Our Ventura TV introduces “Optimal Aging”

Local talk show “Our Ventura TV” will be focusing on seniors in a new series debuting in 2024. “Optimal Aging” will highlight health and wellness, financial planning, personal assistance, caregiving, lifestyle, housing and other topics related to having a long, healthy, fulfilling life in the “golden years.” The show will feature interviews with expert guests who will share their thoughts on living well as we age, as well as overcoming common challenges experienced by the elderly.

One goal of the “Optimal Aging” series will be “celebrating the dawn of a new age for older adults by overcoming challenges and embracing a vibrant life,” explained director Michelle Hoover via press release.

In addition to sharing information provided by guests, the series will also aim to educate Ventura County residents about the many resources and opportunities available for seniors. As host Monique Nowlin said, “There are a multitude of resources available in Ventura County to help the elderly and this series aims to raise more awareness about how to access them.”

“Optimal Aging” will air throughout the year, and show runners are looking for future guests. Those who might be interested in participating should contact Sandra Siepak at 818-263-5507 or [email protected]. You can also visit the “Our Ventura TV” website at ourventura.com and click on “Contact” at top right.

“Our Ventura TV” is broadcast on Sundays at 2 p.m., Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and Saturdays at noon on Ventura Cable Channel 6, as well as on the show website at ourventura.com and social media networks.

Oxnard welcomes Library Manager Ashmore

The Oxnard Public Library welcomed the new year with a new library manager. Kathleen Ashmore came to Oxnard with 17 years of experience in library services, including a stint in the Lonoke County Library System in Arkansas, where she developed a teen department and volunteer programs.

In her new role, which she began on Jan. 8, Ashmore will strengthen the library team, enhance its community impact and meet the needs and standards of the 21st-century library.

“The public library plays a vital part within the fabric of a community through cultural and educational services for all its residents to enjoy,” said Ashmore in a press release. “I am excited at the opportunity to enhance these ideals to the Oxnard Public Library and the residents it serves.”

The Oxnard Public Library System includes the Main Library in Downtown Oxnard as well as branches in La Colonia and South Oxnard, employing a total of 35 staff members across all three locations.

More information at www.oxnard.org/library/downtown-main-library/.

New logo for Ojai Art Center

The Ojai Art Center was founded in 1939, and is the longest continuously operating multi-disciplinary center serving the arts in all of California. Celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2024, the center unveiled a brand-new logo this month.

The new logo features a sun, crescent moon and the Ojai Post Office Bell Tower — one of the most recognizable structures in Ojai. The stylized drawings are superimposed over a bright pink circle, and the letters OAC (for Ojai Art Center) have been strategically placed within the three design elements.

The new logo was selected as part of an art contest held in 2023. The winning design was made by Ojai resident and artist Martin Sosa. As stated via press release, judges selected Sosa’s entry based on how it captured “the spirit of the Art Center as well as the flavor of Ojai.”

“I chose the color and the placement to represent the performance spotlight and the pink moment,” explained Sosa. The eight rays of the sun represent the eight branches (art, dance, film, literary, music, photography, theatre and youth) of the center, while a line crossing diagonally through the middle of the logo stylistically represents the local hillsides. It also evokes the balance and unity of a yin-yang symbol.

The new logo will be the official logo for the Ojai Art Center moving forward, and can already be seen on the center’s website and social media outlets. It will also be used on promotional materials for 85th anniversary celebrations planned for 2024.

More information at www.ojaiartcenter.org.

Mountain lion remembered through short film

Mountain lion P-22, who for many years prowled the Santa Monica Mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, is the subject of a new short film. “Strong Hunter: The Life and Legacy of P22 Mountain Lion” by Tony Lee was completed in the summer of 2023 and screened online in December to mark the one-year anniversary of P-22’s death on Dec. 17, 2022.

Lee described “Strong Hunter” as an update to his 2017 film, “The Cat That Changed America.” It is narrated by Chumash tribal elder Alan Salazar and features original music by Gabrielino-Tongva Lazaro Arvizu, Craig Torres and Cindi Alvitre. According to the filmmaker, Salazar “relays how the story and plight of P-22 mirrors that of the First Nations in California who lost their land because of colonization and were also hunted.”

P-22 was born sometime around 2010 in the western part of the Santa Monica Mountains. By 2012, he had crossed Interstate 405 and Route 101 to settle in Griffith Park. During his lifetime, he was spotted in the Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz and Silver Lake. He famously was photographed under the Hollywood sign by National Geographic photographer Steve Winter, with the image appearing in the December 2013 issue of the magazine. It was this image, as well as his presence in the Hollywood Hills, that gave rise to P-22’s nickname “Hollywood cat.” He became the subject of multiple books, TV programs and works of art, and a symbol for wildlife conservation in California — particularly for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.

In December 2022, following a series of attacks on domestic pets, California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials captured P-22 in the backyard of a Los Feliz resident. After a medical examination revealed a variety of serious health issues, P-22 was euthanized on Dec. 17 and buried in the Santa Monica Mountains on March 4.

For more information on “The Cat That Changed America” and “Strong Hunter,” including trailers and upcoming screenings, visit thecatthatchangedamerica.com.

VCOE logo contest winners

In November, the Ventura County Office of Education announced the winners of the annual logo design contest for its 2024 academic competitions. Over 150 works of art were entered by students for consideration for the VCOE’s Academic Decathlon, Battle of the Books and Science Fair.

Andres Magana (Grade 9, Santa Paula High School) won for his design for the Academic Decathlon, which features a robotic hand touching its index finger to that of a human hand. The Battle of the Books logo, with a colorful pinwheel sitting atop an open book, was designed by Olivia Romero, a third grader at Mesa Union School. Fillmore High School’s Angie Mota (Grade 11) won for her Science Fair design.

Ella Ocha of Channel Islands High School, who placed first in the nation for her courtroom drawings in the 2023 Mock Trial, was given the honor of designing the 2024 Mock Trial logo.

All four logos will be displayed on promotional and informational material and commemorative pins for their respective competitions.

More information at www.vcoe.org/Competitions.