Ventura County Star Stories: County News

Couples ready to take vows

Sat, 17 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

If the experts are right and this week's historic California Supreme Court ruling triggers thousands of same-sex marriages starting as soon as mid-June, Suzanne Salinas of Oxnard knows where she wants to be:

2 county lawyers selected for bench

Sat, 17 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Two Ventura County court commissioners have been selected to be judges in the Superior Court by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor's office announced Friday.

Unopposed candidate pushes himself harder

Sat, 17 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

It's hard to top the 76 percent of the vote that Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett won when he was re-elected four years ago, but on June 3, Bennett might do just that.

zipping through 93004

Sat, 17 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Throughout the year, staff photographers from The Star will be exploring and visually documenting the diverse lifestyles and landscapes of Ventura County, one ZIP code at a time.

Farmworkers say proposed bill offers them hope

Sat, 17 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Regino Navarrete was one of a handful of people looking for answers Friday at the United Farm Workers of America office in Oxnard, a day after Sen. Dianne Feinstein helped to move forward legislation allowing undocumented agricultural workers to keep working until more permanent legislation is passed.

Social workers OK deal for new raises

Sat, 17 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Workers aiding people with developmental disabilities have approved a new wage pact that gives them a 3 percent raise, their first cost-of-living increase in six years.

Local Briefs: May 17

Sat, 17 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

The Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law have received a five-year reaccreditation.

Battery spill shuts lanes of traffic on 118

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Lanes of westbound Highway 118 near the Ventura County line were closed Thursday after a truck went over an embankment and spilled a load of batteries, authorities said.

GOP voters get opponents' opinions of Sen. McClintock

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Three former local government officials from Ventura County — all Republicans — warned voters in Northern California on Thursday that Tom McClintock is not the kind of representative who puts much stock in serving his district.

Gay marriage ban lifted

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

The moment California's highest court ruled Thursday morning that same-sex couples have the right to marry, Connie Baer let loose with a yell she'd been holding back for nearly three decades.

County tries to confiscate $385,000 in drug profits

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Ventura County prosecutors have asked a court to confiscate $385,000 in illegal drug profits after the sentencing of a man on drug charges.

Political heavyweights enter the ring

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

It is a Senate district, says incumbent Sheila Kuehl, with all the elements of a French fable: "hill people, valley people, ocean people."

Season's first heat wave is expected to move in today

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

A high-pressure system predicted to move into California today will bring the first heat wave of the season to Ventura County and the rest of the state, the National Weather Service reported.

School districts send out final layoff notices

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Ventura County school districts, and other districts throughout the state, sent teachers, counselors and others final layoff notices this week, though fewer jobs will be in jeopardy than first thought.

Agency plans cuts to senior programs

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

The state budget deficit was on the minds of Ventura County seniors who met Wednesday in Simi Valley to discuss how cuts might affect senior programs in the area.

Educators, parents protest proposed school cuts

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's revised state budget backs off some threatened cuts in education, local teachers, administrators and parents still rallied Wednesday night to protest the possible elimination of programs.

Young envoys of peace taking a message home

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

A delegation of 20 Christian, Jewish and Muslim teenagers from Haifa, Israel, have been at the Brandeis-Bardin campus of the American Jewish University in Simi Valley since May 4 learning how to promote peaceful co-existence.

Upgrade in emergency network OK'd

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to spend as much as $16.7 million on a new communications network that should eliminate most of the radio "dead spots" emergency workers encounter.

Supervisors OK disaster-response teams coordinator

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Hundreds of emergency- response volunteers in Ventura County will work together under the coordination of the Ventura County Fire Department, the county Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday.

Officer Varela promoted to chief probation deputy

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:00:00 -0000

Chief Probation Officer Karen Staples announced Monday the promotion of Division Manager Mark Varela to Chief Deputy Probation Officer.