V13.N18-6.3.20

Thank you to our wonderful donors, page 19 Vol. Vol. 3, 13, No. No. 11 18 Published Every Other Published Wednesday Every Other EstablishedWednesday 2007 June 3 – June 16, March 2020 10 - 23, 2010 Partial closing of Main St. approved by city council, but Austin Schliecher (left) works on his when? schoolwork (and On August 7, 2018 a ceremony was held at Ivy The Ventura City Council has shooting) outside. Lawn in honor of Sergeant Dowell’s life. approved a package of measures designed Nancy Cairns to help businesses recover from the coro- and her grandson navirus pandemic, including closing Braxton (center) working together for his distance learning classes. Sydney Davis (right) Dee Dowell part of Main Street to allow restaurants studies hard to be ready for high school. and stores to expand into the street and streamlining the process for approving Memorial development permits. Going the Distance- Part two Both were part of an “emergency Scholarship economic development policy,” approved by a 7-0 vote. Because it takes effect imme- Teaching and diately, it was classified as an emergency Award ordinance and required votes from six of Learning in a Pandemic The Ventura Police Officers’ Associa- the seven council members. tion (VPOA) is accepting applications for by Amy Brown “We’re taking innovative, create, the 17th annual Dee Dowell Memorial flexible steps to show our business Austin Schliecher is focused on at first, once he got into a set routine, he Scholarship. The scholarships will be community that we’ll do everything using his time wisely during this highly found advantages in working at his own presented in July 2020 to honor Sergeant within our power to support this unusual academic schedule. A junior at pace. “I spend about an hour per class, and Darlon “Dee” Dowell, who was shot and recovery,” Mayor Matt LaVere said after Buena High, and a Captain of the varsity I don’t want to fall behind, so I don’t set killed on August 7, 1978. Sergeant Dowell the vote, which was taken at the end of basketball team, he said while adjusting to myself back,” said Schliecher. is the only officer in Ventura’s history to a virtual meeting. The council has been the new online learning system was rough Continued on page 12 die in the line of duty. meeting via videoconference since March. At the time of his death, Sergeant The street closures won’t start Dowell, 32, was a nine-year veteran of the unless Ventura County is approved by Ventura Police Department. the state of California for the next stage The City of San Buenaventura of reopening, which will allow restau- named Dowell Drive, the location rants and stores to open if they practice of police headquarters, in Sergeant social distancing. County and city Dowell’s honor in 1979. officials expect that to happen soon, In selecting scholarship recipients, because Ventura County meets the the VPOA will consider academic achieve- state’s new benchmarks for reopening, ment, school and community service, based on its number of positive tests and financial needs. Applications must over the past two weeks and its rate of contain all required information and be tests that come back positive. returned no later than June 26, 2020. The downtown street closure Incomplete applications will not be con- program was developed by Downtown sidered. Ventura Partners, the business asso- Scholarship Awards: ciation for downtown merchants. It 1st Place $2,000.00 will cover four or five blocks of Main 2nd Place $1,500.00 Street and will last for one month as a 3rd Place $1,000.00 pilot program. Applicants must: Downtown Ventura Partners will pay Starting in May, the city of Ventura began to proudly light up in purple, a nighttime Be entering his/her freshman for the street closures and put up the display designed to honor the hospitality industry and to also bring a glow of hope in these through senior year in college; barricades, and will open the streets in challenging times. Plan a course of study related to the the mornings for things like trash pickup The message is simple. Purple is the color of the hospitality industry, and tourism field of public service; and commercial deliveries, Clerici said. will be a major driver in the economic recovery from the damage done by COVID-19. Ventura resident or have graduated Continued on page 12 Continued on page 3 2 June 3 – June 16, 2020 Ventura BREEZE News & Notes fortable, welcome, and safe. days a week from 1pm to 10pm. But, at the moment, it’s all about HelpNow is designed to be particu- community. A remarkable community. larly helpful to school-aged students, “I truly believe that all of us, working with tools such as flashcards, learning together to do the next right thing, will games, customized study plans, see us through this,” said Auster. “And writing help, and the opportunity for then, when the time is right, tourism will students to meet up with their friends be the economic driver that sees us back in a virtual study room. to our feet. But for now community love HelpNow also includes a variety will see us through.” of college preparatory materials and lifelong learning resources such as a Spanish language study center and ESL assistance, as well as test prepara- VMF moves tion tools for the ACT/SAT, GED and NAMI dancing in the street. the USCIS citizenship test. July 2020 Music Brainfuse is just one of a number of remote educational tools that the Socially distanced event held to Festival to 2021 Library has made available, enhanced, With regret, the Ventura Music or continues to make available during support the virtual NAMI walk Festival announces the postponement of its temporary closure to help mitigate by Jill Forman its 26th music festival, set for the last two the spread of COVID-19. In addition weekends in July 2020. to Brainfuse, the Library offers NAMI is the National Alliance on the Thomas Fire. Many of the houses are “We’re disappointed virus-related BookFlix (for remotely-accessible read Mental Illness. The classes, support new or still under construction. conditions necessitated this decision,” alouds), CloudLibrary eBooks and groups and educational outreach it does The Mommies is a group of women who said VMF board President Richard eAudiobooks, and much more at www. benefits those with mental illness, their met at a NAMI class for families of those Reisman. “We want supporters to know, vencolibrary.org/elibrary. families and friends, and society at large. with mental illness, and who continue to however, that the 26th festival is deferred, Ventura County Library: Inspiring All classes and groups are free to the meet as a support group. They were joined not cancelled. It has been moved to July our community to explore, discover, participant. NAMI relies on donations by employees of the school district who were 2021 with the expectation that most and connect. and grants to supply these invaluable donating through this event. if not all this year’s artists will partici- The Ventura County Library is services. The biggest event of the year is The cul-de-sac had messages of hope pate. In the interim, we are considering available 24/7 at www.vencolibrary. the NAMI walk, in which thousands of and love chalked on the pavement. There offerings to present later this year and org. teams and individuals raise funds. were brief speeches Georgia Perry, a into 2021.” Ventura County Library system Due to health concerns, the walk was group member and the organizer of the As to what those offerings might be, is preparing to implement curbside cancelled this year, at least in its physical event; Mark Stadler of the Ventura VPD; VMF chief executive Susan Scott says services. form. There was instead a Virtual Walk friends of the members; and a particu- that “when the only certainty is uncer- State guidelines for retail curbside on May 30, “A National Day of Hope.” larly effective and passionate address by tainty, creativity and innovation come pick-up were modified last week to One NAMI team, the NAMI Mary Haffner, local attorney and former to the fore along with the necessity to be allow libraries to provide curbside Mommies, had a dance party on Mesa member of the Ventura school board. nimble. Assuming conditions permit 60 pick-up of materials, and libraries Circle Drive in the Clearpoint area of Then the DJ started the music, and or more days’ readiness, we can present across the county have begun to Ventura. Hope is a perfect theme for this there was dancing. Dancing for hope and 3-4 live, fully staged concerts between reopen these limited services. The neighborhood which was devastated by for NAMI. Fall 2020 and June 2021, with distanced largest library system in the county, seating and other measures as required.” the Ventura County Library, operates Also on the drawing board, twelve libraries and is actively preparing through a variety of programs, has reached according to Scott: larger events that to safely implement curbside services Visit Ventura out to our remarkable community, asking can be staged outdoors, as well as at most branches. that community to do a simple, caring more intimate programs set in homes Public libraries across Ventura is working to thing -- do the best they can to support and smaller venues. New digital and County have been closed since our local businesses. With support in virtual music offerings are in the mix, mid-March when the State Public mind, Visit Ventura started “Takeout including for VMF’s elementary school Health Officer and Director of the help Ventura’s Tuesdays,” encouraging residents to buy audience.

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