By Chris Frost Tri County Sentry Oxnard-- The city council, Tuesday, June 15, held a public hearing on its upcoming Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget.   The new budget, presented at the Tuesday, June 1, city council meeting, outlined many programs that will be restored, along with adding staff and restoring lost police programs that were consolidated during the city's financial crunch.   The budget has one pothole, the IUF ruling, that City Manager Alex Nguyen said he had no issue with and occurred before he arrived.   Nguyen asked the council...

By Chris Frost Tri County Sentry Ventura-- The Board of Supervisors' preliminary budget discussion continues with the county's ability to maintain its long-term AAA credit rating from Moody's and Standard & Poor’s.   Chief Executive Officer Mike Powers said in 2020, the county undertook a long-term refinancing of its hospital bonds which saved about $34 million in net present value and $2 million annually in debt service savings for Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC).    "There are positive results on our TRANs borrowing...

By Chris Frost Tri County Sentry Camarillo-- The city council, Wednesday, June 9, sent the norms for professional associations for elected government officials and city professionals back to the policy committee for additional work.   The norms include the League of California Cities International City and County Management Association, the Institute for Local Government, and others, which highly recommend council norms and are common in council government to establish guiding principles. The city council sets them to promote efficient and productive council...

By Chris Frost Tri County Sentry Oxnard-- In his report to the council, Tuesday, June 15, City Manager Alex Nguyen said unless you've been living under a rock, California’s economy is wide open effective June 15.   "According to the governor, everything is open with almost no capacity limits, distancing required," he said. "There are a few continued restrictions in terms of mask-wearing. According to the state, if you are vaccinated, masks are not required in most places. There are a handful of places where they are required, like large...

By Chris Frost Tri County Sentry Ventura-- What started as a dream has become a reality, as Cassie's Cats, a pet adoption service and lounge, is open in Ventura.   Cassie's Cats is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, with all tax-deductible donations going directly back to helping homeless cats and kittens find safe, loving, permanent homes.   Visitors at the location will find a comfortable, friendly space where the cats roam freely and do what they do best; they're cats. Visitors are examined closely by the cats who spend lots of time sitting...

By Sarah Gregory   NORFOLK, Va. (AP)—Singer Pharrell Williams' nonprofit plans to open a group of small private schools for students from low-income families, starting in Norfolk. The first school will open this fall in Ghent—the group declined to specify where—for students in the city in grades three through five with the goal of expanding on the equity-focused nonprofit's decade of experience running summer programs for students. “If the system is fixed and unfair, then it needs to be broken,” Williams said in a news release....

Teen who recorded Floyd's arrest, death wins Pulitzer nod By Amy Forliti   MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—The teenager who pulled out her cellphone and began recording when she saw George Floyd being pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer was given a special citation by the Pulitzer Prizes on Friday for her video that helped to launch a global movement to protest racial injustice. Darnella Frazier was cited “for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality, around the world, highlighting the...

LOS ANGELES—A VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System World War II Veteran celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by family and friends, June 12. Born on June 10, 1921, Herman Brown, a U.S. Army Veteran, celebrated his birthday at his Los Angeles home surrounded by multiple generations of his family. Brown, who served as a truck driver during his time in the U.S. Army, transported infantry soldiers and equipment before and during WWII. “It’s a great day to be able to see my father make it to his 100th birthday,” said Mike Brown, Brown’s son and...

By Collin Binkley   President Joe Biden revoked a recent Trump administration report that aimed to promote “patriotic education” in schools but that historians mocked and rejected as political propaganda. In an executive order signed on Wednesday in his first day in office, Biden disbanded Donald Trump's presidential 1776 Commission and withdrew a report it released Monday. Trump established the group in September to rally support from white voters and as a response to The New York Times' “1619 Project,” which highlights the lasting...

By Chris Frost Tri County Sentry   Thousand Oaks-- The conversation about the city's preferred land-use map continues with Mayor Pro Tem Bob Engler saying the city is currently in the build-out phase.   "I appreciate what you're saying that Measure E and SB330 has identified the number of 81,000 units currently at 48 plus," he said."I appreciate what my colleague is saying about the state, and I will tell you a person in the state told me a few years ago when I brought up that argument that we are at build-out, and he said, no,...