as you need. It’s a fun way to be involved in our wonderful community, get exercise and have fun!  If you’re interested in hiking up to Two Trees you can sign up for a hike by visiting the Rancho Ventura Conservation Trust at VenturaConservation.com or give them a call at (805)814-2503. 

The Ventura County Arts Council is pleased to announce a generous increase in its mini-grant educational program for schools in the upcoming year 2019. Grants of $500 to

$1000 will be available to bring standards-based arts programs into k-6 classrooms in

Ventura County. New this year, applications are online at www.vcarts.org and are due by

October 25. Applicants will be notified by Nov. 15 and projects must be completed by

June 1, 2019.

Local non-profit organizations, artists and schools are encouraged to apply. Please note:

25% of the amount requested from the Ventura County Arts Council must be matched by

the school. All funded programs must take place during schools day. Only one application per school, arts organization, or artist will be funded.

The mini-grant can be used to pay for artist services, tickets to an arts-based performance or transportation to an arts event. Projects will be selected on the criteria of

1. Learning experiences structured by the California Arts Content Standards

2. Utilization of local artist resources

3. On-going learning that uses this project as a springboard for continuing arts education and/or integration with other content areas.

The Artist-In-The-Classroom Project from the Ventura County Arts Council is not eligible for this grant. Upon notification of acceptance the applicant will receive 75% of the funds with the remainder paid out after the project is completed and an evaluation is turned in. Questions should be directed to the Ventura County Arts Council at [email protected] or 805-658-2213. The Mini-Grant Educational Program is funded by the John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation.

Hikers enjoying the view at the hilltop of Two Trees. Many volunteers hike with you at different intervals for safety. The hike is difficult but you can take as much time as you need. It’s a fun way to be involved in our wonderful community, get exercise and have fun!  If you’re interested in hiking up to Two Trees you can sign up for a hike by visiting the Rancho Ventura Conservation Trust at VenturaConservation.com or give them a call at (805)814-2503.