SANTA PAULA

College information meeting planned

The Santa Paula Union High School District, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County will host a free town hall meeting Oct. 1 to promote a college education and help prepare Santa Paula's students for college.

The event, which will be held in both English and Spanish, is open to all Santa Paula High School students, Renaissance High School students, and Isbell Middle School eighth-graders and their parents. A free dinner will be served to the first 350 guests.

This event will be from 6 to 9 p.m., starting with dinner in McMahon Gym at Santa Paula High School, then moving to the school auditorium for the presentation.

Attendees will learn about financial aid options, how to apply for scholarships and about the college preparatory curriculum. Representatives from area colleges, including Ventura College, UC Santa Barbara, California Lutheran University, CSU Channel Islands and CSU Northridge, will be on hand to answer questions.

VENTURA

Green building group to hear from Edison

The California Central Coast Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council will hold a presentation on Savings by Design at its monthly meeting Monday.

Rosemary Lieberman, the local representative for Savings by Design at Southern California Edison, will speak about the utility incentive program that supports green building.

The meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Patagonia Firehouse Building, 280 W. Main St., Ventura The monthly meetings are free and open to the public.

For more information, ca;; 648-2394, or go to http://www.usgbcc4.org.

Dart tournament in Seaside Games

The Ventura County Dart Association will hold a tournament as part of the Seaside Games next month in Ventura.

Gold Coast Shootout I, an American Dart Association steel tip sanctioned tournament, is the first of its kind in Ventura County. There will be a grand prize of $5,040 guaranteed.

It will be Oct. 11-12 at Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd.

VENTURA COUNTY

Meetings to explain military academies

Congressman Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, will host two Academy Information Nights this month for young adults interested in attending one of America's military academies.

The informational nights will be Monday, in Thousand Oaks High School cafeteria, 2323 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks; and Tuesday, in the Buena High School cafeteria, 5670 Telegraph Road, Ventura. Both sessions begin at 7 p.m.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, 17 to 23 years old, unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation for support of a child or other dependents. High school juniors, parents and siblings are also welcome.

Representatives from each branch of the U.S. military will be on hand to discuss the application processes. Information on the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy will be presented. Nominees for appointment to the service academies are selected on a competitive basis.

Each member of Congress can recommend a limited number of recruits from his or her congressional district for each academy. The nominees must live in the member's congressional district.

Applicants will be evaluated on academic qualifications, leadership ability and physical aptitude, as well as an interview with members of Gallegly's Academy Selection Board.

For more information, contact Steve Lavagnino at 686-2525. Interested students can also visit Gallegly's academy nominations Web page at http://www.house.gov/gallegly/services/academies.htm.

— From staff reports