VENTURA

A California Highway Patrol vehicle was slightly damaged by a pickup truck that drifted onto the right shoulder of Highway 126 in Ventura, officials said Thursday.

A CHP officer had just gotten back into his vehicle following an enforcement stop near Kimball Road on Wednesday night when the right side of the truck struck the left side of the CHP car. The officer was unhurt.

The incident is still under investigation.

California Vehicle Code requires freeway drivers to leave a lane of space between themselves and parked emergency vehicles with emergency lights on, the CHP said. When that is not possible, drivers should pass at a reasonable speed, according to the CHP.

Chamber endorses two challengers for council

The political arm of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday its endorsements of two challengers in the race for three seats on the Ventura City Council.

The chamber's Political Advisory Committee endorsed candidates Doug Halter and Lou Cunningham at a morning ceremony on the steps of Ventura City Hall.

The committee did not make a third endorsement.

The pair are among six challengers facing incumbents Carl Morehouse, Bill Fulton and Christy Weir in the Nov. 6 election.

Bob Alviani, the PAC chairman, said in a statement that Halter and Cunningham earned endorsements for their vision and rational approach to solving problems and commitment to economic development.

Halter, who owns a landscaping business, ran unsuccessfully in 1997 and 1999. He is a past chairman of the full Ventura Chamber of Commerce.

Cunningham recently retired as a facilities manager from the Oxnard Union High School District. He's also been a member of Ventura's Mobile Home Rent Review Board and the county Local Agency Formation Commission. He ran for council in 1991.

VENTURA COUNTY

Two birds infected with West Nile virus found

Two wild birds collected in the first week of September in Ventura and Thousand Oaks tested positive for West Nile virus.

Since Jan. 1, five birds collected in Ventura County have tested positive for the virus.

Now that the virus is established in the county, officials from the county Environmental Health Division said they expect additional West Nile-positive birds will be collected.

Health Division vector control technicians routinely monitor and control areas where mosquitoes breed throughout Ventura County. In response to the positive bird findings, all mosquito breeding sources near where the birds were collected will be inspected and treated, if necessary, officials said.

On Tuesday, the Ventura County Public Health Department reported a man in his early 40s became the first person in the county to contract the disease this year. He is recovering.

West Nile virus is transmitted to humans from the bites of mosquitoes infected with this virus. Mosquitoes get the virus when feeding on infected wild birds.

West Nile virus usually causes no symptoms or a mild illness in humans.

Rarely, it can cause severe illness and death.

Officials advise members of the public to eliminate standing water from their properties, make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens, limit outdoor activities when mosquitoes are present, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors, and use insect repellent.

To report mosquito-breeding sources, call 658-4310. To report a dead wild bird, call 877-968-2473.

CAMARILLO

Commercial center's construction approved

The Camarillo City Council voted 5-0 Wednesday to approve construction of a nearly 500,000-square-foot commercial center along Highway 101.

The center will include a Kohl's store, a bank and restaurants, among other businesses, said Community Development Director Bob Burrow.

Applicants for the proposed development could not be reached Thursday to provide information on when the center would be completed.

The nearly 45-acre site is south of Highway 101, north of Camarillo Airport, east of Bajo Agua Avenue and west of the Camarillo Town Center.

From staff reports