On the front page last Sunday the LA Times ran a story about how the drought — three years old in California, and now rated "severe" or worse in 100% of the state — had led to an upsurge in gold panning in streams and rivers. Such as the Kern River. Researchers said last week thatContinue reading “Harvesting the California drought: gold and wood”
Category Archives: Ventura County
Has regulation halted fracking in California in 2014?
That's the suggestion from an environmental law blog forwarded by the able, thoughtful attorney Brian Segee of the Environmental Defense Center. According to the post by attorney Mike Mills, Fran Pavley's AB 4, approved by the mostly Democratic legislature last year and signed by the Governor in January was clearly not intended to halt fracking.Continue reading “Has regulation halted fracking in California in 2014?”
Drought comes to Ventura county: VC Star
Drought can be a slow-motion crisis, and that's what it's looking like here in Ventura County, from an in-depth story from the Ventura County Star: During this third year of drought, crops in Ventura County will go unplanted, farmworkers will lose jobs, plants and trees will see more salt-related stress and growers will begin followingContinue reading “Drought comes to Ventura county: VC Star”
A spiritual retreat ruled by a cat: St. Barbara Monastery
Hidden in an oak woodland, across a bridge and over a stream, on Highway 150 not far from Thomas Aquinas College in Ventura County, can be found one of the least ordinary of sanctuaries for the traveler in search of spiritual renewal.
Drought expert to Ojai: You have too many damned trees
JPL/NASA scientist Bill Patzert gave Ojai some hell this afternoon, as part of the Facing Drought Together event: From an excellent, may I say, story in the Ventura County Star by Anne Kallas: “Don’t expect a quick fix. Droughts are slow in coming, and they are slow getting out of. We need to change the wayContinue reading “Drought expert to Ojai: You have too many damned trees”
Everything you always wanted to know about drought*
Four of us from the Ojai Valley area, all concerned citizens from very different backgrounds, think that we need to talk frankly about the drought, and more, do what we can about it. Not just for ourselves, our properties, gardens, orchards, trees, lands, and wildlife, but also for our community.
Facing Drought Together: The Ojai Retreat 3/9/2014
Bill O'Brien, a civil engineer, Victoria Loorz, a pastor, myself, and Ulrich Brugger, who directs The Ojai Retreat, are putting together a public conversation which we hope will help motivate people of the Ojai Valley to take a serious look at our drought and what we can do about it. We also intend toContinue reading “Facing Drought Together: The Ojai Retreat 3/9/2014”
A Tale of Two Towns: Can a federal grant make a real change for the poor in Ventura County? | Reporting on Health
For an upcoming fellowship in health reporting at USC's journalism school, I'm working on a couple of long-form stories. This is the first of them — a look at how a federal grant aims to balance the scales of health for poor people in Ventura County. Hope it's of interest. A Tale of Two Towns:Continue reading “A Tale of Two Towns: Can a federal grant make a real change for the poor in Ventura County? | Reporting on Health”
Ventura stands on deep, dangerous fault system: VC Star
Several new studies funded by the Southern California Earthquake Center have identified Ventura as a hot spot for geological activity, with a fault running directly under downtown potentially far more dangerous than previously believed.
If the fault ruptures along its length and involves other faults, it could cause a major earthquake and massive damage, with the possibility of a strong local tsunami, researchers say.
Justice for teen killers in the U.S…and Mexico
In Ventura County in Southern California, Alex Medina, found guilty by a jury of killing another Ojai teenager, Seth Scarminach,for the benefit of a street gang, was sentenced to twenty-six years to life this week. Eighteen-year-old Alex Medina received the maximum sentence today for the murder of an Ojai teen in 2009. Medina wasContinue reading “Justice for teen killers in the U.S…and Mexico”
Kit Stolz 