In Brief
07/16/2009
Artist donates mural to YMCA
Chuck Trunks, a local artist and long-time resident of Camarillo, has donated a mural called “Race Day” to be placed in the newly renovated Teen Center at the Ventura Family YMCA.
For both Trunks and the YMCA, the completion of the two projects was perfectly timed. “I pretty much finished ‘Race Day’ when the finishing touches were being put on their Teen and Childcare Center,” Trunks said. “The colors, mood and theme of this piece matched up with what the YMCA was looking for.” This renovated space will allow the Ventura YMCA to offer better programs for youth, including after-school childcare, day camps, sports teams and swim lessons.
Trunks originally created the painting to represent his lifestyle in the 1990s, when he was an active runner. Although he spent most of his professional life in the biotech industry in Thousand Oaks, Trunks left his corporate job to concentrate on sharing his colorful artwork with people around the world.
Margo Byrne, executive director of the Ventura YMCA, agrees that Trunks’ timing could not have been better. “The painting blends in so well with our remodeled children’s area and with our 5K event, which is coming up at the end of the month.” Byrne said. “We are so grateful that Chuck decided to donate such a wonderful piece of art to our facility.”
— Claire Palermo
Telephone scam preys on unsuspecting grandparents
Over the past few months, the Ventura Police Department has received numerous calls from elderly people who have unwittingly become victims of the “Grandparent Scam.”
Scammers posing as a victim’s grandchild or other relative will claim to be in jail or in the hospital after an accident, and ask for money to pay medical bills or cover bail. The amount requested ranges from $500 to thousands of dollars.
The success of this scam depends on the willingness of caring, trusting elderly people to let their love for their relatives surpass their doubts. Most victims let this type of crime go unreported out of embarrassment or fear that the criminals have personal information on them or their family members that could be used for retaliation.
Ventura police urge the community to take the time to verify a caller’s authenticity before giving away personal information or money. Ask the caller questions that only your relative would know the answer to. If the response is suspicious, hang up and report the incident immediately.
— Claire Palermo
Loring spa leaves Love House
After five years, Spa by Diane Loring Inc. will be closing the doors this week on its third and most recent location at the Historic Love House in downtown Ventura. The Victorian-style house, which was made a historical landmark in 1989, also served as a dynamic display space for local art during the spa’s residence.
For Loring, the closing of the Love House location represents a conscious, vision-driven move rather than a loss. “As an entrepreneur, I had a vision of creating a headquarters, and doing some restructuring,” she said. “We did it, and that vision is done. This was and will be a positive experience.” The spa still lives at its two other locations, the Pierpont Racquet Club and the Pierpont Inn, where it has been thriving for the past 22 years.
Everything — with the exception of hair styling — that was available at the Love House location will transfer, including classes in art and psychology with Dr. Priscilla L. Partridge de Garcia, surf and spray tan with professional surfer Mary Osborne, historic walks with Sondra Briggs and yoga with Kathleen Fitzgerald. All contact information for the spa will remain the same, and outstanding gift certificates will be honored at the two Pierpont locations.
— Claire Palermo
Citizenship fair this weekend
A free fair for local residents looking to obtain U.S. citizenship status will be held this weekend in Oxnard.
The event, at the La Hermandad Hank Lacayo Youth and Family Center, 520 W. 5th St., Suite D, is from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, July 18.
Those interested in attending must be at least 18 years old, have the ability to understand, read and write basic English, and prove they have been a permanent resident for five years — three if married to a U.S. citizen. Men under 31 must present their Selective Service number.
Also required for the citizenship fair is a permanent residency card; work and home addresses for the last five years; personal data on spouses, ex-spouses and children; dates of travel outside the country for the last five years; a $675 money order or check to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; and documentation of court dispositions and/or arrest records.
For more info on the event, call 483-4620.
— Paul Sisolak
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