By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com Oxnard-- Part Two of the policies and procedures manual discussion on March 12, continues with a definition of an action item, which Committee Chair Tim Flynn said means an item is agenized and action is required by the body.   “For example, sometimes it’s received, and the council requires file and no action, then other times, it is providing direction,” he said.   In that instance, he said the staff does a good job.   “It used to happen, and I think this is where Committee...

By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com Oxnard— The Oxnard City Council held a pre-application review of the East Village Development Project, March 19, located at the northeast corner of Rose Avenue and Camino Del Sol.   The applicant wanted comments and feedback from the council that includes a review of the development site map and preliminary comments for the master planning of the 107-acre project site.   The area will have parks, a high school, residential homes, commercial development, and a civic center act agreement.   Planning...

By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com Oxnard-- Channel Islands Harbor Director Mark Sandoval took advantage of the public comment period at the March 19, Oxnard City Council meeting to introduce himself and explain that he should have come earlier but his eight months on the job has been hectic.   He wanted to introduce the Harbor Academy to the group and said during his time in charge it became evident that people don’t know what the harbor department is or what they do.   He challenged his staff to get the word out, and the Harbor Academy was...

By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com   Oxnard-- The Oxnard City Council presented a special proclamation at the start of its March 19, meeting, as the group honored International Women’s History Month in front of the packed house.   Receiving the proclamation was Jeanette Sanchez-Palacios, president of the Ventura County Women’s Political Council, along with Betsy Patterson, president of the League of Women voters in Ventura and Patricia Butler from the League of Women Voters in Ventura.   Sanchez-Palacios thanked the crowd for the...

By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com   Oxnard-- Members of the community gathered at the Oxnard High School Performing Arts Center, March 16, to bid a tearful farewell to Kimberly (Kimmie) Chavez who died shortly after her third birthday when her biological mother, Mayra Chavez murdered her. Mayra was convicted of second-degree murder. Step Parents Karen and Kevin Rogers, along with their children, Braden, Lilah, and Sofie all said they would make sure Kimmie’s life matters.  Members of the Oxnard Police Department joined the family, and members...

By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com   Oxnard-- Great music, good friends and fun was the highlight at the Oxnard Dance Club Saint Patrick’s Day Dance at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, March 14.   Attendees came dressed in green and spent the evening dancing the night away. The group takes a break at halftime and enjoys a delicious buffet of snacks and cheered on the raffle where people walked away with plenty of goodies.   Club President Ron Rademaker said before he became president, he taught ballroom dancing in Camarillo for two...

From the time she was an infant, Jennelle Stephenson has suffered the excruciating pain of sickle cell disease. As she grew up Janelle watched other patients younger than she, succumb to the disease. At 22, she realized that in the world of sickle cell, she wasn’t a young adult, but already middle-aged. But then during Christmastime in 2017, the Florida native and her family traveled to the National Institutes of Health for a potentially ground-breaking, but risky, gene therapy procedure. It too was painfully excruciating, requiring chemo-therapy and a month of...

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer   NEW YORK (AP) _ There's a strong chance this flu season has peaked, but health officials are watching a recent wave of illnesses from a nastier flu strain. Flu was reported to be widespread in 48 states last week, down from 49 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in its latest report on this winter's flu season. The federal agency's flu forecasters think there's a 90 percent chance the flu season has peaked. But experts also are monitoring an increase in illnesses from a kind of...

By CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer SEATTLE (AP) _ Monthly shots of HIV drugs worked as well as daily pills to control the virus that causes AIDS in two large international tests, researchers reported Thursday. If approved by regulators in the United States and Europe, the shots would be a new option for people with HIV and could help some stay on treatment. Instead of having to remember to take pills, patients instead could get injections from a doctor or nurse each month. ``Some people will be thrilled'' at the convenience, said Mitchell Warren, executive...

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Surrounded by hundreds of cheering South Los Angeles residents, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Earvin “Magic” Johnson kicked off a $70-million renovation of the park bearing the basketball legend’s name in the community of Willowbrook. The project represents the largest investment in a park improvement ever by the County of Los Angeles, and is the first phase of a master plan that is slated to dramatically transform Magic Johnson Park over the next two decades. “We are making magic at Magic Johnson Park, and the...