by Mary Olson

Author J. Andre Boles will visit the Ojai Library at 2 pm on Saturday, March 2, to talk about his books Monster on Gypsy Hill and Piercing the Lion Heart.

Monster on Gypsy Hill is the true crime tale of the search for the killer or killers of six pretty, young, middle-class women randomly slaughtered by the Gypsy Hill Slasher. Victim number seven, a mental patient, spent thirty-five years in prison for one of the Slasher’s crimes. This soon to be released book tells how good cops and lawyers righted the wrongs of bad cops and lawyers.

Ex-cop, ex-lawyer, and award-winning true crime author J. Andre Boles lives in the mountains in California’s coastal range where he writes about cops, crime, and the justice system. Autographed books will be available for purchase following this talk. This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at (805) 218-9146 or [email protected].

Discover Science on Saturday, February 24, 11:00 am to noon at Hill Road Library. The Discover Science team leads an exploration of surface tension and molecular bonds by creating various bubble formulas.

The Hill Road Library Book Club meets Tuesday, February 27 at a new time for 2024: 4:00 to 5:00 pm. The February Club Selection is: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Pick up the latest Book Club selection at Hill Road Library. To join the mailing list, please email [email protected]

Game on Board –Board games for all ages at Hill Road Library– Every Sunday, 11 am to 1 pm
Drop by and choose from over 35 games to play! Fun for families or a great reason to meet with friends.

Families and children are invited to visit the Hill Road Library at 3:14 pm on Thursday, March 14, to celebrate Pi Day. Pi Day — for the love of math … and pie. Pi Day is an annual celebration of math and learning, and it also happens to be Einstein’s birthday, so come and celebrate – make circle art, print π symbol cookie cutters on our 3D printer, and other fun Pi Day activities.

The Ventura Friends of the Library Bookstore in E.P. Foster Library 2nd Look Books
is now open 7 days a week,Monday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sundays, 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

New donations arrive every week and the stock in our store is regularly refreshed.
With our extended hours, we could use more volunteers to staff the store. If you would like to help, please stop by the store and speak to a volunteer or email [email protected].

We also invite you to visit our online bookstore for local sales for unique items, including Manga, Vintage, Art and Architecture. Find the link at our website: https://venturafriendsofthelibrary.org. Orders are picked up at our bookstore in E.P. Foster Library.

The City of Ventura is pleased to announce Stacey Zarazua as Parks & Recreation Director. Zarazua succeeds Nancy O’Connor, who retired in September 2023 after serving as Parks & Recreation Director since 2016. Zarazua will oversee the department’s three divisions: Parks, Recreation, and Community Partnerships.

“Stacey has a wealth of knowledge and experience from her more than 20-year career with Ventura,” said City Manager Bill Ayub. “I’m very optimistic about her vision for the department and have no doubt her leadership with elevate our services to new heights.”

Zarazua joined the Parks & Recreation Department in 2001 as a Recreation Coordinator in the Youth Sports section and was later promoted to Aquatics Supervisor in 2005. Since then, she has held multiple leadership roles within the department, serving in all three divisions. Zarazua holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University Northridge.

“I am honored to have been selected to serve our community as the City’s Parks & Recreation Director. Parks and Recreation is integral to building a healthy and thriving community,” said Zarazua. “I’m thrilled to lead our team of dedicated professionals in providing exceptional parks, programs, and services that will continue to make the City of Ventura a better place to live, work, and play!”

She is a member of the California Parks and Recreation Society and National Recreation and Park Association. She has volunteered in key organizational leadership positions to advance the field.

Zarazua will oversee the operations of over 800 acres of open space, including 46 parks, three community centers, multiple historic sites, a sailing center, an aquatic center, two beaches, and golf services. She will manage current and future park development initiatives and lead 56 full-time and over 200 seasonal part-time employees, who work to produce over 1,000 annual programs for all ages.

by National Institute on Aging

Older adults may worry about their memory and other thinking abilities, such as taking longer to learn something new. These changes are usually signs of mild forgetfulness — or age-related forgetfulness — and are often a normal part of aging.

However, more serious memory problems could be due to mild cognitive impairment, dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease, or other factors beyond normal aging.

As people grow older, changes occur in all parts of the body, including the brain. As a result, some people notice that they don’t remember information as well as they once did and aren’t able to recall it as quickly. They may also occasionally misplace things or forget to pay a bill. These usually are signs of mild forgetfulness, not a serious memory problem.

It’s normal to forget things once in a while at any age, but serious memory problems make it hard to do everyday things such as driving, using the phone, and finding the way home.

Signs that it might be time to talk with a doctor include:

Asking the same questions over and over again
Getting lost in places you used to know well
Having trouble following recipes or directions
Becoming more confused about time, people, and places
Not taking care of yourself — eating poorly, not bathing, or behaving unsafely
Talk with a doctor if you are experiencing noticeable changes in your memory. A doctor can perform tests and assessments to help determine the source of memory problems. Your health care provider may also recommend that you see a neurologist, a doctor who specializes in treating diseases of the brain and nervous system.

There are a variety of techniques that may help you stay healthy and deal better with changes in memory and mental skills. Here are some tips:

Learn a new skill.
Follow a daily routine.
Plan tasks, make to-do lists, and use memory tools such as calendars and notes.
Put your wallet or purse, keys, phone, and glasses in the same place each day.
Stay involved in activities that can help both the mind and body.
Volunteer in your community, at a school, or at your place of worship.
Spend time with friends and family.
Get enough sleep, generally seven to eight hours each night.
Exercise and eat well.
Prevent or control high blood pressure.
Avoid or limit alcohol.
Get help if you feel depressed for weeks at a time.
Mild cognitive impairment
Forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging. However, dementia is not a normal part of aging. Dementia includes the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, learning, and reasoning — and behavioral abilities to the extent that it interferes with a person’s quality of life and activities. Memory loss, though common, is not the only sign of dementia. People with dementia may also have problems with language skills, visual perception, or paying attention. Some people experience personality changes.

Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) begins 2024 by announcing $88,000 in new funds for the development of affordable housing in Ventura County. The funds come in the form of $85,000 in grants from U.S. Bank, First Citizen’s Bank and PennyMac Financial Services as well as $3,000 in year-end contributions from private donors. The amount will be applied toward the increased need for affordable housing funding as the staggering need for housing continues to grow.

U.S. Bank has awarded Housing Trust Fund VC a General Operating Home Grant to assist the organization in addressing the region’s need for affordable housing. The funds are to be used entirely to increase affordable housing options for low- and moderate-income families, seniors, veterans, transitional age youth and special-needs populations throughout Ventura County in alignment with U.S. Bank’s HOME Pillar. “Every dollar we receive is an opportunity to assist in addressing one of our county’s most pressing issues,” said Linda Braunschweiger, CEO of Housing Trust Fund VC, “These funds will significantly impact the lives of county residents by creating more affordable housing choices for all.” Housing Trust Fund VC received additional support in the form of $3,000 in year-end donations to wrap up 2023.

Housing Trust Fund VC will also receive a grant of $25,000 from the First Citizen’s Bank Community Development grant. The grant is a one-time award which will be used to support affordable housing to low- to moderate-income individuals, families and communities including transitional age foster youth, veterans, farm workers, and the homeless, with the intention of promoting economic development and opportunities for revitalization and stabilization throughout the county.

PennyMac Financial Services has also approved a charitable grant request for Housing Trust Fund VC. The grant is part of the PennyMac Corporate Giving Fund in Memory of Stanford L. Kurland. The PennyMac Corporate Philanthropy Program prioritizes its giving to organizations that align with the corporation’s culture, core values, vision and philanthropic focus areas. “It was an honor to attend the 2023 Compassion Campaign to learn more about the great work that Housing Trust Fund Ventura County does,” said Kisha

Parker Croom, Managing Director, Corporate Sustainability for PennyMac. “PennyMac recognizes the positive social impact that

Housing Trust Fund is making in Ventura County, and it is our hope that this contribution will help further that impact.”

Housing Trust Fund Ventura County – Launched as a 501c3 nonprofit corporation in 2011, Housing Trust Fund VC is the local trusted leader in helping to increase affordable housing options throughout Ventura County by leveraging public-private partnerships to provide low-cost, flexible loans early in the housing development cycle. As of December 2023, Housing Trust Fund VC has committed to investing $28 million through its Revolving Loan Fund, creating 1,177 affordable apartments and homes for very-low, low- and middle-income employees, transitional age foster youth, veterans, farm workers, and the homeless.

The Ventura Council of PTAs was one of just eight PTAs from across the country selected to receive a grant from the National PTA’s Center for Family Engagement. The program is part of the National PTA’s efforts to advance family-school partnerships to best support students along their educational journey.

The grant will be used to support implementation of the National PTA’s updated National Standards for Family-School Partnerships.

“Strong partnerships between families and schools are critical to support our students’ success academically, socially and emotionally, and there could not be a more urgent time for this,” said Yvonne Johnson, president of National PTA. “We are thrilled to provide funding to the PTAs to help advance meaningful and effective strategies for strong partnerships that will make a real impact for students, families and schools.”

“I’m incredibly grateful to have our schools chosen for this grant,” said Cherie Egbert, Ventura Council PTA President. “We’ll all get to improve the ways we surround our students with what they need to succeed, at home, school and in the greater community.”

The Ventura Council PTA coordinates information exchange and support for the 16 PTAs that operate in Ventura Unified School District as well as Santa Paula Unified School District.

Last year, National PTA released its updated National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, which provide guidance for building strong partnerships between families, educators, and schools to support student success. The updated PTA National Standards incorporate research and best practices including increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; and expand the approach to student success to include whole child development. For resources to support implementation of the standards, visit PTA.org/Standards and watch the association’s Transforming Family-School Partnerships Webinar Series.

“Our updated National Standards for Family-School Partnerships provide critical guidance and best practices for strong, meaningful partnerships between families and schools,” added Nathan R. Monell, CAE, National PTA executive director.

National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all