News from around the Ojai Valley
Smoke health advisory
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 16:59
Ventura County Public Health Department, (805) 214-7057, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
OXNARD, Calif. – Ventura County Public Health Department cautions that unhealthy air quality related to the multiple fires affecting our county may become a concern. Air quality will be variable while there are active fires in the area and shifting winds. Children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions such as asthma, COPD, emphysema and heart disease are most impacted.
At 5:00 pm Friday Oct. 11, the Ojai Valley is listed as "Moderate: Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion." The forcast is for the same level tomorrow. Visit the link below for real time updates.
https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=298
Ojai residents on high alert as wildfire season starts
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 12:35
Perry Van Houten, Ojai Valley News senior reporter
"Not Every Hero Wears a Cape: Plan and Practice Your Escape" is the theme for this year's National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6 through 12.
The event is a good time to address things you can do inside and outside the home to keep yourself and your family safe from fire, officials said.
Council wrestles with crop-spraying issues
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 12:33
Austin Widger, Ojai Valley News reporter
At the Ojai City Council meeting Oct. 8, a letter to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors requesting pesticide notification started on the consent calendar and ended up as a future discussion item for the Nov. 12 council meeting.
Permit wait holding up Lake Casitas diversions
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 12:31
Perry Van Houten, Ojai Valley News senior reporter
With time running out before winter rains arrive, Casitas Municipal Water District officials continue to wait for permits to maintain a facility that diverts river water to Lake Casitas.
Bear blessing in Ojai
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 12:30
Photo by Kimberly Rivers
Julie Tumamait-Stenslie, local Chumash leader, offers blessings, prayers, songs and stories on the evening of Oct. 9 to the spirit of a bear that died after falling from a pine tree in the 200 block of East Aliso Street in downtown Ojai 10 years ago.
Bumper crop of acorns a mystery
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 12:28
Ojai Valley News photo by Perry Van Houten
A little extra crunch underfoot from a “mast year” of acorns in Ojai’s East End.
Perry Van Houten, Ojai Valley News senior reporter
Parts of the Ojai Valley appear to be experiencing a phenomenon known as a "mast year" — a mysterious bumper crop of acorns.
Walk down Gridley Road, near naturalist Bruce Vincent's home, and you're likely to hear the snap-crackle-pop of acorns underfoot. “It seems like a big mast year to me,” he said. “A lot better than last year.”
Art lovers flock to studios
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 12:23
The annual Ojai Studio Artists Tour returns to the valley this weekend, Oct. 12 to 14.
Studios will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Ojai Valley Museum from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Woman killed Thursday in Mira Monte crash
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 12:18
An Ojai woman died in a solo vehicle crash in the Mira Monte area early Thursday morning.
The crash on Highway 33 was reported at 12:10 a.m., south of Orchard Drive, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Upper Ojai Search and Rescue volunteer and girlfriend in right place at right time
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 12:16
Photo courtesy VCSO
Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub (left) with Heather D’Anna and Upper Ojai Search and Rescue team member Brandon Nichols.
Perry Van Houten, Ojai Valley News senior reporter
A volunteer with the Ojai Upper Search and Rescue team and his girlfriend were recognized last week for their lifesaving efforts in the High Sierra.
Nordhoff-Thacher partnership guides leaders of tomorrow
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 11:34
Ojai Valley News photo by Austin Widger
Students participate in Greater Good Leadership Program class activities at Nordhoff.
Austin Widger, Ojai Valley News reporter
The Greater Good Leadership Program has begun at Nordhoff High School, and has already received a positive response from students.
The class is a unique public-private school partnership between Nordhoff and The Thacher School, and is made possible by a grant from a parent of a Thacher alum.
Include your pets in emergency planning
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 11:26
Photo courtesy HSVC
Carol and Doc Pierce walk some of their dogs at the Humane Society of Ventura County in Ojai on Dec. 11, 2017. The Pierce family was evacuated from their Rose Valley home in advance of the Thomas Fire and brought their animals to HSVC for safekeeping.
As the National Weather Service issued its first red-flag warning of the season in Ventura County, where winds of over 50 mph were expected to mix this week with single-digit humidity, the Humane Society of Ventura County is sounding the alarm to pet owners: Natural disasters can strike at any time, so be sure to have an emergency plan that includes your pets.
Chaparral principal Becky Beckett named Education Hero of the Year
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 11:23
Photo submitted
Becky Beckett is shown with some of her Chaparral students.
Austin Widger, Ojai Valley News reporter
Becky Beckett, principal of Chaparral High School, Ojai Adult School and Ojai Independent School, has been chosen by the Ojai Education Foundation as its Education Hero of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year.
K9 searches to start at Nordhoff High
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 11:20
Nordhoff High School principal Dave Monson announced that the school will be conducting random K9 searches of students on campus several times this school year, in an email to parents Oct. 9.
“The K9 unit is trained to detect odors from guns and explosives, as well as drugs and drug devices,” Monson wrote in the email.
Summit Charter School petition to be presented to board Oct. 16
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 11:20
Ojai Unified School District Board will meet Oct. 16 at 5:30 p.m.
The complete board agenda will be released Friday evening, Oct. 11.
Superintendent Tiffany Morse expects that the charter school petition for Summit will be presented to the board at the meeting, she wrote in an email to the Ojai Valley News. The district has not yet begun the renewal process for Valley Oak Charter.
Villanova Preparatory School blesses its animals
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- Published: Friday, 11 October 2019 11:18
Ojai Valley News photo by Holly Roberts
Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai held its annual Blessing of the Animals on the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on Oct. 4. Father Peter Gelfer (pictured) performed the blessings for the animals, which included many dogs, a small turtle and a snake.